Oh, be careful little eyes what you see...

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see...

Oh, be careful little eyes what you see...

Because you NEVER know what your good intentions will bring. Let me explain...

I decided to post my daily happenings earlier in the day today. Not too much going on today...no new pictures to post, so I thought I would get a little creative with my blog entry today. My first instinct was to post some random trivia questions...or random facts that nobody would know. I looked up ODD STATE LAWS online with hopes of finding some off the wall facts about one of our 50 states. Within seconds of clicking on the first 'odd state law' site, I was immediately brought to some VERY graphic adult photos.

I immediately clicked out of the site and then I started thinking about exploitation. Some people (women and men) choose to exploit themselves each day. It's their job.

According to Webster's Dictionary, the word EXPLOIT is listed as a daring act; bold deed. 1. to make use of 2. to make unethical use of for one's profit or gain

A simple trivia inquiry gone bad, in my eyes. Indeed my online inquiry was probably on the furthest end of the scale but at the same time, our culture is becoming numb to various forms of exploitation. TV shows, movies, songs, clothing, books, magazines...the list goes on and on.

Look around you...the modesty level among teens is practically non-existant and as a nation, we wonder why this is happening. As adults, perhaps we need to re-examine what message we are sending to the people around us.

Happy Early Birthday, Beaner!

Happy Early Birthday, Beaner!

On Saturday, we had an evening full of 'surprises'. Due to some time constraints, we gave Beaner the option to follow through with the plan (to paint pottery for her birthday) or she could go on a shopping excursion. DRUMROLL PLEASE....she chose to go shopping for a new birthday outfit!!! WAHOO!!!!

We took PQ and Beaner to Pizza Hut for dinner, per Beaners request. From there, we headed to her 'favorite store'....Target. The boys went in one direction while the girls went on another. Beaner was on a mission! Within minutes, she had her whole outfit picked out. Warm-Up Pants (black with coral down the side), a long sleeve coral and white top ('it feels like UnderArmor' per Beaner), a matching warm-up jacket, a package of fun socks, a couple of pairs of undies, a few bras (sort of sports-bra-ish with High School Musical written on the front--she just 'had to have them'...hahaha...she's hilarious), and a necklace.

Of course, I forgot my camera! BLAH!

After her shopping excursion, we took the kids to Panera for dessert. We all got a chocolate chip cookie and we sat around chit-chatting about life. PQ and Beaner pretended that they were married...and I'm not sure how many conversations we had with them about cousins not being able to marry cousins....and as Titi told them this morning, 'Your Kids Would Come Out Whacked'...priceless. Thanks, Titi!

Getting back on track...when we got home from having some Birthday Fun, we promised the kids that we could have a photo shoot at the house. LOOK OUT, PEOPLE...these kids are WILD! Here goes...

Switching/Coordinating PJ's is always funny when Beaner comes over!

(She LOVES to mismatch PQ's jammies)

Looking sweet.

I don't think they understand...it's NOT cute!!??







Angry kids...





NUTS!





Confused.





Just being upside down made them laugh...






...and fall over.






This is their 'wedding dance'.

And lastly, something different.

As always, it was a BLAST having Beaner overnight.

Happy Early Birthday, Beaner!!! We love you!!!!

Friday Night Date Night

Friday night was DATE NIGHT!!!! We opted to have a GIRL CAR and a BOY CAR so we could spark up some good conversations. We went to dinner at "The BBQ Place" and then went to a movie. We went to see Fireproof (and yes, Tracy...you will still think Kirt is hot after all of these years).

Papa H and I had a great time with the other couples...and we definitely want to do it again soon!

The Husbands.

(C-Man, Sunshine Dad, Papa H, and Uncle S)

The Wives.

(Country Mouse, Mama H, Sunshine Mama, and Glory)

After the movie, we stopped by Cold Stone for a yummy treat.

And the husbands surprised the wives at the end of the night with roses.

SO SWEET!!

Thanks again, everyone! It was a great night indeed.

Thank You, Uncle S

A BIG THANK YOU TO UNCLE S (Country Mouse's Husband) FOR HELPING PAPA H WITH THE SHEETROCK THIS EVENING!!! You rock, dude!!!

Oh yes...another tast completed. The sheetrock for the kitchen ceiling has been hung. CHECK!

Strong men...

"Always have a Math teacher help you."

(This is a direct quote from Papa H.)

PQ was curious...

And he HAD to get in on the action.





Uncle S was making sure PQ had the correct measurements.

Meanwhile, Mooch couldn't be bothered.

He was T.I.R.E.D!

He's such a submissive dog. He LOVES to sleep on his back!

And here, he is obviously annoyed with my camera.
Good Night, Mooch-Man!



Thanks again to Uncle S! We really appreciate the help!!!

Now...what's next on our list of to-do's?

Reflection

Having faith in God was something that I never understood until about 2 years ago. In my eyes, the Bible was always a huge book that was too complex for me to understand. I had never had anyone relate the Bible to real life situations so I had no idea how it could guide someone in life. That is, until 2 years ago when I had people in my life that wanted to share their faith with me (and I was willing to listen). They told me how their lives had changed since they accepted Christ as their Savior. Hearing this made me ask a bunch of questions...which eventually led me to feel convicted.

