Wednesday, November 18, 2015
Update from Yesterday's Post
Republican Presidential Candidate hopeful and current U.S. Senator from Texas has said he will introduce a bill to Congress that will defund federal dollars for refugee resettlement. He goes on to say that Muslim refugees should be refused entry, but Christians seeking refuge are welcome. You can write him here: http://www.cruz.senate.gov/?p=email_senator to request he reconsider. This is entering the same arena that brought the Puritans to the New World in the first place. A lack of freedom of religion. Separation of Church and State did not exist where they were, so they risked it all to go to a place where it could be established. We (however you choose to classify we -- Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Atheist, U.S. Citizen, hopeful immigrant, etc.) don't want the separation of Church and State to ever come into question.
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
I am Disoriented
Each Thursday I get to meet with a few guys for about an hour. One of the first things we do is go around the room with an "I am..." statement. Usually, these are statements of "I am grateful, I am tired, I am excited, I am sad" as a way of letting the others in the room understand how we are entering into our time together. Mine today is, "I am disoriented." I am disoriented at the comments from a prominent Evangelical leader and at the comments from the Governor of Texas. Both of these comments come on the heels of the terrorist attacks in Paris and Beirut. This is disorienting to me because as a family we try to live our lives by what Christ taught in Luke Chapter 6. In fact, we named our son Luke after this chapter, that his life would be a constant reminder to our family of our calling. Early on in the chapter Jesus talks about the "who" that is blessed. It reads as a description of exactly what millions of Syrians are going through right now. They've, "lost it all, are ravenously hungry, their tears are flowing freely" and Jesus calls the Syrians blessed. A few months ago, our pastor, Brady Herbert, led our community through a sermon series titled, #Blessed. If you are interested you can find those here: http://www.harriscreek.org/resources/sermons/itemlist/category/97-blessed#sermons
In those sermons Brady defined to be blessed as to desperately need the presence of God, our Creator. Here is where it gets difficult for those of us who are not Syrian. Brady says, "There is a huge difference in doing something for someone and entering into the pain with someone." The leaders mentioned above are calling us to insulate ourselves from the Syrians. In that description we could send them some money or supplies, but we must not allow them to be among us. Do you hear all of the us/them language there? What would it look like to live in the upside down kingdom that Jesus says is here and now and bulldoze the insulating walls between us and them. We are us. There is no them. Is this risky? Hell yes it is. Is it probable that our communities are not prepared for what could happen? Yes. However, if we are going to enter into the pain and be with the blessed we have to risk. In fact, later in the sermon, Brady reminds us this is what Jesus has done for us, "He entered into this mess of a World with us and that's why we can call him, Emmanuel, God with us. He feels the pain that we feel and He's in it with us no matter what and He ties His welfare with ours. So when we hurt, He hurts. When we celebrate, He celebrates." The Jesus who is Emmanuel, the One that died on the cross, and was resurrected would absolutely say this is risky. 1John 3.16 says, "We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for others."
So, I am disoriented because all of this contradicts so clearly what our leaders are saying. As a call to action that this might not be just another empty diatribe I am including below a couple of emails we can send to these men encouraging them to change their direction. Below these sample emails that I will be sending directly you will also find Luke Chapter 6 if you would like to read it again.
Mr. Graham,
I believe that scripture, particularly Luke Chapter 6 and 1 John Chapter 3, calls us to be among the Syrians as well as those who follow Allah through Islam. Among them so that we will love them and enter into their pain with them. Would you please reconsider your stance of generalizing all Muslims as terrorists and calling us to insulate ourselves from them?
Sincerely,
Brett Spivey
Mr. Abbott,
I believe that the foundational tenets of our nation and state are to be a place of refuge for those who are hurting in the world. I understand that you feel a great responsibility to protect the people who elected you into office. However, we cannot put our own protection above those who are in such great need. Would you please reconsider your statement to President Obama that the State of Texas will not accept refugees from Syria?
