The Wedding

It was a beautiful, wonderful wedding! Carli looked stunning in her beautiful dress, Jonathan Storment did a great job with the ceremony, Jordan did a beautiful job playing the music Cameron had written for the wedding, everyone and everything looked fabulous and elegant, and it was perfect! Here are a few shots of the day. By the way, my husband was there doing everything from caring for kids to being the only usher due to the other one being in the hospital(!), but he is behind the camera in these pictures! He looked very handsome, as always!

My handsome brothers

My beautiful sisters

My adorable little man

My precious baby girl

John was a big fan of the bubble send-off

The happy couple who should now be on board a cruise ship headed south in the Caribbean!

Tomorrow's The Big Day

Tomorrow Carli becomes Mrs. Cameron Scroggins. Tonight at the rehearsal dinner it finally sank in and I started getting emotional. My little brother will be a husband tomorrow evening. I thank God that Cameron has found a woman who loves him wholeheartedly and wants to follow him as he leads their family in walking with the Lord. She is a gift to him and to us. I specifically started praying a few years ago, when I realized that Cameron was ready and wanting to share his life with someone, that he would find a girl who couldn't see straight she was so in love with him. I know him well and knew he didn't need the games or competition but someone who only had eyes for him. God sent her and I praise Him for the answer to those prayers. I have a special and different place in my heart for each of my three brothers but I am probably the most possessive of Cameron. Tomorrow would be difficult for me if he were not marrying someone who I have all confidence will be fiercely loyal to him for the rest of their lives.

I spent many years of my childhood praying for sisters and God has answered those prayers beyond my wildest dreams. First, I received two of the most incredible blessings in my life when I was eleven and thirteen and my precious girls were born. Then, I married into John's family and became sisters with his sister (and his best friend) who had been one of my best friends for years. As if that wasn't enough, then Kyle married another of my dearest friends and I almost can't imagine what our family was like without her! Now Carli is my latest gift in the string of fantastic sisters-in-law, and I have potential for two more in the coming years if and when John's brother and my youngest brother choose their life partners. I may have waited a while but my prayers were answered with a cup overflowing, pressed down and pouring over. How He does know the plans He has for us when we have such shallow dreams! I have always told the kids I taught to pray away. Yes, you can pray for a big sister. I started with all brothers and now have sisters older, younger, and in-between! God does things in ways we never expect with people we never knew and ones who have been there all along. Thank you, Lord for the way you bless us with relationships and people to love!

If you are reading this on Saturday, please take a moment to say a prayer that this day is everything Cameron and Carli have dreamed of. May their marriage be blessed beyond imagination with a long and joyful journey together!

Just Another Critz Day

A Prayer for Virginia

I can't stop thinking about those moms and dads who sent their babies off to school in Virginia and just went through the most horrifying days of their lives! Waiting to hear from their kids, waiting to be notified that their's might have been one of that terribly large number. Lord, please draw these families to you and do what You do best - making something beautiful out of the dead ashes of our sin. I think most of all I pray for the family of the shooter if and when they know - I cannot fathom what that would feel like. Lord, we are in such desperate need of You!

"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son."

Revelation 21:1-7

"Jump to Me!"

Big and Little John have this daily routine at bedtime and in the morning where Little John stands on the bed and then jumps off to Big John who throws him in the air and spins him around. It's lots of fun for both of them. Yesterday morning when my very excited son realized that this was another day where his daddy didn't have to go to work, they started playing and then Little John stood next to the bed and said, "Jump to me, Daddy!" It was the funniest thing seeing that tiny guy standing there with his arms wide to catch his 6-foot daddy!

We're always sad to see the weekend end around here. Yesterday we took the little man to eat his first donut at Krispy Kreme. Yum. He loved watching the donuts go through the fountain of icing and thought the sprinkles were wonderful! It takes such small things to make him (and me) very happy!

Mommy Visit

I know, I'm falling down on the blogging job and skipping days here and there. As Kailey spends more and more time awake these days are flying even faster than they were before. I'm trying to make myself get in bed sooner after she goes down so that I actually get some sleep. Tonight I decided to do a little catching up.

Friday I had a few friends over for some lunch and a little "mommy time." Amanda, Ashley, Brittany and I have been friends since we were in the college class at RHCC before any of us were married. It's amazing how quickly things have changed and now there are six kids between us! It was fun to visit. I look forward to Kailey growing up with so many sweet friends. Kailey, Jake & Sydney. . . yes, this was the best I could get of all three of them at once! I think Kailey was just interested in irritating Jake! I'm sure he was thinking, "Get out of my face!"

