Connor

I met Karissa and Trevor about seven years ago when I was serving in the college ministry at our church. They were in college and met at one of the ministry events. I've been so blessed to be a small part of their relationship as they dated, grew spiritually, and got married. Now, I continue to see their life blessed with children!!! They just had their 2nd child, Connor, and he is ADORABLE!!!! Everything about him is perfect and cute! :)

Cattle

My dad has always had a dream of owning longhorns. He grew up in Texas and was a UT fan. I grew up hearing him sing their fight song and learning the how to make the Longhorn sign. Even though I grew up in OK, I proudly let people know that I was born in Texas. Seriously, I'm 33 and I think people want to laugh at me when they ask me where I'm from. I can't just say, "We live in _____________". My answer is ALWAYS, "I was born in Texas, but I grew up in Tulsa". I LOVE TEXAS!!! And, with that I have been a Longhorn fan for as long as I can remember.

How perfect God's plan was to allow us to have best friends that own a longhorn ranch: Semkin Longhorns. We immediately started buying meat from them (b/c we love them, but also b/c longhorn meat is leaner than most all other meat). From there, my dad decided it was time to fulfill his dream. He bought longhorns.

 My dad's longhorns stay at the ranch in Perry, OK. On Father's Day, we decided it was time for him to meet them. :) We drove to the ranch and got a GRAND tour of all their land.

These beauties are about two years old. They are old enough to become Mommas, but their horns aren't quite "long" yet.

Meet Gus! He is the oldest longhorn on the ranch and his horn-spread is over 100-inches long! He's super sweet and super friendly! We enjoyed loving on him!

We were able to see a couple new babies too! They were probably one day old and hadn't been tagged yet. They must have been having a play-date b/c their mommas were just hanging out while the two babes played together. They look like they could be related, but I don't know if they are. I just love their white color!!! So clean!

One of the bulls - He was pretty determined to get the treats we brought and wasn't interested at all in sharing. :)

This little one was BRAND NEW! We must have missed its birth by minutes!!!! Okay...it could have maybe been an hour, but probably not longer than that! What was really awesome was that we got to see it stand up on its own for the first time! Precious!!!

Meet Unbreakable. He and my hubs go way back. :) They have a very strained relationship. Apparently, Unbreakable had met a new lady friend that belonged to another rancher, which is a big "no-no"! KP was ranching that day with our friends and had to tear Unbreakable away from his new love interest. Needless to say, Unbreakable was not very happy about it and, funny enough, seems to remember KP every time they see each other. KP also calls him "Ruger with horns". :)

And, finally these last pictures are my dad's "dream come true". :) These are all longhorns that he owns. We love them. They are more like pets than they are cattle, so they'll probably be a part of our family for a long time.

I guess this is kind of a dream come true for me too. Ever since I was a little girl, as we would drive through Texas, I'd listen to my dad say that he'd own some one day. I kind of took on that dream too. Along with the dream of living in Texas and having my own ranch someday. So, these longhorns are kind of like having a little bit of Texas!

Avery's First Birthday

A friend of mine asked me if I take would take pictures at her daughter's first birthday party. This was my first time doing a party that wasn't family! It was really neat to be part of Avery's big day! Her momma did a lot of work and it was super cute!

I'm pretty sure Avery had a great time!!!!

CAKE TIME!!!!! Always everyone's favorite!

Avery's was so cute! She had 3 outfits!!! That's my kind of party!!! Every detail was perfect for her! I love that I got to celebrate with them!

Avery with her Mom and Dad -

New Life and Freedom

At the end of June, we found this precious nest in a bush/shrub (not sure what its technical name is) right off our deck. It was in perfect view for us to watch the babies grow. NOw the funny thing is that daddy thought we were the intruders, so every morning we'd hear him trying to attach us through our deck door. It was incredible to watch the nest go from being empty to each stage of life. It was also very educational for me b/c I had no idea how quickly birds "grow up".

This was day one. Momma Cardinal had 5 eggs, but one day before they hatched we saw one on the ground. Not sure if Momma or Daddy threw it out or if something else tried to take it. If you can see below, three hatched and there was one lone egg left when we took pictures. They were kinda ugly with their transparent skin and gray fuzz. But, it was truly amazing to see this new life I'd never experienced before.

As you can see, on day 2 below, all four babies were now hatched and sleeping.

As the days progresssed, they became stronger and much more excited about the possibility of food! We probably weren't the best hosts b/c we'd come out with the camera freaking out Mom and Dad. Kenny would whistle, trying mimic the parents, and we'd get the following response:

Withing a matter of days, those babies started to outgrow their nest and it got more difficult to see their skin b/c of the feathers they were growing. And, overnight we seemed to have lost one of the four. We tried to see if it prematurely tried to fly, but couldn't find any evidence around the bush. One night, KP did kill a huge snake that was close to the deck, so we really aren't sure if mom and dad flew it off somewhere or if something else got it.

These were the little babes on July 2nd. Much more alert and growing!!!!

July 3rd, we came outside to find that only one little babester was left. I assume this was the one that took its time hatching, but who knows. :)

On July 4th, I came out to the deck to find the lone baby standing on the edge of the nest! I was so excited I ran inside to get the camera and tell KP to come out too, but in the matter of ONE MINUTE that I was running in and out, the babe had flown off. I was so disappointed I missed it!!!!

We did get some pictures of Mom and Dad. No matter what, they were always around watching over and doing what they could to protect their babies. I loved watching the birds do exactly what God created them to do. He perfectly designed their instincts to protect and be watchful of their young.

I don't know what it is about "new life" that makes us stand in awe of God. It doesn't seem to matter if its a nest of birds, a litter of puppies, or human life. To watch all the intricate details of birth and how moms and dads take care of their young is just breath-taking. It allows us to see miracles on a regular basis.

I know it just happened this way, but what better day for the last baby to fly away in freedom than on July 4th, Independance Day. I love the symbolism behind it. How precious and beautiful our freedom is! We take it for granted! Not only our freedom as citizens of the USA, but also as believers! The freedom that comes from know Jesus Christ as our savior is priceless! We take for granted every day the sacrifice He made for us. I'm so thankful for his grace and His love for us that He would die to free us from the bondage of sin! Praise the Lord we can have freedom through Him!!!