I feel as though fall started off BUSY.

Goodbye, summer. Can it cool down now?

Friday will mark the end of our first six weeks of school. For whatever reason, it has been hard to find a groove to our school day this year.  However, we are on track and I even get the occasional, “school was fun today!”

I especially love our history curriculum this year. We are learning about ancient civilizations. We made cave paintings and sugar cube pyramids. Very authentic stuff. I lost count of the times I’ve said, “you can’t eat that. It has glue on it.”

I have discovered through trial and error that Lucy will occupy herself during our school time if I let her have free reign of paint, markers, play-do, or nail polish. Basically anything that makes a huge mess. This mani/pedi successfully kept her busy for several minutes. Worth it.

Fall soccer is in full swing. Jack’s team bumped up to U8 this year (under 8). Last weekend, he scored his first goal of the season! Go Phantom!

I told him to show me his game face.

Lucy keeps herself busy during games by playing with the other team sisters and helping herself to other people’s tents and puppies.

September has been too hot for me. I was hoping the cool front this storm brought in would’ve lasted longer.

The kids love playing in the rain. I figure their days of playing outside in swim suits are numbered. Hopefully.

She is so FAST.

so sweet

Little wet footprints.

The first Friday of the month was Zoo Friends Appreciation Day. Even though it was HOT, we took advantage of the many activities that were free that day. The kids were enthralled with the sea lion show.

Doug might have encouraged Lucy to sit on this just so he could sing, “Ride the Tiger” by Dio. Because he’s a stellar father.

We found this neat coffee shop in Edmond called Coffee Commission. The kids had a cookie date. And Doug booked a gig.

And this past Saturday, I had the privilege of co-hosting a baby shower for my friend, HD.  If anyone appreciates a good Star Wars pun or reference more than me, its these amazing parents-to-be.

Thank you, Pinterest.

OK, so these two ladies are kind of a big deal. They were my very first friends when my husband brought me to Oklahoma as a newlywed so he could finish college at this Baptist university I had never heard of.  Here I was barely 20 years old, a big city girl going through culture shock, 9 hours away from family,working way too many jobs so my husband could graduate, and I did not know a single soul.  I thank God for these two who immediately and unconditionally extended their friendship to me simply because I needed them to.

The Force is cute with this one.

Lucy photobombing the hostess picture. I really like these ladies and think its sad that the only time I’m with this group is when we’re planning a party. Maybe we should just party more.

2010

Throwback to HD’s wedding shower when I was the pregnant one. I guess Lucy’s in this picture too.

They are going to be out of this world parents!

And on Saturday evening, I attended the wedding of my sweet friend, Paige. Paige and her mother were so kind and generous to me; especially during my first pregnancy. They hosted a shower, gave loving advice, made me a beautiful scrapbook, and even washed baby clothes before Jack was born. They offered help I didn’t even know I needed as a first time mom. Kiah comes with this package because we were all co workers and spent our free time together too.

I couldn’t resist a throwback from 2006. =)

OK, fall. It’s time to slow down and cool down.

My little girl keeps on keeping me on my toes. She continues to amaze me with her huge personality, ferocious independence, and obvious creativity.  You can find part one here.  I’m certain there will be a part three.

Everyday, we go through several wardrobe changes. I never know what to expect.

She was so proud that she had managed to put on her brother’s shin guards and cleats without any assistance. In her princess dress. Her favorite princess dress. She would wear only this dress everyday if I let her.

Light switches need to accessorize too.

We have had many talks about bringing home toys that don’t belong to us from church. I was sad to see the manger in this weeks loot.

I wonder who painted my blender?

I guess I was taking too long to get breakfast on the table so she just helped herself to the pancakes.  On the floor.

“I poured the cereal all by myself!”
I was just relieved she hadn’t added the milk yet.

Another parmesan cheese incident. When will I learn?

Her idea of a snack.

All trails lead to Lucy.

I guess she wanted to keep the magnets fresh.

We always have a sticker shortage.

It’s hard to be upset about stickers on the furniture when she says, “Look! I made a cross!”

I’m always finding her treasures in the laundry. So many pretty things end up in her little pockets.

She cannot resist when I leave my makeup out.

I found a  fairy in the flower bed.

This is my poor van remote sitting in a bowl of rice. Someone was mad at me and retaliated by throwing my keys (that are attached to my wallet and remote) into the deep end of the swimming pool. We were 30 seconds into Jack’s first swim lesson.

“That’s where he sleeps.”

“MOMMY! MY PANTIES ARE ON THE FAN!”

Doug: who is that?
Lucy: It’s me. With a headband and a skirt.
Doug: the skirt could be a little bigger.

Mixed media: crayon, marker, torn paper, glued on letter tile

She painted this without any instruction or directions. “It’s me dancing with a party hat.”

Lucy loves glitter

Glitter Time: Supervised

Glitter Time: Unsupervised. Or why mommy shouldn’t doze off on the couch for 2 minutes.

Lucy Valentine, you are one loved special little girl. You bring so much joy to our family. Everyday.

