Happenings from our Heart

Journaling 12/8/24

2024-12-08T20:26:00.000-06:00

It has been almost nine years since I have blogged. I adore going back to read. I am sure I am the only one who visits this site any more. It is mostly to find old photos. But every now and then I will read a bit of what I wrote.

I loved blogging back in the day when it was more popular. I got out of the habit and it never became part of my routine again. Actually, once Rives was born I couldn't seem to find the time. Little did I know that life would only get busier.

I was talking to a friend yesterday about how very rarely do I read parents writing, either on social media or in a blog post, about their college students. I see Instagram posts called "nine tips for helping your college student make friends" or "what to do when your college student comes home for Christmas". But what I don't find are my peers sharing the heartache of having a college student.

Not to be dramatic, but wow is there heartache. Watching my girl navigate friendships, classes, social clubs, and soccer has been a lot for me so I can only imagine what it has been like for her.

The hardest part for her, and me to be honest, has been the friendship aspect-or lack thereof.

She was burned at the end of high school and just has not recovered from that loss. To be fair, she played her part in the "break" but my goodness the punishment did not seem to fit the crime.

She went through a break-up with a boy her junior year of high school and I believe the break from the friends is more lasting. It has damaged her self-confidence, her feeling of worth, and her ability to reach out to new people this year. And it has broken my heart to watch her navigate everything.

I want to brow beat the girls that hurt her. I want to tell them that what they have done to her is 1000 times worse than the mistake she made. I want to do that but would never. Just in my head. Don't follow me for maturity tips.

I also kind of hate "life 360" because she is able to see where new friends are at all times. Often times it is not with her but they are all together. That is tough. Matthew and I have encourage her to put herself out there, text people to do something with, find friends to study with. So much easier said than done, I get it. She has a few safe friends that she can reach out to but it is just not the same as what she is seeing happen on the "socials".

I believe that because of this heartache of not having friends and not having much confidence in that area it is causing a lack of confidence in other areas. Specifically classes. Man, that has been a learning curve too. My super smart girl has struggled in her super hard classes and that has been a bit of a blow too.

ANYWAY, enough complaining and bellyaching. I know that she is getting stronger because of these trials. She will come out stronger and she IS having some good times too. I know she has had some laughs and she adores her roommate. That has been a huge blessing.

I wish that there was a comfort level to sharing trials of the college mom/student. Because I sure do need a "how to" book like I had when she was a baby girl. Because of the book Baby Wise I made that girl cry it out and I knew she would be okay....BECAUSE THE BOOK TOLD ME SHE WOULD BE. I need a book about "crying it out" the freshman year of college. Maybe I should write it. But it will likely not be a "how to" but more of a "good luck" book.

I am so proud of my college freshman. She is making it and man, that is something. She is going to her classes, not missing any practices, keeping her laundry mostly clean and her room clean-ish. I love her. And I am very very very prayerful that her next semester is one of joy and confidence. She sure could use that boost.

Nora is Nine

2015-02-23T09:01:00.001-06:00

I began this blog nine years ago. The reason I started it was because of this girl:

This 7 pound 10 ounce baby is NINE YEARS OLD today. I seriously just blinked.

Over the years I have neglected my blog (for instance, the last time I blogged was over a year ago. sheesh). I have let Facebook and Instagram and life (3 kids, full-time job, husband) get in the way and this blog has suffered. And I am sad about that. Matthew tells me all the time that I should start blogging again. He is correct, of course. I just need to figure out where to fit it all in.

But, back to the REASON I started the blog. Nora Elizabeth Henderson.

When she was 4 months old I decided that, for the benefit of family who lived far away (ALL of our family) I would write about our life. At the time I didn't realize how much I would, nine years later, treasure these writings.

I cannot believe that she has survived to see 9 years old.

Matthew and I were talking last night about when we had her. We were SO DUMB. I wish I had a time machine to go back and watch us have this baby. The delivery wasn't super smooth (emergency c-section) and I barely remember the first few hours of her life. But we were over the moon thrilled with this person we had made. If I had that time machine I would tell Dallas and Matthew of 2006, "You guys have no clue what you are about to get yourselves into. Having a baby isn't just about cute clothes and extra attention. It is FOREVER. And you guys are stupid."

But Dallas and Matthew of 2006 wouldn't have listened. Because they were dumb and thought they knew what to do and what they had gotten themselves into.