Awww! Sweet little friends.

Since Kyndall is starting to walk, she wasn't super interested in lying on the floor for a picture! She did agree to sit for just a minute.

My Girl

My precious, happy, bubbly gift from God. While I can touch my forehead with my foot, I cannot imagine doing it quite as comfortably as Kailey seems to! She just rolls into a little ball and chews on her feet! I am getting ready to store away the bassinet because she is doing eight or nine hour nights in her crib in her pink room. What a blessing! Maybe I had sleeping issues with my first child so that I could fully appreciate the gift of a baby who sleeps well early on. I am grateful that my boy now slumbers away peacefully in his room! We've had some difficult days lately and anyone who saw my son refuse to come out of the Chick-Fil-A playland last night before church can attest to that fact. But tonight as I put my babies to bed and looked at these pictures, I can only agree with the Psalmist who wrote, "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward." My precious heritage. May God help me to be the mother they need.

More Easter Pictures

Look at those azaleas in my mom's backyard! They're gorgeous!

"Look what I found!"

"Hmm, what is that fuzzy, pink thing?"

Little John thinks his Poppie is so funny!

Easter Pictures

We took over a hundred pictures yesterday. I may have to post some more tomorrow because I don't even have any of the egg hunt on here! It's pretty hard to resist when your kids are dressed up and doing cute things like hunting eggs! Because it was cold we hunted most of the eggs inside and only a few outside. This year was fun because Little John seemed to understand some of it for the first time. He enjoyed hunting eggs, loved the candy, and our little family shared a special time yesterday morning as John and I talked to him about Jesus while he looked through the resurrection eggs. Having him go into my parents house and say, "This is the empty egg!" in a very excited voice made my day. We have always had a tradition in my family that the empty egg is the best one of all because it reminds us of the tomb when they discovered that Jesus was risen! I love seeing Little John carrying on that tradition. I grew up on the resurrection eggs each year and if you haven't tried them with your kids, they're great! We used to make our own with things but now you can just buy a set at Christian stores and online.

Kailey and her aunt Caitlin

Apparently Easter sacks are for chewing when you're cutting teeth (already!)

Little John was very proud to be wearing a belt "like Dad." If he hadn't, his cute little pants would have fallen down! In order for his pants to be long enough they're always too big in the waist.

My friend, Katelyn, gave Kailey the cutest bunny coat which turned out to be the perfect thing for our cold Easter! It was so cute!!!

HE'S ALIVE!!!!

I love this day! You know how sometimes a song from your childhood is very associated with a day in your mind? I love how music expresses our feelings about events better than just words possibly can. My song for Easter Sunday morning is Sandi Patti singing, "Was It A Morning Like This?" It doesn't matter how many hundreds of times I've heard it, I still get chills when she gets to the chorus and breaks into,

"Did the grass sing
Did the earth rejoice to feel You again
Over and over like a trumpet underground
Did the earth seem to pound he is risen
Over and over in a never ending round
He is risen! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"

Later in the day, I'll be sitting there and over and over in my mind will go the words to Don Francisco's song, "He's Alive." Again, the goosebumps arrive with his final ending after the story is told when he sings,

He's alive! He's alive, He's alive and I'm forgiven!
Heaven's gates are open wide:
He's alive, He's alive, oh He's alive and I'm forgiven
Heaven's gates are open wide
He's alive, He's alive, He's alive, He's alive!

I don't know how many times I've heard this story but it still brings me to tears whenever I think about it. Those precious disciples grieving the man they followed when all of the sudden the cries began echoing among them as some reported that now instead of following a dead, great man, they were welcoming a risen Savior!!! What a day!!! Last night as I sat in our wonderful Easter service at church during the communion, I thought once again how being a mother has changed my perspective on even salvation. Now, whenever I am thinking of the sacrifice Jesus made for us, I not only thank Him for my own salvation and the opportunity that we all have to come to Him, but with tears, I try to express my gratitude that my babies have the ability to be forgiven, to just reach out to Him and have Him do all the work to save them. That in their baby voices they can pray and be heard, that no matter what happens, He wants them to be His even more than I do! What a comfort to know that He is already seeking after them, calling them to Himself! Thank you, Jesus!

On a random note, for any old school A-team fans out there, do you think when God watched all of this unfold that he looked down with His biggest smile ever and said, "I love it when a plan comes together!" What a plan it was, so many years in the making. What a God we serve! Oh, where are the ones who don't know, Lord? Who needs to know today that You are alive and that they have not lived until the know the risen Lord? Help us to find them, to reach them, and then come quickly back to us, Lord Jesus!

A Day At The Park

We went to the park the other day with my dad for lunch. John and Pa fed a few ducks and John made some new friends on the playground. We met a squirrel who had absolutely no fear and John drove a fun, blue car. I love beautiful weather and letting my boy use up all that energy!

A Boy And His Dog

I'm not sure I've ever introduced our dog, Noel. Here she is in all her chubby glory. She's a beautiful chocolate lab that we bought when she was a puppy for Christmas the year we got married. John is just beginning to really enjoy her and she, in typical lab fashion, has a fun, sweet personality that works great with kids. I really think he could jump on top of her and she would be just fine with it. She is oddly afraid of small dogs and confined spaces. She will walk around a mound of dirt instead of going over it because of some strange phobia. Fear of heights, maybe? She loves to field balls when John's hitting them off of his tee. Sometimes she won't give it back, though. : ) I'm not really sure what standing on the picnic table and showing his belly had to do with anything, but I sure thought it was funny! These pictures are a little blurry because I was taking them through a window. I knew if I went out there it would change everything that was going on!

Funny E-mail

This is one of those e-mails that goes around every once in a while. I recently read it again and laughed so hard! John and I are big fans of maintaining a pretty serious level of insanity at our house. Most people would be fairly surprised at just how crazy we can be with absolutely no stimulants except our love for the funny and silly. We want our children to grow up with as much fun and laughter as we had in our homes as kids!

20 Ways to Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity

1. At lunch time, sit in your parked car with sunglasses on and point a hair dryer at passing cars. See if They Slow Down.

2. Page yourself over the intercom. Don't disguise your voice.

3. Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.

4. Put your Garbage can on your desk and label it "In."

5. Put Decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks. Once everyone has gotten over their caffeine addictions, switch to espresso.

6. In the memo field of all your checks, write "For Smuggling Diamonds"

7. Finish all your sentences with "In Accordance with the Prophecy."

8. Don't use any punctuation.

9. As often as possible, skip rather than walk.

10. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.

11. Specify that your drive through Order is "To-Go."

12. Sing along at the Opera.

13. Go to a Poetry Recital. And ask why the poems don't rhyme.

14. Put mosquito netting around your work area and play tropical sounds all day.

15. Five days in advance, tell your friends you can't attend their party because you're not in the mood.

16. Have your Co-Workers address you by your wrestling name, Rock Bottom.

17. When the Money comes out the ATM, Scream "I Won! I Won!"

18. When leaving the Zoo, start running towards the parking lot, yelling "Run For you Lives! They're loose!"

19. Tell your children over dinner, "Due to the economy, we are going to have to let one of you go."

20. Take the weekend to recuperate from the long, stressful week.

Documented Proof

Okay, I have documented proof of exactly how things work when groups of families get together. (Of course, I didn't take pictures while the guys were holding the babies. That didn't serve my purpose. :) ) To give the guys some credit, this picture was taken before our game of Pictionary. Our small group is very excited about our newest addition, Cason Freeby! We can't wait for him to come join us on the floor!

The girls at small group

The guys at small group

Little John after small group and his bath getting in some Tiger Woods golf in the buff

You've Gotta Love Them!

Do you ever have moments where you just love your kids so much you can hardly stand it? I've been having quite a few of those lately as I try to treasure each day with my babies. I love being able to enjoy a toddler who talks and interacts with me while at the same time having a little baby to cuddle. I feel no rush for Kailey to grow into the next stage and yet I do look forward to the future with eager anticipation as I think of continuing to discover her personality just as I am able to do with John each day. Little John and I have been working together on his reading as well as all the counting, colors, shapes, animals, etc. that you find yourself discussing with a toddler each day. I love watching him learn! It makes me so excited for the years of learning we have ahead of us together!!! He is also already beginning to teach Kailey when he feels he has a bit of info she needs so I've already enlisted my biggest helper in her education. :) God is so good to me, and I feel overwhelmed with His rich blessings!

