Hay Happens and Hay's Happen

Being a mom. The bestestest job ever!

Tot and I started out with greeting at church on Sunday as usual. We stopped for a pic. LOVE YOU TOO, MY SWEET GIRL!

Then, we came home for mom to come over and enjoy some quiche and morning glory bread.

Mom came with her Derby hat because yesterday was the Kentucky Derby. (more on that in another post!)

Ok, time to eat!

We missed Austin due to him being ill today.

We loved on Mama and my honey loved on me! And then, the Tot!

She made me a Cinquain at school. Look at how fun this is:

Oh, Tot. She said she loves to read and swim with me too! I’ll take it!

SWIMMING!

I do love you to PIECES!!!

My honey…

He looks so handsome!

SANG to me with the inside: MY BEST FRIEND. (song from Queen)

Your so good to me love!

My favorite people in the whole world…here with me.

Oh, and I can’t forget the Coopyhead.

Bye MOMMY!

Thank you for the honor of being your Mommy, Tot.

I love you beyond measure.

Starting in March of 2022, we launched a PEACE effort for our family. Our circle of life needs to stay round without any sharp edges.

Daily, Tatum and I would embark on a lesson du jour regarding being pleasant and peaceful. It was an internal effort to change heart to change behavior. Jesus is the only answer vs. “behavior modification.” We talked about lessons on contentment, listening, humility….A little goes a long way when you focus daily.

I wanted to celebrate her growth with a “graduation” ceremony

and a new lens.

A Polaroid! So fun!
A new lens of GRATITUDE.

Daddy is so proud of you too!

WE will continue to pursue peace! It is a daily plan. LOVE YOU TOT!

We love to watch the horses race in the Derby. This year, there was a long list of leaders whom we all followed and studied. Little did we know what would happen.

My mom made some fun cookies for the day:

At the time to race, they all approached the starting gate. 1-21. Twenty-one horses. The last horse to enter the race, 21, nobody even gave a look. He was 80-1! Impossible odds. In fact, the camera didn’t even have him in the screen most of the race because the announcer was focused on the five leaders. (We had to watch it over and over to see 21).

Right near the end of the race, a horse in red came through the middle right neck and neck with Epicenter (the favorite). He came from NOWHERE!

He was running his legs off! It was unbelievable!

And guess what? He pulled in FRONT right at the end and…….

HE won!!

It was the best race I have ever seen!

Lessons we can learn:

Rich Strike, you are an inspiration. Sonny Leon, the rider, gave all the credit to God.

Amen. We will commit to being the best WE can be and let’s go encourage others. You never know how you’ll impact the world.

She wanted her hair like Princess Leia.

Oh be still my heart.

May HIS 4th be with you, my sweet girl. You are my star.

He is HIILLLLLLARIOUS truly.

Every day, Coopy sleeps on the chair; I mean he is completely OUT all day. Doug is usually home in the office, and Coopy really could care less.

UNTIL……

He hears the garage door and I walk into the mudroom.

He greets me and DARTS towards the office to say to Doug, “SHE’S HOME; SHE’S HOME!!! LET’S PLAY!” And alas…the door is closed for he is in a meeting.

NOOOOOOOO!!!! Wag wag wag…. But Daddy?
Ok, so then when it’s time for Tot and I to leave for school, he wishes he could climb in.

Darn. More disappointment Coopy.

We love you so much. Luckily you have wildlife to look at while we are gone. …like this beautiful crane who came to visit.

Disappointment is a part of life, my little puffball.

You heard about our Sunday morning. Always a joy to greet and be with our SBC community.

More fun continued through our day. We love to go to our Condo pool and visit Zoe (Jeff’s daughter). We also love Jeff! Tot and Zoe love to play together.

Zoe, being 7, is feeling 10 today as she tries to lift Tot.

Do you think it turned out OK? I didn’t capture the “after,” but alas….Zoe proved to be only 7 in her lifting abilities. (kaboom).

After we arrived home and showered, we had our Sunday Hay Happens meeting. We usually do a devotion, and this was today’s.

So I asked Tot and Daddy to draw what that might look like this week.
Tatum will help someone carry something heavy, and she’ll visualize Baby Jesus.

We love the LAW of sowing and reaping. Why? Because it works!! We shall sow the kind seeds all week.

Doug will be loving on me more this week and it will blossom into Tot. I love his pictures! He knows how to spread kindness seeds without even realizing it.

I am thinking of different scenarios through my week.

Time with Chris; time with Mama, time and service to my family; loving on my REACH girl’s group.

Let’s always remember what you plant is what you get back in multiple amounts. May it be kindness this week!

And for that, we live in gratitude.

This was the May calendar opening today! We are always. G.R.A.T.E.F.U.L

We got ready for church and Tatum wanted my picture. She has a watch that takes pics.

Cooper is feeling left out, so we posed.

Oh COOOOOOOPY!!!

We are all ready to go and greet at the early service.

Now…..AAHHHH>>>THE message:

Thank you Father for your compassion. You wanted a relationship with us. A DIRECT one on one relationship. BUT, there had to be a payment for all the sins; You cannot be in the presence of sin. No longer is the unblemished lamb needed.

No, Jesus took on ALL of it as the unblemished lamb now. That is what Kevin preached on today. Hebrews 9.

One and done. Over. Finished. We are JUSTIFIED> You see us “just…if…I..never sinned.”

And for that. WE LIVE IN GRATITUDE. (and we look to the day of our Heavenly sanctuary as we live each day in our earthly bodies making the most of our time on earth.) (Thank you Jesus for interceding for us as you sit at THE FATHER’S RIGHT HAND).