Play Ball!

Caleb was awarded a Medal at his Soccer Game today. He was so proud. He wore it most of the day! I am so happy that Bentonville Parks and Rec took the time to give these out to the darling Little Kickster program players. Oh my goodness. It was such a wonderful evening. Tonight, Richard grilled burgers and hot dogs and played catch with Clay. Clay is throwing the ball in this picture. Clay just loves playing baseball! Caleb is observing the action in the background while eating a Popsicle (his third of the evening :) I love love love seeing my favorite three boys having fun together!!
Earlier this week, my playgroup had an outing at Crafty Cottage in Bentonville. We had so much fun. Caleb painted a coffee mug with his hand prints on it. I plan to give this to Richard for Father's Day if I can bare to part with hit. If you want a fun activity to do with your little ones, I really recommend you check this out.
Clay's had a play date with his friend Ayden this week. Here the boys are playing the Wii. The boys had a great time together. They played inside, outside, ate treats and just had fun! I am so blessed that Clay loves his school friends!

With Mother's Day tomorrow, I just relished in the blessings of motherhood today.

*I loved watching Caleb play soccer and Clay play baseball. I loved how excited Clay got when he hit the ball and ran across home plate and I loved the pride on his face as he ran up to me after he caught a ground ball. I don't think there is any place I would have rather been then at both boys games today.

*I so enjoyed watching the boys play at Memorial park where they played in the creek and smiled as they dropped rocks into the water, making a splash.

*I loved how excited Caleb got as he blew bubbles and excited both boys were as they watched their cool windmill toys spin (Thanks Mary Avery) in the gentle wind.

*I love how the simple pleasures of life make them so happy! They teach me sooooo much!!

*I loved loved loved seeing them smile and laugh.

*I feel so fortunate that my boys are healthy. I never want to take that for granted.

*I love being a mom. It is a dream I never thought would come true. I definitely didn't deserve this gift, but I am so grateful God allowed me to have Clay and Caleb in my life. I am excited to celebrate them on Mother's Day. Without them, my life would never be as full as it is today!

James 1:17 (NIV)
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Happy Mother's Day!

Berkli

A Great Day of Play

Ninja Rider - Bubba loves his costumes!
Down he goes and little brother observes

Hey Mom! Look at Me!

With the sun finally out after many days of rain, Clay begged me to take him Bike "Ramping." He LOVES riding down hills. There just happens to be a mound of dirt at the back of our neighborhood that he really likes. So, after school, we headed over and the fun began. Caleb preferred the street to the hills, but both boys enjoyed their time, especially since it was completely muddy. Why didn't I remember to have them put on their old shoes :) Oh, well. They had fun and I loved watching them...even though they make me really nervous at times.

Precious Ladies!

Don't you love the two darling baby bumps :)

Well, rather than fighting to save the Princesses,

the boys are shooting them as the girls lower their swords..So funny!

So Sweet!

Baby Mozart

As the girls play the piano, the boys play Star Wars in the background!

Love it!

Time to Eat! (thank for the table Amber :)

I loved hosting Playgroup this week. I have had the blessing of being in this group since my son Clay was about 19 months old. I have so enjoyed watching the children grow up. I cannot believe that Clay is now in Kindergarten and no longer even in this group. Note: He was not happy when I told him playgroup was at our house and he didn't get to come :)

I love the precious time of fellowship with these special ladies. They mean so very much to me. Everyone Mom needs a group of women to "play" with from time to time. It was a wonderful day!

John 13:34-35 (NASB)
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

Blessings,

Berkli

Such a Happy Easter

FUMC Easter Egg Hunt!
The boys first time to see the Easter Bunny! They look a bit confused, yet amazed!

My dad is so special. I loved watching him dye Easter Eggs with my boys. It brought back such great memories of dying Easter eggs when I was a little girl! The boys had a blast!!

My Little Prince Charming!

and his Charming little brother!

My precious family! No where else I would rather be than with them!

Hunting Eggs at my parents house! The boys totally racked up!!

My darling nephew Luke found an egg!! Yea!

Uncle Brock and Cousin Luke - Easter Morning!

Richard any one of the most special ladies in the entire world - my grandmother Don!

The boys loved swinging Baby Luke. Not so sure Baby Luke loved it so much :)

I had the most wonderful time with my family this past Easter weekend!! What a blessing it was to celebrate the joy of my risen Savior with my parents, grandparents and brother Brock and his family. It was such a special time.

