Life update!

We are still here!!! Trying to keep up with blogging is so stinkin hard! :) The last few months have been the usual craziness... May is always insane because of Middle School Camp and Ben busy preparing for it. Since I posted last here are some things that have happened. 

1) Addy Grace turned 3... my little threenager is such a blessing to our family and a complete joy to be around!! She had a "My Little Pony" party with several of her little friends... was so fun to celebrate that sweet girl!

2) I hit the big 25! Yes 25 years old... insane. Ben treated me to adinner and a movie! I am currently finishing up my 30 before 30 list(more on that another time). 

3) Easter was fun this year since the girls are older and understand more... I had cute outfits picked out for all 3 of them but Londyn woke sick Easter morning so we stayed home... Ben was able to get some cute pics of the older girls hunting eggs though and I put Londyn in her dress for a few minutes to get one of the 3 of them.

 

4) Memaw and Grandma visit! Bens mom and grandma came to visit for a few days :) It was a blast and the girls loved getting to see them! We packed each day full of fun activities!

 I need to take a minute to explain the picture above... Addy has talked about her "grandma" for 6-8 months now... we couldn't figure out who she was talking about since she had never met Ben's grandma and she calls my mom nana and Ben's mom memaw.... well the first time Addy saw her she was in LOVE :) She would not leave her side and often said how much she loved and missed her! It was so cute and we were so thankful to have them visit. Addy still talks about her grandma all the time but we are thankful to know who she is talking about finally! 

5)After nearly 3 years I got my braces off!!! Yay!!!

6) Camp/Ben's Bday- Camp was an absolute blast this year.... It was so neat to see how God worked in the lives of our Middle School students! Almost every year Ben has his birthday at camp and its fun to see all the leaders celebrate him! 

7)While we were at camp Tenley and Addy spent the week with my parents aka Nana and Papa... They had so much fun and didn't want to come home haha

8) Baby Brecklynn is here! Derek, Christina, and our nephew Logan welcomed her on May 29th... She was a bit of a stinker for her mama and came early but did great! My brother has been so good with his nieces I'm so excited he gets to experice being a daddy to a little girl! I have yet to get my hands on this sweet girl but can't wait to finally meet her! 

9)After camp we were blessed to take a few days and get away just as a family... we stayed in this cute little cabin! We spent time hiking, swimming, making smores, and just having quality time together. 

Now onto the next trip! Monday the girls and I are going to spend a week with Ben's mom... the girls are so excited! Then Ben is going to pick us up and we are off to Indiana to see Ben's dad and go to Ben's high school reunion! Once we get back the girls and I are going to head to Texhoma so I can finally meet Miss Brecklynn(and see the rest of the family of course)!

Have I scarred them?

So... A little over a year ago I had this bright idea that the Ford family needed a dog. I went on the hunt.... begged Ben... and finally got my way! My sister in law found us a sweet little boston terrier named Lexi. She was a sweetheart. House trained, stayed in the yard, and loved the girls! 

After I got pregnant with Londyn and was super sick I noticed my patients with Lexi was thin and she started shedding a lot(i hate dog hair). It was too cold for her to be outside but I couldn't have her in the house because she was getting into everything.... she was in her kennel WAY too much :( The neighbors also got a new dog that barked ALL THE TIME... and Lexi started doing the same... we were not spending the time with her she deserved. We came to the tough decision to find a new home for her.

We found an AMAZING family for her... seriously it was a total God thing. The family LOVES dogs and already had another dog for her to play with... she is still doing well and I get to see pictures of her on facebook some times!

Here is the problem though... we sat the girls down and told them what was going on. They said goodbye to Lexi and were sad but seemed okay with it.

ITS BEEN OVER A YEAR PEOPLE... and the girls still talk about her ALL THE TIME! 

Tenley drew a picture about the 5 things she is thankful for... mommy, daddy, nana, addy, and yep LEXI.... 

Then tonight Addy was drawing a picture and said it was her family! Note: the one in the middle isn't Londyn... it's LEXI!  

Lord forgive me for scarring my children and giving away their dog... 

Look who turned 3!!

