Kinderkidz Camp

This has been a most crazy week--our kids are in Kinderkidz Camp with UAFS Academy of the Arts. Jones' class is everyday this week from 10 to 11--Laynie and I stay with him to 'help' the teacher, as do all the other parents of the 20 2 to 5 year olds that are in the camp--yes that's right 20 of them in the same room! He has had a pretty good time, but he is just ALL boy! He really does like music and can keep a good beat, but he would probably have been just as happy playing trains for an hour with lots of kids around! The video is of his 'dance time' at camp on Wednesday!

Now Laynie tells everyone she is in actress camp! She goes for 1 1/2 hours everyday. They start by acting for 45 minutes followed by 45 minutes of movement/music. Who knows maybe this will be the beginning of a budding career, then again maybe not. The first day she acted like a sunflower--I will try to post a video of her later in the day. Her class is supposed to perform on Saturday--so we'll see what happens.

My Friend, Amy

Last Friday, I took my 'new friend' Amy to Heber Springs so we could have a Thirty-One show. (Check our her website if you don't know what Thirty-One is!) We had a great time at Netta's house, and it was fun to see some of my Heber girls--I miss you all.

Amy and I had a great time chatting and visiting the entire time we were on the road. Seriously I don't even think we listened to the radio because we talked the WHOLE time-we knew we had some uninterrupted talk time which doesn't happen for us often because we usually have at least 5 kids around! It was neat to get to know her better--she laughs because I only chew a 1/2 piece of gum at a time, and I think she's a little strange because she doesn't eat white things like ranch dressing or sour cream--I mean how does that happen? She also MADE :-) me try a Talle 5 Pump White Chocolate Mocca from Starbucks and Chinese food, both of which I liked, surprisingly!

Our visit was great and I came away from our trip with a better understanding of how God cares for the little things in our lives, like giving us friends. I didn't want to leave Heber Springs and all my friends; I didn't want to have to work at making friends with new people all over again. Some would say by some crazy chance we found our house in Van Buren, but I know it wasn't chance at all, but another piece of God's plan for me.

We moved to VB across the street from wonderful neighbors, that invited us to this awesome church, who just happened to have a new pastor that is on fire for the Lord with an opening for a Worship Leader. Now, who did God bring to fill that role? Josh who brought with him his wonderful, talented wife and my new friend, Amy! GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME! Oh not to mention, Laynie and Jones finally got some much needed friends in Beckah, Caleb and Avery!

I'll Play Too!

What were you doing 10 years ago?
I was in the middle of wedding week! My aunts, mom, and I were decorating like crazy--Trey and I will be married 10 years on August 1st!

Favorite Snacks
I love Regular Vanilla Coke from Sonic & sour cream and onion pringles--peanut M&Ms & Reese Pieces are also yummy!

Lists
I also make lots of lists! Let's see there are cleaning TO DO lists, overall Projects that Need to Be Completed Around the House lists, Wal-Mart Shopping lists (preferably in the order I will find the products in the store), and Christmas Shopping lists--I guess I can't really live without them either--kind of quirky, huh?

Jobs I Have Had:
Babysitter, Secretary, Substitute Teacher at CHS, Speech Pathologist

Places I Have Lived
Arkansas: Crossett, Arkadelphia, Fayetteville, Heber Springs, Van Buren

Bad Habits
Procrastination, probably a little too much TV time, not much self-discipline, I don't know--don't really like to dwell on the bad :-)

5 Random Things People May Not Know
--Once I start I book, fiction that is, I MUST finish it within the week, preferably in a couple of days--it totally consumes me!
--Most people think I am a snob when they meet me, because I am pretty quite and don't start conversations easily--now once I get to know ya, it's a different story! My college roomie of 3 years actually thought I was a snob for the entire fall semester at OBU! Just so you know I HATE new situations!
--I like college football almost as much as Trey, well maybe not quite that much! But I do love the HOGS!
--I am an organizer through and through (except for my craft room). Need help, call me!
--I always wanted to have a big family, 4 or 5 kids, but ya know what, my 2 are GREAT!

CDs I would want if stranded on an island:
This is a hard one for me--Trey is the musical guru in the family--I would say all of Chris Tomlin's, Third Day, Casting Crowns (even though I don't have one), George Strait and Garth Brooks the hits

What I’d Do if I Were a Billionaire:
Tithe, Probably build a new home AND hire an interior decorator, SAVE, SAVE, SAVE (I would have no choice I AM married to Trey) ha/ha, send my kids to private school and pay off all their future education expenses, totally take care of our parents, go to the MOST beautiful, remote tropical island with my husband, buy Trey an airplane and flying lessons, fund some cancer research, shop, the list could go on and on

Any one else want to post and play too?