But let me tell you, Dallas and Matthew of 2015 are ready to raise their hands and shout AMEN! You are correct, time machine woman, we DO NOT have a clue!

We pretend that we can parent. If you see us out and about, just know, we are fake parenting. Yes, it's a thing. Fake parenting. And we are GREAT at fake parenting!!!!!

People tell us all the time that we are super parents, that we have really nailed parenting, that our kids are turning out fantastic....ALL the accolades and compliments get thrown our way.

Listen up world...we are FAKING IT, PEOPLE!!!!!!!!

We are clueless. Complete idiots. Thankfully, God has put people in our lives who are incredible parents (possibly good fakers too...we'll never know). We have studied them and tried to mimic their moves and listened to every single word these parents have said to their children....and we have copied it all!

I also have a lot of friends who admit they are faking it too. They TELL ME they are faking and we sit around and share what we have seen actual good parents do and take notes. And then talk about what did and did not work.

I say all of this because, despite Matthew and I not having a CLUE, Nora has become a WONDERFUL 9 year old. Only GOD could make this happen. DESPITE our parenting and short comings, God has allowed a precious girl to grow.

It is a true miracle!

Nora is NINE. She is a great sister. Most of the time...I mean, come on, having two siblings who are younger probably gets annoying. She does love Elyn and Rives. But, sometimes a girl just needs her own space and some quiet. But, the majority of the time, she is pretty great to them.

I know it's not easy to be the oldest. I KNOW! I know Matthew and I are setting her up for some serious baggage to take to counseling one day because, as mentioned above, we are FAKING IT. Especially with her. I want to look at her every day and say, "Listen kiddo. We have no clue what we are doing. Unfortunately, you are the guinea pig. You are the first one. We will mess up." But, I don't. She will figure it out soon enough. Until that day, she continues to think we are awesome.

She is a great student. She loves to go to school. She loves her teachers and learning. Reading and writing and math and science and computers. She gets her work done without us, most of the time, having to remind her. She gets out of bed each morning WHEN HER ALARM GOES OFF. She gets herself ready without us having to say anything. She loves a calendar and likes to know what is coming next. She reminds us when a family member is having a birthday. She is responsible and dependable. Everyone needs a Nora in their house. Maybe in your house, it is one of the PARENTS. In ours, it is our oldest child.

And this is a testimony to how awesome God is and how He works. Because it is ALL HIM!

She is an old soul. She is innocent. She is still little. She still plays with her American Girl Dolls. She loves Little House on the Prairie. She watches shows on tv that Rives likes. She is growing up slowly...and I am VERY thankful for that!

She loves soccer and sewing. She does not love piano but takes lessons and tolerates practicing. She loves swimming and wants a horse. She cannot wait to go back to camp this summer. She makes a friend and loves them forever.

She is emotional and sensitive. She still functions best when she has gotten between 10-11 hours of sleep each night...I completely understand this. And three evenly spaced out meals are also important.

She changed my name to Mom and I am still surprised by that. And so thankful!

I cannot believe how fast 9 years have gone (but honestly, some DAYS seemed like they took 9 years). I can't imagine how fast the next 9 will go. And then, she will be an adult.

We still have a lot of fake parenting to do before she turns 18. Our prayer is that God intervenes often and that He places people in her life who can lead her to Him. We know this precious 9 year old is not ours. She belongs to Him. She is His.

We are thankful for what she has taught us and how she loves big.

We love you so much Nora Elizabeth Henderson!!!!!

A new phone

2014-01-19T21:26:00.001-06:00

I have told Matthew several times that I just need to get rid of my phone and replace it with a flip phone. I spend way too much time on my phone and feel like I am addicted to it at times. The only problem is that I take 95% of my pictures with my phone. It is so easy to grab my phone and capture moments. Since that conversation with Matthew, I have deleted some of the apps off my phone that consumed most of my time. I think it is a bit more under control. My contract is up in May and I can re-evaluate then. Until that time, here are some pictures I took with said phone.

Ice cream this summer

Last day of first grade...and last day at Elm Tree Elementary

Soccer camp, June 2013

Helping earn their keep

a family reunion, of sorts, with my dad and brother and cousins

An actual family reunion, with Matthew's family, at a camp ground in Okalahom

Nora's first fish!

Muscles!