Addy Grace hit 3 years old! She has been so excited to turn 3 for some reason... each day she would ask "mommy i free(three) yet?"

Last year was rough on her birthday, I was pregnant with Londyn and super sick. I remember sending Ben to Target for a box of cake mix and to pick out a gift for her... I came out to watch her blow her candles out and then had to go back to bed. Pregnancy blahh!!

This year I was determined to make up for it! 

Friday we went to a new trampoline place here in Wichita... it was a blast! Note: Little stinker isn't kissing my face... yep that is her LICKING my face! Never a dull moment. 

Then Saturday was party day!!! She decided on a My Little Pony party! Even with a yucky snow storm we had several amazing friends come help us celebrate our sweet girl!

Sunday was her actual birthday so we celebrated as a family... balloons, presents, and family time!

Adalynn Grace you are such a sweet girl. God has great plans for your life... Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you!

Mud Pies, Giggles, and Memories!

Weather in Kansas this year is INSANE... I mean seriously one day it is snowing and the next its 70* out! 

Last week we had a few really nice days so the girls were able to spend afternoons in the backyard! 

Well... one day Ben let them have water.... my first thought was anger. 

"Why in the world would he let them get muddy?" "Doesn't he know I can barely keep up with the laundry as it is?" "I'll never get those stains out!"

Then I saw these sweet faces-

How could I be mad? They were having an absolute BLAST... Giggling and screaming with laughter! They had so much fun making mud pies and feeding them to their play horse. That song "let them be little" came to mind and I couldn't imagine being upset. 

These sweet girls are growing up way too fast. 

So... even though I had an extra load of laundry and a lot of stain treating.... it was well worth it! 

Psalms 127:3 "Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him." NLT

Making your kids laugh...

While listening to a message recently it talked about connecting with your kids so you can lift them up spiritually... something I think about often is lifting my kids up spiritually but something I don't do a good job of is connecting with them... truly connecting with them. 

Two ways mentioned were being interested in what they are interested in and making them laugh.

 I love watching my kids play but my goal now is to connect with Tenley and Adalynn in what they are interested in and not just watch from the sidelines! 

Tenley I feel like is at such a fun age... she is into imaginative play and dressing up... she loves anything that involves unicorns and ponies. This week I am going to connect with her by glamouring ourselves up and put on a fashion show like she has been asking. Poor girl asked twice yesterday and I kept telling her "later.... yes will will later" and it never happened. I got busy doing other things....

Adalynn just loves to play... it really doesn't matter what you play she just desires that quality time together... so one day this week while Ben is home I am going to pull Addy aside and spend some time playing and talking with my sweet 2 yr old! 

The other thing that challenged me was making them laugh... I want my kids to remember our family laughing... having fun. Thankfully they are young enough that if you just start dancing or tickling them they will start cracking up. I have a feeling that will get a little harder as they grow and don't think mommy is very "cool". So for now I'm challenging myself to get out of my comfort zone and make my girls laugh each day... I get in a "let's just get thought the day" mode so asking God to change my heart and make me a fun mommy! 

The speaker said "We connect with them so then we can pour into them spiritually" 

Matthew 22:37 Love the Lord your God with all your heart soul and mind... 

I want this to come easy to my girls... I want them to have a true relationship with God... other than seeing me grow in my personal relationship with Him is by me having a good relationship with them!

I pray if you are reading this that it is challenging you to connect with your kids in some way this week... doesn't matter what stage of life you are in, you can always be a light in your kids life spiritually!

Happy Monday Friends!! 

Make it Monday!

Laundry Detergent.... I feel like my days consist of doing laundry :( and I am always behind. I get caught up and think "I'm never getting behind on the laundry again" then the next thing I know I have 5 loads that need to be folded and put away! 

One way our family tries to cut down on cost is by making homemade laundry detergent.... I posted a blog a few years ago about the recipe but I have changed it up so thought I'd share again. 

Ingredients:

- 1 Cup Borax

- 1 Cup Super Washing Soda

- 2 bars of soap(I use ivory)

- 1 bar fels naptha soap

- 10 drops essential oil(My favorite is Young Living purification essential oil)

(all items can be found in the laundry isle other than the ivory soap and essential oil)

Super simple you grate soap bars and mix everything together... I found a cheap food processor at a garage sale and gate the soap then process it all together so it all becomes a powder!

