Jemez Hike

We took one of Matt's days off and went up to hike in one of our favorite spots....Battleship Rock in the Jemez Mountains.  We packed a lunch and headed into the trees to hike to the waterfall.  What a great family day!

This is the kids and I on the same bench in 2009.  They've grown a bit, huh?

14th Anniversary

 On May 1st, we celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary.  We had a great day together.  My sweet friend offered to keep our kids, so that we could enjoy the day to ourselves.  We went and had a peaceful lunch and then drove up to Sandia Peak.  Then, we made yummy stop by the Nestle Toll House store in Uptown for a little treat.

God has walked us through so much as a married couple.....job loss, infertility, loss of a child, cancer twice.  All of those journeys have caused us to lean on God more and cherish each other even more.  It makes something as simple as holding hands mean so much more than our first days as a dating couple or newlyweds.  We are more in love today than ever before and that is a testimony to God in our life.  I can't wait to what our future holds.

Our sweet ride for the day

On top of Sandia Peak

My handsome date

BEAUTIFUL!

This means WAR!

We summoned all Nerf Soldiers for battle this weekend in honor of Camden's 11th birthday.  The boys had an absolute blast...as did several of the adults.  :)

Sergeant Sellers giving orders for battle

Happy Birthday to our Camden Paul!  It's hard to believe he is 11!  He is full of life and loves to help others and has a heart to serve.  We are so proud of the young man you are becoming and we can't wait to see what God is going to do through you!

Resurrection Day!

What kind of King would choose to wear a crown that bleeds and scars to win my heart?

What kind of Love tells me I'm the reason He can't stay inside the grave?

Alive! Alive!

Look what Mercy's overcome;

Death has lost and Love has won.

Alive! Alive!

Hallelujah, Risen Lord, the only One I fall before

I am His because He is alive.

Abigail and Camden

Julianna and Payton ready for church

My blessings

Dance Recital Video

Dance Recital

Maylee Grace and her sweet friend, Avery

I cannot believe how beautiful she is. Daddy is going to have to get a bigger gun.
Maylee Grace was so excited for her dance recital. She did great! I might have bribed her with ice cream, but she still did fabulous.

Rock and Worship Roadshow

Matt and I took Camden to the Rock and Worship Roadshow. Anyone who spends any time at all with Camden will realize his love for Christian music quickly. He is rarely found without his Ipod in hand listening to music. Matt's best friend/best man came into Albuquerque to also come to the concert. His sister is married to one of the guys in Tenth Avenue North. We got to go backstage and meet several band members and watch the majority of the show from the side of the stage! It was a night Camden will not soon forget!

Lead Singer of Tenth Avenue North
One of Camden's favorites: LaCrae!! He was so nice to Camden. He talked with him for a minute and asked where he would be during the show. We told him we were watching from the side of the stage. During his performace, he came to the corner of the stage, looked and pointed at Camden and threw him a drumstick! We got it signed by him later. Camden was so pumped!

Camden and Shelby watching Hawk Nelson

Tenth Avenue North guys on their tour bus!

My Stitched up Super Girl

Maylee Grace got her very own set of stitches. My crazy little lady bumped her chin on the footboard of the boy's bed. She was a trooper. She watched Lady and the Tramp while the doctor stitched her up. The only thing she was truly upset by was the giant bandage they put on her chin to cover the cut. As soon as we got home, the giant, ugly bandage was replaced by princess bandaids. She also earned a yummy strawberry julius for being brave at the doctor.

A Day in the Life

How blessed I am that I get to stay home with my kids! Today we built a fort and for a special treat, we went to McDonald's for lunch!

Payton explained to me that we "needed" to go to McD's because they were giving out Star Wars toys in the Happy Meals.

Annual Daddy/Daughter and Mother/Son Dates

For years now, we've taken all of our special Valentines on individual dates in the month of February. They get to pick whatever they want to do. Matt takes Maylee Grace and I take the boys. It is such a special time and it's so fun to see how excited each of the kids get as their date day approaches.

Maylee Grace picked a date to the library and Krispy Kreme. Daddy surprised her with mini roses which she proudly has displayed in her room currently. He also took her to buy her a new dress. She picked a very pink and princessy dress and could not wait to show off her treasures from the day. She must have smiled all day long!

Payton knew exactly where he wanted to go. He picked a date to Build a Bear. He also wanted to eat lunch at Lone Star Steakhouse, because he "loves their bread." He had a blast and even talked the waitress into giving him two loaves of bread to bring home.

Camden picked Cold Stone and a movie. So, we went to watch 'Journey 2 Mysterious Island' and got a yummy treat at Cold Stone. He really enjoyed the movie! We had a great time.

She's watching you Daddy

I've been thinking a lot about how special Maylee Grace is. God has truly blessed her with a sweet, kind spirit. She's always talking, singing and dancing around. She brings so much joy into our home. I love the relationship she has with Matt. She loves her Daddy in such a special way. It's so different than the way she interacts with me. She loves to get Daddy's approval of her outfit or the way she is caring for her baby doll or any major coloring project she's working on. I am so thankful that when the time comes for her to look for the man God has designed for her that her standard for a husband will be set by her fabulous Daddy. She will look for someone just like him....and that is a great thing.

Tutus and Tennis

Payton and Maylee Grace have been doing two new classes through the City of Rio Rancho. Payton is taking tennis lessons and Maylee Grace is taking a Tiny Toes class that is an intro to ballet and tap. They are both having an absolute blast.

Maylee Grace and her friend Avery

Packers Waffles!

Matt got a Packers Waffle and Sandwich Maker for Christmas from his Dad. He is quite proud of it. He's showing off his Packers pride at breakfast!