Nora had some money burning a hole in her pocket...she needed to spend it! She spent, probably, 30 minutes walking up and down the aisles at Target picking out the perfect thing.

Both girls meet their teachers, at their new schools. Elyn and Mrs. Bentel, kindergarten

Nora and Mrs. Buerkle, 2nd grade

Rives will never be potty trained, ever. But we still try.

Things that have been in my "notes" section of my phone

2014-01-19T21:25:00.005-06:00

Just punished Nora. And her punishment is not being able to watch wheel of fortune tonight.

We are at Wendy's, eating lunch, Nora ordered a baked potato. When it came she said "where is the cheese and ranch?" I said they don't have shredded cheese and ranch. She sighed loudly and said-well, they must not be trying too hard to sell potatoes. Cheese and ranch would help that!

Matthew put the dessert together and keeps going on and on about how good it is and all. Elyn looks at him and says-you're acting like you cooked this. Haha! Store bought cake, berries and whipped cream.

"Google it ", What Nora says when she wants us to look something up online.

"Mines", what Rives says when he it is his.

You were in my dream mommy, do you remember that? Elyn

Heard from my bathroom-"Mommy, I need the shampoo for my body!" "You mean, soap?"-Nora

Rives-my hold daddy

Cut the end of rives pacis tonight (back in June). He tried to suck on it and said "broken"!!!! He told me to throw it away. Currently in his bed crying :(. Lasted 30 minutes. Didn't cry again for them.

Nora just told me to wear something that looks like art work for tomorrow.

Nora, while looking at the ranch dressing jar....mommy, did you get this at Best Buy? (Best by 9/14/13)

Nora has a field trip to Spanish Treasure Caves....she told me she isn't good at Spanish

Rives had to go to time out tonight for throwing a screaming fit at dinner. Matthew plopped him down and walked away. He continued screaming, but stayed put. Nora looked at us and asked, "has he been practicing 'time out'?". We told her no and she said, "well, he sure knows what to do!"

Busy weekend, soccer, dance, birthday!

2013-06-27T15:23:00.002-05:00

May 11 was a busy day for us! The girls both had a soccer game that morning. Thankfully, it turned out to be a beautiful morning, despite the huge rains that happened a few nights before. The field made for some muddy socks and shoes!

After going home, giving everyone a bath/shower, eating lunch and giving Rives a super quick nap, we headed to Elyn's recital. She was a part of "Jitterbugs", a dance and movement activity at her preschool. It is the cutest thing ever! She loved it and we loved watching her dance

After Jitterbugs was over, we rushed back home to get ready for the biggest event that day, Rives 2nd birthday party! Unfortunately, in true Dallas style, I was horrible about taking pictures. But we had fun and are thankful for all the friends and family that came over to celebrate our sweet boy!

Rives is really into all things "boy", which is a little surprising considering he is surrounded by all things "girl". God is amazing at how he works the gender thing! Rives loves tools, cars, trucks, and balls. And throwing balls. And running. And jumping. And dirt. I love him!

To make my life easy, which is necessary these days (and even when I make it easy, let me assure you, I am two steps away from losing it all. Sigh.) we did a "ball" birthday party. Boy parties are way easier than girl parties. Or maybe it is "3rd kid parties are way easier than 1st and 2nd kid parties". Probably that is it.

My first "boy" cake. I'm pretty sure you saw this on "Cake Boss" a few years ago :).

Coordinated "ball themed plates". See, I went all out.

Awesome pictures of the guests. And my crazy face.

Ball themed balloon. Stop it with all the awesome party decorating!

Also, when you are the third kid and have two big sisters, they will open all the presents for you and read your cards to you. And hopefully take over the raising of you when your parents are too tired to do a proper job. Kidding. Not kidding.

Telling all his friends, "thank you". I love him.

The family picture. My sweet family.

sick Rives

2013-06-27T14:57:00.003-05:00

Right before Rives turned two, he got really sick and it was really sad! He was running around a 104 degree fever, with tylenol and motrin. Poor boy! It just struck him from out of no where! Matthew and I took turns staying with him at home. The day that Matthew stayed with him was the day he was the most sick. Matthew took him to the doctor and he was diagnosed with croup. Matthew showed me a video he had taken of Rives breathing and it broke my heart! Saddest sound ever! Matthew had taken the video to send to his sister to find out if we should take Rives in...um, yes was her immediate answer!

sick baby boy!

