Memorial Lake Weekend

This weekend we went to the lake with my parents.  This was our first weekend at the lake since last summer.  Madalyn loved the water and the sand and mud. She played and played and got dirtier and dirtier. :0) She didn't mind one bit about being muddy.  Which we thought that she would love the sand, considering she loves the sand here.  The water wasn't too cold, and she loved splashing in the water. 

Madalyn is playing with my sand bucket and watering can from when I was a little girl.

Madalyn was fascinated by putting rocks in a water bottle.

She also loved this golf ball that she found.

After day at the lake....this baby girl was TIRED!

Bubbles

Yesterday, my mom and I went to the Blackville Wal-Mart, for those of you trying to figure out where that is....it's the Dollar General Store. We bought Madalyn a ball to leave outside, a pool, and a bubble wand.  So we tried the bubble wand out last night.  Madalyn loved the bubbles.  However, just like always, she wouldn't look at me as I was trying to take some pictures of her with the bubbles. She liked to chase them and of course she ate them! Oh, I'm ready for her to get out of this "I eat everything" stage.

Also, this weekend we noticed that Madalyn has 8 teeth coming in. Her molars are coming in. She has one on top that has made it through and 2 on the bottom.  She has 3 more you can see on top and 2 more you can see on the bottom.  One more thing Madalyn learned how to open doors this weekend. What fun we have in store for us this summer!

Madalyn has more sand for her sandbox, but the past several days it has been raining so much, that it was full of water and wasn't drying out. So we emptied the box and put the sand out on some plastic to help it get dried.

Oh Look! Grand Dad's got bubbles!

 I think bubbles taste good! Do you?

I know this picture is blurry but I had to post it anyway. She had fun with her bubbles.

Our Garden

This year we planted a smaller garden in our backyard. It has come up nicely we think. We have planted: Silver Queen Corn, Squash, Tomatoes, Okra, Crowder Peas, Sweet Potatoes, String Beans, and Black-Eyed Peas.

 Here are our squash plants. They have gotten so big all of a sudden.

 The squash bloom.  Look inside, and you will see a bee.

 My two tomato plants are loaded down with tomatoes.

 Our string bean plants.

 The corn is about waist high. However, we have messed up with our okra. We planted it between the corn and squash and we think it will soon not get enough sunlight. We will see.

 Our sweet potato plants are taking off running.

Kevin has done all the work, I will say. I helped plant a few seeds, while Madalyn watched us and ate dirt. Hopefully, we can find something soon in our garden that she will like to eat better than the dirt! :0)

Mother's Day...A Day Late

 Happy a day late Mother's Day to all the m oms out there! Thank you for all that you do for us! Yesterday was such a busy day, I didn't get a chance to write about my mother's day. We didn't get to see my parents this weekend.  It didn't work out for us to go up or for them to come down.  However, they are coming down this Wednesday and will get to keep Madalyn Thursday and Friday, while we are at work and school.  We went to church and Sunday School.  When we got home, Kevin had to go work  at the chicken houses. We had lunch at Kevin's grandma's house, Mrs. Kitty, with everyone (about 30 people I think.). When we got home, Kevin had to go work at the chicken houses again. Madalyn took a 3 hour nap! While she was napping I graded papers, averaged grades, made a study guide for a test for this week. Kevin came in during this time and took a short hour nap. I woke Madalyn up from her nap because by this time it was 6:00. I cooked supper, feed Madalyn and Kevin, and of course myself. Then I talked on the phone to my great aunt Ann to wish her a happy mother's day. Then I got Madalyn ready for bed. Watched a little TV, then took a shower, dried and straightened my hair and it was 9:30 when I got in bed and could relax for the day. Whew! Yes, it was a busy day. I tried so hard to get a smiley, still picture of Madalyn...but you know how that goes. If you look closely, poor baby, she has a scratch under her left eye, a scratch that goes from her nose, across her cheek to her right ear. Then on her forehead on the right side, it's red, because I accidentally knocked her in the head with camera. I was trying to pick her up and as I leaned over my camera hit her. Then later at Mrs. Kitty's she fell, face first, on the asphalt and skinned up her nose. Let's just say her face had a rough weekend. Even though it was a busy day, I told Madalyn that for me, every day was Mother's Day because God gave me you. Which is true, everyday I get to see that smiley face in the morning before work and when I pick her up in the afternoon (that is after I get her home, because she screams and cries when she has to leave MeMe's house and does NOT want to go in her car seat.) my day is complete with a hug and kiss from this sweet, precious baby girl.

Good Things are Happening...

As a response to my earlier post about "Good things come to those who wait", today Kevin, his mom and dad, are all jumping for joy. Yes, I am excited too, but they are more so. Ten years ago, on March 19th,  Kevin built his first two chicken houses, and today they were completely paid for! What a stress relief, blessing, and financial freedom this is for the farm and us! It helps my stress due to the fact Kevin's stress is better. He said that it finally hit him this afternoon what had happened today and he cried tears of joy. So, now God is working on helping us with the other two houses along with the other farm debt we have.

My news: I have 2 1/2 weeks which is 13 more days of school. As you can imagine, it's hard to hold down the fort now. :0) PRAY for strength for me during these last few weeks. I know the school year is ending fast, but I'm under so much stress and so busy as it comes to an end. And the kids behavior....well, we will just say PRAY.  My neck, shoulders, and back are so tense and tight due to all the stress. I can't seem to get completely unwind at night and wake up so stiff and sore in the morning. Since spring break, (which we had 8 weeks left of school and it's hard to believe we are down to the last two. Time has been flying by, but now that we are near the end it seems to be crawling by.) its been super busy at school and at home. I've put in a good many late nights, just trying to stay on top of things at school.  Which I go all day at school and then go all evening at home, my poor 30 year old body and mind is wearing out.  But the light is getting brighter at the end of the tunnel.

Madalyn's news: This week she has learned a few new things.
1.) Don't go head first over the back of MeMe's love seat. (just in case you are wondering, MeMe did save her by grabbing her leg, which was the only body part that was left on the love seat at the time, and Madalyn is fine.)
2.) How to spin around and make herself dizzy. (why she likes doing this, I don't know, but she can't hardly walk afterwards. It's pretty funny to watch, but she has a habit of bumping into things.)
3.) How to catch a ball. (Her daddy is very proud of this one because he has been working with her each night on catching a ball.

Thank you for your prayers and just please continue to pray for us!

All Good Things...

"All good things comes to those who wait."  This saying goes along with many different Bible verses, where God has promised His children that if you wait on Him and His timing, what He has planned for you, it will be so much better, and more wonderful than you could have even begun to imagine.  There are some things coming up that myself, Kevin, the farm have been waiting, and waiting, and at times not so patiently waiting on. But we know and feel that our time is coming for God to deliver His promise to us within the next couple of months.  I know this seems to not make much sense for most of you, and I'm not yet saying what all these things are, (well some may guess one thing for me is that there are 16 more days of school, 2 full weeks, and 2 half days, plus the rest of this week and another year has ended.) but I will soon share.  Til then pray for us and the farm...."But seek first His kingdom, and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." ~Matthew 6:33~