Psalms 51:10

Just a bit of Edy

My middle girl, Edy, is a spunky, fun, energetic, beauty.  She's been growing like a weed, too.  

She has been losing teeth left and right and her lisp is ridiculously cute!

She's always ready for a photo op.

We've always called her "Ro" for short.  On Memorial Day, we passed by a car with her name on the plate.  How cool is that?!

Girls Trip

For Mother's Day, Graham and the girls gave me a gift card to IKEA and Blue Mesa Cafe.  I took the big girls with me and we enjoyed a fun day trip together...

On the way home, we stopped in at Buc-ee's.  If you aren't from Texas, you might be a little confused so I'll explain.  Buc-ee's is not your average gas station.  It is HUGE!! It is CLEAN!!  It is FUN!!  It is AWESOME!  Seriously, awesome!  *google it!*

It doesn't happen enough, but I love time spent with my girls.  I enjoyed our conversations and laughs, too.  These two girls are great company.

Hey Everybody, It's Pool Time!

This past Christmas, the grands and aunts gave the girls a big 'ole swimming pool!  

Back in April, we had a little help from friends to get it ready for our excited crew.

The girls did the "polar bear plunge" and jumped in immediately after it filled up.  They were SO excited to try it out that they really, really thought they could power through the pain.  *Didn't happen*

If you keep up with the weather, you know that it has been raining like crazy in East Texas.  We are looking forward to hot, sunny days to enjoy our new pool.

I wrote this post a few weeks back and I wanted to add this:  This little 18ft, 4ft deep pool is basically  a gateway drug to bigger and better things!  We love the pool so much that we are certain we will eventually get a professional-grade above-ground pool.  It has been a blast for the whole family.

Acts 17:31

Nothing But the Blood of Jesus

Nothing But the Blood of Jesus from Leslie Hale on Vimeo.

Mother's Day 2013

I forgot to post about my Mother's Day.  Mother's Day...remember...almost two months ago.  

Better late than never...

Ladies Tea with AG

my three precious treasures

Joy *made* a little canvas for me in Sunday School.

Since this is my online scrapbook, I am required to post about Mother's Day, right?  Thanks humoring me.

Five on Friday | Favorite Podcasts

This Five on Friday is devoted to *some* of my favorite podcasts...

| ONE |

Signposts with Russell Moore | This is a biweekly podcast that features conversation about the gospel, politics, books, and much more.

| TWO |

Serial | Serial is a podcast from the creators of This American Life, hosted by Sarah Koenig. Serial tells one story—a true story—over the course of a season. Each season follows a plot and characters. It's fascinating!

| THREE | 

The Dave Ramsey Show | I listen to Dave just about every day.  I read Financial Peace right after G and I married and we lived debt-free for many years.  Slowly, life happened and we got off track.  We are finally one the road to becoming debt-free again.  I would love to travel to Nashville to do our "debt-free" scream this fall, but that probably won't work out.  We aren't far from being able to shout, "WE'RE DEBT FREE!" 

| FOUR | 

The Gospel Coalition | The Gospel Coalition Podcast features lectures and workshops from TGC conferences as well as timely interviews and round table discussions on applying the gospel to the issues of our day.

| FIVE |

Criminal | Criminal is a podcast about crime. Not so much the “if it bleeds, it leads,” kind of crime, but something a little more complex. Stories of people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle.

Those are some of my favorite podcasts.  Please comment and share with me ones that you like. I am always in the market for a listen.

Psalms 93: 4

American Heritage Girls

Back in the spring, the big girls joined American Heritage Girls.  Have you heard of it?  It's sort of like Girl Scouts but with a Christ-centered worldview.  Here's the mission statement:  American Heritage Girls is the premier national character development organization for girls ages 5-18 that embraces Christian values and encourages family involvement.

AG - Explorer, Edy - Tenderheart

Edy putting in some service hours by helping her daddy at the church.

Closing ceremony...

Joining Award

Joining Award

American Heritage Girls Closing Program from Leslie Hale on Vimeo.

Since we joined late in the year,  the girls are really looking forward to next year when they will be able to attend family camp, overnight at the zoo, enjoy more crafts, attend cooking classes, etc.

My 35th

A few weeks ago, I celebrated my 35th birthday.  Graham and the girls were so good to me...

turtle ice cream cake

sushi

Birthdays are fun around our house and this one was no exception.  It was a special day and I'm thankful that my family took the time celebrate with me.

Five on Friday | Phone Photog

This Five on Friday is all about iPhone photography...

| ONE |

a foggy country road in East Texas

*in front of our house*

| TWO |

junkin' with AG

 | THREE |

good day.

 | FOUR |

one more because...new shirt

| FIVE |

sister and banana pops

| ONE MORE |

coloring contest with the girls--I won.

Plant. It.

Have I told y'all how bad I am with plants?  YEP!  I am terrible.  Each and every spring, I bring home a whole bunch of beautiful flowers and expect them to flourish.  What's the definition of insanity again?  Alas...I did it again.  This time, I did a little more studying and my plants are still hanging in there.  

I planted all of my flowers in April and I haven't killed any yet!  I HAVEN'T KILLED ANY YET!!!!  I HAVEN'T KILLED ANY!  It's still early in the summer, but I am optimistic.  I'll keep you posted.

random pic of my bathing beauty

Back in April, I spruced up our porches for the spring and summer months...

got me a $12 dollar piece of junk coffee table

just a little paint

The plants look much better now that they have been growing for a few months.  I may update later on this summer.

Did I mention that we live in East Texas--the no. 1 best place for plant life?  We shall see if this climate and my newly mad skills will keep those plants thriving.  *crossing fingers*

2 Corinthians 5:21

Pine Cove | Camp in the City

Last week, Ava Grace went to camp for the first time ever!  She had a BLAST!

I went to summer camp every single year from 5th-11th grade.  I absolutely loved it, looked forward to it every summer, and made some lasting friendships.  I hope my girls will have wonderful memories from camp life too.

Pine Cove Gauntlet from Leslie Hale on Vimeo.

AG and her camp counselor, "Tot".

Pine Cove Closing Celebration from Leslie Hale on Vimeo.

My girl had so much fun, but her sisters were lost without her during the day.  We are already making plans for Edy to go to day camp next year and AG to try overnight camp.  YIKES!

Our 13th

Graham and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary last Tuesday.  

East Texas folks, you must try out Jack Ryan's Steak and Chophouse.  It is wonderful fine dining and a beautiful atmosphere--perfect package.

We ran into several couples who were celebrating their anniversaries too!  We had a good time sharing stories, toasts, and laughs! (married 54 years, dating one year, 47 years and us)

All the food was picture worthy...

I'm a huge lover of steak and this one was top of the line!

Graham always gets chicken or fish.

I am beyond over the moon for my man and I love how God has grown us closer to Him so that we can love one another better each passing day.