Thanksgiving Play Date!

This past week we've had some gorgeous Thanksgiving weather. So another mommy friend and I decided to get our boys outside to run off some energy before the holiday got started.

Things started off in the sandbox...







Then moved to the slides...








Then there was a little hangin' around the monkey bars...







And swingin' on the swings...







Watchin' the biggun's jumping to the next section of the castle...



And deciding to jump around and dance instead...



Peace out!

What I MEANT To Say...

When N and I count our blessings, our Small Group is always one of those things at the top of our list. This group of people have surrounded us with love, encouragement, and nurturing for several years. They mourned and grieved with us in our hormonal infertility journey and two miscarriages. They have literally laid hands on me and prayed for God to open my womb. They have joyously celebrated with us as the first folks to know about Monkey's conception...literally...even before our family. It is with this group of friends that God has pulled us closer to Him, sharpened our minds, and made us accountable in our walks. We seriously cannot thank Him enough for giving us these folks, who I call "Jesus in skin".

This past Sunday, these awesome friends hosted a diapers and wipes shower for us during our Sunday School class. They had a gorgeous breakfast spread, including some super yummy gluten-free raspberry muffins! (Thank you Kristen!) I'm just kicking myself for not remembering my camera that morning, because the breakfast table looked beautiful. And then there was the HUGE PILE of diapers and wipes standing next to it! The generosity from everyone in our Joshua Tree class was overwhelming to say the least.





When it came time for praise/prayer requests that morning, we just had to sing the praises of everyone in that room. I had it all planned out. I knew pretty much what needed to be said. Except when I opened my mouth the dam of emotions kinda took over and I lost all composure. :-( For those of you that were there, please forgive me for blubbering, so I feel the need to really state what my heart felt at the moment.

What I meant to say was, "Thank you all for being such an integral part of our journey the last few years. We seriously leaned on you during some very tough times. Most of you carried us and had hope for us because we were too broken to have hope for ourselves. We can't thank you enough for standing by us during those times and for your generosity today. The tough economy has taken it's toll on all of us and we completely understand that some of you have given sacrificially to give us gifts today. We are very touched with you even being here to help us celebrate our SECOND little monkey, let alone the generosity of that huge pile of diapers and wipes."

The only thing that I can add since then, is a big thank you to those of you that also gave sweet little gifts to Monkey as the new big brother! We are so grateful to those of you that remembered him...you guys are so awesome! We plan on keeping those gifts on stand-by until M2 arrives, so Monkey can feel loved and pampered when the stress of a sibling arrives.

We love you man! :-)

Engaged!

This is Chris, the son of my friend Stacy. He's the pastor at a church in Abilene and last year met this wonderful, darling young lady that was created just for him. Everyone who's met Rachel loves her and knows she's a perfect match for Chris.

As you can see from this shot, it's a special woman to love a pastor with a sense of humor like this. ;-)



Congratulations Chris and Rachel! May God bless your relationship for many, many years! We are so happy for you! We are tickled that you get to enjoy each other's company for a lifetime. I promise, it's one of the biggest blessings you'll ever experience.

A Thousand Words

Happy Birthday Little Asa Benjamin! The world is now sweeter with your miraculous presence and it was my honor to meet you today. You are flesh and blood proof that God answers our prayers. We have loved you since before you were even conceived and cannot wait to see what God's plan is for your sweet life.













Heavenly Father, I sit tonight so incredibly humbled by Your Faithfulness. Why I question You so often is beyond me. Why you put up with our faithlessness is beyond me. Thank you for Your Patience. Thank you for Loving us and refusing to give up on us. This child is here today because of You and ONLY because of You. Let us not take credit for any of Your miraculous work. You are so very Good! Thank you for making my sweet friend a Mommy!

A Great Way to Start the Weekend

This morning was a very special day for our sweet friend Julie. She is only about 6 weeks away from having her sweet little son in her arms. We've prayed for this little boy for a looong time and we're finally on the home stretch of our wait. Woohoo!

So today, some of us from church got together to celebrate the miracle in the R family's life. Among the many other things the ladies in our Sunday School do well, making a mother-to-be feel loved is probably one of the most special! (We've had a lot of practice in the past few years!)

The cake/punch table...



S'more cupcakes...



The very yummy brunch table. Man, can these girls cook! Seriously.



The beautiful diaper cake by Jessica R and Courtney...



Very studiously doing our word scramble...of which, the only one I could figure out without too much struggle was "olcic". Been there. Done that.



We all oohed and ahhed while Julie opened some beautiful and fun gifts...



...one of which was a GORGEOUS crocheted blanket from Alison...the softest thing ever! I think she'd make a ton of money if she started crocheting PJs just like this. I'd buy 'em!



Leave it to Amanda to start Little R's library. :-)



Our guest of honor with just a handful of hostesses. I was a dork and forgot to get a picture before everyone left. :-(

From L to R: Jessica W, Julie, Jennifer, Kristen, me. Not pictured: Sara, Jessica J, Jessica R, Courtney, Ashley, and Jenny (who was busy enjoying her little Lily Kate, barely 36 hours old!)



Jules and her Momma...



Julie we are so thrilled to see you come to this special point in your life! We are impatiently waiting to meet your little one.

Hurry Baby R! You have many little Monkey's out here to play with you and Mommies and Daddies waiting to meet you!

Veronica Joins the Fold

This past weekend was a big weekend! One of N's childhood friends got married and we went to the rehearsal dinner on Friday and the wedding on Saturday. (We got a babysitter and everything two nights in a row! We felt so grown up!)

Travis and N have known each other since junior high. When we met his girlfriend last year, we knew pretty quick that she was "The One". We love Veronica! She's got a sweet personality, has a great sense of humor, and more than anything, she adores our sweet friend Travis. So along with the other 5 guys in The Group of Guys That Have Too Many Stories About Each Other, there are now 6 girls in The Group. Such fun to have these special relationships!

The Big Event was at Sons of Hermann Hall in Deep Ellum. We loved it...so much history, the music was great, the food was great, and I even got in a little dancing. Here are a few shots I got in the midst of having fun.

The Happy Couple!



A special moment during the Best Man's toast.



I loved watching them dance. Travis was so sweet leading!



The Girls! Veronica is now part of The Sisterhood of Wives That Roll Their Eyes At All Their Husbands' Stories of Their High School Antics. L to R: Kimberly, Me, The Blushing Bride, Sarah, Vickie, Julie (and little one).



The Guys! Yes, I realized afterwards that I didn't include The Groom. D'uh. :-( L to R: Matty, Scott, Mark, Kevin, Gray, this cute usher that kept flirting with me all night.



And that cute usher? I took him home!



And Kristen...this one is for you. As you can see, N refused to go along with my plans. Matt's only there out of pity. :-)



It was such a fun Friday and Saturday night! Congratulations sweet friends! We are so blessed to be part of such a special event...thank you for including us. We are even more excited to see what God has in store for your lives during the coming years.