Children Are ...

Whoa! I knew I had put the blog on the back burner, but honestly had no idea it had been SO long. I'm committed to refocusing a little time updating now that the kids are back in school so bear with me as I share about summer activities, first day of school and such in the next week or so.

Today I wanted to share this "poem" that was given to us on back to school night.

Children Are ...
Amazing, acknowledge them
Believable, trust them
Childlike, allow them
Divine, honor them
Energetic, nourish them
Fallible, embrace them
Gifts, treasure them
Here now, be with them
Innocent, delight with them
Joyful, appreciate them
Kindhearted, learn from them
Lovable, cherish them
Magical, fly with them
Noble, esteem them
Open-minded, respect them
Precious, value them
Questioners, encourage them
Resourceful, support them
Spontaneous, enjoy them
Talented, believe in them
Unique, affirm them
Vulnerable, protect them
Whole, recognize them
Xtraspecial, celebrate them
Yearning, notice them
Zany, laugh with them

This first month of school has proven to be difficult so as I pulled this out today and reread it, I paused to reflect on each of these adjectives (character traits if you will). Each trait can easily be seen in our children - some more than others. I wish to embrace, build up & esteem these traits in them. So when they come home ravishing hungry, grumbling about the low points of the day or complaining about homework assignments or less than perfect grades (we live with a child who strives for perfection), I want to delight in them rather than allow my tensions to rise; affirm them that they are great students giving it their all; and celebrate them when they reach benchmarks and their personal goals.

Happy Father's Day

Happy {belated} Father's Day to this handsome guy. 

To the one who is greeted with squeals and embraces upon returning home from work. 

To the one who is our handyman; Mr. Fixit; ask and he will build it man.

To our landscaper and lawn care keeper.

To the one who plays catch, hits countless golf balls and pushes the swing a little longer and higher. 

To our provider and protector.

To the one our three beautiful kiddos call Daddy-O. 

We love you endlessly ...

and will never grow tired of planting kisses on you!

Well maybe Boo will, but we won't tell him that yet :)

And to my Dad,

You are treasured.

You are loved.

You are such a big part of who I am and have become - both the good and the ugly not so good. I am a people lover just like you. We know no stranger and make everyone to feel liked and appreciated. I am short on patience just like you. We both need to work on this one :) I am bold in making a situation right when I have been wronged just like you (hellooooo AT&T Uverse billing department). I ask a million questions, sometimes questions that aren't any of my business,  just like you. We are detail people and we aren't afraid to ask for information when it isn't given. I am frugal and conscientious of spending money wisely just like you. My mealtime isn't complete without it being followed by something sweet  just like your mealtimes. (Does having a sweat tooth qualify as a good quality we share or does that fall into the not so good category? :)) I love my family fiercely just like you. 

You are an incredible encourager and supporter of your family.

You are a huge blessing as both a Father and Grandfather to ALL your grands.

You make us laugh!

I don't tell you enough how much your love means to me and how your presence in my family's life makes it richer. 

To both of you,

I love you! We love you!

Happy Father's Day!

There was a Tiny Turtle

We spent our Memorial Day at our favorite home away from home aka my brother's beautiful house on Lake Lotawana. The kids fished and swam off the dock thee.entire.day while I split my time between supervising them, visiting with my SIL and nephew, and lounging. Gabrielle caught her biggest fish to date but unfortunately when I sent my phone with Dawson for Travis to take a picture in my absence, he took a 2 second video instead. Oops! 

I love that my kids enjoy fishing and are making these memories!

Gabrielle found this stinkin' teeny tiny turtle while swimming near the buoy and immediately snatched her up. She proclaimed she saved it from nearly getting hit by a boat :) It was love at 1st sight! She had been asking for a pet of her very own for months ... specifically a fish, but a turtle undoubtedly trumped a fish! She named her Shelby (Sheldon for a boy perhaps) and created a make shift home in a large SOLO cup to bring her home. Without giving too many details much, much time, research and visits to the local pet stores took place over the course of the next several days. It was agonizing gathering all the details and weighing a decision to make quite a costly investment to make this little creature a permanent member of our family or to choose to return her back into her natural habitat. 

We learned Shelby is a hatchling red-eared slider. They can live 20 - 30 years but their life expectancy is shortened when in captivity. They require both aquatic life as well as sun basking to thrive and grow at a rather rapid rate. 

