Spring Birthday Party Fun

We've had a bunch of Birthday parties lately...first Naomi, then Hope, then Caly! All very fun days!

Holly and Naomi the birthday girl painting her duck! (that girl loves ducks!)

Ella works in a very focused way on projects like this.

Hope's Party was at a farm and I got to hold a baby goat! Joy!

Birthday girl Hope had a blast!

Ella riding Katie! It's SO much fun that shes not scared anymore!

The same day, after the farm, we went to Caly's backyard BBQ water slide party!

Birthday Girl!

It's so much fun to be involved in these kids lives-they all feel like part of the family! We hope to celebrate many more years with each of them!

Counting Hours...

I just emailed this to just about everyone I know but wanted to give God more props here too so here's my God story of the day!!

Oh My Gosh.

You all know how much pressure there’s been for me to complete the required hours for my clinical internship. I need 2000 total hours but the real kicker is 260 face-to-face client hours. This is tough because I have little control over how many clients I get and if they show up or not! In December Chris and I rearranged my whole schedule and prayed like crazy when we realized how much I HAD to make up this spring to finish in time. God started to bring more clients and my #s soared which has been exhausting but amazing! We knew I was getting within striking distance of the total # but hadn’t added up the hours in a while so last night, a client cancelled and I decided to go through my final #s and add everything together just to see if I was over yet or needed a few more hours.

So, I got out a calculator and my old paperwork from previous semesters and started adding. 48+50+68+93…it added up to 260 EXACTLY. I literally dropped the calculator like it was a hot coal! “Are you serious God??? You really gave me two hundred and sixty hours exactly??” I was shaking as I picked up the calculator again to double check. It took me a couple tries because my hands were shaking! Yup. 260. And that is without working this summer. Though I had NO idea, when I turned in my official paperwork at the end of the Spring Semester, I had exactly enough hours to be finished! God does not go half way!! He is precise and on time and I can honestly say I have never seen his perfection highlighted in such an extravagant way before in my life. It drives home for me the fact that every single minute, hour, session, person I counseled over the last 2 years was meant to be. He ordained every single moment, down to hour 260. Every cancellation was on purpose, every “no show” was His plan, every minute we went over time because a client was in tears was divine. I am in awe of how perfectly God has shown up.

So, I share this just to say Our God is a phenomenally personal, loving, wise, perfect God. I am so grateful!

Raleigh Conversations with Ella...

Ella and our dog Raleigh have always been tight and we're glad to see the continued love between them :-) For about a month now Raleigh has been sleeping in Ella's room every night! It has cut down on Ella coming out of her room saying she's scared because in her words "Raleigh barks at any monsters so I'm ok." So, it's not too surprising that as I've collected funny things she's said lately they all had to do with her favorite dog!


E: Mom why do you always wash the dishes?
Me: So that we'll have clean ones to use when we need them.
E: Why can't we just put them on the floor and let Raleigh like 'em up? She'd like to and wet tongues are good for cleaning everything!
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Me to Chris: Couldn't we try to teach Raleigh to poop in one corner of the yard?
Ella: Yeah! Put up a sign that says " Dogs poop here"
Me: But she can't read!
E (pensive then with excitment): Just write "Ruff Ruff Ruff" then it'll be in doggie language!
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We were reading a book that said Polar Bears can smell their prey 20 miles away and as if to say "that's nothing!" Ella said: "My Raleigh could smell birthday cake at a party in Colorado!"

Potato Stamping!

I am a craft lover. So, on my first Tuesday to not have to work in about 18 months, I was excited to do a fun craft with Ella. And it was successful!

First start with a couple of potatoes

Wash them, cut them in half and dry them off

Draw a shape you want to stamp with

Let Mommy cut it out!

Start Stamping!

We found that painting on the paint worked better than dipping into paint

Plus then you can get a little creative :-)

We will definitely do this again! Super fun and easy!

Flower Farm!

We went to buy flowers to plant recently at a local nursery and it ended up being so beautiful I couldn't stop taking pictures! It was like a playground for Ella too-she was in flower heaven! I love having a little girly-girl!