Ballet for B

B's First Day of Preschool

Today B started Pre K 3. She is still at Wesley (where her MDO was last year), but now she is down the "big girl" hallway. She has been so excited for this day since sissy started 3 weeks ago and she has been hanging with momma all by herself. She picked out her outfit for today and of course had to have her new "twinkle toes" to wear as well.
When we arrived @ school Be headed right back into her routine. She found her cubby, and put her Dora back pack up. Then she was off to find her seat "The one with a B" She sat right down and started into her play dough. Then I got a big smile and "Love you Momma, be careful".

It is so nice to have a place where she feels comfortable and safe and has no problem with you leaving her. And yet it is so sad too! So easily she says See ya later Momma. I pray that she has a fabulous day and enjoys her time with her friends.

What's for dinner Wednesday?

Well, we are taking it easy tonight. Grilled cheese and some "ketchup" soup. My girls always lick their bowl clean. In our house I can get the girls to eat just about anything with some ketchup on it :) I make it with milk instead of water. Makes it that much creamier and healthy too!

{Can be found in any local grocery store with the label "Tomato" soup, but Ketchup sounds so much more fun!}

Week One down.....

Camden started 2nd grade on Wednesday the 18th, but this last week was her first full week in school. One thing that I love about Camden's small private school is that the first day of school isn't that scary these days. It's like a mini reunion. It's great. She loves her new teacher, Mrs. Rowe. I'm pretty sure she stole her heart when they had a test and it was on Amelia Bedelia. Camden thought that was just AWESOME and thought it was even neater when she found out that Mrs. Rowe read these books when she was in 2nd grade! GET OUT! Needless to say, Camden is loving 2nd grade. Camden's favorite subject is math and she LOVES to read.


Berkleigh does not start school (MDO) for another week and it is killing her...no seriously, I am quoting Berkleigh...it's killing her! We have her Open house this Tuesday night and she is stoked!
Week Two..Here we come!

What's for dinner Wednesday.....

~Western Bacon Cheeseburgers~

You will need:

A bag of frozen onion rings
Ground meat ( 1 1/2lbs or so)
8-12 slices of bacon
4-6 slices of American cheese
Hamburger buns
BBQ sauce

Here's how to make these yummy burgers. I usually preheat my oven for the O-rings and start shaping my ground meat into patties. Throw the O-rings in the oven and bake as directed on the bag. Now you can either grill the hamburgers or cook them in the skillet. Usually I will cook my bacon in a skillet while the burgers are cooking OR you can zap them in the microwave. Once the burgers are cooked to your likeness....top them with cheese. Time to assemble the burgers. Spread the BBQ sauce on the bun, top with a burger, 2 or 3 onion rings and bacon. Throw some french fries on the side and you have a great burger night!

Buddies, Bouncing & Bubbles

Our friends Abbi and Anna came to town and we grabbed a bite to eat with them at the The Mall and then played like crazy on the little ride on toys. Those girls must have spent an hour playing and jumping between the rides. Thank the Lord we finally ran out of quarters and imagination.
The girls LOVE to "bounce" at the mall too! So between eating and playing on the ride on toys, the girls bounced. Berkleigh just makes the weight limit and LOVES it. Camden's favorite thing to do it flip over. They always have a blast with this.


Bubbles galore. The girls participated in the Energy Museum's "Bubble Day". There were bubbles to blow, Bubbles to touch and Bubbles to.....stand inside. How cool? The girls had a wonderful time.


Then we headed back over to Roger's Park spray area to finish off our day with great friends. We are loving our carefree, no agenda summer time.

Summer time necessities...

Goggles........$2 @ Target
Inner tube.....$1 @ Dollar Tree
SISTERS.....priceless!!!!!!

My "Brella"

Momma: What'cha got there Berkleigh boo?

Berkleigh: Ummmm....it's my "brella" Momma

Momma: Oh yes, I see that. Is it raining in here?

Berkleigh: YEP!

Camping the Girl Scouts Way

Camden started Girl Scouts this past year and just loves it. This summer she was invited by another troop to go camping. So in late June, Six Mommas and seven girls headed out for our very first camping trip ever. We went to a GS campsite just north of Houston. Now we were not sure what our "camp" setting was going to be, but we were prepared with for the worst and hoping for...well....The Hyatt.

We arrived and soon found that we were hard core camping. Let me give a quick disclaimer. We were "housed" in a dorm that had running water and indoor bathrooms. And yes there was even electricity. So you say...Hard Core????? YEP......no air conditioning for 2 days in South East Texas in JUNE......HARD CORE!



All in all......we had a great time. The girls went on hikes, sang camp songs, made a fire, ate smores, made crafts, swam and complained a fair amount. Good times I tell ya. The best part of the weekend though was just spending time with Camden. Not scheduled time or entertained time...just time...not sitting in front of a movie together time..... just her and I....no board game, Wii or radio....It really made me think about how fast she is growing and how important these quiet times together are.
Camden is such a beautiful little girl inside and out. She has this amazingly sweet heart that is so considerate of others and the funniest sense of humor that no one hardly sees because of her meek and quiet spirit. She is respectful and enjoyable to be around. It is very humbling to think that God thinks enough of me...to allow me to be her Momma. A responsibility this great is overwhelming at times, but very honoring. I just pray that I am raising her in his image and that she is seeing God in everything that I do. I love you Camden Hope and am so proud of who you are.