Thankfully he perked up pretty quick and was back to himself. He even mustered up the energy to help me make the cake for his birthday party.

Happy boy, once again!

Muffins with Mom (and Elyn and Rives)

2013-05-13T16:18:00.000-05:00

I got to celebrate being a mom at Elyn's school too! However, I already knew every single thing that was going to happen...one downfall to being the director at the preschool she attends.

Even though I knew what would happen, I was still happy to celebrate with my girl and eat some muffins with her!

Rives tagged along because it was an "at home" day for him. I think he enjoyed the muffins just as much as the preschoolers!

Her classmates sang a song to all the moms:

What a blessing to be a mom to the three best kid in the universe!!!!!

It's hard to do warm weather things when the weather is still cold

2013-05-13T15:59:00.001-05:00

Matthew and the girls ran in the Gold Rush Race for the second year. Last year the weather was nice and toasty, this year, not so much...

They were troopers and ran the entire time (only doing the one mile run this year after an unplanned fall in the 5K, last year, that resulted in Matthew carrying Elyn a portion of the route). I was super proud of them, especially Elyn since she did no "training".

Here they are crossing the finish line:

Nora's friends that participated in the race too...

The next morning, we had soccer games. This is a picture of how I felt about the games...

Rives was miserable too. I don't know if he was miserable because I had him wear pink gloves or because it was 38 degrees. Regardless, we were both ready for the final whistle to be blown!

2013-05-13T15:50:00.003-05:00

Some randoms:

Over May break Nora wanted to work on a "research paper"-ha! Little nerd-haha! Here is her report on rabbits (plagiarizer alert!).

The night that Nora and I went to Shoguns on our little date, Matthew decided to get creative with making cookies. He made some cookies with peanut butter, chocolate chips, red pepper and BACON! And they were good! Nora and Rives enjoyed crumbling up the bacon, he said :).

I asked Siri to tell me a joke the other day, while I was driving (I was a little bored). This is the joke she told me. Ha! I did make me laugh out loud. Oh Siri.

The day we had the historic May snowfall, Rives and Elyn spent quite a bit of time building a fort out of the couch cushions and pillows. While Nora tried to lay on the floor and watch t.v. Ha!

I walked downstairs on afternoon to this....grrrrrr. All three went up to their rooms so Mom could cool down.

When your toddler gets your phone, this might happen...

I was working on a small craft project for school and asked Matthew if he had an old paint brush I could borrow. This is one of the options he brought me. Ha! Beggers can't be choosers, I guess.

Mom and Nora day

2013-05-13T15:33:00.002-05:00

While Nora was on her May break, she had to come to school with me one day. I was worried she would be bored, but she entertained herself with books and movies on the iPad. She also colored a million pictures and enjoyed talking to me.

At the end of the day, I put her to work, cleaning tables and reading to some kiddos.

When Matthew got off work, he came to pick her and Elyn up and Nora started crying. I didn't understand why she was throwing a fit because she had been so good and happy all day long. Matthew took her aside and told her to get it together and after talking to her for a few minutes figured out that she was sad our day together was over. Well, that made me cry. Ugh. I can understand wanting to spend time all alone with someone and it not happening. I told Matthew to leave her with me and we would go eat together.

As soon as I told her that, tears were done and she was happy again. Break my heart! She just needs more one on one time with me and Matthew. Being the oldest is hard sometimes!

I let her choose where she wanted to eat and she chose "the fire place" aka Shoguns. Yummy!

I love my time with this girl! She is getting so big and growing so fast and I cannot believe that she is almost 7 1/2! I need her to stay my little girl and WANT to spend time with me, all by herself. What a blessing she is to me!

Snow in May?

2013-05-13T14:24:00.001-05:00

The weatherman started predicting snow around the end of April and all got VERY excited about the possibility of making history with a May snowfall. Who doesn't love to make history-ha!

Well, it happened! Not enough to close anything down, but enough to make history. One day 75 degrees, the next 38 degrees. Crazy weather!

May Break

2013-05-13T14:08:00.001-05:00

One of the best things about Nora's school is that it follows the "year round" calendar. She has periodic breaks throughout the school year. Sure, she starts a few weeks earlier than the traditional calendar and finishes a few weeks later, but the breaks in the middle make it AMAZING!

We didn't have any big plans for her May break, so she got to spend a few days at Matthew's mom's house and hang out with us the rest of the days.