Sincerely,
Brett Spivey
In those sermons Brady defined to be blessed as to desperately need the presence of God, our Creator. Here is where it gets difficult for those of us who are not Syrian. Brady says, "There is a huge difference in doing something for someone and entering into the pain with someone." The leaders mentioned above are calling us to insulate ourselves from the Syrians. In that description we could send them some money or supplies, but we must not allow them to be among us. Do you hear all of the us/them language there? What would it look like to live in the upside down kingdom that Jesus says is here and now and bulldoze the insulating walls between us and them. We are us. There is no them. Is this risky? Hell yes it is. Is it probable that our communities are not prepared for what could happen? Yes. However, if we are going to enter into the pain and be with the blessed we have to risk. In fact, later in the sermon, Brady reminds us this is what Jesus has done for us, "He entered into this mess of a World with us and that's why we can call him, Emmanuel, God with us. He feels the pain that we feel and He's in it with us no matter what and He ties His welfare with ours. So when we hurt, He hurts. When we celebrate, He celebrates." The Jesus who is Emmanuel, the One that died on the cross, and was resurrected would absolutely say this is risky. 1John 3.16 says, "We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for others."
So, I am disoriented because all of this contradicts so clearly what our leaders are saying. As a call to action that this might not be just another empty diatribe I am including below a couple of emails we can send to these men encouraging them to change their direction. Below these sample emails that I will be sending directly you will also find Luke Chapter 6 if you would like to read it again.
Mr. Graham,
I believe that scripture, particularly Luke Chapter 6 and 1 John Chapter 3, calls us to be among the Syrians as well as those who follow Allah through Islam. Among them so that we will love them and enter into their pain with them. Would you please reconsider your stance of generalizing all Muslims as terrorists and calling us to insulate ourselves from them?
Sincerely,
Brett Spivey
Mr. Abbott,
I believe that the foundational tenets of our nation and state are to be a place of refuge for those who are hurting in the world. I understand that you feel a great responsibility to protect the people who elected you into office. However, we cannot put our own protection above those who are in such great need. Would you please reconsider your statement to President Obama that the State of Texas will not accept refugees from Syria?
Sincerely,
Brett Spivey
You’re Blessed
17-21 Coming down off the mountain with them, he stood on a plain surrounded by disciples, and was soon joined by a huge congregation from all over Judea and Jerusalem, even from the seaside towns of Tyre and Sidon. They had come both to hear him and to be cured of their ailments. Those disturbed by evil spirits were healed. Everyone was trying to touch him—so much energy surging from him, so many people healed! Then he spoke:
You’re blessed when you’ve lost it all.
God’s kingdom is there for the finding.
You’re blessed when you’re ravenously hungry.
Then you’re ready for the Messianic meal.
You’re blessed when the tears flow freely.
Joy comes with the morning.
God’s kingdom is there for the finding.
You’re blessed when you’re ravenously hungry.
Then you’re ready for the Messianic meal.
You’re blessed when the tears flow freely.
Joy comes with the morning.
22-23 “Count yourself blessed every time someone cuts you down or throws you out, every time someone smears or blackens your name to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and that that person is uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—skip like a lamb, if you like!—for even though they don’t like it, I do . . . and all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company; my preachers and witnesses have always been treated like this.
Give Away Your Life
24 But it’s trouble ahead if you think you have it made.
What you have is all you’ll ever get.
What you have is all you’ll ever get.
25 And it’s trouble ahead if you’re satisfied with yourself.
Your self will not satisfy you for long.
And it’s trouble ahead if you think life’s all fun and games.
There’s suffering to be met, and you’re going to meet it.
Your self will not satisfy you for long.
And it’s trouble ahead if you think life’s all fun and games.
There’s suffering to be met, and you’re going to meet it.
26 “There’s trouble ahead when you live only for the approval of others, saying what flatters them, doing what indulges them. Popularity contests are not truth contests—look how many scoundrel preachers were approved by your ancestors! Your task is to be true, not popular.
27-30 “To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.
31-34 “Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that’s charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that.
35-36 “I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never—I promise—regret it. Live out this God-created identity the way our Father lives toward us, generously and graciously, even when we’re at our worst. Our Father is kind; you be kind.
37-38 “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.”
39-40 He quoted a proverb: “‘Can a blind man guide a blind man?’ Wouldn’t they both end up in the ditch? An apprentice doesn’t lecture the master. The point is to be careful who you follow as your teacher.
41-42 “It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this I-know-better-than-you mentality again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your own part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor.
