New Blog Address

I could not get blogger to cooperate me over the past few weeks and I wanted a new look so we are moving on to a new site. Please, keep following us!

www.sheltonfam.blogspot.com

Who will write your name? love this video from church!

Why the forgiven, forgive....

A Texas Ranch Party....

My sweet small group girls who are now seniors!

Love my cowboy, not so sure about the shirt:)

Love to dance and country music.

A cold night for Mike to be dunked!

Illustrating the two-step.

Every fall the high school ministry puts on a country ranch party called The Draw. It is so fun and a yearly favorite for the students. It was at a great venue this year called Fairview farms that does big parties and has a huge barn for dancing. It is funny cause it is literally right off of a major interstate, but it did feel like you were in the country. We had a burgers, root beer, smores, mechanical bull, and a dunking booth. However, the main highlight is the dance party. It is so fun to see students excited to bring their friends and everyone has a great time. A few of my small group girls are on a country western dance team at their high school called The Wranglers and they are awesome. They taught us all some new dances and impressed the crowd. They've performed in many parades and the inauguration a few years back for President Bush to add some Texas flair. I've loved co-leading this group of 9 senior girls. They are all deciding where to go to college and I know they will make an impact on people wherever they choose to go. My co-leader Lan has been with them since the 4th grade. Our church tries to keep the same small group leader all the way through high school. She knows them so well and has been so loyal. Anyways, it was a great night with wonderful fall weather. I am so glad it is October!

A fun day at the park...

It was a great weather day in TX on Monday so we headed to the park. I can't believe the girls wore jackets and it felt so good. We've been outside so much this week and it makes everyone have a better attitude! The long hot summer really wore us out cause it was really difficult for me to take all 3 to the pool and it be a successful trip:) I am sure it will be back up to 90 degrees soon, but I think we are past the 100 degree days. Ellie and Anna love meeting friends at the park. We took the bike and scooter this past week and they really enjoyed having a flat sidewalk to ride on. Mary kind of crawls around on the mulch and gets really dirty! I have to bring lots of snacks to occupy her. She's getting a little closer to walking which will help.

First Day of School....

Well, the first day of preschool was a few weeks back and both girls are going T/TH. Anna was really sick the first day so she stayed home. However, Ellie was really excited and has enjoyed everyday. Her class is more of a pre-k class that has two teachers and 15 kids. Anna is in the older 3's class and has really enjoyed learning songs, letters, and numbers. We love our school and all of our friends that go there. We are so blessed to be with sweet families and teachers!

Happy 5th Birthday Ellie!

Katrina and I co-hosted the swim party

Katrina and I with our kiddos. Canon's 2nd birthday and Ellie's 5th

Love all of these people!

Mike, Ellie, and her new friend Maya

3rd year in a row for a pool party. What else do you do in TX in August?

Ellie and her best bud Emerson and her sister Rylie.

Love my family and celebrating Ellie

I am so behind on the blog, but is is still 90 degrees in Texas so a pool party blog post felt okay! We had Ellie's 5th birthday at a local pool and shared the party with the Saugier family. They were celebrating Canon's 2nd birthday. It worked out great cause Ellie and Canon both loved the Toy Story theme. Katrina and I think alike on parties as in keep them simple. We were fine with sam's club cupcakes, capri sun's and balloons. We love this family and are beyond blessed to call them friends.

Ellie is one sweet 5 year old. She's really maturing and I am so glad that I did not start her in Kindergarten. I would really miss her all day and I think she will do awesome next year being the oldest in her class. She's such a fun kid and so laid-back. She never meets a stranger and gets along really well with people. She's developing a heart for God and loves to tell us how Jesus would act. She enjoys being with friends and preschool/church are her favorite days of the week. I let them pick one activity each semester and she really wanted to do tap dance! I found a class that was ballet, tap, and gymnastics all in one hour. It is perfect cause E and A get to be in the same class. She still loves Mary and is super sweet with her. She begs me to wake up Anna and Mary during their naps so she can play with them. However, we have a good time resting together and the house being quiet which is very rare. Ellie is very even tempered and happy with almost anything I give her to wear or eat She loves to travel and she got to go on quite a few trips over the summer to GA and all by herself to KS to visit Mimi! She will be an excellent Kanakuk Kamper in just a few years!