On one day (that I was also off of work), we began our day with some hot chocolate at the press room and a trip to the park. It was fun to have all three together!

As you can see from the pictures, the weather was beautiful...this will change in the next few days.

Our little town is precious and in the middle of downtown, they had a painting class going on. All older ladies, painting the beauty of the day.

We stopped for lunch before heading home.

Both girls assured me they were not tired and didn't need a nap-ha!

A taste of Spring

2013-05-13T13:15:00.002-05:00

We have had the craziest weather this spring. A few days have hinted at warm weather coming and then, bam, cold, wet, SNOWY weather strikes. We took advantage of the nice weather a few weeks back and, after school, spent the evening with sidewalk chalk, bubbles and soccer. It is so nice to have all three kids engaged and active...I can tell I am going to enjoy it when they can all really play together!

Mother's Day Tea

2013-05-13T12:52:00.000-05:00

Every year, at Nora's school, the first graders put on a Mother's Day Tea, right before their "May Break". Nora was so excited about the tea and reminded me, frequently, about it. She told me once, "Elyn and Rives can't come...JUST YOU!". I made sure her younger siblings had a place to be so I could enjoy my one on one time with her.

Her teacher is great and goes out of her way to make sure that everything is "perfect" for each event. I must say that I felt very honored and special at the "tea".

Since there was no room to put 25 extra chairs around the classroom, we all had our kiddos sit in our laps for the tea. Nora would not quit touching my face and hair and hugging me. My love language is NOT touch so this was a true gift from me for my affectionate child. Ha!

I was happy to be with just her...my first born.

Each child had drawn a portrait of their mom and we, the moms, had to find them, without any help-yikes! I asked Nora if I was going to get a hint and she said, "No. It looks just like you!" Luckily, a few moms had gone before me, so I was able to use my detective skills to pick out mine.

See the resemblance ;).

This was our present, a flowerpot with our little flower, who has grown up so much...sniff!

Busy, busy, busy

2013-04-28T21:23:00.002-05:00

Ooh boy, is this kid busy! I am constantly amazed at his speed and determination.

Thank goodness he is a super duper sleeper and naps most afternoons for 2-3 hours...that help me recoup (on the days that I get to be home with him) (and I wish that were everyday!).

He is a few weeks away from turning two and I cannot believe how fast this time has gone. He is talking so well and is very adamant about what he wants and does not want. And he is busy. Have I mentioned that?

He has ZERO interest in watching television. I honestly don't know if he has slowed down enough to watch more than 5 minutes of a show. Nora was a television lover early on in her life (and still will watch ANYTHING), Elyn would watch television, but not with the same intentness that Nora did. She would watch for about 15 minutes and then tire and be ready to come be next to me. Rives is my child with the LEAST interest in television. (Although, he does think remotes are terrific and loves to turn the t.v. on and off).

His favorite thing is to "see" whatever I am doing in the kitchen. He will go into the 1/2 bathroom, off of the kitchen, and get the stool in there and drag it right beside me to watch. I have to watch him like a hawk though because he is fast as lightening and can grab a knife or pot on the stove, basically from across the room. I still don't know how he can be so fast.

He has gotten into the games many, many times and just last week, I found him throwing pieces of Hi Ho Cherry-O down the floor vents. Sigh.

He squeezed almost an entire tube of toothpaste in the sink right after I found him reaching for Matthew's razor.

He ruined a chair of Nora's by drawing all over it with a dry erase marker (this happened on Matthew's watch-not that I'm pointing fingers-ha!).

He LOVES to throw a ball...any ball! We found him throwing golf balls the other day (where in the world did he get the golf balls?) but thankfully got them away before we had to replace any windows.

He LOVES to run. He is always saying, "watch, watch" and then running at full speed across the house.

He wants to do everything HIMSELF. He will say, "Mine! Ribes do it!". Cute when he says that but frustrating to wait FOREVER for him to do the task. He insists on getting into his carseat himself and insists on getting out all by himself too (saying, "watch, watch", the whole time).

He gets so annoyed at Nora and Elyn for taking something from him or when they treat him like a baby. He will look at them and scream "No!" and then come to me and either say, "Dora!" or "Ewen". Haha!

He adores his daddy! Loves him SO much! He wants to be right beside Matthew as soon as Matthew gets home from work. It's so super sweet!

