Summer Vacation

Well, we are still recovering from our family vacation. Our family added 2 additions this past year so vacation was SOOO much more exciting. A stomach bug got passed around a bit especially for Josh and Kayci. I missed getting to hang out with them more. Here are quite a few pics of some of our favorite memories.

As soon as we got there we all jumped in the lake. It took us a while to get Malaya in. The idea of swimming with snakes and fish was not appealing to her. We got this picture and she did not stay in too much longer!

We had a huge deck. We had dinner each night on the deck. This was the sunset the first night! So beautiful and of course an even beautiful site is the little girl posing in front! God created the perfect backdrop!

Grampy and Grammy with their grandkiddos.

Two of my loves!

The one of 2 days I actually put make up on:)
The three Ross cousins!

One day David had the greatest idea to go to an Orchard to pick strawberries, blueberries, figs, etc. Well, the orchard was deserted. We were the only ones there. No workers, no other visitors, NOTHING, NOBODY!! BUT... we still had fun. We found a few berries that were alive and we got a few tomatoes. Malaya and Jed enjoyed just walking around. It was TOASTING hot so most of the fam spent time under the shade. On top of the heat, when it was time to leave I realized (out of my excitement to be there) that I had locked my keys in the truck. My "can do anything", sexy hubbie, was able to open the sliding door on the back of the truck and we got in!! I LOVE HIM!!

The Chillin Trio

Well, Malaya rode on the boat for about 2 minutes. She was the flag raiser for when someone fell off the inner tube. She did it a couple of times until she started claiming that she was "seasick". I had another picture that did show Malaya's face but it also showed a little more of David than the blog world needs to see;) So this will be my blog memory of Malaya on the boat.

Some inner tube fun! This was my favorite day!! I got thrown around like a ragdoll back there but it was so much fun! I have bruises and cuts to prove my determined self! Every muscle in my body hurt for a few days.

Jenn and I had a great time. (Kayci was sick this day. :(

Dad and Josh

The Ross children decided to take a ride together! I laughed so hard! They graciously gave me the middle. I can say I was the last one off. Ha!

Jed wasn't too sure about the ride. I think next year he will be a pro.

David got Jed and Truitt matching, reversible Astros hats. Mom also got them matching shirts. Aren't they handsome boys!

Josh teaching his son the important things of life early on...

On the last day, Malaya went fishing and as soon as she put the pole in she caught a catfish. That would be in the exact same spot that we had been swimming all week. No wonder she didn't want to swim:) We were very proud of her catch but after that one fish she was done :)

I love you, Kayci! Next year you will be back in the saddle to play again!!!;)

We had a great vacation. I loved getting to love on my nephews. They are both so precious!

We have some great memories and I look forward to next year's also.

I am sad summer is almost over:( Hopefully some great 2nd grade memories are coming!!

Summer Fun

Okay, so the gift of a new blog header has inspired me to update, if I even have any readers left. Don't you love the header???? If you are interested in knowing who took those great pictures, email me and I will brag on her gift! :)

This summer has been so wonderful!! Here are a few highlights.

Malaya and I have done tons of swimming and hence the picture that reflects most of our comings and goings this summer. When I just downloaded my pictures, this one came up along with a few others. Not quite sure who I am talking to, but I sure seem intense!

Malaya got to attend 3 VBS's this summer! She had so much fun at all of them!! Here is her and a friend at the LCC Marketplace.

David and I celebrated 9 years of marriage last month! He is such a hottie and gets more and more so each year! Malaya adores him! He has been working his tail off this summer but God has really blessed his business. It is growing!!!! YAY!!

Jen and Jed came and spent a few days up here and we spent a day at the zoo. Malaya loves Jed so much. He is such a fun kid!!

More highlights that lack pictures:

We got to go see John Mayer in concert. We had a great time with friends and the concert was amazing. John Mayer is such a fabulous musician. I now own each of his cd's. :)

I have gotten to lead a bible study on Wednesday mornings. I don't know all of the people very well but it has been such a gift to get to know these women in a spiritual sense b/c that is our genuine essence.

Malaya and I went and registered for second grade today. I can not believe I am a mother of a second grader!! She is so precious to me. I am really going to miss her when school starts:(

And now for the biggest highlight of this summer.......

THE PREMIERE OF HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited!! I think even more than Malaya!! And now I am going to close this blog to watch them on the View!!

Enjoy the rest of your summer!!

It's Been a Whirlwind!!

Well, we finished first grade and we have been off and running!! Here are some fun pics...Malaya at field day!

