Unwanted Pet!

We finally caught the unwanted pet, after at least a month of it living under the house. It tricked the trap several times and ate all of our bait, so we were fattening him up (unwantingly). Michael ended up building a new, extra long trap, and we caught him the first night. The girls were so excited and wanted me to take a picture of it for them to see. So, here's the funny part: Michael takes the trap to the farthest part of the yard away from the house, and I stand a few feet away (still in my pajamas) to take the picture (and then run). Well, first of all, Michael pulled the chain to open the door, and the chain came off without the door opening. So, he got that fixed, opened the door, and the stupid thing wouldn't come out. He hit the trap several times trying to scare the skunk out, but it wouldn't budge. So, he shot the gun up in the air to see if it would scare it. Still no budge. Instead, though, we see the sherriff's car racing up the dirt road. Oh, this is a good picture, I thought: my husband with a gun standing a few feet away from me in my pajamas with a camera. Sounds like some "good ole country folk" you always see on TV, right? Ha! Anyway, the cop was heading somewhere else, thank goodness. So, Michael finally had to turn the trap up on its end to get the skunk out. We were so glad to be rid of this PET!

Our 'Lil Monkey KyKy turns 2!!!!

I can't believe it's been 2 years since Kyleigh entered into our lives. She's a head-strong, independent, quirky, silly little girl that brings us lots of laughs on most days. She wasn't feeling well at her party, though, and Jonas got it right when he sang, "It's my party, and I'll cry if I want to...!" We found out she had a double ear infection the day after. She's better now, though. Thanks to everyone who helped her celebrate her special day!

Here's some of the kids coloring monkey stickers for their balloons.

Kyleigh wanted an "orange monkey" cake, so that's what Mommy made.

Michael helped by picking out the banana runts candy and putting them on the cupcakes. Aren't they cute?

I thought this pic was cute...all the kids lined up for CAKE!!!!

And here's our other monkey, Billie!

Thanks to Marmoo for the garden tools. Kyleigh loves to play in the dirt, but she can get a little dangerous. :) Never turn your back to a kid with a metal shovel!!

Justin was the only one lucky enough to get a hug from KyKy! I guess the princess baby he gave her was just what she wanted.


See what I mean about dangerous??? Everybody had to move out of her way while she was swingin' at the pinata.


Kyleigh's ALREADY a SHOE FANATIC, so she loved her pink John Deere boots from MaeMae and PawPaw.

...AND her monkey slippers from Mama and Daddy.

Here she is, with her eyes closed, awaiting her big gift from Mama and Daddy...a beauty salon!

How many people does it take to fix Bailey's hair? She must've had a bad hair day!

Happy Birthday, my sweet KyKy!!!

Healing...

I'm still waiting on my healing of my fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis to come. I've been living with this now for 10 years. Some days are especially hard, but I feel like I'm on my way to being healed. I think back to when Michael and I first got married, and I had to withdraw my acceptance to UofA for the Master of Accountancy program. That hurt me so much, but I just couldn't function as well as I needed to. Anybody who knows me well knows that if I say I'm going to do something, I do it. I don't go back on my word, and I'm very dependable. So, it really bothered me when I withdrew my acceptance because I felt like this illness was causing me to be someone I didn't want to be. I remember most days not leaving the couch except to get a bite to eat for lunch or to go to the bathroom because it hurt so much to walk. I'm so thankful for the medicine that got me over the worst of that excruciating pain, even though it took a year to do so, and I was completely scared of the medicine's side effects. Anyone with arthritis knows you have reasonably good days and then terrible days; the weather plays a huge part in how you feel as well. But, I'm thankful that at this time, I'm having more good days than bad days. I thank the Lord for giving me pain relief when I was pregnant with my two girls. Except for the first few weeks, when you're dealing with the pain from having to stop your medications, most pregnant women with rheumatoid arthritis will go into remission for the endurance of their pregnancy and nursing period. This was the case for me: while most pregnant women complain of back pain, swelling, and fatigue, I felt better than I had in a long time. And I'm still not back to the worst pain that I ever had with these diseases. I think God is pointing me in the right direction, and I just need a willingness of the heart to follow. A new group called "Fit for A King" is meeting at church, and the socialization and fellowship with other people trying to better their bodies through nutrition and exercise (by scriptural basis) helps motivate me. In the back of my mind, I really feel like God is telling me if I took better care of myself that I might be healed of this pain. And I want to be here for my girls as long as I can, so I'm working towards that goal with them in mind. Mom gave me a calendar that had this devotion on it that really spoke to me, so I wanted to share:

John 10:10 "I have come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly."

