thankful.19

we spent the last day (and a half) driving to destin, florida to spend a week's vacation for thanksgiving! we are here safely, so i'm thankful for that!

our "home" for the week in destin
{taken last night when we finally arrived around 10:30 pm}

the girls did relatively well in the car. we had our moments with rylie - a very long trip for such a tiny girl - but all in all it was a really good drive.

jason and i were talking about how much we enjoyed the trip with our little family. even though it was long and tiring, we had some really sweet moments with the girls. we stopped friday night for dinner in canton, texas at dairy palace. this is a place very near and dear to our hearts. i grew up stopping at dairy palace every time we were on our way to pine cove (an amazingly fun christian camp) in tyler. as jason joined my world and my group of friends, he learned about the love for dairy palace on trips to do work crew at pine cove with our 20s group at church. we couldn't drive through canton and not stop at dairy palace. even though we really didn't have time for it, we were so glad we did.

we had the most fun, sweet time with our girls. everyone was happy, and obeying (!!), and giggling, and being silly. it was one of those moments i just wanted to suspend and hold onto for a bit longer.

i am so thankful for my family. i love that we can be so silly together and that we really enjoy each other. i hope the girls continue to think we're lots of fun as they grow up. :)

{and i am VERY thankful for our first day of vacation today... can't wait for the fun i know this next week will bring!}

thankful.18

one of my best friends has a sweet baby girl, evie claire, who is 4 months younger than rylie. sami and i have known each other since we were 15, and were fast-friends from the moment we met. the Lord has been so gracious to walk us through similar journeys at almost every stage of our life for the last 15 years. the walk of mommy-hood is particularly sweet to walk with a dear friend.

my in-laws left for florida early friday morning, so rylie went to have a playdate with evie while jason and i were working. sami sent me this super cute picture while i was at work.

evie claire & rylie elizabeth - november 2011
"two little who's from who-ville"

when i walked in the door with rylie, sami said that evie was wearing the very same pajamas! how precious is that?? :)

it is very fun to watch our baby girls play and giggle with each other. i pray that they grow to be sweet friends and love each other as much as their mommies do. i pray that their love for Christ creates a bond in them that lasts a lifetime. 

i am so thankful for these two little girls and their baby-friendship. and i am always thankful for evie's mommy, and the amazing friend and sister-in-Christ that she has been to me. :)

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{i started this post actually ON the 17th, and then got distracted... so it's a few days late.}


today {november 17th} is my (not so) little brother's 25th birthday. i can't believe we're "this old" already. it seems both like just yesterday, and like worlds away, when we were running around the neighborhood playing "war" with our neighbor-friends. :)

i am so proud of the man my brother has become.

he is a terrific husband to my sister-in-law, katie. he showers her with love, affection, gifts, and praise. i love watching him love her. :)

he serves others well as a firefighter. he takes care of me by mowing our yard randomly, just because, or helping jason fix my car or random things around the house.

he is a great friend and confidant to my husband. jason loves him so much, and i love how much fun they have together and how much they trust each other. i have so enjoyed the last few years as our relationship has evolved into a true friendship instead of simply "siblings."

and, he is an amazing uncle to my girls. emma and rylie LOVE their uncle cory. he is gentle with them, but firm, and oh-so-much-fun. emma knows when uncle cory comes around that he will chase her, throw her, spin her and give her as many piggy-back rides as she wants! and he loves them so much. i love seeing him in a new light as the only uncle to my girls. watching him with them, i can't wait to see him become a daddy someday. i know he will be wonderful.

emma with uncle cory & aunt katie
at her "alice in wonderland" 5th birthday party

happy birthday, cory jeff! i love you so much, and i am so very thankful for you.

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i am thankful for a great team to teach with. pre-k at LHE is sometimes crazy, with our whirlwind days being so busy, taking care of kiddos, and all the deadlines and "other stuff" that piles up daily. i know that without this group of ladies, it would be a lot less fun! :)

love you, telsa, vanessa & pam! i am very thankful for each of you, and how God is teaching me and growing me through our relationships. :)

vanessa, {veronica }, me, telsa & pam (L to R)
christmas 2010