July 4th!

Father's Day 2010

I asked the girl's tonight why they loved their Daddy and what made him so special. Here are just a few of their answers......

DADDY....
~ plays games and reads books to me
~ makes special time for just me
~ has a great imagination and pretends with us
~ watches TV with me on the flower chair
~ feeds me and dresses me in my play clothes
~ acts silly and makes me smile and laugh
~is a hard worker and makes money for groceries and stuff
~is good at helping with my homework
~reads our Bible to us and tucks us in

And my favorite answer to why is your Daddy special?

Because God made him and he has Jesus in his heart!
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Dax with Camden Hope 3 days old {2003}

Dax with Berkleigh Faith 3 days old {2007}


Father's Day 2007


Father's Day 2008

Father's Day 2009


Father's Day 2010


Happy Father's Day to a wonderful Husband and Father. It is so obvious that you love being a dad and I LOVE that about you Dax. You are an awesome man of God and I am so blessed to have you as my husband, and father to our two beautiful girls. I Love you!

Summer is here!

It is finally summer time and we couldn't be more excited. We have been super busy over the last several months, so here is a photo update.


This sweet girl turned 3!



Camden started Daisies this year and now has bridged over to an official BROWNIE! Way to go Camden!

Berkleigh is showing off her artwork from school at the "Art Show"

My BIG girl is 7! She had a GROOVY party at the rollerskating rink!


Berkleigh's last day of MDO~ We love you Mrs. Sparkle and Mrs. Amy!

Camden's last day as a first grader! Hello second grade!


We are so happy that summer time is here and can't wait to enjoy this beautiful weather together. We have some road trips planned to go spend time with Daddy in Louisiana We may even head to Florida for a bit. Just flying by the seat of our pants this summer and enjoying it. Hugs to all our friends and family!

Family Updates.....

Dax...... has been working in Natchitoches, Louisiana for the past 7 weeks. He is able to come home for Sundays each week. We are praying that the Lord will bless him with something a bit closer to home.Although we are very grateful for a job. He does enjoy his work otherwise. Natchitoches is a great little town too! It is where Steel Magnolias was filmed. Cool right? The actual home from the movie is a bed and breakfast place that you can stay in. Dax is excited to be participating in the "Last Days of Christ" again this year. This is an outdoor play, if you will, of the last days before Christ death. It is all role played out in an open field here in Beaumont and you walk through the dusty city streets as people from back then tell you stories and act out what those days were like. You eventually find yourself watching the last supper, then you are standing in the crowd with everyone screaming crucify him. as you continue your walk, you find yourself standing with Mary as she weeps at Jesus' feet while he hangs on the cross. It is so life like. Dax will be playing Jesus again.





Camden Hope...where did my baby go? She will be seven on May 1st and becoming such an amazing young lady. She loves school and her favorite subject is math.(Just like her daddy) She has started a Daisy troop this year and has a great little bunch of girls with her.I love the morals and great friendships that Girl Scouts instills in these girls We just returned to school after having a week long Spring Break. We had several lunch dates with friends, went bowling, shopping, and even took a mini vacation over to Houston with one of our favorite families. Camden has lost a total of 4 teeth and we still are awaiting the 2 front teeth that some how weren't received for Christmas. Camden also sings on the Praise team in her Children's church. She has such a sweet heart and I see her love for Jesus daily. If only I could see it for her sister daily.....HA! Actually, Camden is a wonderful big sister and Berkleigh is crazy about her.



Berkleigh Faith.......what a joy. This girl is always smiling, laughing, being silly or making someone else laugh. She too is having a birthday real soon. Berkleigh will be 3 on April 16th. She is our peanut. She still wears size 18-24 month clothes and is a snack~ aholic. Thankfully this girl loves her fruit. Bananas, strawberries and grapes are her favorite, but she takes in her fair share of chocolate as well. She loves all things girlie. Accessories are a must including her purses, sunglasses,phones,lip gloss, hair bows and shoes. All which absolutely have to match otherwise it is a big NO! Like I said she is a hoot, just this morning she ran into our bedroom with my phone. She said,"Momma~ the mail is calling you"~ She was right ...when I looked @ my phone there was a text message which shows up as an envelope on the screen.

And me.....I continue to stay home with the girls which is such a blessing. Funny thing is....there's not much more to tell you. Being a momma is what I do and that's about it. Although at the end of the day I wonder where all the time went. I came across this "job description" for Mom's~ It is pretty silly and oh so true. I wouldn't change my "job" for a million bucks!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
POSITION: Mama

JOB DESCRIPTION: Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment.

Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call.

Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES: The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5.
Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three sec onds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.
Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers.
Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects.
Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.
Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.
Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.
Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.

Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION: Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION: Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent.

When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS: While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life if you play your cards right.


Well, that's about it. Here are a few pictures from our Spring Break trip to Houston.






We had such wonderful weather and decided that one day we would take full advantage of it and headed to a gorgeous park in Houston. Camden, Berkleigh and Adam had a wonderful time. And who is Adam you ask? Adam, as well as his parents, are part of our family here in Beaumont. God is just amazing with how he puts people in your life that you need and that bless your life.

We love and miss everyone back home and are hoping to come for a visit this summer. Enjoy your Spring Break and the warm weather to come!