"Bank on Healing" Faith in God is key to coping with illness. Not because God only heals those who believe in Him, but because a faithful heart is by definition on the road to restoration. When you believe in God's healing power, you put yourself in contact with a vital current of life-giving goodness. It will heal your soul, giving you peace and confidence that God is working out all things for good.

Summer Days!

Summer days are here! And this family enjoyed the sunshine, flowers, and the Razorbacks win from the night before! Little I was such a doll and gave me lots of smiles. Z was a little more shy, but what a cute kid he is! So here's your sneak peak, S. Enjoy the memories!

Go HOGS!

What a sweet big brother!

I love this new location I tried. The old white doors look great in pics!

I wanna be just like you, Z!

What a dainty lil' thing she is!

Daddy and his daughter...

Look at those beautiful blue eyes!

What a little ham! The camera loved her!

Big Bro had to show me his muscles. :)

A little game of Ring-around-the-Rosy!

All Because Two People Fell in Love...

Family is...

Happy Mommy's Day!

It's been almost a month since Mother's Day, but I wanted to share a pic of me and my girls. They were so sweet telling me "Happy Mommy's Day" while we were getting ready for church. And they gave me a digital picture frame and a patio garden for us to plant together. I am so blessed!

I was also happy to be back in church after missing a couple of weeks from not feeling well. I enjoy singing so much, and I love the fact that we started a worship/praise band at church. So, I was glad to be back with the group making music.

Michael and the girls took me out to eat lunch. Then, we all enjoyed a little nap before going to eat dinner with my family and delivering Mother's Day gifts that evening.

Being a mom may be the toughest job ever, but it is definitely the most rewarding. Happy Belated Mommy's Day to all the mommies out there!

Mini-Vacation Continued...

So here's the last of our mini-vacation! Colcord, OK State Park has a 77-foot waterfall. It is just over the state line from Siloam Springs. Anybody going that direction should definitely make a short stop: it is very beautiful!




Mama and her girls enjoying the view of the waterfall...




Sisters make the best of friends...



Our last stop on the trip was at the Drive-Through Safari in Gentry, AR. Our favorites on the drive-through were the camels and ostriches because they would come right up to the windows and peer in at us.





The girls got to ride on a camel, and they loved it!




And they were braver than I was to get this close to a HUGE snake!



Oops! Guess they can't read the sign. They were trying to climb into the monkey cages. Monkey see, monkey do! Ha!




Isn't this one the cutest thing? The girls thought it was hilarious that a monkey was in a diaper.




And here's my little model. Anytime she spots the camera, she asks, "Mama, do you want me to pose?" :)



And here's my monkey! Enough said!




The goat snuck up on Billie. I'm really surprised she laughed and didn't cry!

Kyleigh didn't want it anywhere close to her!

Baby Ella is Here!

Baby Ella is finally here, and Drake, Billie, and Kyleigh are all IN LOVE! And why wouldn't they be? Look how cute she is! On a side note, I'm way behind on posting to my blog, so check back often 'cuz I'm going to post every couple of days 'till I get caught up with what I want to share.

Drake's first glimpse of his new baby sis...I think he's happy!

And now they're a family of four...

Billie really took it all in...

Kyleigh didn't want to give her up...

It's been too long since mine have been this little! They grow up too fast!

The Murrays with Ella...

MaeMae and her girls...

I think Bro. Jonathan said it best when he stated that God lets us see a little glimpse of heaven when a newborn baby arrives in our lives...