Blue Skies

Sunday, Esther and Graceyn and I went to the Fort Smith Air Show with my parents. Jeff and Christina were there with their kiddos, and my mom's friend let us have chalet passes to sit in their front row tent! It was such a beautiful day and such a treat to get to spend it with family on the runway!

The "crew"

Chloe (always stylin') with her daddy...eyes up!

Esther and Aunt Cici...best seat in the house!

Esther and Poppey entering the cargo hold.

"When do I get to fly the jet?"

Chloe and Estie ready for take off!

This was the view from our chalet...when I say front row seats, I'm not kidding!

The Thunderbirds were amazing!

Esther was more into her ice cream than the Thunderbirds...Jaxon just needed a nap!

I don't know how they could miss this!

Visit to Conway

So this last weekend, Topher went fishing with a bunch of guys from our Bible study. You guessed it...a perfect opportunity for the girls and I to do some traveling! We started our weekend in Conway with two-thirds of my college BFF's Anna and Becke. Rebecca, our other crazy cohort is still in Virginia roughing it on the beach...just kidding...she was out there working on a master's degree in counseling and is now an academic advisor. She seems to really be enjoying life out there, but we definitely miss her here! Anna just had her third baby...another boy. We couldn't wait to go and meet baby Jack. Becke also has three boys. Crazy huh! They make my two little girls seem sooooo girly!! It is always so refreshing to see Anna and Becke. We don't get to see each other often, but when we do get together, it's like we haven't missed a day. God has truly knit our hearts together and they encourage me so much! This is Eli (Becke's middle son) with Luke and Reed (Anna's older two). They obviously enjoy each other's company!

Look closely, and you'll see a toy gun in Esther's hand. No, she was not using it to fend off the boys, but to "spray smell goods" (air freshner) all over the room. Funny how differently boys and girls play!

Esther with Reed and Sam (Becke's youngest). These three kiddos were all born within 6 weeks of each other!

This is precious little Jack! He is such a cutie! Graceyn was

facinated with him!

After spending the day with Anna and Becke, we went to my brother and sister-in-law's house for dinner and a sleepover! Joe and Megan are soooo fun! I guess this is the only time I've ever been able to spend time with them without the rest of our family there too. It was really fun for me, and the girls loved being with Uncle Jofus and Aunt Meg. They laughed until they could hardly breathe! We had yummy enchiladas for dinner and Esther helped make cinnamon rolls for dinner. Lydia got to spend the evening and part of the next day with us too. I had such a good time hanging out in their town for a change!

European vacation...two months later!

So how long does it really take to make a 9 day trip? The entire week before we left was spent making trips to Walmart, getting new clothes (a must for vacation, right?), packing up the girls, cleaning house (can't come home to a dirty house), playing our hearts out with the girls since we'd be gone for so long, figuring out how to feed us without buying more food for the week...basically it's crazy to try to get out of town. Then, we finally send off the girls to my parents' house and somehow end up with time to make a final Walmart run, a trip to Sephora, and Tim's Pizza...almost a date. Oh yea, I forgot packing. Yes, I got everything but two very flat pairs of shoes into a carry-on size bag. Ask Topher how much he appreciated that in the London Underground! Bright and early (okay, a little before bright, but definitely early) we finally got on our way!

The trip was amazing. Sunday and Monday spent all day in London...Westminister Abbey, Big Ben, Parliment, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, double-decker bus, AMAZING!! We got to see Wicked while we were there (my surprise Valentine present!!), eat some great meals, and best of all hang out with our great friends Mike and Corrie (who traveled there with us) and catch up with our great friends Todd and Diana who are living in Scotland.

Monday night, we boarded a sleeper train, and Tuesday morning we woke up in Scotland! Todd and Diana are living in Edinburgh which is where we spent Tuesday and Wednesday. Sooo fun. It was so good to see Todd and Di. We had such an amazing time and laughed soooo much. They showed us around their town...the castle, the Royal Mile, the palace, beautiful cathedrals, solemn cemetaries, oh yea...the pubs. We all tried a little bit of Haggis, but I wasn't brave enough for black pudding. I'll spare you the details unless you really want to know!

On Thursday, we rented a little van and headed of for the Highlands...yes, Braveheart country! It was beautiful!We so enjoyed the time together driving, and got to see so much of the Scottish countryside.

The trip to the Eilean Donan castle was definitely a highlight. It's the most photographed castle in Scotland and has rich history. It's crazy that much of the history we saw was from times when America was just beginning to write her story! Although the castle was beautiful, our favorite part had to be the moment we walked outside the castle and looked down the lake to see a Royal Airforce jet come flying by just over the top of the castle! It was awesome! I saw parts of that jet that I've definitely never seen before...yep, it was that low! Okay, not that I've seen lots of jet parts, but you know what I'm saying. On the way home, we had to drive past Loch Ness. I know, you don't think Nessie exists, and neither did I, but now, I'm not so sure. You can judge for yourself, but we have all the proof we need!

Without a doubt, our favorite part of the whole trip had to be just hanging out with our friends. We ordered "take-away" Chinese, pizza, and even cooked one night together. We had the best conversations sitting around Todd and Diana's flat. It was so neat to see where they really live life...their favorite places to go, where they work, where they worship...off the beaten path of where our tour book would have taken us. That, friends, was "priceless"!

The generosity of a 2 year-old

This won't come as a surprise to most of you...actually, it didn't surprise me either. But it did absolutely bless my socks off. Yesterday at church, we picked up a baby bottle to fill with money for the Loving Choices Pregnancy Crisis Center. Esther carried it around, put any spare change from the car in on the way home, and asked what it was for. We told her it was for the mommies who need help with their little babies. She was a little distressed that we weren't going straight home after church...she wanted to get the money out of her piggy bank for the bottle. We didn't get home from Mimi and Papaw's house until bedtime, but this morning, she found the bottle and emptied her piggy bank by herself. Her other bank is out of reach, so I got it down for her and gave her about half of the money inside. She said,"No, all of it, Mommy." I tried to keep some of it back...why, I'm not sure. I mean really, Sonic happy hour...pregnancy crisis, it's really no issue. Esther probably has no real concept of where the money comes from, what it is used for, or why we save money. She just knows to fill up the bottle with all we have and take it back to church. Maybe that's all she needs to know. Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure." Lord, give me the heart of a child so that I may understand Your Kingdom!

Is it wrong???

Okay...is it really wrong that I totally indulged in pride at it's worst...best...whatever when my girls were complete angels at the Bible book store?! I mean seriously, why is it such a big deal to me that they be really good there. Surely that lady behind the counter that kept telling me how cute the girls were thought I was a super-Christian and a great parent for having such well-behaved kiddos...how horrible is it that we really judge that way. Come on, be honest...you've totally been there too! I'm pretty sure I even walked differently as we left the store and used a much sweeter tone of voice because I was so puffed up with pride! Ridiculous!
Then, was it really wrong for me to find a little extra joy in making dinner knowing that I didn't have to eat it or clean it up because I had a girls night out? Carabas...hobo dinners...Carabas...hobo dinners...seriously, wouldn't you have felt the same tinge of excitement to set the table then jet out the door?! I really do love cooking for my family and I so treasure our nightly dinners at the table together, but I have to say the Rigatoni Martino with alfredo sauce was pretty amazing.
Before ending this little indulgence in my flesh, I have to say that Topher is an amazing cook and typically helps with dinner and/or clean-up every single night. Maybe I shouldn't say that...does that ruin his image? Love you, Babe!