This is our last week of summer break. We will officially start school on Monday. Here is a recap of the Summer of 2014 minus our trips to San Antonio and Kansas.

Our first 2 weeks of summer included swim lessons for Jack at OBU. He is cautious by nature so he seemed to benefit from his time in the pool getting more familiar with the water. He had a very patient and knowledgeable instructor and he is on his way to being a more confident swimmer.

Keeping Lucy busy during swim lesson time was quite the challenge.  She wanted nothing more than to jump in with her brother. Next year, Lucy!

Everything is awesome!

We really enjoyed the local kid movie series at our downtown theater. This may have been their third time to see The Lego Movie.

Jack’s soccer coach encouraged us to sign up for soccer camp this year.

Again, Lucy wanted to be part of the action.

Jack with some of his teammates. He will start his FOURTH season of soccer next week!

That same week, Doug was at camp too. He spent his third year teaching at Resonate, a worship camp. He actually wrote an article about his experience.

A trip to the zoo. You can tell by their red faces that our kids don’t handle heat real well.

OBU sent Jack a back-to-school letter and some supplies. The brainwashing starts young.

Isn’t his Mii cute?

Did I mention the kids don’t handle heat well? Jack may have spent enough time indoors playing the Wii to beat Mario Kart.  He is a little too good at games.

I promise he didn’t play games all summer. He worked on a reading challenge as well. We didn’t exactly meet our page number goal because he read quite a bit out loud to me and that takes a little longer. We read The Indian in the Cupboard and The Mouse and the Motorcycle together.

Lucy did some light reading too. Here she is reading Jane Eyre.  She’s so advanced.

Although Jack’s birthday was in May and we went to Dallas with family instead of throwing a party, he really wanted a cake. After all, it is tradition to have Daddy make one. Plus, do you really need an excuse for cake? Our small group didn’t complain.

Yes, its a SPURS cake. He told us he wanted a basketball cake. A Spurs basketball cake. Doug tried to remind him that we are Thunder fans and Jack responded with, “Well, I’M a Spurs fan. Spurs win Championships.” Indeed.

gangster

A few of their friends had actual summer birthdays so we partied with them.

Can’t get enough pool time.

Nothing says childhood like party favors and Kool Aid mustaches.

The silly birds at our house decided to build a nest and hatch eggs in the summertime instead of spring. We enjoyed watching them. We don’t enjoy what they did to our porch.

It is the end of the ’99 Breeze Era. I finally said goodbye to the trusty car I paid cash for when I was 18 with my Sonic carhop tips. My roller blades from those days were still in the trunk. This car was our transportation from our move as newlyweds from TX  to OK and our honeymoon road trip to St. Louis. This car will be great fodder for conversations with my kids later. “You want a car? Well, when I was your age…”

Jack played T-ball for the first time. He was on a team with several friends. Go Rangers!

Fortunately, there were other little sisters to occupy Lucy during games and practices.

One last hurrah at the pool with friends. Summer sure is tough when you’re a kid.

2 weeks ago Doug and I and a group from church attended the National Worship Leader’s Conference in Kansas City. Before the conference we visited our friends from the area who just added a beautiful baby girl to their family.

Sandy and sweet Magnolia Josephine

Sandy and Nathan were friends from Doug’s college days and our newlywed days. We had never met their children so visiting them was extra special.

we brought goodies from Shawnee

One of the highlights of the week was watching G get his vinyl signed by Bill and Gloria Gaither. This is what starstruck looks like.

BILL GAITHER!!!! Pretty sure this is when L and I became best friends. Bill brought us together.

Here we are meeting Paul Baloche. If you aren’t as familiar with his music as we are, let me enlighten you: several artists have covered his songs including Michael W. Smith, Casting Crowns, Rebecca St. James, and many others.  He has also co-written songs with Kari Jobe, Meredith Andrews, and Lincoln Brewster.  His more widely known songs include, “Open the Eyes of My Heart”, “Hosanna”, “Today Is The Day”, “Your Name”, and “Above All.” So, when he talks about songwriting, people tend to listen.

Our group enjoyed learning and laughing along with Paul during his songwriting session. He made Doug’s day by singing an Aaron Gillespie song with him.

And speaking of Meredith Andrews…here she is! Meredith was our guest at our church’s women’s event last year. She and her husband Jacob lead a session on how to structure a worship set.  I love how they invest into other leaders and other churches.

These are the Exceptional Young People who joined us this year for the conference. I refer to them as the EYPs.  I’m glad Doug and I were chaperoned this year.

Doug enjoyed exposing the EYPs to dumb internet videos after the evening concerts. I am not the concert girl type, but my favorite artist from the week was Rend Collective.  The conference may not ever be restful, but it is always refreshing.  Already looking forward to next year!

The Hurt family had a crazy July 4th weekend. One of my best friends from high school got married! Miss Ashley Skinner invited me to be a part of her bachelorette party on the third. I loved catching up with her and Jill (who was a bridesmaid in my wedding because Ashley couldn’t be there). I also made new friends with Ashley’s friends and family. She definitely attracts quality people.

So happy for Ashley!