Bowling

We decided to take a little family outing last night and took Little John bowling. We went to Main Event in Grapevine which is nice because they don't allow smoking, the bumpers pop up on the lane for whoever wants bumpers, and Tuesday nights are half price. Tuesday nights are just a cheap night to go out in general with a lot of restaurants offering deals like kids eat free. As soon as we told John where we were going, he got SO excited and was dancing around making sure that we were all going to go. Lately whenever we say we're going somewhere he starts into, "Daddy going? Mommy going? Kailey going?" He had a blast and to my embarrassment actually beat me the first game. In my defense, I didn't have bumpers. :) The little man got the only strike of the night! Big John was off his game because he's usually really good. If you look closely you can see his neon orange bowling shoes in the pictures. I am a horrible bowler! I received some wise advice years ago when frustrated about my lack of bowling skills, "If you can't be good, have fun and look really cute doing it." I do my best.John's 6 lb. ball which he could handle quite well!

Watching the ball. It took a while to reach the end sometimes!

A little swagger once the pins fell down.

Of course, one of his favorite things was watching for the ball to return and lining all the balls up by color!

Encouragement

Sometimes I think that I was born a little bit needy. At this stage of life, I really do feel confident in who I am as a person and desire most for the Lord to be pleased with me. I have had a lot of practice with doing what I knew He wanted me to do when the rest of the world thought I was crazy. I have also learned that the journey with Him is the one I want to be on whether or not it includes fellow travelers walking the exact same path with me. This is one reason that I feel God called my parents to raise me the way they did. I was given constant support and approval for growing closer to God and learning about Him above all other achievements. I was encouraged to be an individual who answered to God and not to what was normal or easy to do. I truly believe that had I been in a different family or different circumstances, I would be a completely different person. I would have become whatever brought me the most approval. God, through His wisdom and my parents' obedience, gave me the perfect setting to grow out of my too-deep need for the approval of others and learn that His opinion is what truly counts. This has given me a courage I would have never thought I was capable of possessing. Now I can easily make unpopular decisions for me or my family as long as I know it is where He is leading me! I look forward with eager expectation to His results for those decisions! I have never ceased to be amazed at the far-reaching effects these decisions have had on my life so far! His ways are truly so far above mine!!!

That being said, I LOVE a good piece of encouragement from someone else, as I'm sure we all do! I was thinking about that this weekend because I had found myself at a place where I needed a pick-me-up. Nothing terrible or difficult was going on, just a lot of work and time and wondering if it was worth it. Star Time has taken a large time commitment from me and the numbers have been dropping pretty low. I'm not a big fan of determining success in numbers, but instead feel that sometimes God does big work in small things. However, on top of the drop, I had been getting a lot of feedback on what could be done better with very little said about how hard we were working! Shannon and Mike are pouring so much into their ministry to families, and we just want to bless those who are wanting to spend this time attending this service with their kids! Anyway, just as I was feeling all of this, Saturday night several small things were said that made such a big difference for me! The people who said them probably thought very little of it but it put a little boost in my tank to keep us going in this work! What sweet timing when I needed it most! This made me wonder how often I think something about others like how wonderful they are, how well they do something, how pretty they look, how much I enjoy spending time with them, but keep those thoughts to myself. All those nice thoughts aren't doing anyone any good sitting in my head! So, I've determined to say all of those things when I think them. I am trying to do a better job of expressing those things to others in order to encourage them. John and I spend time with a couple weekly who we feel does the most tremendous job of this exact thing. They are very honest with their praise and make others feel wonderful with what they say. Dwight is John's favorite golfing buddy because he's like having a personal cheerleader in your cart who laughs at all your jokes, and Tara is always sure to notice if you've worked on something or look good or even if your house smells nice! I love those little things! So John and I have been challenged to be more like Dwight and Tara in this area and we are working on it. So, to the Goodwins, thanks for showing us how it's done! I want God to be able to use me to encourage others and I don't think I can do that very well unless I take the time to open my mouth or pick up my pen and let you know!

Marriages: From New to Tried and True

Whew! It was a busy weekend! I hosted Carli's church bridal shower, and we had a lot of fun. She had a great turnout and was given so many beautiful gifts! One of my favorite things someone gave her was a new Bible with her married name on it! She loved it, and I thought it was such a sweet idea!