We got to attend my hometown church's Easter Egg Hung on Saturday. The kids had so much fun. They got to see the Easter Bunny, watch a puppet show, eat yummy muffins, and hunt for eggs. So fun. And that was just on Saturday morning.

We had a great lunch at one of my favorite places in Paragould, Taco Rio. We then went to see the movie Rio with my family. The boys loved it and so did I.

That afternoon, we went to visit my grandparents where the boys got to search for hidden Ester Baskets and they even got to go for a ride with my grandfather in his golf cart!! So fun!!

That night my mother made us a wonderful Easter feast. Yummy! Thank you Mom!!!

Richard watched the end of The Passion of the Christ with the boys. It sparked a lot of questions, especially for Clay. I love to see his little mind working so hard to understand the wonderful Gift of Christ Sacrifice on the cross.

Easter Sunday was so special. We had another fun Easter Egg Hunt and then we attended a wonderful Easter Service! My family's pastor Tom shared about the Thief on the Cross and how Jesus told him, "today, you will be with me in Paradise." I loved the reminder that it is through Faith in Christ by his grace that we receive salvation, not any works of our own!! Wow!

Luke 23:39-44 (NIV)
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

It was such a wonderful weekend!!

Happy Spring!

Berkli

Cold Weather, Warm Hearts

The boys and I really enjoyed having my parents in town on Saturday. They came to see Clay play baseball and Caleb play soccer. Oh my was it cold! Who would have thought you would need a blanket, hat and gloves in April. Despite the cold, we had a great time and the boys loved seeing their grandparents. Afterwards, we headed out to eat at McDonald's. The boys got to choose :) They had a great time and I was so happy to see my parents enjoying their grandchildren.

We spent the rest of the day attending two really great and fun birthday parties. They boys loved getting to play with their friends, and of course - the goodie bags were a definite treat!

We ended the day with a neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt (not our neighborhood, but the one Richard and I have become honorary members of, Earls Court!) Thank you Earls Court Members for making us feel so welcome! We love you guys!

This afternoon (Sunday), the boys went bike ramping, even Caleb went down the hills. Dad took a small tumble, but he is all right - my boys are quite the dare devils! The boys were not short on fun this weekend! I love them all so much!

It was a great day!

Psalm 127:3 (NASB)Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

Caleb had his first Soccer game today! I was so very proud of how hard he worked. He even scored a goal! Way to God Bubba!! Clay played his very first baseball game today! This was his first time at bat. He had such a great time! He told me later today that he wished he could play baseball everyday. I love watching my little guys play ball!

It was such a beautiful day today! God's awesomeness was so evident to me. From the fresh scent of the spring flowers, to the warm sun shining down on me, His love was all around me today. I am so very thankful for his mercy and grace and for the blessings he had poured onto my life.

I love you Lord!

Genesis 1:31 (NIV) God saw all that he had made, and it was very good...

Singing in the Rain

It was worth the rain last week just to have this picture of my sweet Caleb and his dear friend Faith. Aren't they adorable!!! I love both of these precious children so much. I claim Faith as one of my own. These two are such great friends. They are such a blessing to me. Isn't it wonderful how on what seems to be a yucky day, God can make something so special out of it. Every good and perfect gift really is from above! (James 1:17) Thank you Lord.!

Tuesday's Tip - Saving Money with Coupons

At my bible study this morning, one of my friend's, Bethany, shared her testimony about how through various circumstances in her life that caused her to struggle financially, she learned how to save money - the coupon way! Her biggest point - learn how to be a good steward of the resources God has given you! I was so inspired by what she shared, I wanted to pass her wisdom along to anyone who reads this blog. I also decided to make Tuesday's a day where I share a quick tip that I hope will be beneficial to mother's in any stage of life. I will call it Tuesday's Tips and it will be updated at the top of my blog each week. I hope you will find it useful.

Below you can find a link to a You Tube video where Bethany gives a quick overview on how to use coupons effectively. I hope you will check in out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsKeEDs7uUw&feature=player_embedded

Proverbs 21:5 (NIV) The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.

What a great Spring Break!

Caleb is an official bike rider! He is so excited and proud of himself. I can't believe his training wheels are off. Can you see the determination in his face? He is really concentrating.

I love that Clay is still not too big to ride his tricycle.

