Dallas Family Fun

We spent Memorial Day in the Dallas area with our family. First stop was Sherman to stay with Chris' granddad and Aunt Kay & Uncle Bob. Kaitlyn had a great visit!

Saturday we swung by Allen to pick up a recliner we had purchased a month before. You know men and thier recliners HA! I did finally agree to one that was just a regular chair that the company special ordered into into a recliner. Chris finally has "His Chair".

Saturday afternoon we headed up to Lewisville for an awards banquet for my brother Shane. We even got to meet my step-dad's daughter LaKendra for supper. We got the whole fam in this trip!!! 

Sunday we worshiped with Shane at his church, Relevant Life Church and then headed to the Dallas Aquarium with KK. Oh boy did she have fun!!! 

So our attempts at a family pic this weekend did not turn out so great. Love this one at the aquarium; my eyes are closed, Kaitlyn is looking at a crocodile, and who knows what Chris is looking at! HA!

And one more outside our hotel..at least we are all sort of looking at the camera!

Hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Congrats Uncle Shane!!!

This weekend we got to watch Uncle Shane graduate from Master's Commission

  Shane has been in Lewisville for the past 9 months at a very intensive discipleship program! We are so proud of Shane and all his accomplishments!

Summer is here!!

God Made Me! And God Made....Animals!

This month we learned that

and God Made ANIMALS

We had super fun learning about all kinds of animals. We started off the week learning about Noah and the Animals in the Ark. We read our story about how all the animals God created entered the Ark Noah built.

I love the way Kaitlyn says Elephant, so we made an Elephant craft. 

For lunch we learned more about Noah and the Ark. How cute is our lunch!!

We went to the park to bird watch. We took bread to feed the birds and talked about the dove from our book about Noah.. Genesis 8:8 – “Then Noah sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground.”

We learned about all sorts of animals God used to teach othes about Him.

We learned about Jonah and the whale (Kaitlyn called Shamu) and Daniel and the lion's den.

We did our fun animal puzzles

We watched animals grow in water

 

 

And even dressed up like a few

Thank you for all of creation Lord; we had so much fun learning about animals!

Oh to be a kid again...

It was so fun tonight watching KK experience fun things for the first time. Her first cotton candy, running the bases, and of course always the center of attention! It was extra special to share the experience with our good friends the Brumley's. Betsy and I have been doing a bible study on Monday nights and it has been such a joy to get to know her sweet spirit!
Now the real question....how will KK sleep tonight after ice cream, cotton candy, popcorn, and peanuts!!

Emotional Roller-Coaster

Been there?? Well my emotions have been magnified with these raging pregnancy hormones. When did I start crying at every little thing? That's not the Sommer I know...the Sommer I know has really tough skin and is awesome at dodging being hurt or offended. Ha!

This morning He filled my cup, so hopefully today will be the day I smile all day instead of boo-hoo. Today I choose to climb in His lap, lean against His heart, and rest between His shoulders.

"Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure, in Him, for He shields her all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders" Deuteronomy 33:12

3 months!

Today we had a dr appointment to hear the babies heartbeat!!! I had just recently went to see my dr for my regular yearly exam so there wasn't much to do and he let us peak and get a quick sonogram. It's hard to believe this little one is only the size of my thumb! We saw 2 little hands and feet and heard a really fast heartbeat. I think my favorite part was watching Chris' expressions at this little miracle of life. My precious family is growing; mama's heart is so full!!

Muffins with Mom...

These are the BEST homemade blueberry muffins! Perfect to make with your little one or for your own mama for Mother's Day! Chris' mom gave me the recipe.

Bledsoe's Blueberry Muffins

1 1/2 C Flour
1/2 C Oatmeal
1/2 C Sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 C Orange Juice
1/2 C Vegetable Oil
1 egg beaten
1 1/2 C Blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Mix dry ingredients together; add orange juice, oil and egg; stir until moistened well.
Fold blueberries in gently (if using fresh I like to mash just a couple of them to get some blueberry juice in the batter)
Line muffin tin with paper liners and fill 3/4 full
Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown
Makes 1 dozen

Enjoy!! Hope you get a chance to have Muffins with Mom

Too Many Reads...

I am not exactly sure when it happened, but I recently became a huge fun of reading! It's almost overwhelming, you will see when I tell you how many books I have recently started.