Ellie we are so proud of you and can't believe you are 5 years old. We love you so much!

My dad is amazing...

Here is the latest update on my dad from his perspective of his battle with cancer...

http://dougb-thoughtsonlife.blogspot.com/

We are so thankful!

I forgot how encouraged I am by this video!

Mountains!

When we were in Georgia recently visiting my parents. We took a short drive up to the North Georgia Mountains. We left Mary with Nana and took the big girls. We try to do this every time we go visit cause there are no sights like this in TX. It was so much cooler there and it felt great. We did a short hike up to this waterfall and took some great pictures. The girls got a little tired, but overall we are at a fun age to try some new adventures!

Life Lately....

Well, I have been so bad at updating the blog lately, but with no pictures it just doesn't seem fun. However, it is September and we've had a few "cool" days which makes me so very happy. It was 109 a couple of weeks ago and it just felt depressing outside. I have lots to update, but thought I would just update the best I can and then give more detailed updates soon!

• The best thing happened today as many of you know my dad was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer back in June. He's been through quite a few rounds of chemo. He had scans done yesterday and met with his doctor today for the results. The doctor only had good news! All of the different areas of cancer looked so much better and some of the tumors had shrunk in size. My dad was able to play golf and go back to work a few days this week. We are all thanking God for this awesome news. I will write a post about it all soon.
• The other great thing that happened this week was we sold our house. Well, I guess it is now under contract, but it all looks like it will go through. We've been on this journey for well over 6 months of processing it and then deciding to sale at the first of June. There are many reasons, but the main one is to get the girls into an elementary with many other Watermark kids. It will be so neat to see them grow up together and just have that support at our school. We spoke with a teacher tonight at the elementary school Ellie could possibly attend. It was so encouraging to hear from her and to hear her excitement in knowing that their are so many upcoming Watermark members at her school.
• The sad thing is the house we loved sold last week. We are now back to searching and so far we've not found much. We are trying to network with so many people in the neighborhood, school, pta, church friends, etc... to see if any new houses might be coming up in the next couple of weeks. We know God has a plan and are excited to see it unfold.
• I will do a post soon of trying to sale your house with 3 children under 5. It was quite the experience and let just say I have not cleaned all week and it feels soooo good. It is also very messy tonight and I'm sitting on the couch enjoying it.
• Everything starts back next week so our lives will be much more busy. I am excited for routine and to get back into Wednesday morning Bible study, preschool, community group etc...
• Student ministry events started back on August 22nd and it is going great. I love seeing Mike at work. He loves it and God is doing some neat things already this school year. My small group that I co-lead are now seniors. They are such awesome girls who've been so committed since 6th grade. It is really neat to see a group of girls be together for that long. We've also added 2 girls this year and they've been great at being authentic with each other.

I will do a kid update soon. It is sad that I haven't blogged Ellie's 5th birthday. She's really starting to mature and is at such a fun age. Anna is enjoying all things girl and makes us laugh quite often with her curiosities. Mary is 15 months and still seems so young to me. She's standing up, but not taking any steps so far. She's so sweet and a funny little girl.

God has blessed us with a great end to a difficult summer. I continue to be reminded that I am glad that our house was built upon the rock. It has been a summer full of storms and life just being hard. He has truly sustained us.

The battle of food....

Well, I would love any advice on this subject as it is becoming a daily battle in our house! It is so unique in that with 3 girls who are all eating table food and all have different appetites, tastes, etc... It just stresses me out:) Anyways, Ellie is a very normal 3 meals a day kind of girl. She will try almost anything and eats almost everything on her plate. She likes milk, but prefers water most times. She is still small.... around 31 pounds at 5, but is starting to wear 4T clothes etc....

