I didn't kill the Roses!

As you have probably read in previous posts, Travis and I have been working very hard in our yard to get everything together. Today, I came home from work and below are a few pictures of my beautiful roses in full bloom! Maybe I do have a green thumb...very very pale green, but it's green! :)

Good Friends

I have always known how blessed I am to have such a good group of friends. This weekend, it was once again made very apparent that I have great friends.

Saturday, Travis and Emma went to DeQueen to see his dad. Hannah wasn't feeling well, so she and I stayed here. She had been vomitting and had a little diareha. Sunday, I was worried about her hydration, so I decided we better run get some Pedialyte. We no more than made it to the end of our very short driveway and she threw up all in the back of my car. I knew I couldn't take her to the store (less than a mile away), even after I got her cleaned up. So, frantically, I was trying to figure out who to call...Meredith was out of town, Cassidie had her whole family in town, Lauren live VERY far away...So, I called Sarah VanBebber. I explained to her what I needed. She graciously went to the store for me and picked up what I needed...in two different flavors! She absolutely saved the day! I can't ask for anyone better than her in my life. She was a blessing that day and always has been!

Sarah, thank you SO much for what you did for us yesterday. I know it didn't seem like a big deal to you, but it really was and I appreciate you so much. We all love you very much!

Thomas's Graduation

This weekend, Thomas VanBebber graduated from Har-Ber High. We are so proud of him. We are also very grateful to be invited to attend the festivities. Saturday afternoon, we went to graduation. It was long, but very exciting to watch Thomas walk up on that stage and receive his diploma from his Dad (he's the school board president). Afterwards, we went to Thomas's graduation cookout and party. We had a great time! Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera in, so have no pictures. But, trust me, it was a blast! Below are some pictures from graduation. CONGRATULATIONS, THOMAS! WE LOVE YOU!

Cute Outfits

So, I rarely dress my girls in the same outfits. But, I found these super cute dress/legging sets and just couldn't resist. I have had them since about February and have been dying to put the girls in these outfits. Yesterday, the weather was VERY hot and so I couldn't resist. I took their pictures before school, so they weren't cooperating very well.

*Emma took Hannah's passy! That's a BIG no no...and I am pretty sure a fight broke out shortly after the camera snapped!

Playing Outside

I know I post like a bazillion pictures of my girls just playing outside. But, here are some more. Sunday, we spend a quiet day at home. I planted flowers. Travis cleaned out the garage and the girls played outside. It was such a nice day and very relaxing!

**don't mind all the slobber...she is getting ANOTHER couple of teeth

Emma's Birthday Party

Saturday, we had some friends and family over for Emma's birthday party. We had a great time playing with everyone and having cake and ice cream! Before the party, Emma and my dad played baseball for about...5 seconds. Then, she was off to Barbies and Babies again! My grandparents came too and we really enjoyed seeing them. Sarah and Lynlee were able to come and it was great seeing how much Lynlee has grown. We really LOVED getting together with everyone. Thank you all for coming to Emma's party, she really appreciates all the love! Enjoy the pictures!
**I didn't take many, but Meredith did. She is sending the pictures, so I will update this post with some more in the next couple of days.

This is the present the girls got from Meredith for both of their birthdays!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EMMA!

Yesterday, my baby turned 4! I can hardly believe it. Emma is getting so big and smart. We are very proud of her.

Birthdays are a BIG deal in our house. So, Emma's special day started off with a bang! Travis and I spent several hours on Wednesday night putting together the infamous Barbie Dream House. It's HUGE! So, we just set it in the living room with all of her other presents and let her get that first thing in the morning. She also got a Minnie Mouse costume that she wanted to wear to school for her special day...yes...that's right...I let my child wear a costume to school. But, hey...it's HER DAY!

About 2, I went to Emma's school and took Minnie and Mickey cookies for a small party in her class. Then, she and I headed for a mani/pedis (Emma had to change into big girl clothes first...no more costume!)! Jamie met us there and we had a great time! At one point, they asked her how old she was and she said three! We all just laughed and she said "I mean 4...I am 4...I am a big girl now!"

That night, Emma picked where she wanted to eat, so it was off to our favorite little catfish-hole-in-the-wall restaurant, Backwoods Barn. Finally, we came home and opened the presents Emma had been dying to open all day. We just had birthday cookies from Rick's Bakery (the best around!), since we are having her birthday cake on Saturday.

