Dish washer

Now that Devan is 3, we have been working hard on really getting him to understand how to clean up after himself. We have buckets in his room that are separated out and we have been teaching him how to take each one and put it back where it belongs rather than just throwing it into his room. Tonight, during our nightly dinner conversation, I asked Devan if he wanted to help clean up after dinner and do the dishes. He willingly said yes.

All done.

Time to dry.

Grady just had to help.

We always make sure we put them away when we are done.

Great job Devan!

Now on to clean the floor.

Make sure and get WAAAYYYY under the table.

Daddy and Grady decided to play while we cleaned.

So happy.

Having lots of fun.

First day of school

Wow! What an exciting first day in fourth grade. It was so great to see all new smiling faces. And I truly enjoyed getting hugs from students that I taught last year. A new year means new beginnings, new faces, new personalities and a great opportunity to reach new students. I love the smell of new supplies, (crayons, erasers, folders). I know that I have been blessed by God to have the ability to teach students. There is a lot of prep work and a deep passion for students to succeed. I am glad to say that I am a teacher. I just pray that the Lord will bless me as the teacher to have the wisdom to reach each individual child and that the Lord will give the students an open mind to learn. Here's to a great year!!

Brandon turns 30!!!

Well, it's official. Brandon is now the "old guy". J/K. We celebrated with a pool party at my mom and dads. We had  a great time celebrating with family and friends. Happy Birthday Love!!!!

Hanging by the pool.

Devan swimming with Nana

Grady couldn't get in the pool fast enough!

Happy with Dad.

Such a big swimmer!

Me and my mom

Don't forget the home made cake

Collins played hard

Becky and me

Good friends

Volleyball time!

Happy Birthday honey! May the Lord bless us with many more birthday celebrations together!

Yes, Lord!!

In Jr. Church we sing a wonderful song called Trading my Sorrows. Part of the chorus says "Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, yes, Lord. Amen." Brandon was singing this around the house and all of a sudden Devan chimed in! This is exciting because typically during Jr. Church, Devan doesn't do much during the songs, but cling to me and throw fits. :( But, the Lord showed me that he IS listening to the songs and it brought joy to my heart. 


Also, while he was singing this song, Grady shouted "AMEN!" So, of course, I had to record their singing and praising of our Saviour!!

Jesus loves me.

I can't think of a more simple and true statement. Jesus does love me. And he loves you too! I think that this song is one that all children should grow up knowing. But not just knowing, understanding what it means. That no matter what paths we take as we go through this earthly life, we can have the joy of God's love in our hearts no matter what! Here Devan sings this and I don't think that there is anyone out there who can't say he didn't sing this with conviction!!!

My boys are just too cute!!

Really I just wanted to share with you how super cute my boys are. Call me a proud mama. I just pray that these videos bring a smile to your face as they have mine. It is by the grace of the Lord that I have these two in my life and I don't know what I would do without them. Thank you Jesus!!

Sweet Grady bear...

Grady is quite the cuddle bug. Especially when he just wakes up from his nap. He has a new best friend too, Giraffe! He goes everywhere with him. But most often he likes to hold him while watching his favorite movie...

Mr. Potato Head

It's amazing how much I think that at Christmas when we buy gifts for the boys, that they are going to play with every toy right then and there. But sometimes, of course, it seems as though the boxes and tissue paper are more entertaining. This past Christmas, we bought Devan a Mr. Potato Head. A classic toy that I remember playing and pretending with millions of times. 


Recently, Devan finally discovered how much fun he can be! 

His wonderful creation!

I think I see a resemblance...

HEB stickers

Every week we make our routine shopping trip. We pretty much stick with our Saturday ritual of waking up, eating breakfast, cleaning up then heading to HEB. We LOVE this place. However, I find that shopping with two small children can sometimes be a challenge. They have this booklet that you can earn points toward redeeming prizes. All you have to do is ask the cashier for some Buddy Bucks. Then you put them in the machine, and this big wheel (similar to the one on Price is Right) and then you push a button to stop the wheel. It then lands on a number and then it is printed off onto a sticker that you would collect in the booklet. 


We have to use this "game" as Devan calls it, as a reward for good behavior in the store. Devan doesn't much care to collect the points. This is what he would rather do with his stickers:

Look mom! I'm covered in stickers!

They cover his legs...

What a handsome smile!

Brotherly love

It is amazing to watch Devan and Grady grow up. They are really learning to love one another and I believe they are well on their way to becoming best friends.

I love how Grady has to be like big brother!

Their other toys just don't compare to their all time favorite movie: CARS!

Notice how even their feet are crossed the same! So cute. 

Team Lead

It's official! I am the new Team Lead for 4th grade! I am super excited about the opportunity to lead others to help children be successful. I have been blessed, though. God has placed me with a group of ladies that share the same vision and philosophy of children that I do. I am glad to be a part of what they do. My job is pretty simple, be the liaison between my campus principal and my team. There are many things that almost on a daily basis I keep thinking, Oh I am in charge of that! I know that it will be a team effort to keep the ball rolling on our path to success. 


I thank God for the challenge this year. I was recently telling Brandon that with this being my 6th year teaching (I still can't believe it has been that long), that I needed to do something different this year. Not sit back and just "teach". I started asking myself, where do I want to take my career? Is there a field I want to pursue as a specialty? Well, the Lord provided an answer for the here and now, Team Lead. I think that this will be a good insight into some "behind the scenes" of how a school works. 


This is an exciting time for me. I know that this is going to be a great year. I pray for all the ladies on my team and that we set out to accomplish our goals this year!

Fire truck!

Our good friend's husband is a firefighter and sells fire trucks part time. Therefore, he drives home a fire truck from time to time. Last night Devan was surprised when they came to the door and gave us a ride. He was thrilled and I know it will be a lasting memory!!!

Here they come!

Looking around at all the cool things.

Devan rode in my lap the whole time looking out the window.

Our good friend Sara and Grady.

The whole family.

They loved sitting on the front.

Devan liked climbing the ladder.