Mitch and I had an awesome weekend. I think it was the first weekend in a long time that Mitch was home. We had Friday Night Live here with over 10 Jr. High kids (craziness) and enjoyed the fellowship. The past few days we had been painting stripes in the youth room, so we continued on Saturday morning. Mitch, by interior designer, has done a great job at decorating the youth room so far. We're trying to create a "coffee shop" feel, with mood lighting, comfy seats, etc. That evening we enjoyed going out looking for cool decor and eating at Red Robin. (Burgers are alway awesome in my family). Sunday was full of more craziness, and included church, class, fellowship lunch, parent meeting, church, dinner and girls' devo. Needless to say I was wiped out.

Random things that I've learned this week:

1. Off-brand cream of mushroom soup is not the same.
2. Jacey loves meatloaf.
3. I need girlfriends, and desperately miss all of you who fulfill that for me!
4. Where the disposable tablecloths are at Walmart. This took me 6 months. They just aren't where they're supposed to be.
5. It's ok to discover different possibilities that life may hold.
6. The Olympics are truly fun to watch...with DVR.
7. I'm so glad school has started!

Commitment

Mitch and I have worked this summer on creating an exciting environment for the teens in the youth group, mainly to encourage them to grow in their desire and commitment to the Lord. So often we get in the habit of going through motions and thinking that church is boring. It's just another place to go, something to take up our precious time. We have a small handful of teens who have realized they want to be a church. They aren't there because their parents made them, or because they just want to socialize. They want to worship. Honestly though, that's rare, for the teens and even in my own life. We have graduated more than a few teens who've grown up in the church but haven't commited their lives to Christ. They know all the songs, some memory verses, and have done all the "big" things, like mission trips and such. They're the really "good" people and nothing bad should happen to them. Right? I wonder about their parents. Mitch and I can tell when parents truly emphasize Christianity. They have talked about God frequently at different times and value attending church. I know growing up that skipping church just wasn't a option. It wasn't even discussed. Were there times when my parents were tired and barely had time to get dinner on the table before we had to leave? Yep. I know how easy it is to make excuses and not show up. I'm the one who makes sure Jacey is fed, bathed, and ready to go. Due to the nature of Mitch's job, he isn't always able to help. I can't help but wonder sometimes is the reason our teens don't see the need to commit fully to God is because they saw the lack off desire in their own parents. The excuses of being tired, busy, having family time, etc. probably taught them that God can be put off until we feel like we're ready. I'm truly frustrated at times when we have twice the number of people on Sunday morning as we do on Sunday nights. Who cares if it's the same thing we've already done that day? We get to worship God. We are now making sure there are planned activities on Sunday nights after church every week so that the teens might be interested in coming. It's sad to me that we have to resort to that. As a parent know I am amazed by my responsibility. This rather lengthy post is for me as much as anyone else. I just hope Jacey can see my desire and commitment, even when I'm tired from everything life holds.

Birthdays and Anniversaries

This has been a very crazy, very busy week. Monday Mitch and I headed to Amarillo to do some birthday shopping for Jacey. We went to Toys R Us and were promptly overwhelmed by the huge selection. (I can't imagine what we would've done in a bigger city.) After an hour and a half, we left with a good selection. We decided that Christmas will come soon and we didn't have to buy everything on this trip.

Tuesday was filled with cooking, cleaning, and a fabulous party. Mitch's parents came in early and helped us get ready. We were fortunate enough to be able to celebrate with friends who have loved on Jacey so much this past year. The whole evening just went smoothly. The food turned out good, the cake looked and tasted great, and everyone seemed to enjoy each other's company. We host so many youth get-togethers that I forget what an party with maturity is like. The evening was very special to me, and I'll remember it forever. I think Jacey had a great time too.

Here are a few pictures of the evening:

It's had to believe that it's been a year since Jacey came into our lives. She's grown so much (and we have too!) I can't wait to see what our future holds.

Here are a few of my favorite things about Jacey:

1. Her quick smile.

2. The way she dances to any type of music. It's definitely in her genes.

3. Her expressiveness. If the house is too quiet she'll fix the problem.

4. The way she eats anything put in front of her.

5. Her wet kisses.

6. The look on her face when she's proud of herself.

7. Her giggle. She's not easy to get ot laugh, but when she does, it's priceless.

Yesterday Mitch and I enjoyed a quiet evening. We were thinking about getting out of town and heading to Lubbock just for the fun of it, but after everything we had done this past week we changed out minds. We watched August Rush and the Olympics. The Olympics are special to us because on our honeymoon we watched them a lot. I ended up with a bad cold on our wedding and didn't feel like doing much sight-seeing. Mitch told me he wants to hide out for a week or so every 4 years during the Olympics for our anniversary. We'll see. :)

Changes

Recently I've realized just how much my little girl has grown. She's wearing clothing that actually matches her age (a first), forgoing her morning nap, eating like crazy, and generally acting more independent. She loves whole milk and doesn't mind the weaning process. In less than a week she'll be able to ride in a new car seat. There are lots of changes happening, and I'm both excited and sad.

