Family Reunion

All because 2 people fell in love...Warren and Sylvia started this crazy group and even though they no longer are physically with us they live on in our hearts. God and family were very important to Grandma and Grandpa. We all are so blessed to have their model of love.

Every year the family gets together for 2-3 days of R & R. My favorite get-a-way has been Lewis & Clark State Park. This year we went to a different Nebraska state park, it was wonderful! Cabins, Tepees, hiking trails, fishing, campfires and so much more. I was not born into this family but love them all just as if I was. Warren's Great Grandchildren (except the twins)...at the top of the small observation tower.

Geesh, I thought all those super dangerous old slides were surely taken down and disposed of...nope we found one and you got it, all the kids HAD to go down it.

Mom and the Girls

S M O R E S ... what more do we need to say?

The Official Photographer of the weekend!

FISHING FISHING FISHING FISHING FISHING

The tepees were pretty cool. We all decided spending the night in one just was not an option.

Great Grandma Wanda and one of the twins.

I just happen to know this is Paige because she has on PINK!! :)

Our family at the falls.

All That Sparkles

Look at these treasures............... My friend Courtney came to my house to show off her Premier Designs Jewelry. It really was a fun night and in the end a got a bunch of FREE jewelry. This picture represents some stuff I have wanted but couldn't bring myself to purchase...now it's mine!!

My friend Julia, ok I really don't know her but want to cuz she's just the neatest person ever, also sells Premier Designs. I am thinking about in the future hosting a jewelry party for her where people can purchase jewelry for themselves or for a charity. Then ALL the free jewelry would go to a house/organization for women who are or have been homeless or incarcerated and are now trying to start their lives over. Think about it, if you are down on your luck and trying to make something of yourself wouldn't it be so uplifting to have some pretty jewelry to wear at your job interview? I've gotta figure out the details and find the charity I want to support. If anyone has suggestions, I am totally open to hear what you have to say. Please leave me a comment below.

Big shout out to Julie Garst, her birthday is TODAY! and Grandma Pawluk is celebrating a birthday tomorrow. Ladies have a wonderful day! Love and hugs to you both.

MY THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
..but the greatest of these is LOVE! What are you going to do to show some love this week?

There's Proof in the Pictures

Not that anyone would doubt me but here are a few pictures to show you what we have been up to the last few days. Tomorrow is more of the same and then we will be heading to a state park for a little R&R without any schedules to keep.

REAGAN'S LAST SOCCER GAME...kicking a goal again! SHE LOVES DEFENSE BUT WHEN YOU ARE ON A GOOD TEAM GOALIE IS A MUNDANE ASSIGNMENT!

SWITCH HITTER #8 READY TO SMACK THE BALL
In tonight's game she even slapped twice, her daddy is so proud!

A RAINY MORNING AT THE ZOO

EMMA THE BRICK WALL...nothing is gettin' by this catcher!

TIPPY TOED BATTER...no she doesn't hit like a ballet dancer.

JUST OUT OF THE DRESSING ROOM...heading stage left for tap rehearsal

BEAUTY AND GRACE...Emma's first year in ballet

WAITING FOR FINAL BOWS (practice)

Just a brief note on the dance costumes. A HUGE thank you goes out to Jackie and Jason. You run a top notch dance company and let little girls be little girls. I'm proud of the modest costumes and choreography your team put together. You guys rock! Last year at our previous company on dad asked during the recital if he should have brought one dollar bills. Yep! It was that distasteful!

THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH ...elephants, tigers, high wire walkers and plenty of magic tricks.

Unofficially Summer

Hey it's June...how'd that happen so fast? Wasn't it winter yesterday? This is our first week of summer vacation for the girls and Chris. We're lovin' it! I have said our schedule is crazy but really it's rather normal. We are a family of 5 active people. Couch potatoes have boring lives, we're certainly on the go.

