Cort's is ONE!!!

You may remember Cort when he was 3 months old and 6 months old. I can't believe that he's already a year!!!! Its such a fun celebration and I'm so thankful I was able to be a part of it! He's super sweet and I just love his smile!!!

Keep checking back for his big birthday celebration!!!! :)

Favorite Things In June, Part 2

In early June, I seemed to have my camera in the right place at the right time. I captured quite a few of my favorite moments. Its seems the rest of the month my camera found its way to mainly events....with a few snapshots of our favorite furry kids. :)

We celebrated my mom's birthday in Tulsa. By the pool. With yummy food, cake and family.

We learned that Rossi LOVES ice! Every time she hears us in the freezer she dashes to the kitchen, hoping for one cube to find its way to the floor. Usually it happens. :) Its even funnier when we put it in their water bowl. She drenched by the time the ice disappears.

These three just happen to be my most favorite of all!

A weekend with my best friend at "Girlfriends Conference". LOVE! We were able to spend much-needed, uninterrupted girl-time...including Cheesecake Factory, shopping, encouraging one another in the Lord, and just talking!

Spending time with our favorite couple on the longhorn ranch!!!!

Vintage Market Days in Tulsa. It was awesome! So many things to decorate the house with and it was all vintage and most of it was really well priced!!! I wouldn't have even thought about going, but a friend of mine asked if I was interested...and I was interested in spending time with HER! So, I said YES! And, I am thankful I did.

Megan and I had so much fun! Usually we see each other with our husbands and her kids. We love getting to see them, but this was the first time Megan and I got to just be by ourselves. I so enjoyed our time together! I'm so thankful when God brings people into our lives and we get the blessing of friendship!

We met my mom and sister-in-law and niece there too!

Celebrating Miss Evi!!!! :)

Love notes. This might be my favorite. When I made my "marker-board", I knew it would mainly be me writing on it. So, I love the unexpected messages I get from my sweet husband!

Flowers from my mom. I wish I had taken pictures when she first brought the flowers. They were gorgeous!!! She and my dad can get anything to grow!!! I seem to kill everything. :) So, I'm so grateful when she brings me pretty things from her yard that I get to enjoy too!

Antique finds that take me back to childhood. I found this book when I was shopping in Jenks. Its not REALLY an antique, but its a book I had when I was little. I remember loving the pictures. I'm not sure if this was a book in our home or our church, but we don't have it anymore. For $3, how I could I not take it home???

New friends and getting my hair done! :) KP and I have been supporting some friends who are about to take their show on the road. John is a musician and Glenda is a stylist. We are taking advantage of their talents as much as possible before they hit the road. Glenda can turn my hubs into a trendy-magazine-styled model in a matter of minutes. :) He can't seem to bring himself to style his hair quite the same way she does, but I do love it when its all "messy". You can check out John's song, "Old School Party in the Living Room", here.

Our summer has been very quiet. We are usually jetting off somewhere during the summers, but this year has been a little different. We are taking it easy and enjoying life at home (with the anticipation of a long vacation in November!). Hope your summer is going well!!! :)

Father's Day 2012

Father's Day as so much fun that we seriously lost track of time! My parents came to town and after a quick lunch, we were on the road to Perry, OK.

My dad has had a life-long dream (okay...it may not be his entire life, but its been a dream of his for as long as I can remember! And, since a parent's life only starts when their child's life does....right????) of owning longhorns. And, it just so happened that KP and I became friends with some longhorn ranchers a few years ago.

Matt and Mel (owners of Semkin Longhorns) have become some of our best friends and since knowing them my dad and Grandma Lavalle bought some longhorns. {Below is a picture of Gus. He is the oldest longhorn on the ranch and his horn-span measured at over 100-inches this last year!}

For father's day, we took my dad out to the longhorn ranch for the first time. We saw SO many!!! Including all the one's my dad owns (which I will save for a separate blog post). They are such beautiful creatures!

We were able to not only look at them, but hand feed them as well. There are a few that will even let you pet them. The older they are, the more friendly they are. The young ones aren't as trusting of humans yet, but I know one day, they'll be eating out of our hands too.

Check out these little "toddlers" - the longhorns in the pictures below range in age from one year to two years old.

We seriously had no idea how long we had been on the ranch until we were heading home four hours later. We were all super hungry and I was very thankful for that because I made my dad's favorites: Fried chicken and Lemon Meringue Pie!

 

Hope all you dad's had an enjoyable weekend of being celebrated!!! 

{And, if you were dying to know...Ruger and Rossi celebrated KP in a big way! They bought him a card and there MIGHT be a video on his phone of the three of us singing Celine Dion's "I'm Your Lady". Poor Ruger had to sing a girly song, but he is SERIOUSLY the best singer in the family.}

In Jesus Name

Most of us end our prayers with "in Jesus name". I think its something we do because we grew up hearing it from our parents or we hear it from people at church.