He has fallen down and bumped his head more times than I can count. He usually comes up to me and says, "Kiss." and then when he receives the kiss on his head is fine and run away, usually for it to happen again.

He is so funny! He makes me laugh with his little facial expressions or his JOY for just about everything. He loves to wake up in the mornings and play with his animals in his bed. I went in the other day to get him up and when I walked in he said, "Hi Mommy! Watch!" and he took his little stuffed horse and galloped it down the length of his bed. And then laughed.

I do not want him to grow up. At all! Although, I love watching him grow up and learning everything new!

He is a precious precious boy! I am so happy to be his mama, even though I am worn out each evening and know the next day will be a repeat of exhaustion. We are blessed with our boy!

Septic

2013-04-28T20:56:00.002-05:00

We had to have our septic system worked on a few weeks ago. Not a fun bill to pay, but very necessary! We are thankful that everything is working again.

On the plus side, Rives and Elyn had a good time watching the work being done. Kind of expensive entertainment-ha!

It's all coming back to me....

2013-04-19T13:47:00.001-05:00

It has been over 3 years since we have had a two year old in our house.

Even though he is one month from turning two, this morning he reminded me what life with a two year old sometimes looks like:

This is going to be a busy year :).

-Dallas

So pretty!

2013-04-18T12:29:00.000-05:00

The girls went to a "fancy" birthday party last weekend. When I went to pick them up, I stopped and talked to some of the moms while I was waiting for the girls to get their things together. I heard someone say, "Oh no! Look at Rives!"

He decided to get fancy too :).

Ha! Won't he love these pictures one day *wink*.

Nora's first soccer game for the spring

2013-04-18T11:39:00.000-05:00

It felt like it took forever for Nora's first soccer game to get here. Her first game was rained out, then she had a bye week, and then the entire league had a week off.

Matthew had to work at Harding on the day of her first game. That was sad. For two reasons. One, he missed the game. Two, I had to get Nora to her game and Elyn to her game, on the opposite side of the of where Nora was playing. But, we made it work...all while lugging my 25 pound dead weight on my hip.

Nora always amazes me with her ability to play soccer! It is like she is a new kid when she is on the field. I, in my head, always say she is pretty good. I watch her run and go after the ball and think "man, where did she learn to do that? It looks so natural!". I always wonder if she actually IS good or it is just the mom in me. Then I hear other parents tell me that Nora is so good, so aggressive, has so much control of the ball and I think-well, I guess I was right-ha!

And honestly, whether she is any good or not, she LOVES the game and, in the 2.5 years she has played, ever complained about going to practice or to a game. She actually complains when she DOESN'T get to go.

Okay, enough talk and on to the pictures (that are unedited BTW, I can edit or blog, not both):

Both girls are on the red team this year and they are both #3. Sweet sisters!

And it was SO COLD at both girls soccer games on Saturday! Rives was a trooper for them both. Here he is, snuggling up to Nora for Elyn's game.

Hiking

2013-04-18T11:10:00.001-05:00

Our friends, the Smith's, invited Elyn to go hiking with them at the beginning of this week. Elyn was so excited! She woke up extra early and the first words out of her mouth were, "Is today the day I get to go hiking with Audrey?"

Ryan and Audrey picked up Elyn from school and took off for their hike.

When I picked up Elyn from Audrey's house that afternoon, Ryan said they had hiked 5 miles! I was impressed. Elyn did fall and scrape her knees (which resulted in MUCH drama later on that night while getting a bath) but the thing she was most talkative about was the snake they saw on the trail. Yikes!

Elyn had a great time and it was nice for her to get to do something that was just hers, not something that she shared with Nora.

These are some of the pictures Ryan took while they were hiking:

Audrey and Elyn

Investigating Elyn's injuries

At the TOP!

Elyn loved the waterfall!

lunch time!

Pictures

2013-04-11T22:38:00.000-05:00

One pretty afternoon, Elyn and Rives watching a house across the street get a new roof. Exciting times!

All three, in bed, watching cartoons

We ate lunch with Nora one day, almost everyone liked it.

Same pretty day as above (too lazy to rearrange pictures), stacking dishes boxes

I had to be at church earlier than everyone else one Sunday. I laid out what Rives was going to wear. When everyone got to church I saw his daddy had decided to match him. Sweet boys!

Hmmmm, I wonder who did that?

