thoughts and a playground

I frequently hear comments about wanting to freeze time from parents. Especially parents who have small children. Now having a emerging toddler, I wholly agree.

This past weekend we were in Little Rock, meeting with friends in the area to share about our ministry with them. The house where we were staying was conveniently located across the street from a playground. Holding RK’s fifteen month old hand as we crossed the street to the playground, I too wanted to freeze time. 

Each time we would walk out the door, RK would anxiously point to the playground in hopes that we would be making another trip there. Even though she was too small for the playground, she had the time of her life climbing up the stairs and leaping to the slides. What a fun job it is, to be her Mom and watch her as she discovers new things each day.

baby afghan #2

I just finished my second baby afghan, and loved making it. Although they take a lot of yarn, I love how quick and simple they are to make. Making them can become quite addicting too. After Ruby Kay goes to bed, Ben and I have been enjoying watching a show or two, which is a great time to work on things crafty. 

After finishing the border, I double the stitch all the way around to create a slight ruffle. Next time, I think I'll plan for more yarn at the end so I can do an even bigger ruffle. I made this for my sweet niece, Ellanora. I won't tell you which holiday she was supposed to get it by, but I will tell you that it was a little over ten months late. Yikes!

A Trip Down Memory Lane to Oklahoma

For the past few months, I keep thinking that I need to write an update post on this little space. I love having a personal blog that chronicles fun trips and everyday life. 

To take a trip down memory lane, this blog began back in 2010, right after Ben and I got married, and were attending the Kanakuk Institute. It's where we announced our move to Fayetteville, AR and settled into our first apartment together. This blog has always been a carefree space, that I have used to share about our lives. In a sense, this space is my "online scrapbook" of our favorite trips, holidays, and crafting adventures. 

My content changed a bit after announcing that we were expecting, especially with all the maternity posts, and then when we welcomed Ruby Kay into our family. I also wrote monthly letters to Ruby Kay here (and still need to finished months 11 and 12!). I loved writing about my first quilt, and our dream vacation to the Bahamas. Ever so often, I would write about things I was learning and experiencing that were close to my heart. 

With our newest chapter of life opening up, I think it's important to change gears a little bit. I hinted at the change over a year ago, but now it is official. Ben and I are now on staff with Cru (Campus Crusade), and will be serving at Oklahoma State University! We are so excited to be on campus, working with college students, and encouraging them to grow and reproduce their faith in the Lord. Even though we both grew up in Christian families, we both were impacted by having mentors in college that modeled their faith in the Lord so well. Because of our love for the Lord, and our burden to spread the gospel of Christ- we are following the Lord's calling to work with college students!

Right now, we are in the process of building our team of partners and will be moving to Stillwater, Oklahoma, once our team is complete. Until then, we will still be in Fayetteville calling the hogs, and travelling to meet with people to share about our ministry. We are so thankful for the support of our friends and family as we have stepped out in faith!

Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” Matthew 28: 18-20

Labor Day in the Arkansas Outdoors

For Labor Day this year, we drove up to a waterfall in Bella Vista with some of our friends. We made the rookie move of forgetting our daughter's swimsuit, swim diaper, and water shoes. Despite the mistake, we had a great time and enjoyed splashing in the waterfall. We love our friends so much and are so thankful for friends who have kids with similar ages to Ruby Kay. It is so refreshing to be around people who understand the ups and downs of parenting and being go-with-the-flow when it comes to life.

It has been so fun to see our little girl become an adventurer. The older she gets, the more curious she becomes. It is such a cool thing to be able to see her grow up, and we are so proud of our sweet girl. Next year she will probably be jumping off the waterfalls!

Ruby Kay and her doll, Lola.

One of Ruby Kay's first birthday presents was her very own baby doll. Her name is Lola. I researched different Baby Doll brands for a while, and finally decided on the Corolle brand. I love how classic and sweet they are.

RK and Lola are still getting to know each other, and it is so fun to see my little baby pretend to be a mama to her baby. So far Ruby Kay likes to cuddle and kiss her baby. The other day I asked RK to give her baby a high five, and she gave Lola a high five in the face!

Ruby Kay visits the Fair

While my parents were in town this past week, we joined them and the Allens for a night at the County Fair. It was Ruby Kay's first official trip to the Fair, and it was so fun to see everything through her eyes. Washington County hosts a good sized fair, and it was especially enjoyable to see all the animals. My parents both grew up participating in 4H, and our little girl may someday too! :)

We took Ruby Kay on the ferris wheel, which was such a nerve-wracking experience! She was pretty fidgety, and couldn't see outside very well. Towards the end of our short ride, I had to hold her tighter because she was getting really restless, which made her fussy. Just one more example of what life is really like with a baby- opposed to what it looks like on the outside. Keeping it real!

backyard livin'

During our busy summer of travels, we were able to stay at my in-laws home for a few weeks. I really enjoyed living away from the city, and loved spending time in their huge backyard. They were really sweet to buy Ruby Kay a kiddie pool, and so we often spent the afternoon hours outside playing in the shade. 

One day, I took my camera out and enjoyed taking pictures of their flowers and garden. My in-laws grow an impressive garden every summer, and we enjoyed all our garden-fresh meals during our stay. 

Left to Right: Green Beans, Tomatoes, Jalapenos (farther back), Bell Peppers, and Zucchini.

The tomatoes were not ready during our stay, but we enjoyed watching them grow.

A few Instagrams from our visit too..

exploring in tennessee

Earlier this summer, we stopped for lunch in Lynchburg, Tennessee on our way home from Georgia. It was the cutest little town, and we enjoyed the BBQ and a few shops downtown. 

Sweet as a peach. We say it all the time, but we are so thankful for our sweet RK. She has been such a good baby for us, despite our crazy summer travelling all over America!

It took us a while to get a table, but we really enjoyed the food once it was ready! Ben absolutely loves BBQ, and being married to him means that I get to try all different kinds.

Lynchburg is also home to the Jack Daniel's distillery- but I think Ruby Kay might be a little too young for that! :)

ruby kay's first birthday party

for ruby kay's first birthday, we had a flamingo themed party in the evening to celebrate with friends and family. we reserved a gazebo at a local park in fayetteville, and decorated everything in shades of pink. since we had been travelling for the three weeks leading up to her birthday, we tried to keep everything simple and easy. i tried to take pictures all throughout our day, since both sets of grandparents were out of town.  

we kept the menu simple, since we had an evening party. our guests enjoyed cupcakes, candy, and drinks. ben jumped on opportunity to get his favorite birthday cake oreo's.

i printed off a few favorite instagrams from our year with rk. when i picked them up from walgreens, i almost got teary eyed seeing her transformation in picture form starting as a brand new baby to a walking toddler! the first year really does go by so fast! the first picture of her is still so special to me, because it's the first time i saw what she looked liked while waiting for the nurses to bring her to me after my c-section!

after waiting to find out if ruby kay was a boy or girl until she was born, i thought it might be appropriate to go all out with the pink theme. also, pink decorations are so easy to find!

sisters, but missing one!

i spy a little girl who found the apple juice!

ruby kay's "smash cake" was simple: white cake and frosting with sprinkles. she surprised us all by being polite and slow with her cake. ben and i both expected her to dig right in and make a mess! i guess we might be able to save money on etiquette school in the future. :)

 

we had such a nice evening celebrating our little girl. we are so proud of her, and are grateful to God for making us her parents. she has taught so much about selflessness and love, and has made our year so sweet. here's to many more with our sweet girl! thanks to everyone who made her day so special too. we are so blessed by our friends and family, and feel so special when people love our little girl!