Use 1-2 Tablespoons per wash

 

Happy Monday!

We made it!

This past week Ben was in California for a youth ministry conference so I did the whole single parent thing... Whew!

Usually if Ben is going to be gone the girls and I head to my parents house but this time we were at home all but a couple days(we did spent a couple days with my parents)!

I have a new respect for single moms or moms who have hubby's travel for work. While it went okay... by the end of each day I was counting down the minutes until bedtime.

The girls are blessed to have such an active daddy! He generally spends a full day at work then comes home and is a excellent daddy who loves to play, spend time with them and help around the house!

The one thing I did enjoy about him being gone was not cooking haha! The girls are more than happy to have simple meals and we were blessed to have my mom send some freezer meals home with us!

To all the ladies who are doing this mommy thing alone please know that I am praying for you!

Thankful to get back into our normal routine!

Make it Monday

Make it Monday!

Anyone want a yummy kid friendly recipe? Received this from a friend a few years ago and it's a family favorite... the best part is it makes a lot so I freeze half of it and then have a yummy freezer meal! 

Meatballs

2lbs ground beef

1 can evaporated milk

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup crackers crushed(Ritz or club)

2 eggs

2 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

½ onion

½ tsp garlic powder

2 tsp chili powder

Mix all together, roll into 1 in balls and place into a 9x13 pan

Sauce:

2 Cups Ketchup

1 Cup brown sugar

½ tsp liquid smoke

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

Pour sauce over meatballs and cook for 1 hr at 350

(We usually split it into 2 8x8 and freeze one…. To freeze follow all the 

steps but do not cook. Let it thaw in fridge and cook according to directions)

ENJOY!!

Family Update

We are now a family of 5! 

We welcomed little miss Londyn Hope Ford into our lives on October 26th! She is such a blessing in so many ways! 

Londyn is now 3 months! She loves to smile and jabber... squeals and just talks all the time! She absolutely loves her big sisters and watching them play! 

Tenley is 4 1/2 and at such a fun age.... she can carry on a full conversation and loves everyone. She has developed such a caring heart and loves to pray for anyone who is sick or hurting. Tenley is in preschool this year and learning so much! We absolutely adore the preschool and her preschool teacher!

Adalynn will be 3 in March! 3.... I cannot believe that little ball of fire will be 3! She is our spunky one... we have absolutely loved seeing her personality develop this past year! She is in Kids Day Inn this year and is doing really well. We are excited for her to start preschool in the fall! 

Now onto Ben and I! Ben is still the middle school pastor here in Wichita KS and he still absolutely loves it! God has grown him into an amazing minister and I am so blessed to have him in my life. He is such a great daddy to our little girls and I pray they find a man like him to marry some day. I am still a stay at home mommy to our 3 littles... I love it so much and thankful I get to stay home with them! 

Craft of the week!

So as much as I would love to have another awesome craft that the girls did this week it just didn't happen 😕 we had a busy week in the beginning then rough toward the end. 

So I decided to do an "easy craft" from our dollar tree bin. I recommend to have a small bin of fun dollar crafts to do on a whim. The girls made masks and colored/decorated them(and I forgot to take pics... It was a really rough day) ;-) but it was fun and still educational!

Today(Friday) I had plans to do something fun and a little more thought out craft but miss Ten-little caught a sick bug. 

I sure don't know how mommas of severely sick kiddos do it. My heart is breaking for this sweet girl. She is on the mend(I hope) but I know it will be a long night and then a long weekend of rest and cartoons. 

So... As I lay here tonight I am in aw of our amazing God

He created this sweet body to overcome sickness. As I have researched how our bodies fight sickness I am amazed. It all links together how God designed us. This pic is sad Bc my sweet baby is sick but it's amazing at the same time as her body is fighting off the illness that is not welcome. 

iPhone dump 😜

Just a few pics from the past few days ;-)

What gets me through each day-coffee!

Movie night!

My princess

Stylin!

"Mommy do my hair"

Popcorn at 9am? Sure!

Zoo time!

Lazy dog