Emma and Reagan are really enjoying softball. Emma's team seems to be a little behind the rest of the 4th grade teams. Apparently most of them have played together for several years. That certainly makes a difference. Cousin Kelly helped Emma with some pitching lessons...I think we'll be going back for more. After just one lesson we saw tremendous improvement. Both Emma and Reagan do a great job at 1st base. G'pa Ray.be would be so proud!

Reagan is still our little switch hitter. Her left swing is actually better than the right. That makes Papa so proud...being a lefty himself. It does frustrate Reagan that all the kids get to hit and run around the base each inning, she can't tell who is winning. ha My very competitive child is frustrated without a score.

With 4 games a week little Liv has figured out the ins and outs of life at the softball fields. Luckily there is a fun little playground which Olivia always seems to rope someone into taking her to. Even though she "never" throws sand, she comes home with a head full of it. Those little invisible elves must be the evil doers.

Soccer ended Saturday with another amazing game played by the Comets! Reagan had 2 goals and played some great defensive. Dance is coming to an end as well. Tonight is dress rehearsal and Saturday at 1:15 Emma will be dipped in a vat of Mary Kay before going out on stage to dance her 3 numbers. I can't wait to get some good pictures to share with all of you blog readers.

The Warren Ray.bee reunion festivities begin Sunday afternoon. Sounds like rain, we're all praying for sunshine, imagine 3 days in cabins with 28 loud relatives. :) Oh, we'll have a great time no matter what the weather will bring.

As soon as I get my camera charged I'll have pictures to share. Enjoy this beautiful weather...unless you are reading this in Arizona, it's too hot there to call beautiful. Wherever you are, know you are blessed. If you have food, a roof and obviously you have an internet connection you have more than most of the world. Next time I complain about my missing leather couch remind me of that very statement. :)

Love to you all!

Field Day 2009

Since I ran the DDR booth for Emma's field day I wasn't able to get many pictures of her activities but I think this one pretty well captures the day for her. It's all social.

Way to Go Reagan...you got first place!

At 25 cents a piece this was the longest line of the day.

Reagan in the 100 meter dash, I do believe this race was a 2nd place finish.

Olivia spent the whole day at the school but she still has it in her to... strike a pose!

Finally during the tug-o-war she gave up... enough for the day!

Flat Tummy Foods!

Sounds awesome huh??

You've gotta go here..............
http://getfitandyummy.com/blog/13-flat-tummy-foods/

Really, every little tip helps. What can it hurt?

More Than 24

Whew! We made it through the weekend. Friday must have had 28 hours in it and I really had 30 hours of stuff to day. Some how it all got done. This morning I talked to my dear friend Kimberly...her Friday was the same as mine. Which brought me to the conculsion that there really was 28 hours in that day.

Today my inspiration comes from Phillipians 1:6
Christ has started a good work in you and He will bring it to completion.

What are the messages from your past that you accepted as truth? It is possible that they are not the truth at all. You were wonderfully and fearfully created...God doesn't make junk! (yes, I'm preaching to myself.) ha

Have a wonderful Day!

2 B Different, You Have 2 B DIFFERENT!

If you haven't heard of my favorite fitness person you really must go check her out.

Holly Rigsby...she is the original Yummy Mummy!
http://getfitandyummy.com

Holly sends me great emails every few days and I have written down all of her posted workouts. If you want to look different and feel different from the rest of the world then you need to act different. Changing your diet to something healthy and non-processed and working out in a whole new way. I LOVE IT! Ok, most of the time I love it. Well, once in a while I love it. ha ha Really what I love is the way I feel and the way I can see my body transforming.

Enough chat...just go there. I hope I posted the right link.

Phase I Complete!

Today marks the last day of the first 6-week phase of a new lifestyle for me. It is truly a day of celebration for me.