On the same day that Carli and Cameron had a party as they begin their new marriage, John's parents had their 40th wedding anniversary! Tonight we are having John's family over for a family celebration. It's amazing to think about having been married for twice as long as you were unmarried! It certainly makes our five years seem pretty short. I cannot possibly express my gratitude for the wonderful example of my in-laws. They are incredible people who have done a great job of modeling love, commitment, and family for their children. I am so blessed to have married into a family with so much love for each other and now for me and our children. I pray that on my 40th anniversary I can say that I have been the kind of wife to John that my mother-in-law has been to her husband. She is selfless, encouraging, loving, and always his biggest cheerleader. I love that about her! I also deeply appreciate the desire that John received from watching his dad to be a devoted family man. I know that I owe much of his commitment to us to the way he was raised and I constantly thank God for the security that his faithfulness brings to our little family! John and I have four sets of grandparents who all passed their 50th anniversary. This year our parents celebrate their 40th and 35th anniversaries. None of us will probably ever understand the impact those six marriages have had on us and the generations to come. Martin and Sandy, I love you dearly! Thank you for all you mean to our family!

Sweet Nappers

Yes, I know I am always talking about and posting pictures of my kids sleeping. To a stay-at-home mommy of a three-year-old and an infant, sleep is a beautiful thing. Sleeping children are especially endearing! I was cleaning today getting ready to host a shower on Sunday. I put both of my kids down for naps and when I went to check on them, this is what I found. For those of you horrified that my baby sleeps on her stomach, she can be put into her bed in any position and this is how she situates herself before going to sleep. Both of my kids have been very partial to their tummies and both have rolled over very early so it's pretty much up to them! I figure if they're strong enough to roll over, they must be pretty safe!A sweet girl with her teddy blankie!

I guess John was watching me as I cleaned and just fell asleep because he got still and quiet!

Apparently it wears a boy out to organize his trains in a perfect line!

Little John's Playlist

A few of John's favorite things to listen to at bedtime, playtime, car time, or dancing time!

• Psalty - John and I both grew up on this one. Full of fun stories and great praise and worship songs you're probably familiar with ("I Love You Lord," "Be Glorified," "Arky, Arky")
• Veggie Tales - anything Bob and Larry is welcome around these parts! He especially likes the Sunday Morning Songs CD and the Toddler Songs CD.
• Jordan's Songs - my brother-in-law is an extremely gifted musician, singer, songwriter, and producer. John is always asking to listen to his music. He has a great instrumental CD.
• Star Time Music - since we are constantly listening to and practicing the songs for Star Time, we get to spend lots of time in the car listening to these songs!
  

God Bless My Little Sleeper

Tonight it is very late and I am tired. All I can think about is how extremely glad I am that Kailey is a good sleeper! John was not and trying to get him to sleep through the night was a 6-month battle. Kailey, on the other hand, is already giving me at least a six or seven hour sleeping stretch at night before a quick feeding and another four hours or so. She also naps really well! I think God knew I needed the sleep with a super energetic three-year-old boy on my hands. So bless the baby girl who is lying peacefully in her bed after I sang her one song and put her there awake, and now will stay there until I've been asleep for several hours!

Prayers for my Sweet Friends

For those of you who don't know, my precious, courageous friend is struggling right now through a very difficult pregnancy where she has been extremely sick! That is actually an understatement. It makes my 36 weeks of pregnancy nausea seem like a walk in the park. She has a long history of some difficult hospital stays, etc. but right now seems especially hard! Just to give you a picture, she is in the hospital, her husband is working and taking care of things at home, they just closed on a house and have some remodeling to do before they move (yes, move) in a few weeks, both of their families are taking care of them as much as they possibly can as well as helping with their two-year-old son, who I'm sure is very confused about this whole situation! And I don't think any of them care about much of anything except Mommy and Baby being safe and well! My heart hurts for all of them, the kind of ache where I can only stop thinking about it for a few minutes before I feel the need to continue my ongoing prayer for healing for this sweet family! Please join me in this prayer!!! To read more about Christine you can click here to read her mom's blog. Her mom, Mindy, is my other sweet friend and my mommy heart breaks for her as she watches her baby hurt! I know that they are all exhausted beyond description. Please pray for Christine's complete healing, for supernatural strength for her and her family, for peace and comfort for their aching hearts (especially little Jack's), and also that we, their friends, will not miss one single opportunity where we could have made things a little easier for them!

