it's bedlam...

Oklahoma vs OKLAHOMA STATE that is.

although many would argue that it is bedlam in our home always! :)
GO POKES!

Happy Thanksgiving

where ever you may be today...

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is Good. His love endures FOREVER! -Ps 118

marriage conference

This weekend lance and i headed to san antonio for a marriage conference hosted by Family Life Ministry and some much needed R and R.

There were three major bonuses!
#1 TIME TOGETHER:

which included good marriage reminders.

#2 The Hotel:

it was BEAUTIFUL.... we didn't feel like we were in texas!
they had the whole place decorated for christmas (which is early for this family, but still so pretty).

#3 Dates:
the most glorious part of this picture is that there is no one sitting on the other side of the table! ;) we went to Casa Rio on the river walk... so fun!

then had some wax museum fun

and dessert at a jazz bar... so yummy!

oh, and ended the evening with a talk by the warm fire.we added to the trip by stopping by the Grist Mill in Gruene, Tx for lunch and antique browsing on the way home.

check out their onion rings.... so good!

the statistics for divorce are staggering and so very sad. our marriage is not perfect by any means, but i think i will start to share some little nuggets of truth that we are learning along the way to help anyone that might be reading this! starting with this thought...

every marriage is either moving toward oneness or drifting toward isolation. what are you doing today to make sure you are headed toward oneness??

princesses and superheroes

our buzz lightyear and cinderella are only 13 months apart. with that in mind and a pregnant momma we combined birthday parties this year! we always try to pick a free location and this year it happened to be at the Ranch Barn Swing... one of the many perks of having a camp director for a daddy.

the boys were looking very heroic!
and the ladies were beautiful (although cold).

while the super heroes flew from the swing...

the princesses played a Cinderella game.

and while the girls took their turn on the swing...

the boys were saving the day by shooting down the villains!

and then it was time for cake...

we sang happy birthday to the five year old

and then to the four year old.

all in all... the kids had a good time and we got all the celebrations over in one swoop! i had to include this picture of allie pulling a princess with an attitude...

oh, and much happier now... I am sure this looks like a ton of kids. we actually have a rule that you can invite the number of people of the age you turn. so caleb invite four boys and allie invited five girls... this is them and their siblings.... ahh! we have alot of kids around these parts! :) happy bday allie and caleb! we love ya!

(sorry to anyone who is missing riley man... he was at the party in full batman garb, but he was never still and i didn't get any good pics of him!)

happenings...

• we are knee deep in birthday party planning (caleb and allie are having a joint bday party)
  
• lance has been traveling to Georgia, Florida, and Alabama this week
• my mom has been here helping out while lance is away - i'm so grateful for the help during a stressful time!
  
• i'm fighting off "the lonelys" and counting down the days till recruiting wraps up
• griffin is kicking away and making nights a little more difficult ALREADY!
• riley has the most enormous vocabulary and makes me laugh at the things that he will say
  
• caleb is going through a growth spurt... eating and sleeping ALOT!
• allie is proud to announce to friends and strangers alike that she is five and starts school in the fall
• lance and i are leaving for a marriage conference next weekend - we are looking forward to the time away from kiddos and the time to refocus on making our relationship strong!

the BIG 5

monday was allie's fifth bday. i can hardly believe how fast she is growing up. the saying LONG days, short years is certainly true!

we woke her up with balloons which continues to be a fun sisco tradition. this year she laughed and loved throwing them back at us and into riley's crib.

then, the wild party ended up in the crib!

we also have a tradition of making breakfast special on each person's birthday. allie chose mcdonalds and they all had fun romping and eating with NO one else there!

lunch time brought mini cupcakes... all pink, of course.

and after naps she opened three gifts.

we are attempting to train our kiddos that birthdays are about celebrating a person not getting a bunch of stuff. we have learned that the more stuff we have in our house the less peaceable it is in our home. you may disagree, but less toys for us means happier children.

it was a special day for her and she is anxiously awaiting her joint bday party with her brother which is set for November 13th!