This picture perfectly portrays Gabi's affection toward her new tiny friend and her angst (shown in her tear) about making the wisest decision to set her free. I also adore the picture because it shows her newly acquired tooth gap which we awaited and highly anticipated for all too long! 

I took Gabrielle to a nearby large pond to return Shelby to her natural habitat. She was emotional in pondering the what ifs of Shelby adjusting to her new surroundings and questioning her survival. I assured her she/we had made the best decision and Shelby would be all the happier. 

As we pulled away toward home it began to rain.  We looked off to the east and there was a beautiful rainbow. It lightened the mood and turned sadness into joy. 

"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." 

Genesis 9:13

That's a Wrap

Another school year is in the books. No pun intended :) 

May 21st t'was a big day at the Hicks house.

This handsome dude graduated Kindergarten! 

Can you see the excitement in his face as we loaded for carpool? I could reach through this screen right NOW and plant a smooch on his adorable face! I'm so.not.ready for him to lose that baby face :(

This may be thee only picture I got of Dawson with his teacher, Mrs. Anita Davis.

Dawson's class grew from 16 to 18 at semester with twins, Will & Addison moving into the district. They were a great bunch of kids who were energetic but eager to learn.

The following day was Gabrielle's last day of 3rd grade. Unlike Dawson, she was NOT ready for the school year to come to an end! Any guesses why? Let me give you a hint. She is pictured above ^^^! We couldn't have asked for a better teacher for G. Ms. Lindsey was fun, full of energy (she had to be with a class of 27 rowdy, rambunctious, non-stop talking kids), encouraging, edifying, and an absolute treasure of a Christian example for our girl. She prayed regularly for and with Gabrielle.

As their mom, I was really looking forward to time at home with them this summer so was glad to say goodbye to the school year. We're keeping our summer carefree with minimal commitments. I somewhat chuckle as I type that as the kids have MAD camp this week, VBS next week, baseball season running through July, Gabrielle will attend her 1st overnight summer camp in early July and an online program that is occupying much of their time. Add doctor appointments, necessary errands, swimming & play dates to that and our weeks are full to overflowing!  

Look out Summer, we're out for some fun!

What's Cooking

BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Recipe and photo "stolen" from the interweb

Do yourself a favor and make this for your family. It does not disappoint!

Ingredients:
3 lb pork roast
2 T olive oil
Montreal Steak Seasoning
3 - 4 C Root Beer, Dr. Pepper or Coke
1 1/2 - 2 C Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce
Rolls to serve on

Prep:
Season one side of your roast generously with Montreal Seasoning
Work seasoning into meat with your fingers
Warm olive oil in a skillet before placing meat, seasoned side down, into skillet
Season top side of roast while "bottom" side is searing nicely
Turn roast over and sear side 2
* This will cause your meat to become a bit crusty. You want this as it provides the meat a nice smokey/salty flavor *
Poke roast with a fork a couple times and transfer to crockpot
Pour soda over the roast and cook on low for 7 hours
Shred meat with a fork
Cook an additional hour
Drain juices and pour in BBQ sauce
Cook an additional 30 - 60 minutes
Serve on Rolls

Delicious and perfect for left overs or serving guests

Other recipes worth noting:
No Peek Beef Tips
www.mommyskitchen.net

Beefy Sour Cream Noodle Bake
www.therecipecritic.com

What are/have been of your tried and true recipes?
Please leave links in the comments.
These are all new recipes I've added to our recipe binder recently.

Melt

I really don't have words to describe the joy I feel looking back on this series of pictures.
Our church, Cedar Ridge Christian Church, hosts a Daddy Daughter dance biennially. This years theme was a spin off the ever so popular Disney movie Frozen which we simply titled Melt. Think frozen/winter turned spring. The planning team worked cohesively on theme, preparations, decor, food, set up and tear down which made for a very pleasant experience for all. 

My sweet friend gifted us McKenna's dress which I big puffy heart LOVE!

 I purchased Gabrielle's coordinating dress at JcPenney.
The matching hair bows were found at Children's Orchard.
The pictures below were taken with my DSLR and display a more true to life color of the

dresses. 

 

The girls had a fun time getting ready for the dance getting their hair done, putting on lipgloss & wearing fancy new gold shoes ...

And {overpriced} corsages of course!