A Branson Bonus

The only person I didn't mention in the Branson post earlier was LUKE. He has been in Branson this summer with Campus Crusade for Christ. I had hoped we would make it to Branson so we could visit with him a little--Laynie has a special place in her heart for Luke.

Laynie and I surprised him by showing up at McDonald's in Hollister to order a shake from him--he was definitely NOT expecting to see us in line! Laynie later told him the chocolate shake was great! :-) On Tuesday after SDC, Luke met us for dinner and stuck around to play putt-putt. I didn't know if he would want to hang out with a couple of old married girls and their kids, but he did and he was super great! (It probably didn't hurt that I was paying, right Luke?)

Tanya asked how I would describe Luke, and I simply said, "He's just a good, ole Christian country boy that likes to fish and hunt." I knew I had hit the nail on the head when he told me he hadn't been to a show or to SDC once this summer. I asked him what he had been doing, and you know what he said? "FISHING for trout--now that's some fun stuff!"

At one point, I told Luke he might just be Laynie's favorite counsin, and he said, "I don't know about that--Leslie probably is." I told him that might be true, but he was definitely MY favorite boy cousin! Leah, you know we love you too! It was fun to visit with him even if it was only for a little bit--I love all the time I get to spend with my cousins--I've always treasured our family times together, especially when there are games involved--Mamaw taught us how to play (and cheat) well, didn't she!

Back from Branson

Laynie and I have definitely been world travelers this summer. Just July alone has been crazy--our most recent trip was to Branson, MO. We met Tanya and her kids, Blake and Courtney, there for a little fun, shopping, and visiting time. While we were in Heber we were probably at each other's house at least two or three times a week for something, so it was a nice visit for us in Branson.

Monday was the 'Mommy's Day' as the kids liked to call it--we started off by shopping, eating at Landry's, shopping some more (at Tanger), ice cream, and finally swimming at the hotel. The kids said that Tuesday was their day to pick, so Tuesday was SILVER DOLLAR CITY all day, eating, and then putt-putt! Wednesday just a little more shopping and then Laynie and I had a Sonic picnic (she has always wanted to eat our meal at the picnic tables at Sonic, so we did).

It was really a fun time--I definitely enjoyed the ride up to Branson with Laynie, our conversation and singing of Princess tunes was priceless. We had a great time. It was also fun to visit with our friends, we've been away from each other for a while, but somethings never change, right Tanya? She's still the best! Thanks for planning it all--love ya girl!

Pearls

The cheerful little girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them, a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box. 'Oh mommy please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?'

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face. 'A dollar ninety-five--that's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma. ‘As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere, Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Her Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night as he finished the story, he asked Jenny, 'Do you love me?'
'Oh yes, daddy. You know that I love you.' 'Then give me your pearls.' 'Oh, daddy, not my pearls, but you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection, the one with the pink tail. Remember, daddy? The one you gave me. She's my very favorite.' 'That's okay, Honey, daddy loves you. Good night.' And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, 'Do you love me?' 'Daddy, you know I love you.' 'Then give me your pearls.' 'Oh Daddy, not my pearls, but you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper.' 'That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one. Daddy loves you.' And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian style. As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek. 'What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?' Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, 'Here, daddy; this is for you.' With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny. He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure.

So it is, with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasures. God will never take away something without giving you something better in its place.

Friday Night Fun

We enjoyed a family night on the town in Fort Smith. After a crazy day of many surprising events: getting a new roof, giving the laundry room a make-over, having the air go out temporarily on what felt like the hottest day of the year so far, I was not up for cooking supper so...Trey did what any good husband would do--he said, "Do you wanna go out to eat?" :-)

We headed to Fort Smith and had some BBQ at Pink Flamingo (doesn't sound BBQish does it?). Then raced on over to Grandslam where we rode Go-Carts. The kids had so much fun and I did too, probably because my car was faster than Trey's!:-) Jones loves to go superfast; Laynie, on the other hand, wants to win at all costs! Jones and I could have beat she and her Daddy very bad--simply because of my great go-cart driving skills (NOT!) our car was just faster. But instead, the parents raced in a friendly game of passing each other almost every lap so everyone thought they were the car that was going to win. The second time around the girls rode together and we had to catch up with those boys--it was hard work but we did it--and let me tell you Laynie was happy about that!

We all had a really good time tonight--family Friday nights are the BEST!