April 1st I joined a class called PRISM. It is a weight loss program based on biblical principals. I have learned if you look at it like a diet the success rate will be just like all the other diets out there...not lasting. Phase I strips you down to the basics of eating healthy natural foods and breaking emotional ties to food. Sounds funny but SO NECCESSARY! For 6 wks I have not eaten processed sugar, any flour, nasty toxic oils, or processed foods of any kind (ok there were just a couple of slip-ups). Starting tomorrow there will be changes to my diet, adding in some foods but forever the nasty toxic stuff is gone. It sounds difficult and to be honest the first week is so bad I thought I was going through a drug rehab program...I felt terrible.

Today I weighed and took my measurements again. Woo Hoo!! I have lost 18.5 lbs and lost 13 1/4 inches. SWEET!!!! I think I'll go eat a big old piece of a chocolate cake to celebrate. Just Kidding!

Tomorrow I start Phase II. Please come along side of me with encouraging words and supportive prayers. This is hard and I still have a long way to go. Thanks for being my friend and support.

Happy Mother's Day

Motherhood is the very thing that can take me to the peaks and valleys, all within the same day. 11 years ago I had no idea what I was gettting myself into when Chris and I decided to start a family. To read a book on parenting is almost a joke, you must experience the ride to even begin to understand the depth of love hiding deep within you. Not every moment of mommy-hood is my favorite but it does seem to get better the longer I have children. Nothing was better than that first moment that I saw her and then touched her perfect, unbelmished velvety skin. I hope I never forget that spot in time.

Chris and I always knew that we would have more than one child but when baby number two was growing and developing within my body I started to wonder, "How does a mother love 2 babies?" I couldn't imagine this great love being split in two. God did another amazing feat. My love didn't split in two, it was multiplied by two and then three.

Celebrating motherhood is lovely. However I find myself building this day up in my mind and who can really compete with my fairlytale expectations? I was recognized in church. I ate out with my family. I picked out beautiful flowers for the yard. I spent several hours outside with the family. I opened precious handmade gifts from the girls. What a fantastic day! Yet, my favorite moment of recognition is when Olivia runs to me with a warm hug in the morning or when Emma tells me (and only me) about a cute boy at school or when Reagan tells me that I make the best food ever. Those are the real moments that no one sees but the very moments that fill my heart with such gratitude. What a blessed life!

To all those who read this blog, I pray you know the love of a child. It will change you forever.

Scrappiness!

Sorry, I'm not the best at getting good pics of my LOs.

It's MAY DAY!

Happy May Day! Every year on May 1st about this time of day I think I really should have made may day baskets with the girls and then I commit myself to doing it next year. Well, next year is here and we still didn't make May Day baskets. No longer do I feel like the bad mom of the year. We don't have candy in this house and I doubt any of their friends really want cute little baskets filled with carrots, grapes and cucumber sticks. You see, I'm being a great mom by not embarrassing my children infront of their peers.

This weekend while Chris, his dad and brother-in-law are fishing (it's suppose to rain around KC) the girls and I will be at home working hard, one might even say slaving away. Ok, I'm lying. I plan to be scrapping the hours away while the girls run free in the neighborhood. Scraplove.com is hosting a cyber crop. It'll be fun and sounds like lots of challenges and contests that will stretch my scrapping ability. Come over and have fun with us. There are prizes from Jenni Bowlin...I gotta get me some of that.

A Lion Among Us

Look at this sweet kitty of ours. In an attempt to save $40 I started in on Vincent's Lion Cut last night. I didn't even have to fight him, he complied with my constant turning, buzzing and shaving. Ulla from PetCo is much better than I but I saved our family $40! I think that means I can go shopping at the local scrappy store. ha

Big Weekend

Emma and her fellow 4th grade strings were very impressive at the spring concert.

Don't think that it's serious business all the time when you play in the orchestra

The Yellow Jacket season premiere was on a cold Saturday morning. As I sat on the bleachers in my heavy coat wrapped up in a blanket I had a hard time believing just the day before I got a sunburn while playing in the park with Olivia.

BEFORE: note the ghetto counter tops. Not everyone could live with 3 different counter tops. ICK!!
Chris and FIL tearing apart the old.
AFTER!! There's still some work to be done, like the back splash but SO MUCH BETTER!
Love my new black sink and oil rubbed bronze faucet!

