Our (quick) trip to Houston

We left here from West Plains on Sunday morning, arrived in Houston, Texas just before dark.

Monday, we let Kara get a good morning nap and then headed off for some shopping. We were able to find some cute clothes for the girls, but my main mission of finding a new swim suit in all the clearance sales was a huge bust. That evening, my mom, my dear friend Leslie, my siblings and a few cousins all joined us on the Kemah boardwalk for dinner and a some rides. We ate at Salt Grass and watched the big wooden roller coaster outside the window. Needless to say, after watching the wood shift for about 2 hours, we decided to skip that one. We all enjoyed cheesecake (thanks to Holly)for Brenna's birthday dessert and then headed off to the rides. The girls two favorites are the ferris wheel and the carousel, so that is what we did.

Tuesday, we went to the beach, just us girls, joined by then Hurricane Dolly. The beach in Galveston was not too bad, but you could see the storm off the gulf and it was picking up the waves pretty good. This was the first beach trip for our girls, and they liked it a lot, except for the wind.

Wednesday, we hit the road early to come home. It was a long drive. Everyone did really well, it is just a LONG drive. We had a great time with our family and friends!

Turning 11

Today, our oldest daughter, Brenna, turns 11 years old. I really can't believe that we have a child that is 11. God has blessed us with this beautiful little girl, (Little being the key word there) who has taught, and continues to teach us more of who God is through parenting. She is creative, energetic, emotional, loving, nurturing, and loves to serve. We are especially blessed because we have watched her on her journey with God by being justified and continually being sanctified, and some day, will be glorified with Him for all eternity. We love our Brenna. Today is a special day and we are treating it as such. We started out the day with chocolate chip pancakes! A day can't get much better than that according to Brenna. We will end this evening with a small birthday party for Brenna and a few of her friends. Tomorrow we will have our "family" birthday in Missouri with the Hirsch's and Reavis family. Then, on Sunday, we will head our way to Houston, Texas for a VERY quick trip to take our dogs to my sister, and we will celebrate there with my siblings and a trip to the beach. We will turn around and come home on Wednesday. I think I am tired just thinking about it all.... Happy Birthday, Brenna. We love you!

WOW! These past few days have been a blur!

We moved this weekend. We are now in a lovely 3 bedroom 2 bath house with a BIG yard and wonderful shade trees. Here are some pictures...

Several of Tim's co-workers came with a 40 foot flatbed trailor attached to a big truck and got everything in one load. (minus the things we had been bringing over all week long) They started at 8: 30 ish and were done by 10 am. We spent the rest of Saturday unpacking and organizing th ings. Tim and I didn't stop until about 10 that night. Thank the Lord my mother was here to help out with entertaining the girls.







Kara had her first bowl of rice cereal last night. Needless to say, she loved it and didn't have any trouble with the spoon, as you can tell from the picture.

She also had a tea party with B and T last night. She was a little disappointed when she discovered that the tea cup didn't have anything in it.

Good thing I didn't get rid of the boxes!

So, here is a testament to God's provision. Tim and I have been talking and praying about our housing situation. We know that we need to wait to buy/build a home for at least another year, but space is in short supply here where we are in our current townhome. So, as we were driving down the road after church on Sunday, we pass a house with a "for rent" sign in the front yard. A cute little white home on a nice street with lots of shade trees. So, we call the number. The landlord tells us about the house and it sounds like a great deal. We ask to see the house and schedule a time for Monday mid day. The landlord put the sign in the yard just days before we called. We look at the house, and it is just perfect for us. 3 bedrooms two bathrooms, bigger kitchen and dining room, bigger living room, and the biggest plus, a nice big yard for the kids to play in. It has hardwood floors throughout the house, too. We tell the landlord we would like to think and pray about it and would be back to him within the next day. We had to make a quick decision because he is going out of town and really wanted a tenant in by the middle of the month. Yes, we will be moved by July 15th. My mom is coming on the 9th to visit us for a bit, Brenna's birthday party it the 18th as well. Needless to say, I am using the boxes that I unpacked just about 2 months ago and we have started taking loads over to the new house. I am really getting a lot of experience packing and unpacking. Maybe I should start a business??? Anyway, we are thankful to God for His provision of a bigger place that fits our needs and even costs just a bit less!