Bummer - 2x

The first bummer is a pretty big one. We had to terminate the contract on the house. Too many major issues and the seller couldn't budge on price or offer any money for repairs. So, I believe the Lord has something better for us in store. I am not so disappointed, only frustrated that we have to start the process over again, which is prolonging the unknown. More time to practice patience and perseverance! Oh, how I love these lessons in godly character.

The second bummer is not so big. We only took one picture of our time at the beach (and it's not even on our camera)!! So we have no pictures documenting Bo's time on the beach or at the pool. There are good reasons...the biggest one being that I was with Bo by myself most of the time when we were on the beach, and I didn't feel like I could take pictures of him and keep him from drowning at the same time. He is just fearless when it comes to the water. Which is a blessing that he is not screaming bloody murder b/c he doesn't like the sand or the waves. But, I had to be the mother eagle, hovering over him as he would just take off by himself towards the water.

All in all, we had a great time digging in the sand and watching Bo enjoy the ocean. It is definitely exhausting taking a toddler to the beach!

So, what activities are exhausting for you, but well worth spending the extra energy?

I'll leave you with a picture of Bo enjoying some pancakes, made with freshly picked blueberries, given to us by some dear friends.

Big News...

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No, we are not pregnant. We are MOVING!! Robert has accepted a position teaching art and photography at a small Christian private school in a city called Sugar Land. It's just outside of Houston. (see map) We are really excited about this new job as it gets Robert back into art, which is a huge passion and a huge talent of his. Something some of you may have never known about him! He is a quiet man and definitely not one to boast.

The Lord has provided greatly for us in our search for a home. We put in a competing offer (which later we found out was the lower offer) on a house, and they accepted ours! As my good friend and mentor, Jody, would say, "God's fingerprints are all over this!" Through the process of transitioning and house hunting, I found myself becoming anxious (fear) and have been convicted of my lack of trust that the Lord would provide. Not that I was constantly not trusting, but it was very easy to fear that, well, frankly, I wouldn't get what I wanted! How selfish! Gross. But a quote from the little book entitled, Jesus Calling, helped me in my times of fear..."Let trust and thankfulness stand guard...". Trust to drive away fear and thankfulness to drive away discontent. I think whatever our situations, this is always a good word.

So, we are definitely excited about getting out of apartment living and into a nice little neighborhood, with a community pool!! We also have a great backyard (see below)and am so excited that we won't have to drive to the park just to play outside! And, a friend from church lives in the neighborhood, and her 2nd son is Bo's age! Why was I fearful and lacked faith?



Lord willing, the inspection will go well and our closing date will be on/around July 11th. Robert will start his new job Aug. 7th or 8th.

Also, Lord willing, we will be leaving tomorrow (Sunday), to head to Pensacola, FL, for our high school beach trip. We are meeting up with our old youth group from Memphis! I am so excited to get to go to the beach, and see old friends! This will be Bo's first extended time at the beach, so I am excited to see how he likes it!

Finally, I leave you with this...I call it, "Camo Cowboy Conductor" or "What happens when a toddler picks out his outfit in the middle of summer".

Happy Birthday, Bo! Again.

My friend, Nancy, and I decided to have a joint birthday party for Bo and her son, Ben. Their birthdays are 3 days apart. I really wanted to be able to celebrate with some of Bo's new little friends from church, so that's why we celebrated more than once. If this trend continues, Bo is going to think it's his birthday all the time - which means more cupcakes and more presents. He is still asking for more of both.

We had a construction vehicles theme because both the boys love them. It was great to have somebody to split the responsibilities with! I understand now why some parents are so reluctant to have these parties...especially at their own houses! Thank goodness the weather was nice, so we could have our party at the park! It worked out great! Even the pizza delivery guy delivers to the park!



Bo decided he only wanted the icing...giving me back the slobber soaked cake part after he was done licking.


This is our little friend, Ben, really enjoying his cupcake!


This is some of the chaos of a 2-year-old's birthday party...mom's wiping, boys with sticks...not too bad!
Remember our butterfly princess? She and Bo really love each other...most of the time. She was really sweet to him at his party, pushing him around in his big dump truck...what more could a man want? A ride in a big dump truck courtesy of a cute older woman, while enjoying a cupcake?