(I had already put his big bike up and he really wanted to be in this photo :) On Clay's first official day of Spring Break, we went to see a kids concert at the Jones Center in Springdale. I'll be honest, the boys were not all that excited about the music, but they loved the fun activities after the show. Here Clay has just gone down a bouncy slide. All smiles here!

Are these not the cutest Superhero's? The boys got to decorate masks and swords at the Jones Center as well. They loved it!!

Let me in!!

On Day 2 of Spring Break, we all went to the Drive Through Safari in Gentry http://www.wildwildernessdrivethroughsafari.com/

We had such a great time! If you have never been, you really should check it out.

Checking us out!

This photo brings back memories of me sitting on my dad's lap and "driving" the car. This was Clay's first time at the wheel. He was lovin' it! Please note: we are going really, really slow through the safari.

Here, the boys are feeding a goat. This is one of the best parts of the zoo. Caleb's favorite animal were the pigs. I don't have a photo here, but they really were cute.

I think this bridge may have been one of the boys highlights. They went back and forth over it a few times. They loved running from the back to the front. I love the energy of my little boys.

The boys could not resist climbing up on the lion, and I couldn't resist joining them.

On Day 3, the final official day of Spring Break, the boys built a "Rat Village." They have really taken a liking to Lucy, the rat. Clay just said tonight, "I like Lucy," and Caleb just can't hold her enough. Caleb is so gentle with her and he just keeps saying, "good rat." I am glad my pet sitting is ending soon, but we have all had an exciting time with our interesting and exotic pets.

Here is Lucy, going through the tunnel. The boys really wanted her to be happy.

One of the best parts of this week, even though I don't have photo's, was that the Nichol Family was in town this week. They were my Sunday school teachers for many years and Jason prayed with me when I got saved in 2005. I got to have dinner with them and attend their children's birthday party. It was so much fun!! I miss Jason and Michelle so very much and my, how their children have grown up. I am sad to see them go.

It has been a wonderful week. I feel so blessed. I love my boys so very much and I love seeing them have fun. I pray each of you had a wonderful Spring Break as well and enjoyed this precious time with your little ones.

James 1:17 (NIV)
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Spring Break Fun oh and Babysitting Pet Rats

Boys and the Rogers Carnival
Caleb and Frank
Caleb with Lucy and Desperoux
The Hermit Crab House
Peanut

Our Spring Break has gotten off to an exciting start.

Pet Adventure:

I am babysitting my in-laws dog Frank (at our house) and my friend Sarah's animals this week. Fortunately, Sarah's animals/critters do not have to stay at my house, but I do go over every day to check on them and feed them. Being a non-animal person, this has been quite an adventure. I do love having Frank at our house though. He was Richard's dog until about four years ago, and then we gave him to my in-laws where he could be more loved. The boys love having them around this week. He really is a great dog.

On Day 1 of my Baby sitting adventure over at Sarah's, Peanut almost ate the Rats. I didn't know Peanut could open the door to the Rats room..stepped away for a minute, and returned to find Peanut holding Lucy in her mouth. Not the best way to start my adventure. Sorry Sarah; but I am much better now at my duties. Peanut stays outside while I fed the rats. Never thought I would write that in my blog. I am learning alot about loving God's creatures.

Now, on to fun with my boys!

Day 1 Activity - Richard took the boys to the Rogers Carnival. They had a great time. I would love to hear what you are doing this week with your family. Today we are heading to the library and then taking the boys indoor swimming this evening. I am excited for the official start to Spring Break on Wednesday.

I pray each of you are having a wonderful day. Don't you just love Spring!

Blessings,

Berkli

Genesis 24-25 (NIV)

And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

Happy St. Patricks Day

The Cousins

After many attempts, this was one of my best shots.

Maybe one day I will get a pic with all of them looking at the camera.

We had such a great time playing together!

Clay's Buddies!

Hey Mom! Check out my cool sticker.

Look at all the gold nuggets I found!

The kindergartners at Clay's school went on a leprechaun hunt. Along the way, they collected gold (painted rocks.) However, Clay is convinced it is real gold and told me last night he was "Rich!" I asked him what he was going to do with all that gold and he said, "put it in my piggy bank." So funny!

What a cute bunch of Kids!

Later that afternoon, we had playgroup at Jump Zone. Here we have our cute pregnant ladies. I am amazed by their energy. I don't think I could have taken my older child to Jump Zone when I was pregnant with number 2. Way to go girls!

Wheee!!!

Another great bunch of kiddos! I love these little ones!

It was a great day!