Ahh, So Sweet

3 Years 4 Months 19 Days

Today we are celebrating Olivia's One thousand Two Hundred Thirty-fifth day of life. I don't know if celebrating is the correct word but I had her pictures taken today. There were so many cute ones, I really had a hard time making a decision. My goal was to get a good close-up black and white picture for my wall. While I was there, I scheduled family pictures. We'll see how that goes.

I am a lover of lists. Usually my daily list is more than even my friend April could do...she can do more any other person I know!! There is power in marking off items. To be honest, sometimes I wonder what I did all day. Being a SAHM (stay-at-home-mom) is busy and time consuming but at the end of the day it can be challenging to "see" what tasks were completed. All that just to say, today I made a short list and completed everything. WooHoo! Tomorrow I will start fresh with a new list of chores. Some chores actually repeat from day to day...on a bad day I write them down, just so I have something to cross off. You know... wake up-check; feed the kids-check; workout-check. You get the idea. ha ha

My list today...
wash windows - check
scrub the floors - check...already dirty again. :(
get Liv's pictures taken - check
dinner in Lincoln - check
work out with April - check
Listen to Dave Ramsey - half check.

Big weekend her in town: Emma kicks off her softball season with games on Saturday and Monday. Thus begins the summer of bleacher butt for this mama! One other note worthy item, George Clooney will be here. Sounds like he's coming over for dinner Saturday night. The word is out, Chris' smoked meats are to die for.

Happy weekend to you all.

Who I Am

When I look in the mirror, who do I see,
Standing there staring back at me?

Is it someone I know who soars like a dove,
Or someone I feel not even God could love?

"What can I change?" I cry to myself,
To make me love ME... take ME off the shelf.

The answer comes simply and so amazingly true,
It's turning my life over completely to You.

Lord help me to love myself as I am,
The person for whom was given The Lamb.

Help me to grow, please loosen the chains,
Let me forget past sorrows and pains.

Teach me to accept the person You made,
Give guidance to know what will last and not fade.
(Belva Peden 1991)

Today is a new day!

Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day.
~ Lamentations 3:23, NLT

Sometimes I just need this reminder.

Have a great Tax Day!!! I have heard that some post offices are NOT staying open late tonight...budget issues. SO don't procrastinate!

Happy Easter

Christ is Risen...He is Risen Indeed!Easter 2007

Easter Sunday is such a beautiful reminder of what is important in life. Yes, we colored eggs; we had Easter baskets waiting for the girls this morning; and we staged a fun little egg hunt in Nana's living room but the girls know the One we are celebrating. He has nothing to do with candy or bunnies laying eggs, which I might say is a very odd thought.

I have been a very bad blogger lately. This week was spring break which left me very little time to play on the computer.
#1Our family was blessed by being able to help our friends, Tim and Susan get ready for their move. It is my hope that God really wants us to stay right here in our comfy little house until the kids are grown, then they can help us move. It's just so much work to prep a house for sale.
#2We have also been working on our kitchen, I can't wait to share photos when it's completed. Any great comments on the purchase of a kitchen faucet? I need some direction!
#3Chris and Ryan-Dean finished dry-walling in the basement at Dean and Linda's (my in-laws).
#4The thing that has really rocked my world in the last 12 days has been the detox of sugar and flour from my system. Apparently, I was grumpy. :) I'm really not wondering because my mother-in-law informed me of that and Chris denies it. ha ha It was rough on all of us for about 3 days. Now I feel so much better.
As you can see, I have plenty of valid reasons to be a blog slacker.

Tomorrow after I have had several cups of Joe and a good start on my to-do list I will hopefully post some recent pictures. Until then, please say something kind to the one you love. It only takes a minute of your time and a smile. Why do we treat strangers better than the people we call family? If you've been hurt by them, pray about it and ask for strength. You may still hurt but the healing process will have begun!

A quick shout out to Val...HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! See you tomorrow for lunch.