Hello - see what we have been up to this week!

Baby tomatoes we started from seed and they are getting ready to go to the backyard.  Payton has been amazed watching them grow from seed to this.  I love the fact that we are teaching our children where our food comes from.  I read some study not long ago that said that most children don't know where our food comes from they think that the grocery store makes it.

Our little hammock and out building (needs painting) we built last fall.

View of the garden from our back door!  This all used to be swimming pool.

Well I haven't been blogging, I have been too busy digging and playing in the garden.  I even convinced my sweet man to play hookie with us on Monday and we played ALL DAY long outside.  It is looking so nice.  I wish I had digital pics of what this place looked like when we first bought it.  I may try and dig out the old photos and take a picture of the photo.  You would never guess there was a HUGE, old nasty swimming pool in our backyard only two years ago.

Clay and his girls digging out the flowerbed.

Finished product!

One of Payton's artistic views - yes she took it.  I am a proud momma.

Look at my Clematis's blooming like crazy!

spinach and sweet lettuce

Look at the new arbor Clay fashioned so that we can have morning glories on both entrances to the garden.  Our climbing green beans will have a place to climb as well.

This is our tomato stake arbor that my sweet handy man of a husband built me.  I found it in my beloved "Cottage Living" magazine.

The start of my perennial flower bed.

The girls and Clay digging in the dirt.

Look at those sweet dirty piggies.

This is my garage sale buy on Saturday morning...my retro watering can turned planter!  

Only $2.00!  It is one of those finds that makes your heart race when you see it and make you smile every time you see it in your home.

Eden and Alexa looking out the window.  They are exactly four weeks and one day apart.

My sweet hubby making  heart shaped flower bed in our newly rocked old flower bed.  

Eden digging in the dirt.

Yep, it is what you think.  We are teaching her to go and pee in the corner outside.  Ha - there is no reason for everything to stop and everyone to go inside for just a little tinkle.

And this is the end.  Now God is bringing us some rain to help my little peas, flowers and green beans grow into plants soon!

~Grace and Peace,

Holly

Rain

It is permission to relax,
read a book,
take a nap,
watch out the window,
turn out the lights,
light a candle,
listen,
open a window,
pray,
snuggle,
just take a deep breath.
It is about to rain here and it is good for my soul.

Well we survived!!! It was a wonderful trip and the girls had many new experiences from riding in airplanes, subways and being hit up for money from several homeless people. Below is our account of the weekend through photos. They are pretty much in order, I have not mastered how to get my photos to load in a particular order.

Eden Grace before take off in Tulsa!

Somewhere over Oklahoma.

On the Tram ride at DFW airport. Payton says this was one of her favorite things.

Payton on the trip from Dallas to Atlanta. We had quite a bit of bumps that about sent me over the edge but she didn't even notice!

The four of us on the airplane!

This reminded us of Payton's picture in the backyard. (See previous post.)

The subway ride in Atlanta. Wow - it made me realize how much of a little bubble I live in here in Oklahoma!

This was Payton watching all the different people on the subway. I am pretty sure she learned some new words that shouldn't be repeated.

Baggage Claim!

This was our view from the Mariott Marquis in downtown Atlanta, GA!

We were on the 34th floor.

The girls and me looking out our window.

This was inside our hotel and I didn't care for the elevator ride up and down to our 34th floor! Payton on the other hand went right to the window and looked out!

This is Baby Bella, she was one of four little girls on the trip with us.

This is another one, baby Alexa. Alexa and Eden are only 4 weeks apart.

Payton photographing her little people she was playing with in the hotel room.

The conference, that looks more like a concert and sounded more like a southern gospel revival - we are not sure really what we attended, we just know we had a ton of fun and learned a lot!

Sweet Eden snoozing in bed. Early mornings and late nights.

The beds were super nice!

Six o'clock in the morning - leaving the hotel to head for home.

Payton and Clay trying to run off some energy in between sessions at the conference.

A sweet note that Payton wrote and then took a photo of in the hotel room.

Dallas Airport lunch and babies playtime.

Kaytie Jo with us leaving the hotel.

We had so much fun and we were SO worn out by the time we got home!

~Holly

More moments and photos

So we have been doing several fun things that we have taken photos of in the past couple of weeks and I thought I would share them with you! :)  They are kind of in random and out of sorts order.

A fun visit from Nicole - Kaytie Jo's (our roomate) old roomate.  She is so funny and great.  We shared a wonderful meal of buritto bowl's with her.

This is cool mosaic table that we made as a community at church on Easter morning.

Payton eating honey seared chicken at Pei Wei on her birthday evening.  It is her favorite meal!

The big happy family at the big party on Saturday.

Kiddos decorating cookies to eat!

Payton has been doing a little photography on the side these days and this is one of the pictures I found on the camera.  I found it hilarious - hope you do too.

Payton photographing our garden bed with baby lettuce and spinach poking.

The four year old birthday girl on Friday evening.

Blowing out the candles.

Sweet Eden Grace swinging on the new swing set in the backyard.

Payton Jayde swinging and showing off her fruit leather in the backyard.  The girls got money for Christmas from grandparents and other family members to build a swing set.  So we finally got around to building it last week. When I say "we" I really mean my dad and wonderful husband.  It is a legal buy for those of you questioning if it is new or not... "the panel" of judges said it was okay because it was money received before the new year for a specific gift. :)

Payton and Eden on the front porch Easter Morning

Eden at our Good Friday service.

Payton and her fabulous Easter Eggs!

Payton's Portrait of Clay on a picnic at Mohawk Park

On a hike at Oxley Nature Center with our friends the Ruckers.

Payton resting on bench already at the beginning of our hike. She is totally a city girl, reminds me of myself a lot.  Hopefully we will get her past this city girl stage and into nature lover very soon.

This little thing was photographed by Payton in our house one day.  When going back thru our camera I discovered it.  We have been visited by some mice of late and I honestly thought this was one of them.  However after I screamed upon viewing it, Payton let me know it was just one of her tiny toy cows she was photographing.

Well there it is in nutshell over the last couple of weeks.  I am getting the camera all charged up and ready to head out for Atlanta tomorrow.  I am sure we will be back with many more photos and tales.  Between riding shuttles, airplanes and subways surely we will come home with some kind of fun.

~Grace and Peace ~

Holly