Work the Words into Your Life
43-45 “You don’t get wormy apples off a healthy tree, nor good apples off a diseased tree. The health of the apple tells the health of the tree. You must begin with your own life-giving lives. It’s who you are, not what you say and do, that counts. Your true being brims over into true words and deeds.
46-47 “Why are you so polite with me, always saying ‘Yes, sir,’ and ‘That’s right, sir,’ but never doing a thing I tell you? These words I speak to you are not mere additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundation words, words to build a life on.
48-49 “If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock. When the river burst its banks and crashed against the house, nothing could shake it; it was built to last. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a dumb carpenter who built a house but skipped the foundation. When the swollen river came crashing in, it collapsed like a house of cards. It was a total loss.”
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Getting settled in TX....
Well, I have no pics to post today, but just wanted to give a little update. Here's a quick run-down of our first days in Waco...
Monday, June 14th- closed on our house in Wichita at 9:30am, did a couple last "Wichita things" and then drove, drove, drove! We arrived at Brett's parents house around 9:30 pm. Long day! We were worn out!
Tuesday, June 15th- unloaded the moving truck (in 3 different places). Another long day!
Wednesday- started unpacking and trying to get settled in at Mimi & Poppie's house.
Thursday thru Tuesday- we hung out with old friends & tried to get caught up on rest.
Wednesday (today) thru next Monday- we are in San Antonio seeing my (Julie) family.
We have a great "set up" at Brett's parents' house. We're so grateful that they've allowed us to stay with them until we figure out "what's next" for our family.
Emma is doing great with this transition. We knew she would! She is such a social butterfly...she's loving meeting and making new friends (even though many of whom are actually "old friends"....she just was too young to remember them). She is loving being at Mimi & Poppie's. She's especially loving playing with Jeb (our old chocolate lab), Bella (Brett's mom's dog), & Cheeto and Topper (the two new kittens). Plus she's getting to go to Aunt Carrie and Uncle Sloan's house, where she gets to play with and feed the horses, cows, chickens, etc. FUN STUFF!! :)
Luke has had a hard time adjusting. On top of those first few days in TX being so exhausting (not to mention the very full days/weeks that we had leading up to the move), Luke kept us all nearly all night long those first few days. His crib is in our room, so he can see us. Basically, he stands up & screams at us until we give in. It's been a little rough. We've desperately tried to think of other options, but the best we've come up with is rearranging the room so that he can't see our faces. It has helped, but he still knows that we're there. Each night seems to get a little better. We're hoping that he will get used to the new arrangement and get back to sleeping 9-10 our stretches each night. Ahhh.... can't wait for that day! :) Until then, we're just trucking along!
I'll try to post sometime soon with a few pics. Wichita friends, thank you so much for all your help getting us packed up and moved. We miss y'all already!!!
Monday, June 14th- closed on our house in Wichita at 9:30am, did a couple last "Wichita things" and then drove, drove, drove! We arrived at Brett's parents house around 9:30 pm. Long day! We were worn out!
Tuesday, June 15th- unloaded the moving truck (in 3 different places). Another long day!
Wednesday- started unpacking and trying to get settled in at Mimi & Poppie's house.
Thursday thru Tuesday- we hung out with old friends & tried to get caught up on rest.
Wednesday (today) thru next Monday- we are in San Antonio seeing my (Julie) family.
We have a great "set up" at Brett's parents' house. We're so grateful that they've allowed us to stay with them until we figure out "what's next" for our family.
Emma is doing great with this transition. We knew she would! She is such a social butterfly...she's loving meeting and making new friends (even though many of whom are actually "old friends"....she just was too young to remember them). She is loving being at Mimi & Poppie's. She's especially loving playing with Jeb (our old chocolate lab), Bella (Brett's mom's dog), & Cheeto and Topper (the two new kittens). Plus she's getting to go to Aunt Carrie and Uncle Sloan's house, where she gets to play with and feed the horses, cows, chickens, etc. FUN STUFF!! :)
Luke has had a hard time adjusting. On top of those first few days in TX being so exhausting (not to mention the very full days/weeks that we had leading up to the move), Luke kept us all nearly all night long those first few days. His crib is in our room, so he can see us. Basically, he stands up & screams at us until we give in. It's been a little rough. We've desperately tried to think of other options, but the best we've come up with is rearranging the room so that he can't see our faces. It has helped, but he still knows that we're there. Each night seems to get a little better. We're hoping that he will get used to the new arrangement and get back to sleeping 9-10 our stretches each night. Ahhh.... can't wait for that day! :) Until then, we're just trucking along!
