Hail 2011

Greenbelt!

I have had my Six Sigma project done for awhile, but finally got the plaque! Yay!

Project: Reduce In Process Analytical Wait Times (I know, ZZZZzzzzz!)
Savings $80,000 anually

Laughing with Luke

Luke: (matter of factly) I have an oughy.

Brent: (concerned tone) You do? Where?

Luke: (whiney voice) My thumbkin.

And laughter ensues.

Army Guys- A Made Up Game

Brent made up this game the other day for Luke...
1. Carefully set up your guys

2. Put a serious game face on

3. Throw the bean bag as hard as you can to knock your opponent's men off the table

Cats Game

We took Luke to his first Cats game this weekend... he had a blast!



The left fielder threw him a foul ball!


He played catch with Daddy

(Is it just me, or does my 2.5 year old have some good form?!!!)

And he requested to go pee pee on the potty 4 times. He went 3 of those 4! Ha! Our boy is growing up!

I Wanna Go Deeper

Over the last few weeks, I have been doing some mattress shopping online for Luke's big boy bed- mattress salesmen intimidate me, way more than car salesmen, so I want to know what they are talking about and not feel like I got taken when we leave. It is a bigger purchase that is important to me because it will affect Luke's sleep for years to come. As I look over these last few weeks, I realize I have spent a considerable amount of time understanding coil count, coil turns, wire gauge strength and more.

I took a step back last night and realize I have been trying to make myself an expert to feel educated about my purchase. I think we all do this on some levels-- we research electronics purchases, home buying purchases, clothing purchases, anything that holds value to our life at that moment.

Now, switching gears, last night I realized if I were to pursue knowledge in Christ as I pursue knowledge in all of this stuff, I think life would look very different.

I heard on the radio last night that our culture is moving to a pluralistic view of God because it is easier to swallow, and so I have to surmise that the pursuit of our hearts is changing. It seems like the general understanding of going to Heaven has become "I am a good person" and that is usually a comparison statement to someone who is "worse" than me. If we truly believe what the Bible says (all scripture is inspired by God):

ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God Romans 3:23
For the wages of sin is DEATH, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23
I am the way the truth and the life. NO ONE comes to the Father but through Me. John 14:6

There is only one way to get to Heaven. As hard as that is to swallow, it is not burdensome.

If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9

It seems like we give more credence to the later part of this verse (belief) because it makes us feel better than the first... Jesus as LORD.

If I let Luke die for you, I would certainly expect a relationship from you. I would expect you to discern my written word more than you discern Sealy plush versus Serta pillow top mattresses. The bottom line is eternity is a heavy thing to process, but we shouldn't delay it because it is a decision that can be made in the future. I should dig deep to know where I am going and to feel secure in my standing before the Lord... a much bigger moment than just standing in front of a pushy mattress salesman that I can walk away from. The problem is we can walk away from God now but there isn't another store down the street we can go to when our days here are over... it is God or it is no one. And that makes me want to know Him more and deepen my education of Him!

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will come in... Revelation 3:20

If you have read this post, you have been prayed for. If you don't know where to go from here, read Romans to understand salvation, then read Acts to understand the early church and how hard they worked to get this message out. Would the Apostles in the Bible even recognize Christians today? I hope so. I pray so.

Mother's Day 2011

Luke and I decided to go to Houston for Mother's day, we had to leave Brent behind to take classes for school... he was missed for sure! It did however, turn into a party!
I think we'll have a pool rat on our hands this summer!

Onlookers:

Chris and Christy having fun in the COLD pool!

We didn't know how we would ever get Luke out of the pool, so Aunt Kay took Luke on a ride in her "cool car"!

Luke's favorites- Uncle Chris and Didi

Memaw & Granddaddy

Granna & Pops

Honey

Aunt Jamie:

Playing in the COLD ice bucket

"Helping" Pops paint his big boy bed

It was a happy Mother's Day indeed!

Luke at 2.5!

My BABY is 2.5!

Luke has moved up classes both at church and at school into the late 2 and 3 year olds and seems to be picking up new things every day- his first day in the big kid class at daycare he pee peed on the potty twice- he was SOOO proud of himself! They said they showed him a urinal and he looked at them like they were crazy! Ha! I am hoping with every $40 box of diapers I buy it will be our last :) I have been prematurely hoping this for 6 months now :)

They learned the motions to Father Abraham in chapel class at school too:


Luke is an independent, strong willed little guy who doesn't fear much of anything (except bugs- I sort of fostered that :). My friend tells me that the hardest characteristics to parent are what will make him successful in life and I pray she is right! He also gives kisses more freely now which melts his Momma's heart every time. When he wakes up every morning, Brent asks Luke what he dreamed about-- the answer is always "apple juice".


Some of the cute things Luke has said lately:
1. At Easter, we were talking about Jesus's sacrifice... Luke called it a "Soccer Fish"
2. As we approach the train tracks, Luke always asks the whole car "Momma, are you ready?", "Daddy- ready?", "Ready guys?"

Luke LOVES playing basketball, is very good at kicking the soccer ball, but his #1 is still football. He wants to see the Aggies this fall (and so do we)!

We had two geese at a pond near our house and Luke and I would drive by daily to see them or feed them. Luke named them Birdy. One day, Birdy left and never came back, so we were driving by the much bigger pond and saw some more geese. We explained that Birdy flew to the bigger pond to swim with the ducks. He liked that story and tells us every time we pass the small pond where Birdy is now.

Luke's favorite foods are pizza from Papa Murphys, donuts, and Freebirds steak. On a hungry day, he can eat two tacos by himself! He is drinking (his favorite is "Berry Juice") from a big boy cup now (no spills yet!), and asks for jelly beans every time he sees the candy dish from Easter. We do manage to get some healthy stuff down him too :)

We love our little guy to pieces and as much as I'd like to freeze him right here forever, my Mom reminds me the goal is to have him grow up! I know, I know.

I love you, sweet boy. Happy half birthday!

Royal Wedding Exclusive

Well, good day darlings! Fancy me this, please read this blog post with a British accent to get the full effect of the Royal Wedding celebration!

My good mate from work threw a smashing good party to celebrate Katie's wait was finally over!

Bridesmaids, reporting for duty!


Kate looked quite kitchey in her posh gown...


My Mum was wishing she was there to eat cucumber sandwiches, wedding cake, Digestives, trifle, cream poufs, quiche, and high tea!


Early Morning Margaret gave her best Camilla impressions and kept us au fait with up to the moment coverage using her 28 page, *COLORED* wedding program and Ipad as references.


Kathy won the Royal quiz question- what color will the Queen wear to the wedding?


We ended the splended morning with party favours of royal wedding candles, lip balm, and British hand sanitizer! It was a day of wedded bliss, I quite assure you.

Long live the Queen!

Toodles!