A little from our week...

So this past Thursday, I had a chance to take Stanley to preschool, this doesn't happen very often because Eric just takes him to school before he goes to work.  That meant I need to make sure Clara was up to have Stanley at school by 7:30-ish, well of course, she had a rough night that night (teething and a cold or allergies!), and was out like a light when I went into her room....

 And, this is what I found....

...my sweet, snoring baby girl!!  Look at that little bum 

up in the air!

Clara and Stanley love playing with their kitchen and food...this day,

they thought they were pretty big to sit at the table and "eat!"

 Stanley pouring Clara a cup of coffee...

 For the most part, Stanley and Clara do pretty good playing together!  

I often hear them giggling, and I find them tussling around on the floor!

 I just had to put this one in, when she "wants to,"

she loves a picture to be taken of her!

And, guess who's learning to ride a bike?

 Stanley!!  (we are a little late on teaching him, because mama was trying

to use that for leverage in the potty training saga in the George household, but I've

given up on that too!)  Hence, Stanley learning to ride a bike!

 That's a look of determination, isn't it?  He's pretty proud of himself!

And, little sister, well, she thinks she is big enough to learn, too!!  :)

And, today was a lazy Saturday of playing and football, so the George's ordered a healthy 

Little Ceasars pizza for dinner -- gourmet!  The kids have baths, and soon we'll be heading to

The Orchard (not an actual orchard with apple trees, that's the name of our church) in the morning!

That's it for now, as always, thanks for stopping!!

Kendra :)

A Week with Grandma and Roger Dean...

Well, first I have to give an explanation (surprise!)...why do I call my dad Roger Dean?  My friend asked me the other day so I thought an explanation was in order!  Until the last several years, I rarely had called my dad Roger Dean (his given name).  Several years ago when Stanley was barely saying much of anything else, he overheard my mother (whom we had heard many times over the years) say "ROGER DEAN!"  (usually in the context of fun, but also maybe when he was picking on her or even if she was, should I say, upset with him)...and ever since then Stanley has also called his Grandpa Roger Dean...we have always thought that was so cute and funny...such a reminder that kids are listening to everything we say (scary!)  We had such a good time when my parents were here, it was good to have my mom here again, but it was especially great to have my dad here for the first time.  I'll give you a little 'picture' into our week, thank goodness, you say, not as much 'talking' on this post!  :)

Truly, some of our kiddos favorite people!

Hanging out...Clara is picking her nose!  Nice!

Wii bowling with Roger Dean

Dinner at one of our favorites, Fair Park Grille

Ballard Park is where we love to feed the ducks...
I have to give a progression of shots here,
because the ducks were really hungry and it
became attack of the ducks!!  Here they are excitedly
bringing their bread to feed the ducks...

Clara feeding herself instead of the ducks, that's my girl!! 

They were coming from everywhere,
on land and on water!!  We had some
good italian bread!!

It was fun until Stanley almost got bit by a duck.... then we were all done, as we walked away, Stanley was scared and crying...silly ducks! 

my lil girl hamming it up!

We were about to take in some good southern cooking
at Ajax in Oxford, MS, home of Ole Miss...

This is Eric showing Stanley the
Ole Miss football stadium, I think he's saying
something like "they will never be as
good as the Buckeyes, buddy!"  :)

Love this one of my boys, Stanley always
says he feels smart like daddy when he
wears shirts just like his!

Eating at our new table

for the first time!

We are all very excited to have a table with 6 chairs!!

At "Touch a Truck"...
sitting in an ambulance

Pretty scary thought, Stanley and
Clara operating a helicopter!

Every good post ends with a buckeye family!!
O - H - I - O !!
Go Bucks!!!

We look forward to having Grandma and Roger

Dean back again to visit, it was a welcomed change

in routine for all of us!!  

As always, thanks for stopping!

-Kendra :)

HOME...

HOME...

So there's two ways to get to our new house, one way is the same direction of our old house which Stanley identifies as the way to the old house and the other way, he identifies as the way to his new home.  Each time he mentions it, I have to explain to him that there are two ways to our new home, it just depends on where we are in Tupelo and I decide which is the best one to take at that time (I've always been one to want to go the most efficient way!)...so since many of you will not see the two ways to our new home or actually visit in our new home (although if you can, we will give you a warm southern welcome!), I'm going to post pictures here...

We are extremely blessed to call this our "new home" (as Stanley likes to call it!).  Many of us know the feeling when a decision you have made just "feels right," well this is definitely one of them.  It's like our kids know this is "home."  Never did they have problems adjusting to our new home, they were excited, never missed a beat, and have just settled in!  :)  Throughout the past 8 months since moving to Tupelo, we had been spending much time looking online, driving around neighborhoods, and discussing and narrowing down what was most important to us to have in our new home.  And, man, let me tell you the Lord really honed in what He desires for us in our hew house, in our new home.  I had been continually left with the impression on my heart that the Lord was not as concerned about the size, the layout, the color, the logistics, he was more concerned about the ways in which we made our "home."  Months ago, I journaled some thoughts about that...