Matthew has been teaching a class, on SATURDAYS. This particular Saturday was a doozy. No one was happy. Fighting sisters and a grouchy baby make for a tired mama. Thankfully on Matthew's lunch break we had lunch at a park. Very windy and kind of cold, but a break for me. I laugh at this picture because it doesn't seem as if anyone is happy to be there-ha!

We went to our friends adoption of their son, Jay, this week. He is now their third child and first boy. Ryan and Jolene are precious and have hearts of gold!

Ha!

What you can't see when you see this picture is me, shaking my head and sighing. I HATE a starter. So high maintenance. But such yummy bread in the end! Wicked love/hate (mostly hate) relationship.

What Rives does at soccer practices. I have no idea if Nora or Elyn are even good this year. This guy takes all my attention.

He will miss her so much next year. So will I.

I made dinner this week. And that dinner included chopping veggies. A rarity on these busy "soccer practice three nights a week/work meetings/tutoring/get home at 5pm most nights" days. Nora kept going on and on how much she loved the meal (corn chowder) and kept thanking me for dinner. I should do this more often!

The preschool I am director for had spirit night at Chick Fil A. He has spirit!

My little kitchen helpers. Making some whipped cream.

Nora turned SEVEN! (in February)

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Nora Elizabeth Henderson is SEVEN YEARS OLD!!!!! I cannot believe that! I remember her birth and the first few weeks of her life like it was yesterday (and PRAISE GOD it was not yesterday...I don't want to be that crazy new mom again). I love this girl so much it hurts. I am amazed at how she is growing and how she is becoming a person, her own person. She is my first girl, the one who made me mom, the one who has taught me everything.

A few days ago I was reading an old blog post about her and felt like I was experiencing the same things with her, just 2 years later. Matthew and I laughed about how this post could have mostly been written now...guess we know what her personality will be like, huh? But then we talked about what a GOOD girl she is! She really is and I need to remind myself of that daily. She has a good heart and is a good friend. She LOVES Rives and like Elyn most of the time. She STILL needs an extraordinary amount of sleep (can't blame her) and when she has had enough rest, she is delightful to be around. But when she hasn't...oh boy. We do what we can to get her in bed as fast as possible. I guess we have learned a bit in the past few years too.

The other night Nora said something that broke my heart. She was out of the shower, dancing around naked in her room (like all nights) and laughing. She all of a sudden and said, "I don't like when my legs jiggle like that." Break. My. Heart. I wanted to start homeschooling her that second and get rid of all forms of media. I also wanted to be 100% okay with my own body and never complain again about anything. Being a mom (and dad) to a daughter is HARD. I have prayed ever since that I make her feel beautiful and loved. Because she is both and so much more!

Here is my beautiful, amazing SEVEN year old!

The day before her birthday (Friday), we went to eat lunch with her

Decorated the outside of her door the night before. When she got up when heard her say, "Wow!"

Her birthday was on a Saturday, and that meant the entire day was dedicated to her! We started off with presents.

The favorite gift was (and still is) Wii Just Dance and Wii Karaoke. Nora has several dances memorized and we all try our hardest to get 5 stars on karaoke!

Breakfast was donuts, her choice!

After breakfast, shoe shopping! TOMS for Elyn and running shoes for Nora...my girls :).

And just like when she was 3, 4, 5 and 6, she wanted Chuck E. Cheese for lunch. Sigh. I guess I should start taking her there more so it is less of a "special" place. Because I would LOVE to go somewhere else when she turns 8. Sushi maybe?

But they had fun, that's all that matters.

That night, we had Gram and Grandpa and the Grahams over for dinner and games. Nora's favorite foods: ravioli, green bean bundles, steak and bread.

I had bought a white cake mix to make for her birthday...uh oh, white cake is MY favorite. Not hers. So, I made a homemade chocolate one. (And killed it.)

Nora's favorite show is Minute It To Win It. She LOVES it!!!!! So, the activities that night were Minute It To Win It style games. It was super fun!

Sleeping 7 year old.

We are going to have a larger party with her school friends in June. We are very excited about the swim party and I hope that I am able to blog about that when it happens-ha!

Spring Break 2013

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Our Spring Break this year was not the most exciting...well, compared to the previous two Spring Breaks when we went to DISNEY WORLD. Those were fun times. However, we did spend considerably less money on this spring break-ha!

Matthew is working on finishing up his administrative internship and was needing some hours to complete the task. He went to Searcy to get about 30 hours at Harding Academy. I missed him!

