Take 2.....

11. I have never fried anything in my life. I have eaten fried things occasionally when out but doing it at home scares me and it is unhealthy so I think I would rather not learn.

12. Italian Nachos at Carino's is one of my very favorite things to eat out. No peppers, no olives and no banana peppers with extra tomatoes. Yummy!!!!

13. Best family vacations growing up were going to the cabins with our family and our aunt, uncle and cousins. We would camp, boat, swim, water ski, roast marshmallows and all sorts of fun things.

14. Favorite movies are Steel Magnolia's and The Help. Those would tie for my top spot!

15. I hate malls.

16. My earliest childhood memory is when I was 2. I was at our family home, doing crafts with my mom and sis. We were sitting on barstools at the counter and the mailman dropped mail in our mail slot (it was the coolest slot directly in our front door with a metal plate that clanged every time mail was delivered) and we all went running.

17. I love to go to a movie by myself. I rarely do it but it is something I love to do!

18. Mac all the way!

19. My favorite colors are shades of blue and shades of brown. Love, love, love those colors!

20. Favorite birthday cake as a child was a huge donut cake from Dunkin Donuts. It was amazing!!! It was a huge yeast donut with amazing frosting that I still remember to this day. Sorry to tell you they don't still sell them. They are franchised and this particular one made them back in 1983 in Michigan.

:)

White pumpkins....

Orange pumpkins are one of my favorite sights however when we were at a speciality grocery store a few days ago they had these very unique white pumpkins. We plopped our boy right in them and tried to catch a picture. Hoping for some pumpkin patch pictures soon....maybe once it cools down!

Ahhhhh.......

Love our wedding ocean pictures!!!! You know how you do things in life that you think I am SO glad I did that or things you don't do and SO wish you had. We love the ocean so when we honeymooned we took our wedding clothes with us, contacted and found an area photographer and met her for pictures. It was perfect! It was at sunset and she knew all the great spots since she did it for a living. We are both so glad that we had these taken as we would never have that chance again to be newlyweds, at the ocean in our wedding attire. If you are wondering how I got my dress all the way to Florida I will have to tell you that it was amazing to see it could be packed into a suitcase, folded and it survived pretty well.

100 things about me.....

LOL....I know some of you are laughing to yourself thinking I don't look at this blog to read about her! Give me pictures of the kids and we are good! If you know me you will know than that I love to connect so to be true to me I am going to give it a whirl. 10 at a time....you can handle that, right? I will keep it light at moments and go straight to the heart in the next.

1. I am a country girl at heart. I love nothing more than open space, a slower pace, produce stands on the side of the road, county fairs, small country churches and old downtowns.

2. I have been a sahm for 19 years and it has been the sweetest, hardest, fullest and most rewarding job. I wouldn't trade it for anything! 3 hearts entrusted to me, 3 gifts that I love more than I knew was humanly possible and 3 boys that will someday be husbands, daddy's, providers and my hope is they are followers of Christ more than anything else.

3. I love to read but haven't read an adult fiction book since my senior year in high school. I read daily but just can't do fiction unless it is for my kids! If I ever do pick up a fiction book I have been told I must read, Redeeming Love or The Help. I will put those at the top of my list for whenever I get there!

4. I love blankets. I always have one nearby and on a trip. A good blanket is one of those little things in life that I love.

5. Clutter or owning to much stuff puts me over the edge. Visual beauty without clutter gives me internal calmness. It is a constant desire to rid of more and more.

6. I love potatoes. Baked sweet potato fries, baked potato with cheese, bacon and butter and red potatoes with fresh rosemary are my favorite carbs.

7. I would have loved to have been a singer that sits on a stool strumming a guitar and share my heart via a melody.

8. I collect Eloise Wilken and Richard Scarry children's books. They remind me hugely of my childhood and I have a sweet collection that I treasure.

9. I hate (yes, I know that is a strong word) overhead light. There is nothing more uncomfortable (well maybe ice chewing!) to me than being in a home with overhead lights.

10. Water is like air to me. It is the only thing I drink and I can't get enough of it. It has to be cold and filtered.

That wasn't that bad was it? :)

Sweet brothers.....

Trae captured this picture one evening when they were at the park. He just took it with his phone but it is priceless to me. Jacob has also asked me to make sure Sam isn't still wearing velcro shoes past the age of 6 or 7. My boys got their dads love of shoes and they have $$$ taste! Elmo shoes are the perfect park attire!

Park fun.....

Swing time is the best way to end a day!

Smile.....

