I love this song!!!

This song caught my attention the other day when I heard the words to the first verse. I know we all have doubts sometimes about our "place" in life. Sometimes life seems so monotonous with the little things that we do day in/day out. I feel like the culture we live in doesn't appreciate my "job", since I don't have a thriving, important career. So, I have to remind myself that my job really is THE most important job. And every little thing that I do is not only loved and appreciated by God, but it is also watched and observed by little eyes.
So....thank you, Steven Curtis Chapman, for your words of encouragement and this catchy tune that's been in my head all day. :-)

Happy Birthday U.S.A.!!!!

Happy 4th of July!
We celebrated our nation's birthday this year by making a couple of crafts. We made a red, white & blue wreath with Josie's handprints. We also made a stained-glass star. To make the stained-glass effect, I had Josie color with red and blue crayons on plain white paper. Then we used a cotton ball to rub cooking oil over the paper, which made it see-through. Then we glued the "glass" between 2 pieces of construction paper with a star cut in the middle. Both projects turned out very cute!

We also made a flag cake. I used a Hungry Girl recipe to make the cake. It's just a box of extra-moist chocolate cake mix and a can of cherry coke zero. We used cool whip for icing and then used blueberries and strawberries to make an American flag. It tastes sooooo good!!!! Very light and refreshing! :-) Plus, we had fun making it, too! Yummy!!!

Splash Day at the Mall

Today we went to the outdoor mall in Pearland to play at the splash pad. There's also a little fountain about 8 inches deep. I think they liked "the pond" more than they cared for the sprayers splashing up from the ground. After we ate our snack, our friends, the Fryer's, showed up. So then we got to play some with them. They all had a great time playing in the water!

You can't really tell by the picture, but Josie and Nathan are
holding hands as they walk into the water. So sweet!!!!

Snack time in the shade

B.F.F. (Best Friends Forever!)

Last night after church I went to go pick Josie up from class, and they were out on the playground. Josie and Zoey were playing in the little house, which was no surprise. However, I was completely shocked as I got closer to them to see how dirty they were! Apparently, they'd been giving each other dirt baths with the dirt floor in the house. They were both absolutely filthy! Their arms, legs, and faces were COVERED in dirt. They'd both taken off their socks and shoes, too and had filthy feet. I should have been mad, but they were sooo dirty that it was actually pretty funny. Needless to say, I had to give Josie a bath before I could put her to bed.

Cousins!!!!

We were blessed this past weekend to have Lane's sister Mary Anne and her family come for a visit. They were visiting Kevin's family in Baton Rouge, and decided to make the 5 hour drive to Houston to see us. It was a quick visit. They were only here for about 24 hours. Saturday night we took them out for some of the best Tex-mex around at Pappasitos, then MaryAnne and I took the kids to the pool. Josie was so excited to see her cousins, Faith and John Derrick. She even eventually warmed up to their dog, Prince Harry the Charming One (who was very well behaved, I must say). It's always good to see family and we were so thankful for their willingness to make the drive, even for such a short visit. Since moving to Houston, God has really taught us a lesson in the importance of family and not taking them for granted.

VBS 2011

Our VBS theme this year was "Voyagers: The Search for True Treasure" (and don't ye be confusin' that with pirates, argggggg!). The kids had a great time as we searched for the true king, the true teacher, the true power, and the true strength. I particularly enjoyed watching Josie progress throughout the week. I'm sure she didn't really grasp everything that was going on, but she would come home singing the songs. Of course, when asked "Josie, who is the true treasure??", she sometimes still says "the pirate!!!" instead of "Jesus!!!" (There was a "first mate" in the skit that she called the pirate.)
I taught the 4 year olds, and these are pictures of our classroom.

Summer Fun

Picnic at the park

This is what happens on the way home after a hard day of playing and no nap

Backyard Splash Time!!!

Nathan kept trying to jump into the pool over the side.
Several times he bounced off the side of the
pool right back into the yard. But he kept on trying!

Catching some rays

Bathing Beauties! (I love this picture!!!)