It is times such as this that I am so thankful that God gave these two one another. 

Sisters. 

Although there is a six year age gap between them there is an undeniable bond they share. 

Hopefully one day they will call each other not only sister, but best friend. 

Thank you to Melissa McGee Photography for volunteering her talents and for the beautiful image above. 

Spring GOTR

Hey!

Yo!

You Go Girl!

You Go Girl, Go!

Another season has come and gone of Girls on the Run. It was a season chalk full of inspiring girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience based curriculum which incorporates a lesson, stretching, warm up (practical application of the lesson) and running. 

It was also a season of seeing the returning girls grow exponentially in their strengths. For some that is encouraging other girls, for others being an amazing team player and yet others interjecting humor into our time together. Each girl grew in their love of running ... or so I like to think they each did :)

{Gabrielle celebrating the completion of our practice 5K} 

Each GOTR teammate was encouraged to invite someone to participate in the practice 5K as their running buddy. Gabi chose no other than her beloved teacher, Mrs. Lindsey. Maci was such a source of encouragement to Gabrielle which I believe strongly factored into her shaving several minutes off her completion time from the Fall season's practice run. 

We had 13 girls participate in the Spring session of GOTR. We will lose two of our participants this coming Fall as they will be moving on to middle school however we are expecting a lot of growth and are already making plans for a 2nd team! 

I spent the better part of an afternoon the week before our season finale 5K race making pinwheel hair bows for the team to wear. The lead coach, Nicole, reverse tie dyed our race tee shirts which turned out great! 

The Friday prior to the season ending 5K run at Corporate Woods we completed a service project. The girls each decorated a dozen paper lunch sacks and stuffed them with canned meat, fruit, chips, granola bar and bottled water to feed the homeless in the KC area. I loved watching some of the girls tap into their artistic side. 

It was a bittersweet ending to our Spring GOTR season. We had an absolutely perfect morning for our race. I am blessed to be a small part of instilling great values and encouragement into these girls. I'm already anticipating the Fall season and new curriculum!

Wordle

To: Mommy

From: Gabrielle 

Happy Mother's Day

{Please excuse the poor quality scanned image}

I treasure this thoughtful gift from Gabrielle and have it proudly displayed in our kitchen.

It encompasses all the words that quickly come to mind when she thinks of me. 

I adore that she included dogs because our family has a shared love for the 4 legged fuzzy friends :)

What I love most about this simple piece of "art" is that all these words also describe her. She is 

Beautiful, Christian, Clean, Fair, Happy, Loving, Organized, Silly, Sweet & Trustworthy. She is also extremely artistic, creative, compassionate and a loyal friend to a fault. 

You can go here to www.wordle.net to create your own. 

I think they would make an awesome gift for any occasion!

Silver Bullets Soccer

This little dude was so excited for the opportunity to participate in soccer again this Spring. Last year we signed him up with Sporting Tykes through the YMCA and it quickly became apparent that he loved the game. We knew this Spring we wanted him to be involved in a more "competitive" league so we chose Kansas Rush Soccer Club. The teams consist of six same age players. Dawson was fortunate to play with three other Meadow Lane Kindergartners as well as two boys from other area elementary schools. 

The red streaks under his eyes are NOT the latest in soccer accessory/fashion.

They're signs of the poor kid suffering terribly from allergies :( 

Dawson plays a mean game of defense but put the ball near him and he gives it his all! He is a hustler and has a fierce determination to win. He scored multiple goals within the season scoring two in his final game. 

Dawson, Brady, Caleb and Christiano

Missing from photo - Noah and Peyton

Meet team Silver Bullets {Christiano missing}. 

Quite possibly the cutest group of six year old boys in the JoCo area. These boys praticed and played with passion. They became fast friends and had a blast together! The coaches and parents are already in talks of getting them together over the summer for a BBQ and possible participation in a summer soccer camp. We are also in high hopes of playing together as a team again this Fall. 

My Special Mom - A Mother's Day tribute by Dawson

My mother is the most wonderful Mom in the world.
She is as pretty as roses.
She weighs 30 lbs and is 1 foot tall.
Her favorite food is pancakes.
In the old days, when my mother was little, she used to do what normal babies do.
I think Mom looks funny when she changes my sister's diaper.
Please note she is fully potty trained and diaper changes are so last year :)
My mother is happy when we clean.
^^^ AMEN! ^^^
I wish Mom would snuggle with me everyday.
I wouldn't trade my mother for a piece of junk.
I'm so glad to know I'm valued more than a piece of junk. Rolling in laughter!


