2 Days and counting!

Adrianna has gone to bed the last 2 nights WITHOUT SCREAMING! We have kept the same routine but modified it a little.
A few thoughts:
1. She has been outside almost all day every day since we have gotten our swingset. She could just be extremely tired!
2. She decided that this screaming bit was making mommy and daddy too upset so she wanted to stop......ha ha:)

We have been reading a devotional to her a night which she really seems to like and listen to quite intently. There aren't even any pictures! We also put on Gregorian Chant and I usually rub her back for about 5-7 minutes.
I'm not sure what it is exactly that has caused her not to scream but something is working!
It was such a coincidence that our devotional last night was about making good choices. We are trying to point out to her that she has a choice in everything and she has liked that.
Miss Independant likes making her own decisions!
I'm am praying that we can keep teaching her how to make good choices and this no screaming thing will continue!

Memorial Day Fun

We had such a fun day of family time! We were outside ALL day!
The girls were in the pool ALL day having a grand old time! Shawn finished up a few things on the swingset and helped me transplant some hostas.
We had a cookout with hotdogs and pasta salad, and we went out for ice cream after the girls were in their pj's.

Eliza had more fun drinking the water than actually being in it. Adrianna is our little fish, she was out of the water maybe a total of an hour from the time we got the pool up until we went in for baths.

What a great day!

Pure Glee

As soon as Adrianna woke up she looked out the window and said "The whole swingset is done! That is so cool!"
You can see the pure joy on her face! She was out there before we left for church and then on it pretty much the rest of the day!





Eliza LOVES the swing! She was on that for about 2 hours during the day. It was sporadic but she just loved it. Every time she gets down she waves at it and says "Bye bye swing".
When she woke up she looked out the window, saw the slide, and said "Ooooo slide, Anna slide!".
They were so excited!

Slow Progress- Part 2

On Saturday my dad came back to finish up the swingset. He came around 3 and thought they would be done around 7pm. Ha ha.....:)
Brad and Amber were coming over to spend the evening with us and they got there around 5pm. We ate dinner and Brad graciously offered to help with the swingset. He wasn't planning on it but it was such a HUGE help! I think Shawn and my dad would still be working on it! We appreciate his willingness to be flexible and help us out!
The girls decided it would be fun to weed while they waited!

Workin' on the tower! What a great friend!









Eliza is very anxious to have her slide!







They finally finished at 12am with smiles on their faces!
My dad had joked about being done around midnight and he was right!

The girls are going to LOVE it!

Happy 8th Anniversary my love!

I can hardly believe we have been married for 8 years! When we began our journey together almost 10 years ago, I never could have imagined how much we would grow together in our relationship with each other and in our Saviour. He has led us through many things with His grace and sufficiency. We were so young on our wedding day but I know without a doubt that God had his hand on us. I hope you know how much I love you and how much I am in awe of God's many blessings on us!
Here are a few reasons why I love you!

1. When we first met, I thought you were a geek! (Yes, you already know this!) But I was impressed by your love for God, your willingness to serve him with the talents he gave you, and your commitment to everything you touched. You also had a great sense of humor!

2. I always felt cherished and respected by you. You always put Christ first in our relationship.

3. You are an amazing trumpet player!

4. You make me laugh!

5. You are an amazing daddy and you always try to put our kids before your work.

6. You provide for us with grace and unconditional support.

7. You will do yardwork for me even though you don't really enjoy it!

8. You put a priority on our time together.

9. You are a true friend: loyal, honest, and trustworthy

10. You are a servant to everyone you meet and most importantly to our family.

11. You have shown me what it means to operate out of grace and the Holy Spirit's power.

12. You have loved me even when I'm unloveable.

13. You indulge my midnight cravings of Pizza Hut personal pans and chicken.

14. You are willing to make dinner whenever you can.

15. You are my best friend and lover.


I still forgive you for shoving the cake in my face on our wedding day.....:)







Song of Solomon 5:16 "This is my beloved and this is my friend."

I love you babe!

A Slow Process- Part 1

This Memorial Day weekend has been filled with LOTS of yardwork. We got a yard and a half of dirt and a yard of woodchips to put down in some flowerbeds. It is looking really good!
My dad has been such a big help! He loves yardwork and has been so willing to help us.
Here is the start of the swingset.


Before beginning, Shawn and my Dad realized there were no directions! They figured out the tower frame and then sent me to Menards to get the directions. After some more bad customer service, I finally got them!






Do we really need these now?








Yeah! We are getting a swingset!!!








On Friday, they worked on the swingset for about 2 hours. More to come in Part 2!

Swing sets and miracles

We were finally able to purchase a swingset! Thank you President Bush!
Right now it is sitting in our garage in boxes and hopefully will be put up tonight.

We went to Menards after seeing one in their sale ad. I called ahead and the guy I talked to said they had some in stock. He said is wasn't a kit and they always have the materials needed. When we got there at 8:30pm and went looking for it, they didn't have anymore of that one! (and yes, it is a kit) The guy who tried to help us did not know much about the other swingsets they had. I asked if we could get one comparable to the one in the ad for the same price. He had to get his manager and we found one and also got it for a little cheaper than the sale ad. At 10pm we were still there waiting for someone to help us load up the boxes!
I was getting very frustrated because to me, if you work in customer service, you should be trained in customer service! I also think you should have knowledge of the products in the department you work in. Hey, but I might just have high expectations! Anyway, we finally got home around 10:30pm with a new swing set!

We had told Adrianna that we were getting one, and that is one of the reasons I really wanted to have one when we got home. I know kids can't always have what they want, but mommy wanted it too and we have been waiting to buy one for about 2 years! Anyway, she got up this morning and asked if we had one. I told her it was in boxes in the garage and had to be put together.
She looked at me with a huge smile on her face and said "It's such a miracle!"

I'll post pictures once it is up!