This past weekend we went down to Houston for Jed's 1st birthday party! We got to have fun time with Josh and Kayci and Truitt as well. We got there just in time on Friday to watch my brothers sky dive! I could NEVER do this but these 2 guys have always stretched themselves with danger:) My SIL, Kayci wants to go next time and David might go along too.

Malaya bought an MP3 player with her birthday money. I thought this picture was so cute. Jonathan and Jennifer each had an earpiece in their ear listening to a song that Malaya wanted them to listen to.

Mom and Dad enjoying their 3 grandkids at Jed's b-day party.
Truitt's first time to take a dive:) (No, we were not baptizing babies at the party:)
Enjoying his 1st birthday cake! Jen made the cakes from scratch and they were delicious!!


A few more updates:
The day we got out of school my SIL (David's sister), her 4 kids, and my MIL all stayed with us for 5 days!!! We had the best time. Have I mentioned before how much how love Dina! She is amazing!! I praise God for her friendship, her Godly wisdom/example and her conversation!
Malaya went home with them for 4 days. It was a little rough on me and Malaya but we made it through. I bawled for a few hours after she left but made it through with some entertainment from a friend. :) Malaya is going to 2 VBS's this week and is loving it, though she had to miss yesterday b/c I think her body just wore down!

We have a rally next Thursday at the Potter's House for anyone that is close that would like to come check out KidStand, Have some fun, and worship God with 1500 kids! Is there anything better??? If anything, please pray for the night!

We are looking forward to the rest of our summer. Hope you are having a great one!!

Blessings in Nephews

I am an aunt who is totally in love with her 2 nephews! The three of us made a trip down to H-town to see my newest nephew Truitt. He is PRECIOUS!! I also got to spend some fun playtime with Jed. He is one of the silliest kids!! He cracks me up! He and Truitt are going to have some good times ahead! Here are some fun pics from the weekend!

Isn't he beautifully handsome!!!

Such a weird ( in a good way:) stage of life to watch my brothers transition to being daddys! What a blessing it is to see them love their sons so passionately! Kayci and Jennifer are amazing moms! I can't wait to watch their families develop! I tell them both ALL the time (probably annoyingly too much:) that Malaya and I can not wait to babysit!!

Jed just keeps me in stitches (just like his dad). As you can see, his new game is peekaboo. He is one precious kiddo. I can not believe he is about to be the big ONE!!!

I LOVE being an auntie!! Next week 3 of my neices and one other nephew will be coming in town! Malaya is so excited to have her cousins come stay!! There will be lots of great memories to share!

We had a great Mother's Day! Good family time!Here is the precious miracle that gave me the title of mommy 8 years ago!! She makes my heart burst! Speaking of her...she is almost a stinkin' 2nd grader!!!!!!!!!!!!! Where does the time go???? I LOVE being her mom! I am excited about our summer together!

We passed through a major milestone tonight and I survived!! Every night since the day she was born (with the exception of a few nights when she was a new born and I was too tired:) I have read to her. As I was doing the dishes tonight I started thinking that one day she is not going to want me to read to her anymore, she will want to read by herself. It wasn't 10 minutes later and she came into the kitchen and said she would like to read on her own tonight!!! I think God put it on my heart to prepare me for the heart break. :(:(:(:( As we did bedtime I told her I would make a deal that she could start reading on her own but I still wanted one night a week! Is that selfish?? Don't tell me if you think it is:) Let me grovel in my own selfishness for as long as she will let me.

Pray for me....:)

MY SECOND NEPHEW IS BORN!!!

Well, Truitt arrived early!! He was born at about 3:30 today! Check out the handsome new Ross boy at www.truittross.blogspot.com
We will be waiting VERY impatiently till we get to see him next weekend! Please say a prayer over him!!
YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!

I'm Alive!!

I really have gotten bad with this blogging thing! Thought I would fill you friends and fam in on what has been going on in our world. It has been a busy, busy month. I feel like I am just now recovering from the weekend! I was wiped!!!

Continued from the last blog...Malaya wanted a slumber party this year so we had 8 little girls over for some pizza, dancing and no sleep:)

2 girls had to leave early so here is the all night crew. We had a dance contest which the girls took very seriously. There were some future KidStand back up dancers in the mix:) I will just show Malaya to not embarrass any of the girls! The party started right about the time tornado sirens started going off and it began down pouring! Another mom stayed b/c of hail so I calmly gathered all the girls and we sat in my bathtub for 30 minutes. Many funny times from that!