Thirty-One Party

I am excited to say that I amy taking my friend Amy to Heber Springs so she can host a Thirty-One Party on Friday, July 25th. To any of you Heber ladies out there, this is YOUR invitation to come and bring a friend with you! For anyone living to far to travel to Heber, but you still want to check out the products, just look on the right side of my blog and click on Thirty-One; it's under Sites of My Friends. Once you get to the calendar, click on Heber show and order from this event (I think). You can browse through the product list--their catalog is also available for viewing under the corporate heading.

It should be a fun, filled day next Friday! I will be spending some fun girl time (even if it is in a car for 5 hours)with Amy and getting to visit with my friends (if they choose to come :-)) from Heber--what a fun day for me! Hope to see you there! Oh the party is at 1 pm Friday afternoon at Netta's house.

Silly Stuff!

Question: How do you know you have been wearing workout clothes (shorts and T-shirt) too much this summer?

Answer: You walk into a room with capris and a cute t-shirt (from Target) on and your daughter asks, "Mom why are you dressed so fancy? Where are we going?"

That was the scene around here just a few moments ago--no telling where she would have thought we were going if I had put on jewelry too! Ha/Ha :-)

The Girls!

I have so many picture of Laynie and Allie together that I thought it would be fun to create a girly scrapblog of them. I really like the way it turned out, but I didn't even get to use all my pics! Just click on the picture and it should enlarge (I think).

What a Mess!

Well as usual, Trey and I took a Sunday afternoon nap on the couch. I was prepared this Sunday to not get up! The kids were playing (nicely) together and had already agreed on a movie to watch so I put Laynie in charge of getting their afternoon snack from the refrigerator. I woke up (2 hours later) only to find this & snap a picture. The TV room was a disaster! I don't really like a messy room--I try and have them put back a toy before they get too many out, but not today! I think they had a great time playing, but what's even more amazing is that they actually cleaned it up all by themselves in record time! However, I think the ice cream bribe may have had something to do with that! :-)

FOREVER FRIENDS

Have you ever heard the saying, "If friends were flowers I'd pick you"? Well that's how I feel about Meredith. I would pick her over and over and over again.

I am lucky enough to have known Mer all my life, but we didn't become 'best' friends until a youth group campout one summer--since then we've been pretty inseperable (except for her stay in NY, I never made it up there--sorry)! From cruising Sonic in high school, marring boys with the same last name, having daughters due the exact same day to her driving all the way to LR just to stay with me in the hospital and paint my toes after my cancer diagnosis--she's the BEST!

I have heard that most people you meet are only in your life for a season, but sometimes your lucky enough to have a few friends that last a lifetime, and Meredith is one of those--she's one of my FOREVER FRIENDS. I have no doubt that even with three kids she would be here in a minute if I needed her. She has taught me much, and I am a better person/friend because of her. For those of you reading this that know Mer, you know it's ALL true. I hope that you can one day find a friend like the one I have in her.

So I guess for me Meredith is a Sunflower--bright and cheery and full of life!

Logview, TX (Part Two)

We made it all the way back to Arkansas, but boy did we ALL have a great time in Texas. There's nothing like being able to relax with your best friend and watch your kids have a great time playing with one another. Laynie and Allie have always been instant buddies and this trip Jones and Mary decided to take up a fun friendship too--Mary will play trains with him when the other girls don't! I got to hold and love on Garrett, feed him and change diapers--whew is Mer one busy lady, but she's good at it and an awesome Mommy! Now that I'm home and think back over the trip, I probably should have held that cutie a little more--maybe next time.

Thanks for the Texas hospiltality--we can't wait to return it when you make it up our way!
THE KIDS HANGING OUT BY THE POOL!

JONES AND MARY HAVING SOME BACKYARD FUN!

LAYNIE AND ALLIE WORKING AT THE MUD HUT!

SWEET BABY GARRETT!

Longview, TX

The kids and I traveled to Longview, TX yesterday to visit Meredith's family for a few days. We have had a great time just letting the kids play, play, play. Laynie has decided since we have the same last names that she and Allie are cousins. Mer and I really can't convince them otherwise, so for this week at least we're family! :-)

Yesterday was spent playing in the backyard, today swimming at the pool with more playtime, and tomorrow we are venturing to the Mud Hut to work on some pottery--that should be interesting. We are taking photos, but those will be loaded once I get back home. Check out Meredith's blog--we worked up a new layout for her and it looks pretty good!

Holiday Weekend

We started our 4th of July early by celebrating Grandma's birthday. On the 3rd, we had a birthday dinner for Mom complete with cards, presents and a snazzy birthday cake made by yours truly (Laynie picked out the shape and colors for the icing)!