She got so much stuff. She got a tee ball bat, glove and balls (all pink of course). She also got lots of new clothes and shoes. Probably her second favorite present was a night gown from the Disney Store. She LOVES it! And...what would a Barbie Dream House be without new Barbies to add to the collection? Wednesday night, her Grammy and Grampy brought her a new bicycle for her birthday. Her old one was just too small for her.

At bed time, Emma told us what a great day she had! I am so glad her birthday was wonderful! My favorite part of the day was watching her and Travis play Barbies...it's hilarious to think that Travis (of all people) would play barbies, babies, tea party and beauty shop, but he does...EVERY NIGHT! :)

Plus, we get to do it all over again on Saturday for her "friends" party at our house! Can't wait to see you all there!

Dr. Caple

This morning, Emma had a dentist appointment for a cleaning. As most of you know, we have been going to see Dr. Caple, our pediatric dentist, since Emma was 3 weeks old. She was born with a tooth and he had to do the dirty work of pulling it out. He did a great job making me feel calm while he was pulling the tooth and Emma was scream. Dr. Caple was so good with her even at that young age. Despite that traumatic event at such a young age, Emma LOVES to go to the dentist.

Dr. Caple and his staff are so wonderful. They knew Emma's birthday is tomorrow and made her feel so special. They always do a great job of making each child there feel special, but she felt extra special today. The hygienist, Amanda, did the normal cleaning and then Dr. Caple came over and looked at her teeth to make sure everything looked great...and it did. Then, they sang Happy Birthday to her and gave her lots of special treats. It was so wonderful to see how much they care for a patient they only see once every 6 months. It was a great pre-cursor to her birthday tomorrow. Afterwards, we hit up the local Krispy Kreme on the way back to school/work. Enjoy the pics!




For the grandparents (and anyone else who cares to read this update), Emma will have x-rays next visit to check and see if there is a permanent tooth under the place where she is missing one. He feels confident that there will be, however, if not, we will see how her other teeth come in and hopefully fill in the gap over the next few years. If not, we will see his recommended Orthodontist, but that's a long way down the road! :)

Yard Work...YUCK!

The lady that lived in our house before we bought it had a beautiful yard! She had so many flowers and things. She was elderly, so had plenty of time to tend to all of her plants. However, once we moved in, they all died...most of them at least. I have never been able to keep a plant alive, so it was no surprise when everything turned brown.


Last spring, we were so busy welcoming baby Hannah we barely had time to mow, more-the-less, pull weeds and water flowers. So, this spring, Travis and I have been working VERY hard (mostly Travis) getting everything trimmed back and the flower beds ready for flowers. Lots of bushes got cut down, because we need a low maintenance yard! So, below are some pictures of Emma helping us! She did such a great job picking up the sticks and pushing the wheel barrow. It was great having her help. Hannah rode on her "4-wheeler" and pointed every time Travis started cutting something. I guess to warn us he was at it again!


Our yard is really looking great and is almost ready for the birthday party we are hosting next Saturday!

Saturday evening, it stormed, so we spend time playing inside. For those of you who do not know Emma very well, she is VERY prissy (to put it mildy). She always has in a hair bow, is carrying her purse, and LOVES playing in my "click shoes" (heels). Hannah is sort of our rough and tough little girl, but I decided she needed to have a hair bow in her hair just for fun. So, I thought these pictures were cute. Enjoy!

My Mom

Today, I have been thinking a lot about Mother's Day. I have come to realize why this holiday is so very important. I am not sure if it's a sign of maturity (I sure hope not!) or that I am a mom now and realize it's not as effortless as my mom always made it look.

My mom is amazing! She has always ALWAYS been there with kind words...and the truth, whether I wanted to hear it or not. Having my mom always be there to think I am the most beautiful...the smartest...most amazing gift from God she has received is so special to me and I don't know what I would do without her.

So, in her honor, I would like to bullet just a few of the reasons "When I grow up, I wanna be a mom just like my mom..."