Lately, I've been very convicted about using that phrase so flippantly. I have been guilty of using it without truly paying attention to what I'm saying or using it as a "wish", almost like a genie in a bottle kinda thing. Because God's Word tells us that we can ask anything in His name and we will receive it, right? What this actually means is that we can ask anything in His name that falls in line with His will. For us to know His will, we have to be in relationship with Him. If you have been in this place of relationship with Him, you KNOW when you are asking for something that He has laid on your heart compared to asking for something YOU want.

When I pray using "in Jesus name", I am signing HIS name to something. I want to be very reverent in using His name! I want to remember who He truly is...all His glory and holiness. I also want to be respectful of His will and plan. I think I can safely say that most people (if not ALL) do not like when someone speaks for them. I know that my husband would never appreciate me asking a friend of his for something and saying it was for him, when it isn't something my husband actually wants. Or, how many of you, as a child, asked your dad for something and after he told you "no", you said, "mom said it was okay." How mad would your mom get that you used her name to get what you wanted? This is was I've been convicted about: to not use Jesus' name just to get something that I really want.

This morning as I was praying, I realized one area of my life that I can always pray that over: signing His name to my prayer for protection over my marriage. Because my husband and I entered into a covenant with God, I can sign His name to my prayer when I pray that this union will be protected "until death do us part". No matter the circumstance or how either on of us feels in a certain moment of life, God will always take the side of our marriage. He will always defend it and fight for it.

I am so thankful to have this promise with me.

(linked up at Imparting Grace for "Grace at Home" series)

Favorite Things in June

Some days I wake up and just see the beauty in life. I wish I could say that I do this every day, but usually I'm rushing around in the mornings just to get to work on time...which is usually 5 minutes late. June 1st just happened to fall on my day off, which is also the beginning of my weekends. It was a pretty typical day, but life became a little more precious lately and I think I was taking in the little things.

The hubs usually gets off work a little early on Fridays, so after dinner we spent some time outside. It was unusually cold. Our neighbor had given us permission to pick as many blackberries as we wanted and I noticed that all the hornets and bees that usually swarm the bushes were not there!!! We grabbed a bowl and started picking!!!!

It was a beautiful night! I love that we can now stay outside until at least 9pm because its getting dark later and later. This was also one of those nights where we had so much fun just being together that I wanted to remember it forever. There was nothing in particular that made it wonderful, it was just good conversation and enjoying an evening together.

This was one of my favorite nights we've ever had! :)

Saturday mornings are always my favorite! I usually get up by myself. I love it because I get the house and the deck all to myself in all its quiet-glory. Early June had some beautiful and cool mornings. I took advantage of as many as I could. I'd grab my 5 books that I had started, my coffee, a notebook, my computer, and my phone. Usually I don't really know where I'll start my quiet time, so I just bring everything. Saturday mornings, I usually like to get on the computer and watch some of my favorite pastors across the nation.

I love being on our deck in the mornings! Its always quiet, but I love the early morning light and weather. The back pasture is my favorite view! :) 

The family always joins me when they get up too! They will always be my favorite!

I love waking up to and spending my mornings with my favorite person! I love that we both love spending the mornings outside and with COFFEE! :)

One of my new favorite things is how Rossi sits. Usually her back legs are crossed and she looks so dainty. But it just cracks me up that she kicks her legs out like that. 

 Of course, this is one my favorite things!!! Coffee is like a vacation in a cup! We love when we're on vacation to start our morning with coffee and I realized this month just how much it takes me back to memories of some of our vacations. So, I now soak it in when I'm having my morning coffee!!!

Menu planning is definitely one of my favorite things! I've always liked to cook, but baking was more fun because I could take it all to work when I was single. When I got married, I really found a love for cooking! It was so fun to be able to make new recipes now that I wasn't cooking for just myself. Every week I print off my menu plan and start looking for recipes. Its very rare that I make the same things. I like to try new recipes so often, there are few recipes that I repeat. I love sitting down with my computer and cookbooks and figure out the next week. :)

I'm pretty sure everyone in Oklahoma is super excited for the OKC Thunder! We've never been much for professional basketball, but now we actually have a home team to cheer for. We got into the playoffs at the very end of the season last year, but we were in it from the beginning this year. The Thunder have played so well and we've really enjoyed getting into the games.

Now that we don't have a cat, we've had some new little friends around the house. The cardinals and blue jays are everywhere!!! Now, the cardinals have a nest right off our deck! I can't wait to see the little babies!!!!

My latest favorite thing FINALLY arrived!!! Two weeks into June, our bushes right off the deck are finally blooming!!! I've been waiting all Spring! I think since we had such a cool Spring, it took longer for them to bloom. There are only a few that have come out, so I anxiously await for the bushes to be full of flowers!!! 

