Ewww...

Look what I found today while I was getting up to get a drink at lunch time. Sweet huh? Except that when I first found it, it did not have blood coming out of its head. Thank goodness Darin was home, and thank goodness he has a bb gun. Sorry if this is offensive to anyone... that we would kill a snake who was just passing through our backyard. I really am... but, I find it offensive that the thing was on my patio. Thank goodness the animal control guy (yes I called animal control, because i didn't know if it was poisonous or not) said that he was probably just passing through and that he doesn't think we should have any reason to expect to see more of them.
Also, in case you didn't know this (as I didn't either) if you want to tell if a snake is poisonous or not, you just have to look at its pupil. If it goes straight up and down like a cat it is poisonous... if it is a round pupil it is not poisonous. Interesting I know. But I am NOT repeat NOT going to get close enough to check that before the snake is dead. Seriously snakes that are poisonous should just have a big P for poisonous on its back. That would make things much easier. Anyway, I don't know why I had so much to say about this snake. Just know that I feel sooo much more.

How did God get soooo big? Conner knows!

This morning Darin and I took the boys out for donuts for a "staying in bed all night 5 nights in a row" reward. It may sound ridiculous... but I don't care. This new sticker chart we've been doing with this has really been helping! Thanks Dawn for the idea. Funny, a single woman with no kids... may have solved our sleeping problems?! Anyway, so we were walking out the door talking about which donuts we were going to have and Darin joked with the boys that he was going to eat all the donuts. All of them in the entire world. Conner said "Oh and then you will be as big as God?"
He also informed me that he does not like ponytails today. He said they are "ugly." Of course I had just put my hair in its first ponytail in about a year and a half.LOL He was pretty brutally honest today, as he had told me earlier that he did not like the clothes that I was wearing.

new post...

I meant to post this post on this blog and not on my personal blog... So if you want to see some more pictures... click here
Sorry, it just takes me so long to figure out how to do things, otherwise I would just copy the post over.

Happy Easter...

I wish I was reminded daily of what Easter means for me and my family (not blood, but my brothers and sisters in Christ). Typically it crosses my mind often, but as our pastor pointed out this morning its usually the cross that I think of. What the cross means for me and my family... However as he pointed out... Without the resurrection the cross just doesn't mean anything really. In turn, the Resurrection wouldn't mean anything without the cross either. Jesus' life, death, and Resurrection are the story... I am so thankful that because of His life death and Resurrection it is my story, because as he died there on the cross so did I. As he rose so did I. And... the life part... Well I'm working on that being a reflection of His life, knowing that it will never even be close to a true reflection (or even one of those trick mirrors that make you look way skinny, or way fat:)... But maybe there will be hints of Jesus that some people might pick up on. Beyond that I am so thankful that my image (whether some would even call it a reflection or not) is not what would cause me to go to heaven. Even if it totally looked like Jesus' life... The most spotless reflection... I know that I am going to heaven because of my salvation. No good works, no perfect reflection and also the muddiest reflection you've seen doesn't mean that person isn't going to heaven. Because to God, my reflection.. because of Jesus is the cross and the resurrection. I just hope that to those who don't know my Lord and savior my earthly reflection will make a difference. I thank the Lord that he has chosen me. I just hope and pray that he has chosen my children as well. Prayers go up daily for this. Not just that they are chosen, but that "the truth will be made clear to them" at an early age, and that they will follow Him closely throughout their lives. I just want the least heartache possible for them, and I know from personal experience that with Him there is just less heartache. Not that there aren't trials. Those are guaranteed.... But that He is there through those trials, and that makes ALL the difference.

Ok, well I am not usually one to post anything theological or biblical.. because I feel a bit inadequate to do so... But I just wanted to express my Easter thoughts today.:) And hopefully they will stick with us both throughout the year.

I'm so thankful for my church and our pastor Matt Chandler. God has blessed him with a sound interpretation of the bible, and I am so thankful that we get to hear him share with us on a regular basis.

On another note... here are some pictures of our Easter morning (without Darin unfortunatly)....

Below is Conner checking out what the Easter Bunny left for him.

Here are our two sweet boys with the last of the 20 eggs found on their Easter egg hunt.

They didn't like the grass that "the Easter Bunny" left, so the first order of business was to remove the grass from both of their baskets!LOL

More pictures still to come from the Dallas arboretum...

Good times...

Today we got to go to the Dallas Arboretum with Daddy and Auntie Dawn... We got some great pictures taken by Auntie Dawn, and thankfully for me Daddy, Conner and Parker didn't kill me for wanting to keep getting pictures! So lucky they'll put up with me, but seriously, I can't wait for this little girl... Maybe she'll counteract all this testosterone.:) Love the boys, but they don't always love me for the pictures and mommy such things.
We are having a lot of fun with Auntie Dawn here. She plays so well with the boys and seems to adore them as much as I do, which is nice. Its always great to hear someone doting on your children almost as much as you think it but refuse to say it out loud... EVERY TIME:) She's always saying how cute they are. LOVE that! She's also allowed and actually encouraged Darin and I to get away while she watches the boys. It is so nice. We enjoyed a double date with our best friends the other night who we've never been out with without kids. We really had soooo much fun! And she keeps telling me that we need to take a whole day away. Such a nice offer! Maybe we can do something for a little while tomorrow.. Don't know if I want to leave the boys for a whole day (not because Dawn couldn't handle it, but seriously those boys are way too attached to us)!
I will try to post some pictures soon... Its always an extra special treat when Dawn comes to visit, because she takes great pictures, and then shares them with us. But I am trying to wait until the end of her visit to get them, because I don't want to have to keep asking and then risk missing out on some!:)

Its a healthy baby girl!

I am 18 weeks 3 days pregnant, and we found out today that we are having a little baby girl! Today was a fun day, because we didn't know we were having an ultrasound this morning, and as the day went on my appointment got switched and Darin was home... So it all worked out perfectly and he got to come while my dear friend Jenn watched our boys for us! Lots of fun!
I hope anyone reading this will pray for us as we embark on this new journey of raising a girl, as we are both getting a little nervous about the difference that entails.
Thanks!

quick post...

I wanted to post a picture of this a long time ago as it was Darin's Christmas present to the boys... but for some reason I never got it up. Darin made this tool bench for the boys and they absolutely LOVE it!