Since I’m now a stay at home mom, and I have more time to think about the kind of “home” I desire to make with God’s help, I will continue to seek out the truths of this “home” that God so desires us to have….a welcoming home, a nurturing home, a home where questions are ok, and ideas are talked about and answers are not always readily available because sometimes, we need to teach our children the answers, but sometimes we need to teach them to rest in the mystery of God and not knowing the answers; where friends of all kinds are welcome, where homework will soon be done, where work, play, and rest all reside.  We or I have to be careful as we are looking for a house, I’m drawn to the nice, big house that has everything we would like, but then often times it is far outside our price range.  I have to be careful not to compare ourselves to others and what others have, because Eric and I have chosen for me to stay at home with our young children, how long this will last, we don’t know, but right now, God has blessed us with the provision to do so and for that we are thankful.  But, what I am realizing is that means the kind of house we can buy now in a one income family is not the same house we might buy years down the road in a two income family, but it may just be what God desired for our “home” not our “house.”  We have to so careful to keep in check what God desires and what the world desires, that we would not want what “everyone” else has when it comes to the material, but that we would be wise and look for a home that suits our needs and more importantly, where it’s a good place to raise our children, where we can have friends and family to visit and good conversation happens, where our children can have their friends over and good playing happens.  Do these values that I just listed have anything to do with the size, the price, the floor plan of the home?  No, really not at all, those aspects are what we are making in the very home we are temporarily renting, because those aspects are about ideas, about philosophy, about who we are as a family, and those are important values that we can’t wait to instill in our own hearts in a year when we find our “house” to buy, but these are values that we need to hold now in the “home” we are in, and that carries over to each house we live in!…whether we are living somewhere temporarily or if we are living somewhere “permanently” (I quote that, because truly no home is permanent, but some are more permanent than others!) --- Lord, give me eyes to see the “home” you desire for us to have – where our children experience the love between their mommy and daddy, where they enjoy laughter, conversation, and a nurturing space where they can find who they are and who God desires them to be.  Most of all, that they would experience the power of the Holy Spirit, the power of Jesus, and the power of God in our “home”…that they would see an example of parents, guests, friends, family who are choosing God’s values over the world’s values.  That they would observe parents who are making our “home” rather than replicating the house that everyone else has.

We are grateful for the provisions of the Lord and his intimate knowing of our hearts and desires, how truly everything we had narrowed down as most important logistically, actually came to be, not in all the ways that we had imagined, but even better (not that we even deserved it or were entitled to it!)!  Hmmmm, you would think I would learn!  :)

So to our new home, we are very thankful and are looking forward to making many great memories!

As always, thanks for stopping!!
-Kendra :)

I admit it...

I admit it, things have been a bit "driven" for me the past week.  We signed on our house last Friday, started moving last Saturday and Sunday, and finished moving on Monday (yeah! - thanks to everyone who helped with the move and watching the kids!)...if you have ever moved, you know the feeling, phew! we are in the house...and yet you look around at all the boxes you have sitting EVERYWHERE and say to yourself, "there's still all THAT unpacking to do!"...well, I just went into unpacking mode, "driven" by my mental "to-do" list of what needed to be done...partly, well mostly motivating was my parents' arrival today.  Not that they cared if anything was unpacked or settled, but it was just good motivation knowing I had to make room and at least unpack the main things so we could carry on in our daily lives and not feel scattered...which I did, I finished with my mental, to-do list an hour before they came...I paced myself throughout the week, but it's been tiring - my mental to-do list wore me out!  My admission, my confession, although I didn't feel very stressed throughout the week or very overwhelmed really (for the most part, don't ask Eric about the hours during the day between end of nap and dinner, those were the roughest this week!), my to do list was "driving" me....I had a choice to allow my list to drive me or me drive the list to completion on my own terms keeping an inner peace and peace with my family.  That's my confession, unfortunately by today, I'm realizing that my list drove me, I did not choose well!...meaning I let the busyness of unpacking and getting settled and getting ready for my parents "drive" me where I slowly became more distant from my desire to create an attitude of thankfulness and became subtly reacquainted with, well, ungracious thoughts - ungracious thoughts to myself and more importantly to those whom I've been entrusted - my family.  You know our family gets the least of us when we try to run on empty -- and I'm talking about empty that comes from not being aware of God's presence and his work in our simple daily lives.  So just as I was so hopeful in turning a new page before the move  and remind myself to make a choice to reflect through the challenges and joys of the day - I went into my "driven" mode and slowly, subtly I didn't even realize that I was not choosing well (why else does my 3-year old not always make the right choices?  Mama doesn't always make the right choices either - case and point - Mama give more grace to mama and your family!)  Does this make sense to anyone?  So I'm faced with a choice tonight, to move forward, to remind myself I do not have to continue in the direction I was heading.  I have a choice to be thankful, to reflect, to consider it joy whatever I find myself in today and tomorrow.  It's amazing how much my soul is lifted when I hand write what I am thankful for at the end of the day or even throughout the day.  It's the simple things that make such a difference!  So I'm moving back to the center, of Christ within me, and am thankful that if I allow myself, I can always be drawn back to his grace and peace.  Phew, what relief!  So today started with O-H-I-O football and we have in the making in our home, some little BUCKEYES!!, I just had to share these with you!  I have a lot to be thankful for today because we are living in our new home which I love and has so much more space; college football has started!!; and my parents so eagerly drove 12 hours to spend the week with Stanley and Clara, and AHEM! maybe Eric and Kendra, too.  We have a fun week ahead of us, a change out of the routine, looking forward to it!!  Here's a few pics from the day, and may you be reminded, too, of the things in which you can be thankful!  Choose well!

Squeeze!!

My cheese-y girl!

Go BUCKS!!

Clearly, a daddy's girl!

Stanley threw around that football, yelling TOUCHDOWN
all afternoon! :)

Playing with daddy!

Thatta girl!  She's got the "H" in O-H-I-O

Such brotherly and sisterly love!

And, there you have it, the week started out with a BANG!  Grandma and Roger Dean
sleep on the couch while Stanley shows them around on the IPad, don't worry Stanley, they
will get more sleep tonight and be ready to go tomorrow!

These are just a few of my moments today that I have to be thankful for...
thanks for stopping!
Coming soon...
some pics of our new abode!
Stay tuned!