A perfect couple days...

Beautiful, breathtaking days where all you wanna do is be outside!!!!

McKenna, Carter, and I went down to Belle for a few days with Josh and Grandma and Grandpa while Daddy was in CA. It's a lovely little drive down there. And when you reach Belle, it's like all the cares in the world are gone. Life is good. You get a million things done. You have bunches of yummy fruit. You have time to just watch the sunrise or set. You can just LIVE! I love going there. To me, it feels just like going to my Gran and Grandad's. It's awesome!!

COOOOOL playground in Rolla!! The kiddos and grandparets and I were there for an hour, and we could have been there for days! The playgrounds just keep going on! I enjoyed it just as much as the kiddos did, I think!

Cutest spaceman in all history!

Someone was pretty happy to be with Josh again... 

Oh, and Kenna looks like she enjoyed it, too!

Sweet girl walked around campus with Josh and me. We had a super di duper time!! (It was like a first date, really. I mean, we ate ice cream! ;)

The two sweetest, cutest, most wonderful guys in my life!

When I have my Josh, and the kiddos... I am perfectly happy! What a fun couple days this was!

These are the coolest chairs in all the world to Monkey 1 and Monkey 2. Good times!!

My little inverter man. He loooooves building things! And he's got a great arm for a throw.

And he loves to drive the lawnmower with Grandma!!

I couldn't take a picture of McKenna on the 4-wheeler because I was right there with her enjoying the ride! I love it when Grandpa goes super fast and Kenna and I both giggle. You should see the complete JOY on her face when we're on the 4-wheeler! SOOOOOOO fun!!

We came home from lectures and our time in Belle very happy. Very rested. Very content. 

When GOD is put first in your life, everything will work out in the end. 

Keep the Faith! <3

39th Street Lectures 2012

The 39th Street Lectures is a great week. This year I had the kiddos all week while Dad was in CA on a work trip. It was so fun to spend all the time with the sweethearts! This was our "have everything ready the night before so that we can sleep in as late as possible before getting up to be there on time" set up. =)

There are so many kiddos at the lectures. It's so encouraging to see all the other homeschooling families bring their kiddos and teach them what is the most important in life!

These girls are so precious. They are so fun to watch together. They soooooo like one another and also do such a good job taking notes and listening during the lessons. 

They are SUPER cute. SUPER crazy. SUPER cool.

McKenna set the breakfast table one night all on her own thought. SO adorable!!

These pumpkins were FANTASTIC during the lessons! We took school to do every day. We did lots of coloring and playing with stickers. Lots of drawing. Lots of listening, too. Taking kiddos this young to lectures is NOT a waste of time. They heard things during the lessons that they would ask me about. The time is also wonderful because you are training them to sit still, to be good, to listen, to put God first. It is a blessing to our family that 39th Street puts on the lectureship every year!!

These two are SO cute together. It makes me very happy to know they are such good friends...

And don't forget about George. Randy... Moneky he/she. =)

Madison was so excited when she found out that TACO SALAD was on the menu for lunch. She had to go tell Miss Jennifer! Jennifer is sooooo nice and sweet and makes me happy every time I get to be around her. I loved watching Madison talking to her. When grown-ups take that time to make little ones feel important and loved, it is fantastic. This was one of my favorite moments of all of the lectures! They showed in this snapshot what being loving, what being a Christian, is all about. I love you both!!

This dude. He's adorable. He was my buddy through every lesson. I adore him!!!

And this Princess of mine is getting so big. She was one of the big girls. Didn't always sit with me, got her own lunch, picked out her outfits and got ready all on her own. She makes me so proud of her!!

"Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me." 

This week was so encouraging to me! 

<3

Splendid September!

SO many great and random things happened this month....

Going to the Higginsville Gospel meeting that Papa Dud spoke on-- did SUCH a great job!

Going to Crazy Cone with Lys and the kiddos and friends from Higginsville and being served by our Taylor brothers!

Playing ninjas and wearing matching shirts and getting some major haircuts...

Being with Hallie, the sweetest, cutest, most cuddly Princess in all the world!!!

Jumping on the newly fixed trampoline with Dustin and the girls over the nicest weekend at home ever getting a million and one things done, as well as just having major play and family time with Ash and the girls and JoshMan!

Lovely nights at the park with our great congregation! SO blessed to have some many opportunities for fellowship!

Seeing SUNFLOWERS and SUNSHINE!!! My favorites!!!!

Pretending that we were riding on roller coasters while driving on Z... It's not only fun AT Aunt Debbie's, it's fun GETTING TO Aunt Debbie's! :) And let's just throwing in here, I GOT TO GO TO WORLDS OF FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hearing these two cuties giggle and giggle and BOUNCE when Dustin plays with them on here!! I mean, seriously, there are some things that just make your heart feel totally, completely, wonderfully HAPPY! And THIS. IS. ONE. OF. THOSE. THINGS!!!!!! :D

Ummm. Guys... He's. Really. CUTE. =)

Many playdates with our Burrows and Shepherds and Cozorts and Hecks... LIFE IS GOOD!

Took a walk with my sweet girlie. Just the two of us. Carter Man went to a guys' work day with Dad at the church building. Kenna and I had a wonderful time watching a video together, singing, eating breakfast, and then walking, talking, and holding hands. When your six-year-old reaches to hold your hand and walks with you down the road, it's so cute. When partway through the walk she says, "My hand is getting sweaty... I'm gonna switch to your other side so I can still hold your hand." it's super sweet! :)

There are the sad times, there are the irritating times, there are the hard work times... but they are SO MORE than balanced with the REALLY GREAT TIMES that they can slide down to "whateverness." Focusing on the good is a choice. It makes the world brighter. <3

Labor Day Weekend!

Our God in an awesome GOD. He's blessed us with so much more than we need to survive. I could never thank HIM enough for everything, especially all the dear people in my life!!

 It was so nice to have a weekend at home with my family. Ash was there all weekend because Nathan was outta town. We sure do have a lovely family-- inside and out. Not perfect by any means, but we try to follow God's plan, and we sure do share the love! =D These are my Heck siblings... and Josh.
 
 One of the closest Mother/Son relationships ever. They are precious to watch and be around. I am thankful for their example in my lives.

 My sweet Cancan... It was fun to just hang out all weekend. We didn't "do" anything, but it meant everything. We played games with the girls, we were thankful for the loads of rain that finally came our way, we all got to cuddle and rest often, and we had a wonderful house to be in, no matter how much of it is finished or not, we had more food than we needed, and we talked about school stuff~ memories from when we were homeschooled, funny stories of our kiddos now, and plans for the future. So exciting and happy!

 We had time to just PLAY PLAY PLAY! Hallie was the good princess... and I was the BAD GUY! It was fun. I adore my little middle-niece.

The very best part of the weekend was having my Josh home. It was great that it didn't get by too quickly, though it could never have been long enough. Being together as a family, having just us time, worshiping together... it was all just peachy! Just wish that cough of his would go away... and if there were a way to sit by more than just 2 people during worship, life would be much simpler and have fewer choices that needed to be made! ha

I loved worship on Sunday because we had our college kids home-- Emily and Katie are such dear friends, and I MISS THEM TOOOOOOOOO MUCH while they're away. Thankful for their not living toooo far away, and for Facebook... and for texting... but most of all, for hugs and JJ's Bible study! =) 

A PERFECT WEEKEND. 
LIFE IS GOOD. <3