Beauty

A Busy Summer!

 It's been a busy summer so far!!  I just wanted to share a few pictures to show the highlights of the month of June.

Rebekah started off June with a missions trip to Guatemala.  Here she is with some new Guatemalan friends, along with Sydney, Mikayla, and Tayliana.

 Here's Bekah in her matching hoodie with Mikayla Pappas.

 And here are more matching hoodies: Bekah, Emily Muse, Carter Sparks, and Amber Smith.

A few weeks ago, David took the girls to the zoo with the Nelson kids: Perrin, Pierson, Providence, Lydia, Phoenix, and Bekah.

 The youth had a big bonfire last week - the first youth meeting to christen the new church building.

 The had a huge slip and slide, grilled burgers and hot dogs, and then roasted marshmallows.

 

 Bekah even caught a little field mouse.  Everyone was really loving that!!

Then last night, Lydia was invited to Mikayla's pool party/sleepover at the Aloft Hotel.  I just think this is a fabulous idea!!  The kids play in the pool, the parents sleep in an adjoining room, and then there's no house to clean or mess to clean up.  (Just a big tip to leave for housekeeping!!)

 Bekah and Rachel hung out, looking cool outside of the pool, during the party.

 Lydia and the birthday girl, Mikayla.

 Opening presents,  eating cake and ice cream.

 

And then today, when we picked Lydia up from the hotel, the Pappases invited us to join them at the pool at the Elk's Lodge, that Mike is in the process of joining. The kids all had a blast and were good and exhausted by the time we got home. 

So, all in all, this has been a very fun, busy and relaxing June so far.  Looking forward to July!

First Trip to the Dentist

:) LOL

Monkeying Around/Horsing Around

Swept Away

You Hold the Key to My Heart

Happy Father's Day, David!

Today we got to celebrate this man.

My gorgeous husband.  He is such a good daddy to our girls.  I seriously could not have picked a better man to have a family with.  He is everything I prayed for and more. 

This morning, the girls set up a welcome breakfast for him, including his Lucky Charms marshmallows in the shape of a heart!  The girls got him some cards, some home-made coupons, and his favorite candies. 

And we went to church where he was celebrated more as they handed out "salted and cured meats" - perfect for a manly Father's Day!

So Happy Father's Day, Babe!  We love you soooo much!!

Kim's Baby Shower

Today Bekah and I got to attend a baby shower for our good friend, Kim Wascom.

This baby has been a true miracle and we are so happy to celebrate with her. We started off the shower with a little food and a few games, and then it was "ooh" and "ah" time for all the cute little presents. 

And of course I made a few things for baby Noah...

including a baby blanket and a little matching hat. 

And, with Daddy (Matt) being an LSU fan, I had to make some LSU gear for the little one. 

The funny thing is that about a week before the shower, Kim emailed me and asked me if she could pay me to make a little LSU hat and diaper cover for the baby.  I told her she was ruining the surprise and that it was already done!

That was quite a funny moment!  I'm so glad that I had already guessed what they would like!! Here's a close up of the diaper cover and hat!

Noah got lots of cute stuff and we can't wait to meet him!

A Bee-utiful Performance

Happy birthday to me. :)

Well, today is my birthday!  I don't want to carry on about it too much, but I did want to share the way that we celebrated.   David and the girls took me out to one of our favorite restaurants, and then we stopped by Sonic for some ice cream. 

I opened my cards and presents.  I got lots of fun things.  

 

And I got these beautiful flowers.

I feel very loved.  =)

You Light Up My Life

Happy Birthday, William!!

Happy 1st birthday to me sweet nephew William!  I wish we could have gone to his party this afternoon!!

Cherish

TCAP Quick Scores

The TCAP Quick Scores are finally in!!  After some changes to the tests, the TCAPs were a little late this year, making the quick scores delayed on the report cards.  Well, they're finally here!!

Sooooo, Lydia first.  She did great!!  She got the following:
Literacy: 88 (Proficient)
Math: 88 (Proficient) - an eight-point jump from last year!!
Science: 96 (Advanced)
Social Studies: 93 (Advanced)

Bekah's up next with the following:
Literacy: 87 (Proficient)
Social Studies: 95 (Advanced)
Math: 78 (Basic)
Science: 97 (Advanced) - a five-point jump from last year!!

I don't know where my girls got their Science brains, but I have to say I'M IMPRESSED!

Girls Day!!

Well, David and Bekah left bright and early yesterday morning, headed for Guatemala. 

Here's Bekah with the mission team, ready to go to church this morning.

So what are two girls to do with an entire weekend to themselves?  Have a girls day, of course!

Lydia and I headed to the mall, not sure what we were going to get ourselves into.  On the way in, a lady asked us if we wanted to test drive a car.  She told us that we could get a $25 gift card for our time.  Lydia told her "no thank you."  We were set to go!  Ready to enjoy our girls day!

"Lydia, are you sure?  $25 is a lot of money."  

Lydia stopped, and thought about it for a second.  "If we get that gift card, could I use it to buy a tiara at Claire's?"

"Absolutely!"  

So, guess what we did?  Yup, we test drove that car, then headed straight into Claire's and bought a tiara.  Then we headed over to Dillard's and headed to the make-over counter.  Lydia asked if they had any "Taylor Swift red lipstick."

Why yes, yes they do!

The lady was super sweet and got Lydia all dolled up in her red lipstick. 

And then we topped it off with a brand-new tiara!! And we set about enjoying our day!!

We looked around the mall, then a toy store, and Lydia was itching to spend the rest of her gift card.  Then we thought of the PERFECT thing.  A book she'd been wanting to buy that was a little out of her price range!

Perfect!  I just love my bookworm!!

Then we headed to the movie theater to enjoy the new Rio 2 movie. 

And every time we drove somewhere, Lydia was engrossed in her book.  (She finished it yesterday!)

And to top off our night, we headed to Sweet Cece's (of course). 

A super fun day with my super fun girl!!