I am reading lots of books to help me be a better mom. A "Titus Woman" in my life, someone that shows me how to be a better mother & wife just recommended Going Public after our lengthily discussion about private vs. public schools. I am only on Chapter 2, but it is great so far.

I am also reading 2 books to help me incorporate scripture in our everyday lives. 

I just picked up Beth Moore's new book

 I am also doing a Beth Moore study with some girlfriends on Monday nights

And lastly, the book that I have read probably 50 times in the last year and continues to be the heartbeat of my home, A Woman After God's Own Heart.  I can not express enough how great this book is!!!!

Well, do you have any suggestions for me once I finish these reads?? 

A Praying Mom..

I recieved the best e-mail today. Just wanted to share.

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth" (3 John 1:4 NIV).

Proverbs 31 introduces us to the mother whose children rise up and call her blessed. She is a "wife of noble character" "an excellent wife"  and "a capable, intelligent, and virtuous woman." The mother whose children rise up and call her blessed is a warrior who battles in prayer for the hearts, minds, and souls of her children. She prays a hedge of protection around them and stands in the gap when they don't know how to pray for themselves. She meets the enemy head on, dressed in the armor of God with the sword of the spirit (the word of God) drawn and ready for action.
We may never know the many times that the enemy's schemes against our children were thwarted by the power of our prayers. Here is the living sword to use against the enemy's attack.

Lord I pray that Kaitlyn will.....

Know Christ as Savior early in life. (Psalm 63:1, 2 Timothy 3:15)
Have a hatred for sin. (Psalm 97:10)
Be caught when guilty. (Psalm 119:71)
Be protected from the evil one in each area of their lives: spiritual, emotional, and physical (John 17:15)
Have a responsible attitude in all their interpersonal relationships. (Daniel 6:3)
Respect those in authority over them. (Romans 13:1)
Desire the right kind of friends and be protected from the wrong friends. (Proverbs 1:10-11)
Be kept from the wrong mate and saved for the right one. (2 Corinthians 6:14-17)
Be kept pure until marriage (as well as the one they marry). (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)
Learn to totally submit to God and actively resist Satan in all things. (James 4:7)
Be single-hearted, willing to be sold out to Jesus Christ. (Romans 12:1-2)
Be hedged in so they cannot find their way to wrong people or wrong places and that the wrong people cannot find their way to them. (Hosea 2:6)

A mother wears many hats during the years of raising her children. And while we take off those hats one-by-one as they grow and mature, there is one that will always remain - the hat of a mother who prays.

Dear First Trimester...

Sigh. You make me soooo tired! I feel like I have missed so many moments of my life lately because I am cuddled up on the couch or in our bed asleep. It's funny how you just hit me all of the sudden and what used to be my normal routine has become exhausting to me. We are almost 3 months into this and I think you are creeping behind me.
Praying for a healthy baby at our dr appointment next week and news that "the old me" might soon return with renewed energy :) Now don't get me wrong, your presence in my life warms my heart as I know all of this is in preparation of a precious addition to our family. Just saying...you make me tired.

Anxiously awaiting mom,
Me

I look around and see my beautiful life...

Geez, God has been working on my heart lately. It seems every time I get in the car the radio is playing the Sanctus Real song that begins

" I look around and see my wonderful life almost perfect from the outside".

Yep, that's me. Oh I have gotten really good at dressing my life up to look darling. I mean just look around, smiling faces, posts about how great my life is, precious moments I spend with my sweet baby girl, my rock star hot husband. Could life get any better??
I just thought it was important that I tell you I AM NOT PERFECT! Shocker, I know 'cause boy can I make it look like I juggle all the balls of life so well.
Instead, today I am screaming at the top of my lungs, I am but a sinner saved by grace. I am insecure in my friendships with girlfriends, I often wonder how God thought I was capable to care for one of His precious children, I make excuses for why my husband and I do not connect, I find myself not thinking positive thoughts and judging others, I pat myself on the back for reading an online devotional everyday and calling it "my quiet time"....this list goes on and on of my shortcomings that I try  to hide because I think I need to look so put together on the outside. Why do we feel that way?
Well, today I am taking off the mask and letting it all hang out (not hard to do since my belly is getting bigger by the day!! ha!!!) My life is not perfect, He is still working on me, I often fail others, I may have failed you, tomorrow is a new day; not for me to strive again to achieve it all, but to just have a heart after His.

2 Corinthians 12:9

⁹But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.