Jill and I

We had a painting party. Ashley wanted to paint Texas Bluebonnets to take with her when she moves out of state. Coincidentally, the painting instructor was a friend from our youth group days. She was very patient and talented. Thank you, Keely!

nerds

The party was pretty tame until we busted out Settlers of Catan.

My painting. Before Doug knew I painted it, he critiqued it and said, “This artist reads a lot of inspirational Christian women books.” Nailed it.

The kids hung out my parents house for a couple days. Here is Lucy doing her morning workout.

And the fourth was not only Independence Day, but the big gender reveal!!!! It is hard to believe my baby sister is having her first baby. Excited doesn’t even come close. In honor of the fourth, guests were given poppers that contained either red or blue confetti.

And because she’s Tammy, it was a super cute, Pinterest-perfect gender reveal party.

mom and Lucy

Doug really wanted to wear his Thunder shirt in San Antonio.

Everybody minus my brother and his family.

The parents-to-be! They are going to be amazing!

My first picture with MY NEPHEW!!!!!!!! Its a BOY!!!!! And so continues the Townsend tradition of having a son first. I love you, Tammy! Motherhood already looks good on you.

July 4th 2014

After the gender reveal, we headed to Doug’s parents property to blow stuff up. Its what the founding fathers would’ve wanted.

You can never take too many little girl sparkler pics.

Told you.

The fifth was the big wedding day. The kids, as always, enjoyed time with their family.

Papa loves taking the cousins on tractor rides around the property.

lets go fly a kite

Pool time!

Lucy is completely fearless in the water. Which makes me completely fearful.

no fear

Wedding Time!!!

What happens when we try to strike a dramatic pose.

Doug thought this pic of me watching the toasts was funny because it looks like I just had a really good idea.

Mrs. Conrad

Its not the best picture but I had to have one with the beautiful bride. The wedding was so classy, and pretty, and intentional. It was privilege to be there. Congratulations, Ashley and Neil!

Directly after the reception, we met our friend, April for a coffee date. April is home for the summer from her mission work in Uganda. It was a blessing to hear how God is working in Uganda and to pray for each other. You can learn more about April here. We love you, April!

pretty Cora

And as if our hearts weren’t filled to the brim with thankfulness for all the joy we were sharing with our loved ones, our nieces were both baptized on the sixth.

sweet Maya

I can’t remember a time when we celebrated so much in a such short amount of time. Thank you to our friends and family for including us in your celebrations! We are blessed by each one of you. Truly.

Our little man turned SIX on the 10th. We surprised him with a trip to the Legoland Discovery Center in Dallas. Tammy and Jonathan joined us and introduced us to their old haunts from their time living in Dallas. Like Rusty’s Tacos. Mmmmm.

We started the weekend out right with dinner at Chick-fil-A where I taught Tammy that the trick to eating dessert without sharing with your kids is to switch their toy out for ice cream while they are playing.

The next day was Legoland! Jack was completely surprised and didn’t know where we were until he saw the sign.

She kept petting Uncle J’s hair. We don’t know why.

waiting to get in

We had a nice four to two adult to child ratio.

Jack and Doug make a new friend

ready to go!

We took the factory tour where Professor Brick-a-Brack needed help making new Lego bricks.

building and racing cars

Jack wins!

Merlin’s cutest apprentices

Lucy can only ride stationary vehicles

Forest Ranger Pursuit

Yoda!

Star Wars with mommy

Lucy discovered karaoke in the pink princess castle. She’s a little too comfortable on stage.

so girly

pretty in pink

Everything is a microphone.

still singing

Lucy made a friend too

She’s 3 going on 14.

Way too much giggling going on. For those that don’t know, my sister is known for her signature epic giggle.

Dallas Miniland

I love them

Everything is cool when you’re part of a team.

Uncle J is a great foreman.

we belong together

I love my six year old.

Mom, Lego of me

Lego swag

Jack picked out a new Star Wars set. He insisted on the one with Jango Fett.

His birthday lunch was at his favorite restaurant in the whole world: Chili’s.

Lucy picked out a bear with a pink shirt, insisted it was a boy, and named him Bear. We asked for a booster for Lucy but only Bear was allowed to sit in it.

She taught Bear how to hold the crayon and color.

After a necessary four hour nap, Tammy and Jonathan took us to a park in Uptown.

A beautiful evening

We ended the night with dessert at Sprinkles cupcakes. You know, for Jack’s birthday.

They were all out of strawberry in the store, which is what Jack wanted, so we had to use the CUPCAKE ATM around the corner. I love big cities.

she wanted her brush in the pic

Instead of calming her down before bedtime, Aunt Tammy decided to give Lucy a selfie tutorial.

she didn’t want to duck face

Tammy has a little too much fun with her only niece.

We loved our time with the Hoopers.

Back in Oklahoma, we met up with Aunt Rene and cousins Cora and Maya who were headed back to San Antonio from Colorado. They surprised Jack with birthday decorations and cupcakes. Also waiting were birthday packages from all the grandparents. I think he felt loved.

Cousin Love

We are so grateful for all the family who helped celebrate these blessed six years. Happy Birthday, Jack-Jack!