I'll try to post sometime soon with a few pics. Wichita friends, thank you so much for all your help getting us packed up and moved. We miss y'all already!!!
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
BIRTHDAY BOY!!
1 year ago today...
June 9, 2009
Luke Andrew Spivey
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET BOY!!!
DIGGIN' IN!!!
YOU SURE THIS IS OKAY?
OH YEAH!! TASTY!
HEHE....LET'S DO THIS EVERYDAY!!
I'LL EVEN SHARE!!
HEY THANKS....I LOVE MY NEW GREEN BALL!
I ESPECIALLY LOVE LICKING ICING OFF OF IT!! :)
Birthday boy was too distracted to look at the camera long enough to snap a picture....Probably on sugar & sensory overload! (Notice we had to change his clothes after the cake....he really enjoyed that!! Hope he sleeps tonight!)
Today was a GREAT day--a wonderful combination of good family time (just the 4 of us), fun Wichita activities, and good friends!! The weather was a bit stormy early on, but it cleared out and turned out to be a beautiful day. With only 4 days left here in Wichita & a birthday to celebrate, we started the day at the zoo. We had lots of fun and enjoyed watching Luke's reactions to all the animals. Then this evening, we were able to celebrate Luke's birthday with lots of special friends at the park. It was perfect! Even better than I had pictured! We're so grateful for all of our friends & small group here!! We feel especially loved and encouraged after tonight. Thank you all! We're going to miss you greatly!!
~~~~~~~~~~
Can't believe our little guy is 1 now! What a blessing he has been!!
Can you say STINKER?!?! But pretty darn cute, eh? :)
(this pic was from a few nights ago at a going away party that Brett's coworkers had for us...it was so nice. We feel so loved!!)
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
WE ARE MOVING!!
On Feb 26th, we found out that F*C*S, the non-profit organization that Brett works for, was possibly going to be unable to pay for health insurance starting on June 1st (because of the economy, finances have been really tight). Anyway, we were not looking to leave nor does F*C*S want us to leave. After we heard about this possibility, we spent the next month or so just praying.
By the end of March, we got word that this was definitely going to happen..... F*C*S staff and families are now responsible for paying for their own insurance, however, we simply do not have enough in our personal account to do this. In a nutshell, things became very clear to us that it was time to move on. We put our house on the market and had a contract on it by day 7. We will be closing on the house on June 14th at 9:30 am, and we will be heading back to TX in the moving truck afterwards.
We're not sure what is next for us. For now, we are moving in with Brett's family, (right outside of Waco). Brett has been applying for jobs; he'd like to be on staff at a church again. In the mean time, he will be working with his dad (real estate).
Overall, we're doing okay with all of this. Transition is always hard. We have our sad days, our days when we get anxious about the unknown that lies ahead of us, and our days when we are really excited to see what God has for our family in the near future! We have really loved our life here in Wichita!! We've made some life-long friends, we LOVE our church & small group, we believe in F*C*S & what they are doing more than ever before, we've made a lot of special memories here, and we will miss this place a lot!! So much good has come out of our last 2.5 years here in Wichita, and we're really grateful that God allowed us to be here! We're confident that God is in control of this whole thing, and we are trusting Him and resting in the knowledge that He has a plan for our family.
So that's the story! :)
We only have 12 days left in this place, & we want to make the most of each minute! We're not as far along in the packing process as we had hoped, but we're planning on making some major progress in the next couple days so that we can focus on spending time with friends. Thank you so much to those of you here in Wichita who have loved us and lived life with us the last 2.5 years! And thank you so much to all of you not in Wichita.... for the ways that you have loved us, supported us, and believed in us along our journey. We're grateful for each of you!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Since I didn't even blog ONCE the whole month of April, I have quite a few pics and several videos to share! Pathetic, I know!! :)
Here's our little Luke....he's 11 months old now!!