Top Five Reasons Why I love My Mom

1. My Mom gives me hugs and kisses
2. I love my Mom
3. My Mom loves me
4. I love my family
5. My Dad is awesome 

{I'm not so sure how #5 describes the top five reasons why he loves ME, but we will roll with it}

- My Mom -
My Mom is good.
She likes to give me hugs and kisses.
She always cleans.
Sometimes she takes me to the pool.
But the best thing about my Mom is she gives me hugs and kisses.

Happy Mother's Day!
Love,
Dawson

These.
Keepers for sure!
I want to remember these sweet, yet hilarious "love notes" from my Boo.
I adore that his primary love language is so apparent in his answers given above. He is my little lover and professional snuggler. I often joke that he needs to stop making out with me or his Daddy will get jealous :) Secretly I hope his affections don't wane in the years to come. I love his genuine hugs and sweet kisses. I love when he crawls in bed with me and isn't satisfied until his arm is underneath my back and his head rested on my chest. I love that he never fails to profess his love for me when I tuck him in even when he is sour at me (or me with him). I love this boy of mine and where he fits in our family. He is rough & rowdy but soft & sappy at the same time and oh so cute! Man alive is he cute!

Embrace the Camera: May 1, 2014

Gabrielle and Dawson with their GG

Easter 2014

Pontoon ride on Lake Lotawana

iPhone 5S

Easter 2014

 - Easter - 

It was an incredibly relaxing weekend. We had our DuBay family Easter at my brother's home Friday evening on Lake Lotawana. The weather was crisp but just right for fishing off the dock, a long pontoon ride snuggled up in blankets as the sunset and s'more assembly fireside in the evening. It was a wonderful day spent with family and we look forward to more days spent doing very much the same in the coming months. 

{Grainy goodness right here ^^^^} 

Saturday we boiled, dyed and decorated eggs after Dawson's noon soccer game.

It was an eventful hour. There may or may not have been a tantrum and gnashing of teeth because a middle child wasn't happy with his Sharpie drawing on his egg {see far right blue egg in front} and I let out a big gasp of air upon realizing that the Kool-Aid seeped under the wax paper dyeing my table top as well. Magic Eraser did its magic but also removed the sheen finish from our island :(

Sunday we attended an AMAZING worship service at our church then returned home for brunch with Travis's mom who was in town visiting and my parents.  

The kids were less than thrilled when I forced convinced them to take pictures.

This was as good as it got. 

Kids squinting; one child or another running off; tempers raising ... all in the name of a picture! 

I hope your Easter was a blessed one remembering the sacrifice of our risen King! 

Embrace the Camera: June 17, 2014

 I both give and receive worship through song. 

The song that has currently been speaking to my heart is "Let Them See You by JJ Weeks". 

Let them see You in me

Let them hear You when I speak

Let them feel You when I sing

Let them see You 

Just let them see You in me

Who am I without Your grace?

Another smile, another face

Another breath, a grain of sand

Passing quickly through Your hand

I give my life, an offering

Take it all, take everything

Let them see You in me

Let them hear You when I speak

Let them feel You when I sing

Let them see You

Just let them see You in me

This is my prayer.

I am imperfect. 

He is perfect.

His grace is sufficient for me; His power is made perfect in my weakness. 

Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on me. 

2 Corinthians 12:9

Let them {my husband, my children, my neighbors and friends ... all those I encounter} see Him in me.

Gabs, Boo and Little Miss,

Mommy has many shortcomings. I'm impatient. I'm quick to raise my voice. I often rush bedtime skipping stories and prayers. I say "no" a lot. Although I am all these things and I'm sure you could/would add more I thank God that he has entrusted you to me. You are each amazing and bright and beautiful beyond words! I know I have done something right in parenting you while on this earth because you know and love the Lord. My heart's desire is that you learn to know Him more through me - through my actions, words, expressions of love to you and those around us.  I am imperfect, but I am a work in progress seeking His hand in parenting you for you are His. A gift to us. The best gifts!

I love you to the moon and back, to the highest mountain, to the deepest and widest ocean, to infinity. 

{Dawson says this each time he says his goodbyes}