Decisions

Last week we took a little road trip, and hopped on up to Kansas to spend time with Brad’s family. True-- Kansas isn’t usually the hot spot for vacation destinations. But we had such fun! We all came in from different directions to see Great-Grandma and other Kansas relatives, including aunts, uncles and cousins. It was refreshing to see so much of our dear family!!!

 

Recently I read that on average, we make nearly 5,000 decisions per day. That’s just in our waking hours! I know I make lots of decisions in my dreams, too. (In my dreams, I usually possess some sort of super-human abilities, like defying gravity or incredible strength. So naturally, I have a lot of split-second decisions in my dreams-- about who to save, and how to save them!)

So anyway, back to our daytime decisions. Some decisions are no problem—like the decision to drive our family to Kansas to visit relatives. Other decisions aren’t quite so easy, though. For example: We stopped at the Cowboy Plaza truck stop in Oklahoma for a bathroom break on our way back home to Texas. As we pulled in, I noticed a sign that read: “Truckers! Free with the purchase of 150 gallons of gas, you can choose either: a BBQ beef sandwich or a shower.” Hmmm. That’s a tough one!

Happy Birthday, Grandma!!!

Brad’s mom just celebrated her 68th birthday yesterday. What a wonderful day! God has blessed us, and countless other people, through the life of this wonderful woman! Grandma, we’re all so thankful for you!

So I’ll use this special occasion to post a slew of random recent pictures for the enjoyment of all the grandparents (and anyone else who’s interested)!

Last Day of Kindergarten

Evelyn has been counting down the number of school days left for over a month now! I’m pretty sure they were doing it together as a class. Hearing that number get smaller and smaller was wonderful!!! I’ve been looking forward to having all my chicks together for a long time.

Here she is on her last day of Kindergarten:

 

And in her backpack, she has the clipboard that we made for her teacher. We came up with the design idea together, and then I made it after she went to bed. Here’s a picture:

I wish I had remembered to take a picture of the other gift she made. She said her teacher needed a new pointer, because the star kept falling off the end of the other one. So she came up with the idea and design of a new pointer. It looked just like a fairy wand—a slender wooden stick (painted purple) with a wooden star (painted pink with colored dots) on the end. We glued it together really well so it wouldn’t fall apart as easily as the other one. Evelyn really does a great job of putting a lot of thought and detail into gifts she gives others. I love her sweet, generous heart!

Little Monkey

Samuel is definitely our little monkey! If he’s not climbing something, he’s asleep. At 13 months, he was climbing the ladder of our outdoor playground, and sliding down the slide. Since then, he’s continued to conquer and climb many things: couches, beds, stairs, chairs, tables, and car seats.

A few days ago, he pulled a chair out from the kitchen table, pushed it across the kitchen up to the counter by the sink, and climbed up to see what was up there! He is very confident, which also means that he’s fearless. It’ll be exciting to see what that means as he grows older!

But for now, he’d rather sit on top of a table than on a chair, which is why I often find him in this position, taking snack matters into his own hands (raiding the fruit bowl).

Truman is THREE!!!

Around our house, choosing what kind of birthday cake you want is a big deal! The kids start planning the cake a couple months before their birthday arrives. Now that Truman is a bit older, he followed these footsteps of Evelyn and John. But he oscillated between Mater and a Brontosaurus (remember—“my yongneck!”) until 2 weeks before. I’m glad he landed on the  longneck!

 

Excitement! Love! Hugs! Truman tells Noni and Buddy thank you for his birthday presents. He’s an affectionate boy!

 

I love watching kids blow out their birthday candles! For some reason, this little series of pictures is really fun to me. The effect is a lot better as I rapidly “flip” through pictures on my computer, because it looks like slow-motion action. But you get the idea!

 

Here’s a happy boy, with a tummy full of cake!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Truman! You are such a fun boy! I love your big smile, your big laugh, and your big hugs. You say such funny things, and your creative imagination is spectacular! You are very physical—which is great (when you’re loving on someone!) and painful (when you’re mad at someone!). I’m so glad you let your thoughts and emotions show. And I love that you are quick to repent when you’ve done wrong. Truman, you are such a special part of our family!!!