First Grade Field Trip

Nolan's first grade class went to the zoo last week. It was beautiful weather and a good quick trip! All the kids were excited and Nolan was pumped to get to ride on the bus and picnic at the zoo. Mrs. Ware had us split into groups so I had a group of four kiddos. They were all really good and it was fun. Can't believe that my sweet boy is almost finished with first grade!

Nolan's best friends - Ryan, McKai and Carter.

Miss You

You would have loved today... perfect 70 degree weather; sunny but the grass was still cool to the touch. Your boys played in the backyard all afternoon. If you were here you woulda basked in the sun and watched them play bubbles. The hydrangeas are blooming and the cross Mike made is now hanging above you - it looks beautiful. I couldn't help but miss you. It was a Daisy kinda day.

Mamie

We lost a sweet soul this past week. Mamie was “100 and a half” as Nolan put it and she lived an amazing life. I say amazing not because of one huge thing that happened but more all of the little things she saw and experienced throughout her life. No, she wasn’t an international traveler or rich and famous – she was an ordinary woman who lived an extraordinary life. Extraordinary in that she lived through so many historical events - think of all the things she witnessed! Advances in technology, wars, civil rights, the great depression, over 50 years of marriage and just all the events within her own family. 100 years ago no one had electricity in their homes or owned cars and made just pennies for wages. Really just stop and think about how different life was back then. She was a part of the most dynamic century on Earth. That is pretty amazing. But for all the things she experienced, she was so grounded. She had a deep love for Jesus and her family. When I became a part of the family 13 years ago Mamie was in her late 80's. She still lived on her own in her little apartment in Big Spring. I remember how she would come visit for a holiday but would "have to get back home" because she and her friends had plans to go see a gospel singing over at another church. It was so cute! I feel blessed that the boys were able to know their great-great grandmother and that they will have fond memories of her. Not many people are lucky enough to experience that. Mamie out-lived all of her own brothers and sisters, all of her friends and of course her sweet husband who I never met. What a glorious day it must have been when she got to heaven. I just picture a huge reunion for her and think about how long she has waited to get there. Of course it is so sad for those she left behind but thankfully her four children are able to know without a doubt where their momma is and what she must be doing now! I love this picture of Mamie and Mema - it's one of my favorites.

Easter

Easter was full of the typical crazy busy holiday plans. We started out the day with a visit from the Easter Bunny who hid eggs all over and brought the boys lots of candy, money, and little toys. They even had a few "big" toys in their baskets - lucky kiddos! Then we headed out for church. Scott and I signed up to teach Sunday School for a 3 yr old class at the 9am service. It was a lot of fun! Then after church we spent a little bit of time in the main lobby looking at a bunch of old bible artifacts that were on display. Pretty cool! It's a traveling museum that just happened to be at Rush Creek on Easter. Then we went to Grandma's for lunch where there was lots of family and fun. Our sweet Mamie passed away a few days after Easter and had been really bad for the past few months. Scott's side of the family didn't really "do" Easter this year but we still went by Mema and PaPa's house just to see her and visit for a little while. It was sad for us to know that Mamie was so close to the end. I am thankful we were able to have one last holiday with her here.(I have another post started for Mamie but I don't think I will have it finished tonight to post.) We ended the day at Granny and PaPa's. I left my camera at home so I didn't get any pics from dinner at their house. It was a nice day! I think the boys for the first time really had a good understanding about what Easter is really about. All week leading up to Easter, we read the stories of the events surrounding Good Friday. I was so glad that we did because with all of our family obligations - it would be really easy to get caught up and lose the true meaning. We talked about it again before bed and it just made my heart happy to hear them tell me what happened on Easter all those years ago! Thank you Jesus!







The best thing about this Easter was that my Uncle Dell was finally home with our family to celebrate it. I love him and I am so glad that he is home!
















These pictures are from when Scott pulled out the confetti eggs. He got Nolan from behind while he was sorting through his Easter candy and then the game was on!!


Check out Hud's throw!!!! Look at how Nolan is braced for the hit - haha!!

Action shot!!

This last picture is of my Grandma and my sweet Great Aunt Rosie. Love her and I am so glad she was able to spend the afternoon with us!

Astraea 2.5

Starla and Doug wanted me to get a few pictures of Astraea with her Mimi while she was in town over Easter weekend. We went out to find a patch of Bluebonnets but when we hit the open road they were gone!! Crazy how they are there one week and gone the next. To replace them were fields and fields of Buttercups. (Personally I think the sweet pink blooms were better!) But it was so windy that morning we only got a few in the fields and then went to a park to try to get some more.

This first picture is my favorite because of the field. It makes me think of a sermon I heard a few weeks ago about worry. It was a passage from Luke and it talked about how Jesus said we should not worry and gave examples that were just so true. One of the examples he gave was about how God decorates and "clothes" the meadows. If he does something this beautiful to a meadow that will be mowed down tomorrow, think of what he will provide for us. It was so profound for me; so true. Here are the verses:

Luke 12:22-34
Do Not Worry
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life[a]? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

I continue to think about this each time I see a patch of wildflowers now. When I started to edit these pictures I realized just how amazing all these wild flowers are. God orchestrates those flowers for the fields just as he does the things that happen in our own lives. It is not for us to worry, it is just for us to know that he is in control and do our very best with what is given to us. It was so beautiful to watch sweet little Astraea picking flowers and skipping through them. This very first picture is my favorite. Not sure if you can tell when the picture is little but if you click on it and make it big maybe you can see - those flowers went on for miles! (Oh and if you do click on a picture to make it bigger just hit the back arrow up at the top left side to get back to the blog page.)













We finally found a tiny little patch of Bluebonnets but by that point Astraea was so over us, the camera and pictures in general. I LOVE this pic because it sooooo shows what she was feeling at that moment. Might be one of my favorites from the day!