Family.versary

This January 25 is my and Jay's 13th Wedding Anniversary!

WAHOO!!

We have not had lots of family time lately (nor could we get a sitter) so we went out as a family to celebrate.

We went to the always fabulous and always family affordable local mexican place.

"Take one while you kiss me mommy!"

When this little one decides she doesn't want her picture taken, you just have to secede and know eye contact isn't going to happen with a smile.  It's either or.  So I take the smile and forgo the eye contact.

And one last picture of just Jay and me after we put the kiddos in the car.  It may not always be rose petals and peach tea, but this man is my best friend.  He makes me a better person and I am forever thankful He saw fit to let Jay be my person.

Golden Flake Field Trip

Elle's first field trip of the new year was to one of the best places ever... the Golden Flake Factory!!!  Y'all, this is where they essentially make Elle's dreams come true.  Elle could eat chips morning, noon and night, and indeed asks for them more than that.  She was thrilled!!!

We watched a quick video giving the history of Golden Flake, then we donned our hair nets and hit the behind the scenes!

Mama heart explode.  Love it when this one wants to hold my hand.

After we watched how the filter potatoes, wash them, peel them, slice them, fry them, and season them, they allowed the kids to get some fresh HOT chips straight off the conveyer belt on their way to be bagged.  This is essentially all things happy radiating from the core of Elle's being.

After the official tour, they gave all the kids sample bags of some of their different flavors.  Narry a sad or disappointed face in the bunch.

All off Mrs. Shirley's Song Birds lined up for a class pic!  What a super fun day!!!

New Years sans the Hubs

So while Jay is still in Gatlinburg with BYG (insert my sad face for missing them this year) the girls and I recovered from Margaret Anne and Sean's wedding (insert super happy face that I got to be there!!!)  

Jay texted me first thing wishing me a Happy New's Years Day and asked for a picture from "right this minute..."

Just what every husband dreams of right?!  HA!  Had to include in the blog though because this was the for reals look of a mama who has had 2 little girls post Christmas bliss and chaos, then had those 2 littles in a wedding that occurred after their bedtime.  They did wonderful but I was one worn out mama.  Hence the non-refreshed face.

Meanwhile, while I was trying to pour caffeine into every pour and cell in my body the girls were bright eyed and bushy tailed.  Just another day in Christmas Vaca Bliss.  Elle was giving Caroline a makeover with all her "make.ups" that Santa gave her.

And while Elle gave Caroline a makeover, Caroline gave multiple makeovers....

Let me just say, some of these ladies had to be washed and scrubbed (1/3 part original dawn to 2/3 part hydrogen peroxide) up to 7 times.

We got dressed to go visit grandparents and before we even left the house this is what I walked into...

This my friends is the epitome of tired.  I feel ya sister.  We canned all plans for the rest of the day and had girly movie time.

Which made everyone happy.

Manne gets Hitched

So Jay and I have have been doing ministry for a while.  I officially came on staff as his partner in 2002 through a ministry called Student Stampede.  He later became the Youth Pastor of Briarwood Presbyterian Church in (I think) 2004.  Ministry I know is simply a way of life for most believers.  We view our life as ministering the gospel to those around us.  It just so happens that our vocation is solely ministry... specifically to jr. high and high school students and their families.  

So this is what I didn't think about as a 22 year old entering ministry.  (Let's be honest, I didn't know much about anything!  But this was a biggie for me).  When you try to serve others, you are the one that really ends up reaping the rewards.  Through the years there are students that have become so dear to me that I truly think of them as extended family.

Take this beautiful bride for example.  Enter the stunning Margaret Anne Hendry now Mrs. Sean Tilford.  I am pretty sure when Jay became youth pastor and I met Manne for the first time she was somewhere around 11.  I first got to know her older sister Leigh, then Molly, and then she followed up through the ranks.  When she asked the girls to be bell ringers in her wedding I felt so very honored.  (Disclaimer:  she knows my girls well, so she knew what a risk this could be.  This was further testament of her love for our family in my eyes).

I mean, could they be a more stunning bride and groom?  I think not.

These girls took their jobs VERY seriously!  Elle was a bell ringing pro and has started a camp for those interested in learning her masterful ways of maximizing sound and clarity.

I was proud to see Elle lead her younger sister with patience down the very packed sanctuary.

Perhaps one of the greatest gifts through the years I have received is having such godly sweet role models to surround my girls.  I know ultimately my children will make mistakes and choose their own path, one I may not have chosen for them.  But I am forever thankful for the chorus of loves that bestow encouragement, love and deepest affection for my children.  Some of these "students" (what do I call them when the are grown?) are the most darling and beautiful examples of Chirst like love to my children.  A mama's heart cannot be more thankful.

I can not capture with words what this picture does. 

Margaret Anne, you are a joy to all.  You are a joy to my family.  Thank you for the privilege of letting my girls play a role in your day.  We love you and your beloved so very much!