Thankful that God reminds me to appreciate the little things in life! Things that I won't have forever, but I appreciate in the moment. What are some of your favorite things of the summer so far? 

The Great Debate

This morning, I read a blog post about a woman who felt guilty for staying at home with her baby and being "just a mom". This confuses me every time I read or hear women talk about themselves like this. Do any of us walk around and look at our moms and say, "oh, she's JUST a mom. What does she know?" Well, maybe when were 13 years old. :)

I'm not a mom. I haven't experienced this insecurity of how society looks at me. However, it still breaks my heart that women are reduced to being "just a mom" when that is one of the hardest jobs there is!

I'm not here taking a side in the "career-working-mom" vs. the "stay-at-home-mom" debate. Each of you have that decision to make and I do believe God leads people to make the decision that is best for their family. I have friends on both sides and I admire things about all of them. Each of you are a MOM! Its an incredible blessing and you get to experience a miracle of our all mighty God like nobody else can!

What makes me sad is that women, especially in the church, have actually created a divide amongst the Body of Christ because they choose sides. Each side has a reason for what they are doing, yet instead of coming together and building each other up, they choose to hurt one another. They choose to point fingers at the other side and tell them why their choice is wrong.

Ladies, why are we doing this???

I hate that my friends who stay at home feel guilty for not having a "great" answer to "So, what do you do?" Since when did it become okay to say, "Oh, I'm just a mom". And, I also hate that my friends that work feel like people are judging how "godly" they are. 

Its amazing the things I hear: "SAH mom's only wear yoga pants and don't do anything all day long except laundry and volunteer for the PTA" or "Working mom's aren't being obedient to the Lord. They leave their kids to be raised by other people. They put their selfish desires over what their children need."

These statements are completely ridiculous! Are women really that concerned that someone is wearing yoga pants??? And, if I'm ever a working mom, I will be so grateful that there are moms that serve on the PTA and making a difference in my child's school/class.

Can anyone tell me where the bible states that you MUST be a stay-at-home mom or you're not being obedient? In all my studying, I've never found that to be the case. In fact, the Proverbs 31 woman works her tail off!

I'm sure there are many complaints that I've missed, but being in a family where my mom stayed at home for the first part of my childhood and then worked the later part (8th grade-12th grade), these are some things that I hope to encourage you with:

If you are a stay-at-home-mom - 

#1 - Do you really want your children to hear you say that your JUST their mom. As if there is no worth in being at home with them? Change your words so they don't think they are a burden on your life! Come up with a better answer...even if its not how you feel, let your kids know that you are proud of what you do!

#2 - Do you realize what you are saying? There are so many women that can't have children and would LOVE to be "JUST a mom."

#3 - If you feel guilty for being in yoga pants all day, get out of them! Get dressed!!! Its your choice! However, if you don't feel guilty for it (b/c to me, I'd love a few days at home in some yoga pants!), then WEAR THEM PROUDLY!

#4 - If you hate not having adult-interaction, then join a play-date group. Put your kids in a day of Mother's Day Out program. Hit the gym b/c most of them have child care. There are plenty of things that you can do to still be at home, yet have some time for yourself. 

If you are a working-mom -

#1 - Be present! Don't take for granted the precious moments when you're at home. The laundry can wait, everything else can wait! I promise you when I look back on my life (and I'm sure all of you are the same way), we don't cherish the times our moms chose house work over cherishing the times she spent building a relationship with us.

#2 -I know you're doing two full-time jobs (your career and your family), so utilize creativity. I know that the laundry, dishes, etc can't wait forever, so make a game of chores around the house. Do it together as a family. Have a good attitude about it and DO IT WITH YOUR KIDS! Kids don't like feeling like your slave. Even though you are tired, make it fun. For example, have everyone take a chore one evening and when everyone has completed the task, head out for ice cream as a family.

#3 - Be strong in your career! Show your kids that you can do anything! Teach them life lessons through your job - responsibility, drive, how to keep your word, etc.

#4 -  Don't feel guilty for taking a day off to be at home with your kids. You don't need to be "sick" to spend some quality time with your family. Hey - stay in your pj's all day! Watch movies! Do what they want to do!

Most importantly for both types of moms - Stop feeling guilty for where God has you!!! Its a blessing and a calling and your purpose in life. Yes, its your purpose to be a mom! If it wasn't, then you wouldn't have kids. You should each be seeking the Lord. His plan for you is greater than anything you could imagine! Your kids need to see that your identity is in Christ and not the world. That you are proud of where God has you.

My prayer is that women will start loving each other for who they are and stop letting the enemy wedge a divide. Don't let him win this battle!!! We are stronger together!!!