The kids went to Gram and Grandpa's house and I know had a great time BUT I missed them a lot too!

I had to work so I had to stay in Rogers. Blah. I also got sick. Double blah. BUT I did get my craft/sewing/utility room cleaned out! Four trash bags and a huge pile for garage sale. Quite accomplished.

Once we were all reunited, we went to Tulsa to the Tulsa Workshop to hear Francis Chan. He was pretty good and the so were the other speakers.

We stayed with my friend, Julie. I love her and that we have been friends since 7th grade and we pick right back up.

Here are some pictures, more than likely out of order. Deal.

Gram got Nora a new hat while they were there...she has begged to wear it every day since :).

One of the treasures I found while I was cleaning out.


The last Saturday of Spring Break our church hosted a 5K fundraiser. It was freezing. FUH REE ZEE ING! We were in charge of the water station. We did not stay for the egg hunt. We are no fun.

So, there you have it. Our spring break. Ehh. I'm not crazy about being away from my people. The no laundry was awesome. But that's about the only awesome thing. Maybe next spring break will be more memorable. But spring break means only one thing....school is almost out!

Elyn's first soccer game!

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Elyn had her first game last night! She was super excited, despite the frigid temps. She basically danced up and down the field the entire time she was playing and didn't lose the smile on her face either.

She did great, we were proud, Matthew said she might make a better cheer leader-ha! But she had a fantastic time!

Easter 2013

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Life is busy and Easter felt like a last minute affair. I was disappointed that I wasn't able to do all the amazing things that Pinterest has to offer...actually zero. Ah well.

Elyn and Nora were supposed to have their first soccer game the Saturday before Easter, but it rained buckets and the games were canceled. Which was super sad for Elyn because it was her VERY FIRST SOCCER GAME EVER. She was dressed about 2 hours before the game.

It actually worked out because we were able to decorate eggs and have approximately 200 Easter egg hunts in the house. Gram had come up for the girls games so she was able to join in on all the fun!

After lunch and a quick nap for Rives, we went to a local Easter egg hunt and kids fest. It was muddy and wet, but sunny and perfect temps. There were about 1 million kids and it was a bit nuts, but everyone seemed to have a good time.

When we first got there, we got to see the Easter Bunny. Rives was NOT wanting his picture with EB, so Nora had to hold him. He gave the bunny the stink eye the whole time-ha!

Before the hunt, they had some activities for the kids. The only ones we had time for were the cooking making station...

And the Nail painting station

Then it was time for the hunt! They had three separate age groups and my kids fit into all three! Thank goodness Gram was there to help us out! Matthew went with Rives...

I went with Elyn...

And Gram went with Nora...

After the hunt.

Matthew had to work on a big project that was due the next week, so he went to a quiet place (ha!) and Gram had to head home to Grandpa. The four of us went home. While the girls played in the playroom, Rives and I made some carrot cupcakes for a lunch we were having at our house the next day.

Such a big helper! He sat there the entire time saying, "See, see!" He wanted to know exactly what was going on.

Before we went to bed that night, Nora wrote a letter to the Easter bunny:

Oh boy. Sweet girl, sweet note, not gonna get the chicks-ha!

Easter mornings are always a little nuts but we still managed a few pictures:

Nothing like a breakfast of Jelly Beans!

Helping Rives with his basket.

My little bunnies...

Walking into church...

Rives was helping stack chairs after church...what a great helper! But, he has a good example in his daddy!

Sweet friends!

We had the Graham's over for lunch and this is the only picture I got. Shame on me! But for lunch, we had ham, green beans, brussel sprouts, deviled eggs, mashed potatoes, rolls, strawberry pretzel salad and carrot cupcakes with cream cheese icing. A FEAST!

Rives LOVES those little bunnies that you push their tail and they hop. Here is, with his new favorite toy?

Easter afternoon was beautiful, so we went outside for a little while to enjoy the weather. Matthew was in charge of the bubbles and the kids were in charge of running around and popping them.

Rives wanted to ride Elyn's back SO BAD!

I posted this on Facebook, but I love it! Matthew and Nora were having a race and I was videoing. Here is a screenshot of the video at the end of the race. I love the look of joy on both of their faces!

It was a good weekend and I loved the time we all had together! It is so nice as they get older, we are able to focus more on fun!