We've had a very busy, yet fun, week. Since this is Adam's (our intern) last week, we decided to paint the youth room. Finally! It took most of the day Tuesday to get the the base coat on. We still have the stripes and a 2nd coat to do in the hallway. So far I think it looks fantastic. It's much better than the awful beat-up white. Wednesday we had a funeral, church, and volleyball. Today we bought more paint, took Adam for awesome pizza at Basil Doc's, and got supplies for the camp-out retreat this weekend. Mitch and the youth group are going to camp out in the canyon on one of our elder's land. 3 days and 2 nights without bathrooms. Jacey and I have decided to stay home and watch the Olympics. I'm sure everyone will have fun though.

Baby Kisses

This past week we spent at Camp Blue Haven with a bunch of our kids. Jacey (and Mitch and I) loved seeing new people, and especially her grandparents. Camp is usually like vacation for us, since we're able to stay with Mitch's parents. It was definitely a much needed break from the normal routine. While we were there, Jacey blossomed a little more. She loved talking to anyone who would listen, and since she is totally adorable, she had many admiring listeners. As a result she learned 2 more words - Papa and bye bye - and both are amazingly clear. She also loved Grandma's cooking and ate more table food than she has yet. (As a side note, Grandma made cinnamon rolls for the whole camp...yumm!)

Grandma was the lucky recipient of Jacey's first kiss. It was small and quick, but a kiss nevertheless. Neither Mitch nor I had seen her interested in doing it again until tonight. We were just relaxing on our bed while she crawled and tumbled around when she looked at me with her tongue out and leaned towards my mouth. I politely kissed her and she smiled. She then did it again, but this time she made the smacking sound. Unfortunately she only knows how to make this sound with her tongue out. And as a result she kisses with her tongue. (Unless you don't know, Jacey has inheirited her father's amazingly long tongue.) It's totally precious, and she is so proud of herself. It'll be a moment I won't forget.

And the rest of my update...

So to all those who were out there wondering, the reason we may not have a computer room is that eventually Jacey will move in there when she's old enough for a big girl bed. Not any time soon. At least that's the plan. :)


We had a great 4th of July this year. Canyon always has a parade and a crafts fair on the square, which is always hot and crowded, just like the 4th should be. We usually go to Hil's restaurant to get breakfast burritos with the Hacketts, but since they were at camp, we went by ourselves. We then headed home to let Jacey get a quick morning nap in, and then ventured out to the square to see all of the people and the parade. After an hour or so Mom and Jacey were hot and tired, so we all went home to nap and cool off. That evening we ate with many of our friends from church at the Bradshaw's. There was lots of brisket and sausage - a good West Texas barbeque. Unfortunately Jacey is too little to stay up to 10 pm to enjoy and appreciate the fireworks. Mitch and I decided to go up on our roof to watch them from our house. They usually shoot them off at the park 1/2 mile from our house, so we were hoping to get a good view. As it turned out, it was one of the best shows we've seen since watching them in Nashville. We were able to hear some of the music that they were playing, and we had a perfect, unobstructed view of the fireworks. We also enjoyed talking to each other without distractions, since there is nothing to do up on a roof except talk and sight-see.

Last weekend we went to Ft. Worth to help move the Hacketts in. I really needed to get out of town and see something new for a few days. The summer craziness can wear on me a lot if I let it, and I was definitely getting a little burned out. We were able to help move in a bunch of stuff. We also were able to go to a Rangers game, where we had box seats. Totally awesome! I didn't watch much of the game, but it still was an amazing experience. Jacey loved all of the cheering and clapping. Her eyes would light up every time the crowd started cheering and clap and smile along with them. It was priceless. Sunday we came home and enjoyed sleeping in a bed again. The weekend was a lot of work but also very fun. I definitely came back recharged and ready to finish the summer.

Next week we head to Blue Haven for camp. I love camp. My duties this year are to bring the grandchild and help around the kitchen as needed. What a great way to spend a week! Mitch and I are looking forward to some parental TLC. Hopefully Jacey enjoys the experience as well.

Mitch and I have decided that Jacey needs more words. The child has inherited her father's desire for conversation. She has about 4 or 5 words besides "Mama" and "Dada" that she's trying to master, such as "duck," "dog," "ball," "bird," and "bye-bye." She mainly just gets the first part of the word out (kind of like Bambi does when he first says bird). The rest of the time she just jabbers away about things that Mitch and I don't understand. It's very sweet.

Jacey also has gotten her first tooth this week. She's been a real trouper. She hasn't fussed or cried too much. Her appetite and sleeping are just a little bit out of wack. I was beginning to wonder if she was ever going to get teeth since she's 11 months old. But as always, never fear...things take care of themselves in time.

New Computer

My wonderful dad worked out a deal with Mitch to get us a new computer. It finally arrived this afternoon and its amazing. We decided we needed a laptop for the future when we don't have a computer/study room. This thing is entirely too smart for its own good. Mitch discovered the speech recognition program and we have had a blast opening programs and ordering it around. It's quite fun. I'll try to compose a blog completely by voice soon. (Not that you'll know any difference.)

We are doing great here. Sorry for the long absence, but it's summer. And it's crazy. We just got back from moving our friends Bryan and Susan to Ft. Worth for their new job. I'm already missing them terribly. But I know they are where they're supposed to be, and I think the congregation there will take good care of them.

More to come later...movie night awaits!