Luke found a friend!
Kisses!
Hey there! Check out these teeth! Yeah, I'm pretty darn cute!
Aarrr!!!
This would be Luke's FAVORITE toy nowadays!! He pushes this shopping cart around all day long! He's not walking on his own yet, but if he has his cart he's pretty confident and can get around really quickly.
Here's Emma with a picture she drew in the bathtub. On the left, that's God. The one right next to God is Jesus, and the thing on the far right is "all of them sitting around the table eating dinner" (the last supper).
We tried to get a good family picture on Easter morning, but it didn't go so well....
Oh well! We tried!! :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's some videos...
Here's a video from a while back of Luke pushing his cart across the living room. This was back when it was somewhat new. Now, he is so fast as he pushes it! It's so cute!
Here's Luke GROWLING (or something) at me! It was the noise of the day! So funny!
I have 2 more videos, but blogger is working sooooo slow right now. I'll have to post these others later. Bummer!
SICK! SICK!! SICK!!!
Our last 2 weeks or so, we've had a bit of sickness going around our house (hmmm....that's probably an understatement!!!) It started with a 12 hour stomach bug that Emma had (nausea and vomiting). Then a couple days later, Luke got the stomach bug, but his lasted for 48 hours and he had diarrhea with his. Then we had about a 6 day break where everyone was well. PTL!
Then, this last Friday, Luke apparently caught the stomach bug AGAIN!! He had been doing great all day. Around 3 pm, the kids and I loaded up in the car to go somewhere, and he threw up in his car seat. I thought maybe his lunch just didn't sit well or something, but oh no....within the hour, it was clear that he was sick--VERY sick!
As I was tending to Luke and cleaning up vomit, Emma fell asleep on her bed (mid-day, not normal). When she woke up from her nap, she too was sick--AGAIN! This time, she had a fever, sore throat, headache, etc. So the remainder of Friday and all day Saturday, Brett and I took care of our sick kiddos.
Sunday morning, Mother's Day, we decided to call our doctor because we were concerned about Luke. After telling our doctor that Luke had been unable to keep ANYTHING down for the last couple days, he said it was time to go to the ER because he was likely dehydrated. Yes, so Luke and I hung out in the ER for over 3 hours on Mother's Day. The remainder of Sunday was vomit-less for Luke, but he was still not himself.
Then Monday morning, 3 a.m. Brett wakes up with, you guessed it....the stomach bug! Poor Brett, he had it BAD!! Ugh!! Then around 2 p.m. it was my turn!! IT WAS HORRIBLE!! Brett and I were both throwing up, on the pot, nauseous, weak, and desperately needing sleep....PLUS trying to take care of the kids! It was rough!!
By this point in time, Emma was feeling GREAT again, and now had TONS of pinned up energy. Overall, Emma was very patient as the rest of us were sick. She entertained herself really well and got to watch lots of movies! My stomach bug ran it's course in about 12 hours (as Emma's bug had done a couple weeks prior). It was terrible while I had it, but thankfully it was short-lived! Brett & Luke, on the other hand, definitely had the worst of all of this!!
So here it is, Tuesday night and we are, for the most part, all doing better. Luke's appetite is still low, which is concerning. However, his diaper output and overall disposition tell us that he IS getting better...slowly, but surely! Brett is still a bit nauseous but has been able to keep things down today, so we are grateful for that!
So that's us lately....sick! sick! and more sick! Definitely not the most interesting post we've ever had.....I've probably lost most of you already. But if you're still reading, I thought it'd be funny to share one more thing. A little sympathy here now, please!! :)
Ready? Here goes...
In the last 2 weeks, we have:
- disassembled and washed Luke's car seat--TWICE!! (this is such a PAIN!!)
- hosed down (outside) and washed (in the washing machine) Luke's highchair cover--TWICE! (again, this is such a hassle!!)
- changed Luke's crib sheets--5 TIMES!!
- untied his crib bumper TWICE and washed it once!
- hosed down the saucer--once
- AVERAGED 2 baths a day (for Luke)
- and done COUNTLESS loads of laundry (mainly from Luke's vomiting and explosive blowout diapers)!!
