I Do...Again!!

Our vow renewal ceremony last Saturday was so perfect! Everyone helped out to make it such a special day for us and it was exactly what we wanted...not the "Ryan & Kimberly Show", but a testimony of what God has done in our lives and our marriage. Only immediate family and very close friends were there and it was the most beautiful day!! The perfect way to celebrate and commemorate our 10th anniversary...here are some pictures that Ryan's brother took of the event:

Oregon or Bust!!

Well, only a few more days until we leave for our big vacation in Oregon! We are extra-excited because next Saturday, June 26th, Ryan & I will be gathering together in front of our close friends and families to renew our vows for our 10th wedding anniversary. It originally was supposed to be a surprise for Ryan, but the beans were spilled, so I had to tell him. :) My oldest nephew will be singing and playing the guitar and my sister will be singing too! We get to have it at our old church with our pastor officiating...so we're really looking forward to this special day!!

I may not be posting a blog for a while, although I'll try to put some pictures up of our activities while we're there. The kids are so anxious to see their grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles...and we are ready to get out of this humidity!! We are so thankful that we get the chance to go back and stay for a long time and build lasting memories. Ryan calls it part of our "debt enhancement program" because it isn't cheap...but so worth it!!

Loss of Tampton

Lauren experienced the loss of a great friend and pet this evening.

Tampton came to live with us three weeks ago and lived in Lauren's room around the clock. Some of the time she left him in the closet, fearing that he would "bake" in the sunlight. Most of the time he lived on her shelf. I can honestly say that she didn't pay much attention to him while he was with us and you could hardly tell she was all that connected to him. But when we discovered that he had passed away this evening, she was so distraught and in tears that she couldn't be consoled.

It might surprise you to learn that Tampton, her wonderful and dear pet Tampton, was a slug. I am serious. She found him outside a few weeks ago and begged to keep him. We took a small Glad container, punched some holes in the top, added leaves and flowers for food and a small amount of water to keep him moist and he just slimed around the container. I thought he would make it a day or two, but in total he lived 3 weeks in her room. Plucky for a slug.

We had a small funeral service for Tampton in the bathroom (I explained that fish and slugs get flushed; dogs and cats get buried in the backyard), but Lauren was too emotional to stay for "The Flushing."

I am making light of this a little bit, but in truth, it served as an opportunity for Lauren to confront the idea of death and loss. I am glad we could start on a slug instead of Casey, our cat, or a family member. Kimberly and I honored the fact that she was taking it so seriously and got to talk with her about it. All on her own before bed, Lauren got a small box out of the craft supplies, colored the inside full of beautiful colors, and on the outside wrote, "dead peple we love" with a heart and one smiley face and one sad face. She told me that she is going to fill the box with the names of those that she has lost, as a remembrance. So far she is planning on putting the names of Grandma Shorty, Tampton and Grandpa Clete.

When she prayed at bedtime, she said, "Lord, I pray for Tampton and even though he probably went to slug-heaven, I hope that he went to people-heaven and is waiting with Jesus for me." I love this little girl's heart.

Lauren's Easel

Lauren is a voracious reader, and now she is exercising her ability to write. Every so often we will find messages on the white-board easel in the play room that just crack us up. We don't know where she gets the ideas from, but these are the types of things we find (click image to enlarge):














"My meal of the day (can I have a drum roll, please?) is: papaya tea and mash potatoes and peach pie...Mmmmmm, mmm, mmm...and peas and lettuce and meat and a cookie"














"I saw a fairy today. Not only was it a fairy, it wasn't just any old fairy. Why? Because it was...Tinkerbell! You know why? Well...its a secret. Well, you know what they say: there are always definitions. Faith, trust and pixie dust."














"The Plan - Kids, remember what is happenin' December the 13. Mommy and Daddy will be gone, OK? So Miss Sarah, your babysitter, will get pizza for you for dinner, OK? She will be there to put you to sleep, OK? At 7am in the morning she will wake you up and you will come to the hospital to see me and the baby, OK? OK."

Preparing for Summer

I know I haven't posted in a while - things have been busy getting ready for the end of the school year...and we only have 5 weeks left until we leave for Oregon!! The four of us will be leaving on June 23rd - Ryan will stay through the 4th of July and then come back home. But, the kids and I will stay for a month with my parents. Needless to say, they are very excited - Lauren gets to do VBS at our old church; we have a camping trip planned with my whole family and there will be LOTS of swimming in my parents' pool!! :)

It's hard to believe that Lauren will soon be a 1st grader - she has finished kindergarten at the top of her class and is now reading 4th grade level books! She just finished a book and has now decided to try to read through her Bible...she is in the middle of Genesis already and it has prompted some very interesting discussions! :) We are so proud of her and it has been really fun to watch her get so excited about all she is learning.

As for Nolan, he is still all boy - pushing his trucks around the backyard and collecting rocks are his favorite things to do. He is still a little behind with his verbal communication, but we are working on it. His latest words are "keys" and "boo-boo". He has also gotten the hang of saying his please and thank-you's without prompting from us, which is nice (check that one off the list!). He continues to be the sweetest thing ever - he has such a repentant heart when he is disciplined and is very affectionate.

The most fun for us has been watching the kids develop a very close friendship. Just in the last month, we have really seen them connect and become "buddies". I remember when we had him, we were so worried that the 4 year age difference would be too much. But, the Lord has proved us wrong - there is nothing that warms my heart more than watching them play together, share toys and seeing Lauren read books to him. He really looks up to her and when given the opportunity, she will fiercely protect and defend him...it is so sweet!!

Here are some recent pictures: