memorial weekend camping

We just got back from camping  for Memorial Weekend with Ben's family. This was our second year to bring Ruby Kay, and each time gets more fun. Last year, Ruby Kay was 10 months, and just learning how to walk. She loved walking in the cold lake, and played a lot in a sandy area with a few of her toys. And although it was rainy at times, we still had a great time. Ben's parents have a camper, and we love "glamping" instead of sleeping in a tent like we have done in the past. Here are posts from the two past years: 2014 and 2013.

We brought my sister's tin tub so that Ruby Kay could play for a bit. She loved it, and I couldn't resist taking pictures of her. Can hardly believe that she will be two years old this July. Where has the time gone?

Peek a Boo!

 

Snow Day

 

This morning we woke up to a magical blanket of snow outside. Ben and I were especially excited about our first snowfall, because it meant playing with Ruby Kay in it for the first time. At first, she was afraid of the snow, then her fear turned to intrigue, and by the end she was in love with it all. After we went back inside, she stood by the door and begged to go outside.

I made a short video of clips that Ben took of us playing outside together. Here is is the link for the video: https://vimeo.com/119821368.

Even with all the hard days pf being a wife and a mom, I wouldn't trade this life for anything. Playing with my husband and my little girl outside made today an extra sweet day.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! We spent the day at Papa and Mimi's house, and had a great time. Ben and I went out to a special dinner last night, so we had a chill day at home with Ben's parents. We started the day with pink and red pancakes, played outside, went on a walk to the nearby lake, and made chocolate covered strawberries.

I sewed a simple heart onto a plain grey t-shirt for RK to wear today. It was an easy project that made our day feel fun and festive. I wanted to take pictures of her shirt to remember, and let Ruby Kay see herself in the camera which resulted in these cute faces.

Happy Day of Love!

Life Lately...

This past month has been busy, busy, busy! We went straight from Thailand to a Cru conference in Ft. Worth, and have been travelling since then. I keep meaning to post more on here, but in the hustle and bustle, I haven't pulled out my camera in a while. 

Until then, I thought I would share some of my favorite instagrams from the past few weeks. 

We were lucky to celebrate Grandma Julie's 85th birthday at her party in Branson. The night before the party, Ruby Kay's Great Aunts spend the night with us at Mimi's house for a cupcake making slumber party. At the actual party Ruby Kay was a magnet to the cookie table. 

One of our its-too-cold-to-play-outside activities that we do indoors is washi tape paper to the coffee table and color. One day I came home to find the picture on the right that Ben set up for RK to color.

Lately Ruby Kay has been waking up from her nap in a grouchy mood. We try to combat it by giving her cuddles and snacks to coax her back into her happy self.

Aunt Lori visited us a few weekends ago for her Birthday, and we had fun around town in Fayetteville. The weather was nice so we biked around Lake Fayetteville, and had fun with Lori's Selfie Stick. The next day we went to the Park with Ellanora and Bethany, and the little girls had a great time.

Ruby Kay and Ellanora are the sweetest cousins together. The week before last Ellie Faye spent the night with us, and the girls didn't stop playing for a second.

I truly do love every day life with this girl. At 19 months she is full of energy and life, and keeps me on my toes.

So there is a little bit from the past few weeks. Thanks for reading!

elephant rides, ox cart rides, and bamboo rafting in thailand

while we were in thailand for our family's christmas this past year, we spent a morning being tourists. growing up, we rode elephants countless times since we had mission trips frequently visiting that wanted to see the elephants. it was so special to be able to include ben and ruby kay on this part of my life.

ruby kay and aunt marisa. it was so sweet to my thailand sister love on my girl. especially after years of me being the aunt, it was fun to let her take a turn being ruby kay's auntie.

little girl was a little timid around the big elephants. i couldn't blame her though, when i was little they used to terrify me!

sugar cane and bananas to feed the hungry elephants, or in some cases the elephant trainers. i'm pretty sure lori and hayley's elephant trainer ate their sugar cane instead of giving it to their elephant.

 ruby kay with her papa and daddy. one lucky girl.

 i already miss this tropical paradise!

 ox cart rides!

after sitting still during the elephant show, rk wanted me to take her on a walk.

ellanora and her nina. 

one of my favorite pictures of ruby kay and i together in my favorite country.

coloring with ruby kay

now that we are back in cold weather, we spent our days almost completely indoors. to combat the winter blues, we had fun coloring on the coffee table one day last week. since we didn't have any butcher paper on hand, we used the back side of wrapping paper. 

i made sure to encourage rk to only color on the paper, but washable crayons are forgiving during the "learning" phase. she only colored on one other table, and it was easy to clean off.

ruby kay discovered that sitting on the table is fun too. overall, this was a great activity to do together with my girl.

Visiting Iowa

This week we are in Iowa, meeting with people in the area to share about our ministry. Ruby Kay has been getting extra time with her Nina and Papa, and is loving playing outside. The temperature here is a lot colder, so we try to bundle up little girl before she goes outside.

 I love this navy striped hoodie of hers, but if she isn't wearing a bow or girly pants- she often gets called "Buddy". My Mom and I laughed about it last night- wondering if we should dress her in more girly clothes, or just let Ruby Kay be called "Buddy".

We have one full week before we head back home. We are trying to enjoy Iowa before we head back home to Arkansas!

Exploring Little Rock

A few weeks ago, Ben and I spent time in Little Rock for work. On Saturday, we took a break from appointments, and toured the city with our good friends, Daniel and Lauren. They first took us to the Old Mill, which was gorgeous. The opening scene from Gone With the Wind was filmed there, and had unique structures made out of concrete to look like wood, iron, and stone.

This bridge was made completely from concrete, but was so beautiful. I love the reflection of the bridge on the water.

 

After we visited the Mill, we went to the old State House. After living in Arkansas for the past three years, it was fun to learn more about the beginnings of the State, We also loved the River Market, especially the walking bridges over the Arkansas River.

We are thankful for a fun day exploring with some of our favorite friends. Hope we can repay the favor to them when we are in Stillwater!