Some may say that I'm a 'Baby Christian just getting my feet wet' and I would have to agree. Each day I am learning more and more about myself and I continue to look at things with a whole new set of eyes. I have struggles (just like anyone) but my perspective is different now. I realize that my life has a purpose and I realize that living each day is a blessing. I have a relationship with God and because of that, the 'bumps in the road' take on a whole new perspective. I find that the more I pray and the more I connect with God, the more peaceful I am with my life. (In no way am I implying that my life is easier because of my faith...but I am saying that my motivation has changed, which makes life more peaceful.)

It's easy to get caught up in the material things in life. It's easy to focus on selfish desires. It's not easy, however, to admit when our focus is not on His desires. I have realized over the past couple of years that when I hand things over to God, my life takes on a whole new purpose. It's nice to be able to give things over to Him and allow them to unfold in His plan.

I want you to listen to something...please click on the link below (and read the words). If you're struggling with something in your life, He's only a prayer away. Take some time to talk to God. I promise He will listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFhMEcKkgQc

Happy Birthday To Me (Yesterday)!

Yesterday was my birthday. My 32nd birthday. GULP.


I'm not big on a lot of fuss for my birthday but I AM all about ENJOYING my birthday. When PQ and I got to Grammy's house yesterday before school, her entire house smelled like warm, wacky cake (my favorite). So without hesitation, PQ and I shared a piece of warm cake before we headed off to school for the day. PQ was in shock that we were eating cake so early...but hey, it was MY birthday!!

PQ and Mama H with the warm cake...

After school, we had a family dinner in honor of my birthday. Beforehand, PQ wanted to play so he grabbed a fanny pack and headed outside. Random...I know.

Grammy? I mean, Parker is that you?

HILARIOUS.

I dressed Mooch up too.

(Come on...it's MY birthday...and THIS made me laugh!)

...he wasn't impressed...

D-Dawg and I played with the camera...

This is our 'smiley face'.

This is our 'mad face'.

(He's been hanging out with Papa H too much...see prior Friday night post.)

This is our 'crazy face'.

(Nice eye, huh Papa H!!?? HAHAHA)

Beaner and PQ posing for the camera...

See my presents!!!?? I do love presents!!!

*D-Dawg was in his PJ's pretending to be "Baby Chico'*

*PQ and Beaner were wearing tissue paper hats*

SO MUCH FUN!!!

THANK YOU!!!

(Papa H, Grammy, Grampa, Titi, Beaner, D-Dawg, Uncle L, and PQ)

I love how D-Dawg was clueless about his Mom putting up her 2 fingers!!!

PIG PILE ON PAPA H!!!

And lastly, Grammy and Grampa with the kids!

I can only imagine what year 32 of my life will bring.

Stay tuned...

A New Friendship

On Saturday afternoon, we spent the day with THIS family (below). It was a perfect day for enjoying the fall weather with our friends. From apple picking to tractor rides to pumpkin patches to corn mazes...IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!

All of us...

(Mama Sunshine~ I love your tripod!!!)

PQ and Izzy Sunshine eat their first apple of the day.

Next, they had fun on the hay ride.

If you build it, they will come.

(Thank goodness they giggled the whole time because we might have lost them in the corn maze.)

Eating ANOTHER apple...

And ANOTHER one...

(I swear they must have each had 7 apples...plus plums and peaches!)

And this one makes my heart melt...




Izzy Sunshine was OBSESSED with her 'howdy partner'...
(AKA: A long piece of grass that a farmer might have in his/her mouth)




And THIS is how Izzy Sunshine finished our afternoon.
She can play 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'...
and yes, it makes my heart melt all over again. (She is ADORABLE!)

The entire afternoon was a nice reminder of how people come into our lives for a reason. Although this friendship is just beginning, I am sure that He has a plan for this new group of friends. I look forward to many more fun times with the 'Sunshine Family'! :)

Friday Night Family Fun!

Sorry for the delay. I tried to post this entry last night but for whatever reason, the blogger site was having 'issues'.



Without further ado...here is a recap of our FRIDAY NIGHT FAMILY FUN!!

We started the evening decorating a pumpkin.

It's huge, isn't it!!??

PQ was creating a pumpkin masterpiece!

The magnum opus

(Latin for masterpiece)

Next, we had some fun with the camera!

Our 'surprised' face...

(mine looks more like scared)

Our 'angry' face...

(Papa H looks disgusted)

Our 'mad' face...

(what is Papa H doing!!??)

Another attempt at a 'mad' face...

(Papa H looks PSYCHO this time...hahaha)

And by the end of it, PQ was laughing HYSTERICALLY!!!








Once the 'faces' were made, Papa H decided to sneak up on PQ.






PQ thought it was funny so he wanted to try it too.

Our night ended with the GUESS WHO board game...

(Popcorn and Juicy Juice too)

...which led us to ask:

WHICH ONE OF THE 'GUESS WHO' CHARACTERS DOES PAPA H LOOK LIKE?

What a great way to start the weekend. Lots of laughs...lots of giggles...and LOTS of fun with the family! :)