Happy FOURTH Birthday Kaylee!!!

Two Months
One Year
Two Years Old
Three Years Old
Four Years Old

I am sitting here today wondering where the time has gone as I am sure most mothers do. My sweet baby girl, my first born is FOUR today!! It seems like just yesterday when we were in the hospital waiting to see if we were going to be blessed with a boy or girl. Much to my surprise it was a beautiful baby girl with a head full of hair. Kaylee Nicole Beard came into this world on November 27, 2001 at 6:11pm and has been a joy ever since. I cannot even remember life before her and I do not really want to. Cary and I prayed for so long for this precious little angel. She has taught us many things over the years about ourselves. We have learned to pray much more than we ever did before, to stop and enjoy each accomplishment she has, and to never take a day for granted. The way she lights up a room with her smile and the twinkle in her eyes is wonderful. The zest she has for life is amazing and the way she never misses anything. (Thanks for keeping us on our toes.) I never could have imagined my personality on a little girl, but I can now strong will and all. She has the biggest little heart for those around her and she loves everyone. (especially her sister)
We love you to the moon and back sweet girl! Daddy and I cannot wait to see what the next year will bring for you. We already know for us it will be more joy and blessings because you are our daughter. We are so proud of you each day and thankful you are ours.

Thankful, Thankful, Thankful!!!

I am going to try to list the things that I am most thankful for this holiday season...

*My precious husband who provides for our family, unconditionally loves me and our girls, loves the Lord, and strives to be better each day than the day before.
*The great role model Cary is for our girls. May they be lucky enough to find a husband as wonderful as their father one day.
*My sweet girls who are healthy and happy.
*My family who always showers us with love and prayers.
*My dear friendships which I know will stand the test of time.
*Kaylee randomly giving me a hug, saying she loves me, and that I am the best Mommy ever!
*Going into Campbell's room and finding her smiling at me in her bed.
*Having several friends to call on at any given moment and know they would be there in a flash.
*That our friends Chad and Amy are leaving for China today to get their baby girl, Mia.
*Being able to worship the Lord freely in a country that I love.
*Shopping the day after Thanksgiving sales with good friends.
*Time with family during the holidays.
*Health of my girls, husband, parents, family, and friends.
*Kaylee's sweet heart.
*The way Kaylee loves Campbell already and Campbell loves Kaylee.
*Praying with my husband and girls.
*Being able to stay home with my girls every day and watch them grow without missing a moment.
*Being retired at 31. (That one's is for you Honey:)
*Not having to pack a single box when we move.
*My cell phone.
*People Magazine
*My favorite television shows.(Days of Our Lives, Lost, CSI, Oprah, Dr.Phil,etc...)
*Starbucks and Super Target
*Ladies Bible class on Tuesdays
*A home, car, clothes, and food each day which we often take for granted.
*The ability to finally reason with my four year old most of the time.
*The tea room in downtown Plano.
*Finding money when you least expect it.
*That we are loved by so many family and friends.

Hope you all have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving holiday!! May the Lord continue to bless each of you. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Thanksgiving Program

Well yesterday was the annual Thanksgiving Program at Sunshine School. Kaylee enjoyed singing all of the Turkey songs she had been practicing around the house for weeks. All of the children did really well. ( Including Campbell who managed to stay quiet the whole time.) We even laughed in all the places Kaylee had told us we were suppose to laugh. She wanted to make sure we knew just how to respond. It is always so much fun to see their little faces singing and laughing when they see a parent, sibling, grandparent, or friend that they know. This is definitely one of those moments we will remember and treasure forever!

Birthday Party

Well today was the big day for Kaylee! She finally got to have her four year birthday party. I do not know what it is about turning four but she has been so excited about it. The party was at a place called Encouragym which was just what she wanted. MY daughter would rather run, jump, and slide instead of playing dress-up so a Tea Party was out of the question. She also wanted to make sure boys could be at her party. (I do not think Cary is quite ready for her to be worried about that yet.) The main thing is she had a lot of fun and somehow Campbell even managed to get a little nap in. It was nice at the end of the day to have one more party behind us and several months before I have to plan another one.

Prayers for the Day...

I do not even know where to begin this week because it is only Tuesday and so much has happened....