Bedtime Prayers

Little John has recently decided that he wants both Mom and Dad to pray each night before he goes to sleep. It is so precious because he doesn't want to go to sleep unless he has both. He'll say, "Mom, you want to pray?" Are there two ways to answer that question? I didn't think so. Last night I bathed and put him to bed while John was talking to my brother after the rest of our small group had left. We read for a little while as the yawns got bigger and bigger and then I prayed. He said, "Daddy want to pray?" I went and got John and he went upstairs. Little John pulled him down, wrapped his hands around his arm and said, "Pray, Daddy." As John was praying, our little man went to sleep, content that both Mommy and Daddy had prayed. I love this! John and I both remember the very secure feeling of dozing off as our parents prayed. In my family, we would gather in the living room and each take a turn praying. You can imagine that by the time we got through all the siblings and to Mom and Dad, we were ready to doze off! :) It was such a peaceful feeling. One thing I am really looking forward to is hearing what Little John has to say to our Heavenly Father as he begins to pray his own thoughts. I'm not sure many parts of parenthood will get better than that!

Three Little Words

For some reason I recently began thinking about how often the words, "I love you" are said around here. I think because John and I both grew up in households where it was said to and by us constantly, that has rolled over into our family. I'm pretty sure I easily say that to my husband 10 times a day, Little John 15-20 and since Kailey's in that little baby stage where I feel it necessary to tell her every time I pick her up and she gives me that big grin, she probably hears it from me 50 times a day. : ) While this may seem slightly excessive, it is extremely important to me to say and hear these words as often as possible. I love that my husband tells me he loves me every time he leaves the house or hangs up the phone. I love that my parents have told me they loved me more times than I could possibly count. I love that my grown brothers and teenage sisters still tell me they love me on a regular basis. I love that my in-laws (and my husband's in-laws) tell me, my husband, and my babies that they love us all the time. I love that I have friends who tell me they love me often. I know that this may not be as important to my children as it is to me, but at least I will know that I have told them as much as I possibly could so that when those little doubts start to creep in, those thousands of "I love yous" might be replayed in their minds and hearts. I am determined for the times I've said those words to far outweigh the times I have to discipline or correct and at this stage of the game with a two-year-old, that's going to take a lot of talking!!! I want my children to understand a little bit of how much their Heavenly Father loves them even when He disciplines, corrects, and allows hardship for them to grow. Maybe that's even when He (and us as parents) are actually loving them the most. I pray that I will have a son and daughter who are quick to share their love for other people, even as teenagers and adults. We all hear enough other things from many places, we need constant reminders that we are loved! So, if you haven't heard this yet today, my friends and family, I love you!

Taking Care of Baby Sister

The other day I was in my bathroom getting ready when Little John came in upset because he couldn't find Kailey. I told her she was in my bed and he ran to check on her. He came back to tell me she was awake and this picture is what I saw when I walked in the room. He had brought Kailey her blanket, a toy, a book, and put her play gym next to the bed. She was set. Then he proceeded to read her Goodnight Moon. I got it on video and it was priceless. It did have this one part that I didn't remember. It had some yelling and macho noises and overall excitement in what I remembered as a very calm book. So, it was Goodnight Moon translated by John into what he thought it should be. Just a little more adventurous. Kailey will never be bored in this household!

Silly Sleeper

Here are two pictures of what I found when checking on John this week during his nap. He hasn't napped a lot lately, instead just having a quiet time in his room, but these two days he actually went to sleep for a while. He's a funny little man! He asked me last night if he could go to sleep with a basket on his head again. Apparently he put it there because he couldn't go downstairs. Go figure.

Two's Company

Well, here are the last pictures from our fun weekend. The bottom one of them playing the piano makes me laugh every time I see it. They just look so serious and like they're playing some concerto with plenty of feeling. John was asking me today where Emmitt was after sadly looking into the empty guest room. I guess it will be Emmitt's room until he comes back to see us. It is very special to me that now my son will be looking forward to their visits as much as I do. That's something that Katelyn and I dreamed about and now it's come true. We even have husbands who enjoy being together! So much fun. We miss you guys! I'm ready to start planning a visit that includes our husbands for next year!

Train Ride

On Sunday Katelyn and I left Kailey with Marmee and took the boys on a train ride from Grapevine to the Fort Worth Stockyards. They were very excited and had a wonderful time. They kept saying, "All aboard!" Of course the horses and cowboys were a big hit and having some peanut M&M's on the train was certainly not John's least favorite part of the outing. Yes, he's related to me. Emmitt took a nap on the train and John and I worked on a train sticker book that Marmee had found and sent with us.Making sure he doesn't miss anything going on outside the window.

It's not very often that my energetic boy has time to just sit in my lap. It was a treat!

I think the boys enjoyed the quarter rides as much as anything we did with them all weekend!

Emmitt got to pet the horses and went home with a Texan cowboy hat and pretend six-shooter.