Sure glad there's a light at the end of this tunnel!! :) I guess I hadn't realized how much I take our health for granted sometimes. Then when we have times like this, it makes me so very grateful that we are (for the most part) a very healthy family!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
A few random Emma stories...
- She thinks it's funny to play the little hand-held Tetras game now whenever she's going potty. It IS pretty funny when I walk in and find her doing that, I must say!
- She has started helping me fold some laundry and put things away. The other day, she called herself "the very best washcloth folder ever!" It was hilarious! The funniest thing was how serious she was when she said it!
- Sometimes in the middle of the night, I go into Em's room to check and see if she needs to go potty. One night, I reminded her "Emma, if you need to go potty, I want you to come to mommy's side of the bed and tell me." Half-asleep, she replied, "Okay Mommy. And if you think I need to go potty, you can come right here to get me."
- Emma was playing in the bathtub the other night and Brett went in to check on her. She was pouring water over herself. Brett said, "Emma, don't be drinking that water." Emma replied, "I'm not, Daddy. I was baptizing myself."
And a couple milestones for Luke:
Luke will be 10 months old already on April 9th. Sometimes I feel so bad that I haven't kept up with Luke's milestones very well or that I don't even have a baby book for him. Poor little guy....by this point in Emma's life, I think I had at least 2 photo albums FULL with pics of her!! Luke, on the other hand, has ZERO photo albums, and only a handful of pics that I've actually gotten developed (they are at least framed and out around our house). Anyway, I thought I'd use this opportunity to blog about a few milestones before my scattered little brain forgets them completely!
- Dec 29th- started crawling...6.5 months old(while we were in San Antonio visiting my parents)
- Jan 3rd-crib mattress lowered to lowest level because he started pulling up to a standing position
- sometime around Jan 23rd he got his two front, bottom teeth in...broke thru at the same time
- Started saying "Dada" sometime early February (Brett was excited....says he's "two for two"....Emma's first "word" as well. I tell him that "the books" and our doctor say he is just saying that sound, but he doesn't really associate it with Brett yet. On the other hand, Luke just recently started saying "Mama" and I am sure that he knows that's me! :O) j/k
- got 3rd tooth sometime in late February (top, left of center teeth)
- He has been "cruising" (walking alongside furniture) for at least a month now.
- He has started letting go of furniture and standing up by himself for just a few seconds at a time before he gently sits himself back down (as of about a week ago).
- 4th tooth (on bottom, to left of center teeth) about to break thru. The only way anyone around here is getting any sleep these days is with the help of a little Tylenol and Orajel!
Well, the kids tell me that my time is up for now! We're finally having some nice weather around here so I think we're heading to the park soon! Until next time.....
Emma's Birthday Party
Well, better late than never, huh? I actually have a little spare time right now and thought I'd post some pics from Emma's birthday party. Emma turned 4 on March 2nd. She is quite proud to be so big....telling strangers that she's 4 and still talking about her birthday party!! It was a fun day! :)
The birthday girl...before the chaos began.
The very excited birthday girl!!
Friends beginning to arrive...
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The party was set up downstairs in our basement. There were 12 girls total (and an adult at each center). The girls simply went around to the 8 different centers.
1.) Princess hide'n'seek
2.) balloon jump station (trampoline)
3.) The game center (pin the lips on the frog & hopscotch....which I'm not sure anyone even played!) :)
4.) craft center (they made foam door hangers)
5.) fruit loop necklace making station
6.) Party favor hide'n'seek
7.) Decorate a party favor bag station
8.) the tattoo/face painting station.
This is our babysitter, Laura. It meant so much to us and Emma that she came to the birthday party! The girls all loved her!
Hmmmm..... what a face!
Present opening time!
Brett was a huge help! Such a good daddy!! :)
Check out the look on Emma's face as we sang her happy birthday! I think this whole event was a bit overwhelming for her. It was her first "real" birthday party (with friends, not just a small family gathering, like we've done in the past).
eating the yummy strawberry, princess Ariel cake (Em's choice, of course!) No kidding, she is already talking about next year's birthday party and what cake she wants. I remember a day when I used to look forward to birthdays that much! :O)
Seems impossible that she could be 4 already! It's been a great 4 years! Emma continues to be such a JOY to us!!
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