more tooth stuff...

who would have thought losing a tooth could be so EXCITING?

leave it to carson to grab hold of the moment and make the most of it.

he was THRILLED to find a $5 bill under his pillow today. this will NOT be the norm, but the first tooth is a BIG deal and it's been SO VERY LONG AWAITED. (not to mention the fact that the parental unit might feel just a bit guilty for being so sneaky on the extraction).

after showing everyone his loot, he then announced that he thinks that the tooth fairy is going to leave him a CREDIT CARD for his next tooth.

hee hee.

later in the morning he went upstairs to get dressed. he came down and said, 'LOOK MOM. GAP (pointing to his logo) and GAP (pointing to his mouth). i LOOOOOVE him:

and since we're talking about teeth...

apparently hudson is super tuned in to them right now (or rather the LACK of them). i ran to walmart tonight, carson & hudson in tow. hudson is tugging on me and then says (and you need to know that hudson has a MEGAPHONE MOUTH):

'mom, when grown ups lose their teeth, do they not grow back?'

i look up from what i'm doing and realize he's looking straight at the lady

at the register is missing a few. i wanted to D.I.E.

signed,

one mortified mother

the end.

passed down from generation to generation...

my family is full of guys.

yes, we have lots of BOYS...

but i mean GUYS.

my great grandfather was WILLIAM GUY.

my father is KENNETH GUY.

my brother is GREGORY GUY.

and my second born son is CARSON GUY.

so last night, before tucking the boys in bed, i asked carson if he knew what he and papa had in common.

after several wrong answers he was ready to give up.

papa whispered a clue in his ear.

carson's face brightened and he said, 'I KNOW!!!!! we're both LAME!!!'

which had MEEEEE laughing and had papa saying, 'i said NAME. not LAME.'

24 hours ago and i'm STILL giggling.

F.I.N.A.L.L.Y...

carson has patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) waited while all around him, his friends are losing teeth and collecting cash.

his teeth weren't budging.

but finally he got a loose tooth and over the last couple days i've been bribing him with treats & cash if he'd let me pull it. despite the fact that it was barely hanging on, he wouldn't let me.

so yesterday, carson fell asleep on my lap. i couldn't resist. i wiggled. he slept. i twisted. he slept. i pushed it. he slept. i pulled it. he slept. and it was done. and he was still sleeping.

imagine his surprise when he woke up with the tooth in a plastic baggy instead of in his mouth :)

he wrote a note to the tooth fairy last night. and this morning he was thrilled to wake up to a $5 bill under his pillow (the tooth fairy payout is not as hefty for the remaining teeth).

he says he hopes that for the NEXT tooth, she'll leave him a credit card.

i heart carson. LOL.

so i had this moment today...

took the kids to the pool today for a bit just to get out of the house.

summer here in houston can make you go a little stir crazy...kind of like winter in cleveland.





we're having a 'cool' day today...it's only 95. wooohoooooo!

austin was totally engaging the boys...and i actually had a moment where i was able to close my eyes and just bask in the sunshine.

so i'm sitting there, chin tilted upward, sun on my face. tuning out the background noise...lots of laughter and shouting that fades away as i get lost in the peaceful moment.
that's when it hits me:

this is God's desire for us. for me. for you.

to peacefully lay ourselves before him.
to soak in his presence.
to turn our face upward toward the son.
to plant our feet in the rivers of his mercy & grace.
to come away from his presence with a healthy glow.
to be refreshed.


and then with one loud, 'HEY MOM, WATCH WHAT I CAN DO,' my quiet moment was over and it was back to reality.

it brings new meaning to the whole encouragement phrase 'KEEP YOUR CHIN UP.' it's not a self-sufficient, suck it up kind of thing...but rather a 'I CAN'T DO THIS ON MY OWN AND SO I TURN MY FACE TOWARD YOU' kind of thing.


i'm so thankful that even in the day to day routine...even when i don't take the time to go to him, he still comes to me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY USA!

last year, we were barely settled in our new house...bobby was shooting a wedding. i thought i'd invite a few friends over...spending the fourth of july without friends & family just seemed unimaginable. the previous owners said that you could see the fireworks from our yard (this was something that we did from our roof in ohio and so this was SUCH a thrill for us to again have this 'luxury.').

our impromptu cookout turned into a huge party and by the time bobby got home from the reception, our house was party central...tons of people and food EVERYWHERE.

our house really was not 'entertainment friendly' but we just ignored that and celebrated despite the lack of space :)

so yesterday, as i prepared my home for our second annual fourth of july party, i have to admit that i was overcome with emotion.

what a difference a year makes.

some things remain the same: friendships and fellowship that bring joy and laughter to our home.

some things change: the floorplan being the most obvious change. it's still hard to believe that a hurricane hit our house...our house that we had prayed and trusted for...our house that we were totally content with, despite the small kitchen and the less than open floorplan. we were just so thankful to once again HAVE a place that we could call HOME. as a result of IKE, our home has been completely transformed. may my faith follow suit.

and so THIS YEAR, we had a really fun evening and enjoyed getting to know our new friends leith (did i spell that right?) and amy & their four children.




the fireworks were fabulous and enjoyed from the comfort of our very own driveway (does it GET any better than that?) and captured beautifully by jordan. check out the STAR firework! they even had a smiley face (though that one didn't make it to the camera). some cool new stuff in explosives LOL.

some pics from the day:

a girl should ALWAYS be sure to coordinate with the jello squares.

we love kari & maiko :)



if you don't have a beverage jar, you seriously must invest in one. i fell in love with stacey's at thanksgiving (shown here) & so she got me one for christmas. no party is complete without them!

carson being carson :)

peighton being pretty :)

jane being happy and adorable :)

hudson & his dimples :) don't let the hot dog bun fool you. it's empty. hot dog buns and jello. a completely balanced diet, right?

more food & friends :)

jo-jo & chucky, a divison of rowan & lucky. (just trust me on this...someday they're going to be famous LOL).

carson, hudson, tatiana, levi, jane & luke.

stacey, peighton & tatiana...and bobby's ('new to him') pathfinder. once more, THANK YOU IKE.

jordan being jordan :)

is this a crew or WHAT?????



emma. so so cute!

andrew, tatiana, peighton & nathan. fun with water balloons.

the wind did a number on my flag buntings. but that means there actually was a breeze. so no complaints here :)


love this kid :)
rowan & hudson...not sure this marriage thing is going to work out after all. hudson better hope for a major growth spurt at some point LOL

isn't this the cutest????

when we told the kids to do something crazy, lukey took it a step further than the rest. soooooooo funny.

loud fireworks.

leith, bobby & hudson hanging out watching the show.


an incredible day & evening filled with fun & silliness alongside reflection and remembrances.

xoxo.