My cousin Hutt is graduating this year. A few ladies from their church threw Hutt a party. It was so nice! I can not believe he is graduating. He is one of the smartest people I know. He is an amazing baseball player! He has an amazing singing voice! He is a great leader in his youth group. I am so proud of him!
Another SUPER exciting thing is that my brother and sister in law will become parents next Monday the 7th!!!! She is being induced that day so hopefully he will come fast!! His name is Joshua Truitt Ross and we will call him Truitt!! I can not wait to meet him! These little nephews are going to be so much fun!! Jed and he will be good buddies and I am sure Malaya is ready to teach them all the ropes! Here is a pic from her shower a few weeks ago. Doesn't she look beautiful!! I love my girls!! I have such amazing sister in laws.!!Malaya is so blessed to have such great aunts. Almost every time we are with them Malaya wants to "dress them up" by either doing their make up or hair. Jenn is always so patient and lets Malaya do pretty much anything she wants. She allows Malaya to practice her "creativity":)
I wasn't able to get a great picture but Malaya signed up for a speaking part in their 1st grade play. I was so proud of her. We practiced her lines for weeks and she whipped them out like a pro! You may not be able to see but she is the pig! I cannot believe this year is almost over!!

This past weekend, the whole KidStand team went to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to do the children's area at a huge Christian festival! We worked our tails off but it was SOOO much fun and God was so good! When we first got there Satan tried his attack hard but we prayed and fought and God revealed his glory in some powerful ways!! 80 kids signed up to know more about Jesus and wanted to dedicate their lives to Him!! ( 26 of them never went to church before) Each child was individually counseled by our team and were encouraged to find a church home, Christian friends, to be baptized, and to start reading the Bible. It was an amazing experience to be a part of. Our team consists of some AMAZING people that I learn so much from. Because we were ministers at the festival we were allowed backstage access. On Friday night Jeremy Camp was the headliner! He led us through a powerful time of worship! I am such a huge fan of him and his wives music. The lyrics to their songs have meant so much to me at different phases in my life. "This is My Desire" is still one of my fav songs of all time! He is an amazing writer! So we were able hang out with him backstage for a bit and get a pic with our team! My friend, Liz got a pic so as soon as she sends it me I will post it!

On the last day the festival got finished about 6:00 so we took off to spend a few hours at the beach!! Considering the only beach I have ever been to is Galveston, I was stunned at the beauty of the beach! It was beautiful to be there with my friends and KidStand family! I love each one of them!!

Liz is taking the pic. But here is the line up: Joe - does our marketing and carrying equipment:), his wife Kim - does fundraising and lots of other stuff:), me - KidStand assitant (I dab a little in it all.) bottom is Marissa, KidStand dancer, Jessie - Kidstand visionary, founder, president, Valarie- KidStand dancer and actress, and Solrun (KidStand dancer).

Life is such an adventure! God is still working through a lot of junk in me but I hope He is being able to use the parts of my heart that do belong to Him. ("I pray that he continues his good work in me.") At least I hope it is good:):) I am learning a lot lately about the broad community of faith and it exists WAY outside of my little box. He is so much bigger than I have ever known and I know He will continue to amaze me right up to the point I look into His face of glory. It is a blessing to have people in my life that continuously point me to that moment and encourage me to live me life with that moment in mind!

Blessings on you until next month when I update:):)

Yep-She's 7

I can not believe it! I am the mother of a seven year old. The joy she has brought me is indescribable. She is a "precious one". As I prayed over her at bedtime tonight, fresh, new prayers were being put on my heart. I love this little girl beyond all understanding. Praise God for her birth, life and eternal existence. My life is forever changed b/c of the events of this day, 7 years ago! I love you, little Biz!!

Malaya's school took a field trip to the Dallas Arboretum. Mom and I went along for the fun! They had a class and learned about the metamorphisis of a butterfly. Here is Malaya demonstrating the stages. Feel free to use these pics for your children's learning pleasure:)

They also put on wings after they came out of their 'cocoon' but Malaya would not be still enought for me to get a good pic.

Fun b-day pics-

David went and got donuts for our birthday, breakfast in bed. Malaya got new goggles for this upcoming swimming season:)

Emaline and I took Malaya Mc Donald's for lunch today!

For some reason Malaya decided to revert back to being 1 and ate her molten cake and ice cream with her hands. What kind of mother would I be to stop her:)

Fun family game time ahead!

This day 7 years ago, God placed in my hands a little girl. A new perspective into heaven became a little more visible that day. I look forward to this 7th year of her life and seeing more of Him through her.