Early on the 4th, Trey and I BOTH ran a 5-K in Greenwood. He placed 3rd in our age division and I didn't, imagine that, however; I think it sparked a running interest again for me to get back to being as fast as I was last summer--we'll see. We then headed to Mona and Larry's for brunch, swimming, and a cookout. By 2 pm everyone was wiped out so we headed home. That evening it was time for brownies and homemade ice cream, only our ice cream freezer broke! Mona rescued the ice cream and brought up their motor--it was yummy! We had the yard all cleaned and ready for the big firework show. A few people used our backyard for the show--it was nice while it lasted!

The 5th consisted of shopping, sewing (since Mom was here), and going to a movie. Popa treated us all to popcorn, drinks, and Wall-E. I had no idea what to expect, but the kids seemed to like it. Jones keeps saying Wall-E and Laynie EEEE-VA.

Sunday, the 6th, finished our weekend with Laynie's baptism. It was so sweet to watch our little girl as she was baptized that morning--as I have heard many pastors say, "the old was washed away, and new life is to come." The kids headed off to Crossett for a couple of days Sunday afternoon--and you guessed it Trey and I napped!

JUNE Review 2008

Well I started blogging in the month of June so if you have been reading our "Year in Review" posts, then you are all caught up with the White family for 2008. I can't believe June is over and we are halfway through 2008 already.

Summer has begun, and some of my favorite things that happened in the month of June were:

VBS--Outrigger Island at FBCVB
Swimming, swimming and some MORE swimming
Having some time to actually read not just one, but 5 Karen Kingsbury books (I LOVE THEM, and can usually finish one in 3 days tops!)
Playing trains with Jones Tucker
Being 'crafty' with Laynie
Working in the yard with Trey
Blogging
Hanging out with Leigh Ann and Amy
Eating FRESH garden vegetables (even if I did have to shuck 75 ears of corn) :-)
Running again and riding my bike
Did I say swimming? (I really meant getting a tan!)

Summer is great!

MAY Review 2008

I LOVE the month of May. I don't know if it's because school (usually) gets out this month, or because it's my birthday, probably because of my birthday!

Well this month we played T-ball and more T-ball, celebrated my 32nd birthday and Mother's Day, fished at HSA's annual picnic, played with a couple of Laynie's new friends, graduated from Pre-K, traveled to Crossett for a visit, celebrated Memorial Day in NLR with my family, and watched the rodeo in Ft. Smith with Momo and Grandad, and suffered Jones' first black eye (he got it at church of all places)--whew we were busy at it again!

I guess that's just how life is gonna be for a while, BUSY, but ya know what, we LOVE it that way!! Hope you enjoy the pictures from May!

T-Ball 2008 Review

As I was looking through everything to post in May, the activity that took up most of our time was T-ball. So I thought it deserved a post of its own. Before the actual 'draft' for T-ball, we took Laynie shopping for T-ball gear, you name it and we got it (of course we got everything BLACK so Jones can use it in a couple of years--that was Trey's theory anyway.) She showed up with cleats, a glove, baseballs, and a bat. The only thing we didn't get was a helmet, and I found a PINK helmet (on sale) later that the girls just had to get!

Laynie was drafted onto the Make-A-Point Pirates for her first season of T-ball. Our team consisted of 12 players, 10 boys and 2 girls. All of the coaches and most of the boys went to our church so she knew alot of them, and we knew the parents so that made it nice for us. We opened the season with a tournament in April where our record was 2 and 1. Then the season started--our first game ended in a tie (who knew 2 teams could each score 25 runs after 5 innings with thoughts to still keep playing!), we then won 7 games in a row (I think) and ended up losing our last 3 games--not too shabby. I will admit one of the losses was hard to take as a parent, but as long as the kids got an icee after the game they were just fine! :-) Laynie ended up enjoying T-ball, but I think her favorite thing was when she had visitors come just to watch her play. She has mentioned maybe playing next year, but she wants more girls on her team so maybe softball, who knows???

As it turned out we all had a job at her games: Laynie was the catcher, Trey was the 'dugout coach', I kept the scoreboard sometimes, both sets of grandparents kept a watch on Jones Tucker, and Jones kept the concession stand in business--he loves a good bowl of nachos! :-)

It really did turn out to be a fun time, thanks to all our coaches, Laynie loved you guys! Two of our coaches have 3 boys, Mr. Mark and Mr. Eric--so naturally they were used to boy stuff like high fives and all that--Laynie however preferred to hug them EVERY time she got on base or did something good--it was quite funny!

A Few Proverbs

These are just a few proverbs from chapter 27 that I found interesting this morning--happy reading!

Proverbs 27:2--Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips.
Proverbs 27:6--Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.
Proverbs 27:17--As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:19--As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man.