My family had a very busy Valentines week! Props to hubby for being such a team player. He has been bogged down with work yet he still supports me and my singing.
Saturday: This day ended the Whole30 challenge with Crossfit. I didn't get the results I thought I'd get, but I did take 1 min 45 seconds off my workout challenge time. That made the other numbers easier to get over. Matt did great and he looks even better ;-)... he's a handsome dude!
Sunday: We spent the afternoon celebrating my sister-in-law Jill's birthday at The Peach Cafe, eating homemade strawberry shortcake, yum, and opening presents. I had to leave for practice and a committee meeting while Matt stepped up again by taking care of the boys.
The meeting was an interview with Chris Bruce. He is who our church is considering for the full time 11:00 worship leader. I am praying expectantly that he, and his family, is who God has written in the books for FBC!
Monday: MOPS Valentines meeting was this day. MOPS is a time for women to socialize, eat, learn and relax while their pre k children are being kept by fabulous volunteers for 2 1/2 hours! It's wonderful. Chris and I were asked to sing over the women a few times this year at the meetings. We did this last meeting and I love it because it's a learning experience each time. Funny, and not being negative, but it always feels like a lounge act singing there ;-)
Tuesday: Valentines Day! This year was low key. I went to work and had a party with the 1 yr old classes. The babies were precious in their valentine outfits and excited for all of the treats they were taking home.
E, C and I did something a little outside our regular routine after school. Instead of the drive thru we went and sat inside Starbucks. Eli placed the coffee order for me, extra hot, and I treated them to a cake pop. What a great date we had. Later that night we popped our own popcorn... in a pot... and Matt and I watched Horton Hears a Who with the boys.
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| Cullen's valentines day craft |
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| Mrs. Courtney helped Eli make a cute Valentines gift for me and matt |
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| All the Valentines Day Loot |
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| Gigi and Pappy gave the boys sweet valentines gifts! Go Spurs Go! |
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| Thank you Gigi for my Valentines Day Dollar and Card |
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| Flowers from Matt were the perfect addition to the mantel |
Below are a few pictures from Valentines Day 2011:
Wednesday: Busy Day! Bible study started the day. It is called Mercy Triumphs by Beth Moore. If you are looking for a challenging, motivating study then I recommend it!
Me and the boys met some great friends for lunch at Boo Dawgs. It has a great play area for the kiddos. Courtney and I had a real, uninterrupted conversation while my boys and her Hudson and Averly played for almost 2 hrs!
After lunch we headed home for naps. I had to get prepared for practice and Ignite later that night. Almost immediately after Matt came home from work I was out the door for more singing activities. Another practice and then Ignite. The youth never cease to amaze me at these events. There was singing, scripture reading and prayer; a very good night.
Then it was off to yet another practice! Didn't get home till after 10. Once I did Matt and I enjoyed some quality one on one time together.
Thursday: Starbucks, work, another Starbucks after work and A DATE!!!
My mother-in-law, Mimi, picked the boys up after school so Matt and I could get ready for our date together in peace. Matt didn't get home till about 5 so I had time to sit on the couch and do nothing but drink my coffee in silence. Needed that, thank you Mimi.
Well, that quiet time was great until I started to get dressed for the night... then it turned into mass mayhem... Nothing worked!! Any women reading familiar with this insanity? Matt got home and found me in the closet beside myself. In my mind I was huge, and unattractive. HE LAUGHED!!! oh well, he was right to, I was crazy. It was one of those outer body experiences where you see how you're behaving and you are shaking your head at yourself but you just can't stop. He laughed again when I finally decided on an outfit, "You had already tried that on 2x before!" Thank you Matt for reminding me but more importantly for being patient with me. Kona grill was where he treated me to dinner; Great decision Matt. I love you, love sushi, and love that you treated me to another Starbucks and some magazine reading at Barnes and Noble after dinner.
Oh, and we had a surprise when we got home. Mavis made us a container full of valentine sugar cookies... now it was a perfect date!
Friday: D Now begins. I took the boys to Crossfit in the morning so I could get a workout in for the weekend. After, we went for donuts and headed to Gigi. My mom helped me while I had to be at practice and Matt was at work. She is great at being there for me when I need her! You should get to know my mom, she is pretty fantastic!
Matt's sister Tracey asked if she could have Eli for the night. Of Course!! Tracey and Mike have two precious little girls, Hannah 4 and Hailey 1. E and C adore them and enjoy every chance the get to play with them. He stayed with them from dinner until lunch time the next day. I'd love to be a fly on the wall while they play together.
One story I did hear had to do with sheep. Outside of our neighborhood is a flock of sheep. They hang out in the middle of the field most mornings and Eli likes to look at them. Recently he asked if I'd allow him to pet the sheep. I had to tell him no, and he wanted to know why. Hmm...well Eli, "we don't know the man that lives there and he may be upset if he found us in his fence petting his sheep." Eli, "maybe we can still ask, or maybe we can pet them from the fence!" He kept on with different scenarios but finally let it go, so I thought. He didn't, he told Tracey that there are sheep in our neighborhood and that he wants to pet them but his mommy wont let him. Mimi asked who they live with and he told her a shepherd and he that he still wants to see them. I love Eli, he has a great mind.
Saturday: We had a worship set in the morning, afternoon and evening. I was able to hang out with matt for a little while in between the morning and afternoon sessions. We grabbed lunch at chick fil a and loaded up on food from Costco. After that it was back to church for me and a nap for the boys.
Saturday evenings set was fantastic. High school and middle school kids are contagious in their worship! They get into it, and feel the presence of the Lord. Matt brought the boys up to the later session and I'm so glad he did. Eli was focused for enough time to comprehend what was going on and my sweet friends captured a very precious moment for us!
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| Eli Srp 3 (almost 4) |
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Bryce McElhannon 6 yrs old
Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. |
Sunday: I was a part of worship for the 8:30 and 11:00 services, both went well. All of the time put into the weekend was worth it! So grateful to have a God who cares about my dreams and desires. He heard me when I was a freshman dreaming about how I wanted to do what Star from Smith and Smith did for D Now. He fulfilled a dream for me this weekend. I am blessed.
Busy week was over!... time to breathe!
For those who may not know, Disciple Now is a weekend for the youth in our churches to deepen their faith if they already have a relationship with Jesus. If they do not, then it is a great atmosphere to begin one! I love Disciple Now for how it is community driven. Families volunteer their homes for the kids to stay for the weekend, host homes. Each home has about 10-13 kids with a couple college leaders... messy, crazy, amazing! The host families are feeding, transporting and caring for their home group throughout the weekend while the youth are learning, worshiping, and serving their community.
This year's service project was a 5k run, Run for Refuge. The money raised ($6,000!!!) was given to Refuge of Light. "Refuge of Light is an organization working to build the first safe house in Texas that will provide a safe haven and redemptive rescue for female minors who have been victims of human trafficking." The weather was cold and rainy the day of the race, but those who ran were troopers and full of enthusiasm.
Here is a clip of Eli and Cullen singing to "Deep Cries Out" a song we lead at D Now.
They have a spirit for singing and it makes their mommy proud!