When we ask Sam to smile this is what he does. He knows what a smile is but I guess he likes to feel his smile!

Yum!!!!

We have several cupcake stores that have popped up in our area. We have our favorites from each store. Shama Lama Ding Dong is the chocolate one and it is like a grown up ding dong! My favorite was the lemon raspberry and the key lime was good but not great. They happened to be having a buy one, get one free special that evening so that made them even better!

Fall.....

I haven't done an update in forever! Here is a brief family update on each of us.

Trae: Just got back from Chicago on a short business trip. Blessing his wife and kids by getting home earlier in the evenings! Working really hard in a economy that can be challenging. Doing his Wednesday morning mens group each week. Loves hearing the amazing things that Sam has to say each day. This man blesses me so by his love for the Lord, his family and that he walks the walk. Daily is so undervalued but that is truly where the stuff that matters happens. Needs a vacation away with his wife! ;)

Julie: Grateful that we had a good summer but that it is over and I am loving our new fall schedule ! Starting a Priscilla Shirer, Jonah bible study tomorrow morning with a group of ladies. Ladies cruise coming up next month!!! It will be our 2nd one and in preparation we had dance lessons last night with the group of ladies going on the trip! I love cooking, connecting with others and clothes have become fun again! Needs a vacation away with her husband. :)

Andrew: So proud of him!!! He is settling in beautifully at OU! Boomer Sooner!!! He has been home twice (helps a mama's heart hugely to get to see him!) since he left last month. Had lots of smiles on his last trip listening to the excitement that a 2 year old brings. They don't have 2 year olds at college dorms so it makes it extra fun to be around one we you are away from it! Sam was SUPER excited to see Andrew and Shelby! I love to see the man Andrew has become and is growing into. He is crazy smart, super responsible, determined and values what matters in life.

Jacob: Has already picked out his bike for Christmas! I can't promise he won't hit up any of you that are reading this for $$$ to go toward this bike either! He has had a great start to his school year so we are really excited and blessed by that! He has some great teachers and his favorite teacher is his math teacher. He has already made a new friend too! He loves hanging out with friends and family, doing anything outside, talking about his passions and researching things online. His favorite show are American pickers and American Restoration. I love to see his heart for the Lord and the convictions he has. He is full of life and desires to live life to the fullest.

Sam: Talking up a storm! He is a super busy boy! He is very happy and FULL of life. He is going to a preschool this fall (part-time) and we both are enjoying that. He does great with other kids and loves going to class! His favorite thing is baking cookies or pretending to bake cookies, playing outside, trips to the park, swimming, drawing, music and going to church. He gets very excited (and loud!) when Andrew and Shelby come to visit. He loves them so! His favorite shows are Kipper and Olivia. He is potty trained! He sleeps 11-12 hours at night and still naps about 2 hours a day. I love hearing him sing. He has been singing lately and it is so precious to hear.

Me and my little guy.....

Sun spots but still sweet!

Bedtime....

I am not sure who loves the bedtime routine more...Sam or Trae! They read many books and love that cuddle time. Somehow Dad became the book tuck in guy and Mom became the alphabet youtube girl! Maybe it is after 19 years of raising kids that is my relaxed method of bedtime! There is a series of alphabet videos on Youtube that Sam loves! We pick a few of them each night and watch them. They are about 60-90 seconds each and super fun! Sam knows all the alphabet and numbers up to 12. Sam also request pamp (his word for camp) videos to watch from Pine Cove. He loves to relive his Pine Cove memories! He is only 2 but already has his loves and favorites! Trae flew to Chicago this week on business and we taped him reading several books so Sam could have that daddy time while he was away. Sam loved it and it is such a treasure to have.

Endless love....

Here is a peek at my new wedding band! I love it!!! It isn't everyday you get a new wedding band but my ring was falling off and couldn't be resized so this was our beautiful solution. We have a new James Avery that opened right by our home. We love James Avery and purchased Traes band there 6 years ago. We had a little lunch date and stopped there to try on rings and this one came home with us.

My sweet mom.....

My mom and her husband have been vacationing in Maine the past week and having a great time! I love to see the pictures they send because it is beyond beautiful and so unique and different from our area. They also get to visit with my Aunt Judy and spend time with her and even wear jackets which isn't something we have done in a long time here in Texas!!!

Little lover....

Sam loves people! People love Sam.....which blesses us so! It is typically weekly that he befriends a complete stranger and hugs people just passing by. He is often called a little lover. He is for sure and finds great value and enjoyment in connecting with people.

Sentimental Sunday....