a father's day gift...

{I'm trusting that my hubby will not read this post until after he's received the gift since he's currently out of the country!}

Several years ago, I made Lee a birthday gift with these pictures...

I don't remember which pictures I actually used, but why not take advantage of the opportunity to show off my girls! I framed these pictures side by side to read "DADDY."

 

I wanted to bring the gift idea back this year for Father's Day since my girls have grown a bit and we've added another kiddo!  There were a few changes I thought needed to be made on this go 'round...

• make the pictures colored because Lee prefers that over black and white
• use smaller letters because I felt like the huge letters in the pictures before overshadowed the kiddos 

Here are some of the pictures from the "photo shoot"...

::the finished product::

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Happy Father's Day to my amazing husband and my amazing Daddy!

we're on the move - literally!!

If you stop by our house, this is what will greet you at the front door!

Yep - we're moving!!

Not only are we changing our physical location, but we're venturing into a brand new season of life as well - a season that brings much excitement and a bit of apprehension.

Lee has taken the position of a {SENIOR!} pastor at a church in east Tennessee!

We are truly thankful to the Lord that He has called us to serve our new family of faith in this capacity!

The plan is to move at the end of June, but as of now, there are still several details up in the air.  I'll keep everyone posted! :)

If you know my family at all, you know it hasn't been all work around here!  We always try to incorporate a little fun into everything!  Here is a glimpse at a few things we've done in the midst of packing and cleaning and house hunting...

Took a trip to the Lego Store!!

Spent a little time with our cousins!

And I had the chance to spend the day with these precious chicks at Patti's Settlement where the pie is {literally} 5 inches tall!

{these ladies are just a few of the reasons why this move is so "bittersweet!"  it's going to be hard to leave behind some amazing friendships...}

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As we know more, we'll share more!! But for now, we covet your prayers as we begin this new journey!  

{kindergarten graduation}

::Ellee graduated from kindergarten::

We had a (small) party before the ceremony to celebrate this sweet little munchkin's graduation!  She requested a "soft yellow and pink" party.  I gladly obliged...

 

Part of the graduation festivities included a program from the kindergarten class called "Kids Under Construction."

We were thankful to celebrate the day with family and friends (some of which are not pictured)...

ellee and her "friend" - isn't he a doll!!

May 18, 2012

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a road trip with aluminum foil

Last weekend, my family (and my sweet friend Cortney!) went to Atlanta to be a part of this...

It was definitely worth the drive to see Matt Chandler and Shane & Shane! My parents drove up to join us, so it's always worth a trip to spend time with them. We took home our own {signed!} copy of The Explicit Gospel and I'm adding it to my stack of books to read! On the drive down to Atlanta, I was a little apprehensive about how the kiddos would do.  My kids are seasoned travelers and usually do great on road trips.  But...I have no shame in admitting that on long drives, we let them watch movies one after another! No judging - any parent that has driven more than 6 hours with little ones understands that there is a point when you switch from "logical parent mode" to "survival mode."  It usually happens somewhere between the 2nd and 3rd hour and that's when you start dishing out candy and bottles of glitter and glue to help them find contentment! {Maybe not glitter - that stuff is just evil!}

This trip was a little different because we were embarking on our 6 hour drive with no DVD player!! 

They actually did great and here's a glimpse at a few of the things from my bag of tricks that kept them entertained...

We played several games of "Car Bingo."  I printed off different cards from a few websites and put them in gallon size zip lock bags.  They used dry-erase markers on the outside of the bags to mark the cards so they could keep reusing the cards.    

This is a picture of one of the "Felt Button Snakes" I made for them.  These are apparently good for younger children {like Sam's age} to help with their fine motor skills.  You give them a ribbon that has a button sewn on the top and then a whole bag of felt squares that have button holes cut out in them.  The kiddos work to string the squares onto the ribbon.  {The very bottom piece of felt is sewn in place to keep the others from slipping off.}  Although they're for younger kids, I had the girls race to see who could make their snake the quickest.  They also made different patterns with the squares.

Each girl got a bag with silly putty and several different "textured" things in it.  They had fun making impressions with the silly putty using all the items.  They really liked seeing how newspaper print is copied on silly putty!

Surprisingly, this is what kept them occupied the longest - aluminum foil!!  Each girl got their own roll that I had cut into sheets.  I gave them a few ideas to get their wheels turing (a bracelet, a crown) and they turned into little creators in the back seat!  If you're needing something to occupy kiddos on a road trip - I highly recommend aluminum foil!  Added bonus - easy to clean up!!

And just in case you were wondering what Sam was doing while the girls were playing and crafting...

He seemed content with a bucket! :)

She's been talking about it for months...

She's been wiggling teeth that were not even loose...

She's been convinced that she would be the last kindergartener in her class to loose a tooth...

and it finally happened...ellee lost her 1st tooth

{april 14, 2012}

If you'll notice, her big brown eyes are filled with tears. As soon as she pulled it out, she started crying! I think she scared herself because she only intended to wiggle it and then it popped right out.

In true Ellee style though, she recovered quickly and began making up an elaborate story about the tooth fairy! :)

Couldn't help but think of when Addie lost her first tooth...

{october 2009}