• My mom is always at everything. She was at every basketball game, every dance recital, every cheerleading event...EVERYTHING. Now, she is at every birth of a child, every time I need a date night with my husband, and every time I need rest!
• My mom ALWAYS has gum! (and almost always has chapstick)
• My mom lets me cry to her when I need to pretend to have a good day in front of my kids.
• My mom always knows how to make me feel better on "the worst day of my life".
• My mom will honestly tell me when I am being over dramatic!
• My mom knows what I should do when one of my girls is rashy...or sick!
• My mom buys the BEST gifts! She knows what I want before I even realize it!
• My mom will listen to every "funny kid" story I have and laugh with me like it's the funniest thing she has ever heard! (even if its the third time I have told her)
• My mom always tells me how beautiful I am, how smart I am and how proud of me she is!
• My mom has the best jewelry!
• My mom tells me that I am the best mom in the world...and coming from the best mom ever, that's HUGE!

I have realized from having kids, that being a mom is a thankless job. It's hard and never ends. Seriously, the laundry!? It's also the most rewarding thing I have ever done in my life. Every day I wonder, am I spending enough time playing with my girls? Am I making sure they are always happy? Do I tell them how much I love them enough? Do they know they are the most beautiful...smartest...amazing gifts from God I have ever received? Am I doing it as well as my mom did? I love being a mom more than anything else I have ever done. Through the hard times, the dirty diapers, through it all, my mom has been there. every step of the way she has celebrated the "mommy milestones", given me praise of how well I am doing, reassured me that I am doing a great job, let me be sad after I had to discipline one of the girls. Without my mom, I would be lost.

So, Mom, I would like to thank you for everything you have always done for me. I am so lucky to have you and love you very much. You are the best and I wouldn't be who I am today without you! I LOVE YOU!

The things you do for your children...

Emma's birthday is in two weeks. She will be four and every year gets more and more excited about her birthday. This year, all she has been asking for is a Barbie Dream House. For those of you who know Emma, you know she does NOT forget things and once she gets her mind set on something, there is no changing it! She is a very grateful child though. At one point, she told me "Mommy, if I don't get a Barbie Dream House, I will not cry. I will be sad, but I won't cry." I just don't think at 4 years old a child should have to learn disappointment...especially not a sweet little girl like that!

So, I have been looking...EVERYWHERE! Lucky for Emma, when I get MY MIND set on something...there is no changing it! :) These houses must be the big thing, because everywhere was sold out. So, I decided I was going to have to give in, find one online and pay the shipping..UGG!

Last Monday, I found one online with free shipping! I was so pumped. I immediately placed an order for one and called Travis to let him know the search was over. (someone should have slapped me and said "Boni, don't you know this is too good to be true!") Thursday, I got an email from the website. Below is what it said...

Due to high demand the Barbie 3-Story Dream House you ordered has gone out of stock. Currently, we do not have an estimated in stock date. I apologize for the inconvenience. Please let us know if you wish to wait, substitute an item, or cancel and have credit issued. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email or give us a call.

Are you kidding me!? Yes, I want my money back! Or better yet, I want my Barbie Dream House! But, at this point we were back to the drawing board. Of course, I couldn't wait until somewhere was back instock and just give Emma a picture of one to tell her it was coming in the mail. I just don't think a 4 year old would understand that. I started searching online again and calling stores. No one online was instock and no store around here had any still! I called my mom and told her that I may have to send her on a mission to Little Rock or anywhere in a 200 mile radius of her if I found one.

Finally, I called Tulsa Toys R' Us...THEY HAD ONE! I asked them to hold it for me and they said they would, but they couldn't ship it to me, I would just have to come pick it up.

Travis and I had a "date night" planned, so Honey was already keeping the girls. Instead of dinner and a movie, Travis and I made a flying trip to Toys R' Us and there it was! We immediately bought some more barbies to go with it (because the 30 she already has just weren't enough!) and paid. I was so excited! Now, Travis is going to spend all night the 14th putting this monstrous thing together, but we know Emma will love it and that makes it totally worth missing out on date night. Thanks, Honey, for keeping them so we could get this done! Stay tuned for Dream House pictures...I know you are all on the edge of your seats!

Sarah's Wedding Shower

This Saturday, Sarah Van Bebber had a wedding shower. Emma is one of the flower girls in her wedding. Emma, Honey and I went to the shower. We had a wonderful time getting to see Sarah open all her presents. We can hardly wait for the wedding and our beach vacation! It's going to be so fun. Thanks, Sarah, for having us!