I am going to start with my dear friend Amy who is caring, giving, sweet spirited, a devoted wife, mother, daughter, and friend. She is one of those people who would do anything for you in a pinch. Amy found out on Sunday that her Mom had been taken to the emergency room with pneumonia. Since that time she has had several complications which moved the doctors in the direction of placing her in a drug enduced coma. She continues to fight this battle today and is in great need of many prayers. So if you happen to be reading this please say a prayer for Carol and the rest of Amy's family. I found myself struggling today when visiting with Amy at the hospital because as a woman we want to fix things and make it better. Isn't that what we spend a lot of our day doing? (especially if you have small children at home) I just wanted to take her pain away. This thought made me reflect on the Ladies Bible Study lesson we talked about today. We are studying The Patriarchs of the Bible. One of the women brought up how hard it is to keep from trying to manipulate an outcome in a given situation and how when we do try this it may have the outcome we want for a little while but it does not stick unless it is God's will. This caused me to think of all the times I have prayed specifically for something and forgotten to follow the prayer with "let thy will be done". Is that me trying to manipulate an outcome? I believe that I probably do at times. Why is it so hard to pray "thy will be done"? I know God has my best interest at heart but I fear the outcome at times. I suppose that is just part of human nature, something for else for me to work on.

My other thought for the day is of a friend who is a wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, mentor, and the list could continue for a while but I will stop here. My sweet friend did not get the outcome we were hoping and praying for with her first Xray and will undergo an MRI this evening to review the situation further. Please pray that she does not have to go through anymore surgery if it be God's will. She has such a kind heart and spirit.

Please lift both of my friends up in prayer tonight because they need to feel God's loving arms around them giving them peace and comfort.

I pray that all of my friends and family know how important they are to me and how much I love and value our relationships. May you each always know the place you have in my heart!

Sorry for the rambling at times but it has been a long day.

Where's your chair?

I have to pass along one of Kaylee's heartstring moments... When I went to Ladies Class the other day Kaylee was playing with friends in her class as usual. Just as they do each week she went outside to play and while they were playing Mrs. Rebecca came outside and there was not a chair for her to sit on. Kaylee said,"Mrs. Rebecca, where are you going to sit because there is no chair for you?" Rebecca says,"Well Kaylee I do not know, what do you think I should do?" Kaylee, "Well you could go sit on the blue bench." Rebecca,"But then I would have to sit all by myself away from the other teachers." Kaylee,"Well I could sit with you and talk to you so you would not be alone." Rebecca,"That is really sweet Kaylee but I think I will get a chair from inside so you can play with your friends." Kaylee, "Okay then." It made me feel so good when Rebecca told me about this to know she is getting the point about caring about others even when I am not around to remind her. I know that she is bigger than I realize. I pray that the Lord will continue to guide us on the path of teaching Kaylee (and Campbell) the right way to act and live according to his word. Thank you Lord for my precious girls and their sweet hearts.

Big Orange Pumpkin Farm

Well tonight was the Big night at the Big Orange Pumpkin Farm!! Kaylee had been looking forward to this all week.
She was most excited about her and Campbell wearing their matching overalls. She was sure to point that out to several of our friends.

I do not know what she enjoyed the most. From the time we walked up to the gate to the moment we left she experienced everything. The sheep and goats were the first activity because she wanted to feed the animals. Of course, her favorites were the baby sheep and goats as she called them. She wanted to make sure they got their fair share of the food. I was very impressed that she would let them lick the food out of her hand. I have to admit even I was a little leary but she loved it!

Next she found her friend Garrison and they were off to explore. They soon found the barrel train that was being pulled by the very nice man on the mini tractor.The smiles on their faces made the night. You would have thought it was Christmas morning. I think she enjoyed riding this a minimum of three times. The only reason she got off was to eat supper.

After a quick bite to eat they were off for a few pictures and a lot of playing followed by a hayride. What better way to end the day!



I had to get Campbell with her boyfriend Trenton and the two Big sisters.





Thank you Kristen for all of the hard work!! We had a wonderful evening.

Trick or Treat

Halloween was a lot of fun this year. Kaylee got to go trick-or-treating with her sweet friend Kylie. They were so cute as Aurora and Cinderella. It was funny to watch them go up to each door and see the reaction of the people to these two little girls. I think there were a lot of teenagers out in our neighborhood so two little girls were a welcomed treat. We made it a few streets before we circled back to the Rutledge's street for some bounce house fun. I think that made Kaylee's day complete, of course all of the candy she had to look at when she got home helped too. Kaylee has already asked me when Halloween is coming back. I am glad to say we have a year!

Aurora and Cinderella


Bounce House fun!!!


Cinderella & the Bunny (my two precious girls)


My sweet baby girl did not even mind her costume. She was a toasty warm bunny and seemed to love it!!

Fall Festival

The Sunshine School Festival was a big hit with the parents and the children on Thursday. Kaylee really enjoyed her Daddy being there with her too. They got to go bowling, go fishing, play roll the pumpkin, get tatoos ( temporary of course),and bounce in the bounce house. Here are a few pictures of her sweet class and their pumpkins. They were all so precious!







Campbell also had fun at the Fall Festival with her boyfriend Trenton.