Anna is tiny. She is a little ball of muscle. She weighs about 26 pounds at 3 1/2 and is just super petite. She mainly wears 2T, but can fit into some Mary's shorts etc...She's never been that interested in food, but has atleast liked some things. Lately, it seems like every meal is a battle and she is starting to be more picky about wanting things bland. She is at the point of not wanting certain foods to touch or no salt/pepper on it. She often tells me "I don't like food". There is not much that tempts her. She never finishes anything and might eat a 1/4 of a cookie or treat. I want her to be healthy and nutricious, but at the same time not force it. She's the kid who does not want things forced on her. The doctor has said she will eat if she is hungry. She does love milk so I know she is getting some calories, but I have to limit the milk or else she will for sure not eat. Any ideas on how to get them to try new foods or do they just grow out of the pickiness? When we eat dinner we do require her to eat 3 bites of everything? I am taking her to the doctor next week to make sure she is not losing weight.

Mary loves food and cannot get enough. She eats double what Anna eats and possibly as much as Ellie. She loves to feed herself and will try almost all new foods. I need to remember to offer her many new things so we can avoid pickiness later!

Anyways, would love to hear your thoughts on your food battles or if you have lots of successful tips that would be great!

A photo shoot in Kansas..

A couple of weeks ago we drove up to Lawrence to visit Mike's family. It was a great time and one morning since we were all clean I thought it would be great to attempt a family picture! I love the way they turned out as in everyone is looking at the camera. When you have 3 kids under 5 it is quite the feat. We love going to Lawrence and seeing grandparents. Our girls are so blessed with fabulous grandparents! Some fun things we did was go to the indoor pool, park, sno cones, grocery store, church, and seeing KU (Rock Chalk Jayhawk). A highlight was getting to hear MiMi play the bells on campus. She has taken lessons and now climbs to the top of the high bell tower to play. It is right by the football field and the girls are still talking about MiMi climbing the spiral staircase to play the bells. It was such a fun trip and great to get out of hot Texas!

Conversations in the minivan and important stuff....

The girls have really been making us laugh lately with their amazing insights and childlike faith!

I love how Mike is the best story teller ever and is basically like a big kid. Most mornings he sits down with the girls to eat breakfast and I get ready/read Bible in 20 minutes these days!

Anyways, Ellie out of the blue said "Daddy, tell me the important stuff". Mike said "Ellie, what is the important stuff?" She said you know a Bible Story. It was a quick reminder of how they yearn for truth and important stuff at the young age of 4.

Yesterday, I took the crew to the free movie cause Veggie Tales Jonah was playing and I knew it would be okay if Mary was crawling around. In the middle of the movie Ellie says:

"Mommy, I want the real Jonah".

Me: Ellie. what is the real Jonah. Do you mean the Bible Story?

Ellie: Yes, Mommy there are no veggies in the Bible.

The minivan is always full of talking and wonderful conversations most of the time. We recently drove 9 hours to Kansas to visit Mike's family. It was a great trip, but Ellie does not stop talking all 9 hours. Anna sucks her thumb and looks out the window. She's the best traveler ever. On the way home after we learned our lesson on the way there. Mike told Ellie she could only ask 5 important questions before lunch. She tried so hard to think of what her 5 important questions could be and when to ask them. After, about 30 minutes she says

" Daddy, God made me to ask questions and that's the way that I am"! We could not stop laughing at our sweet talkative little girl.

The last one occurred recently as we were driving by the high school close to our house. Ellie asked when she will go to that school and I said well, I am not sure Ellie. If we move to a new house you will go to a different school.

Ellie: Mommy, we need to pray for someone to buy our house. She started praying in the back seat. It was so cute.

Anna: Mommy, I think Jesus will buy our house. Then, there was an argument about how Jesus could not buy our house cause He was in heaven!

Love these girls even though today I thought they were going to send me to the crazy house!

Anna at 3 1/2

You love all thing princess and enjoy playing dress up!

The faster/scarier the better for you! You loved all the "scary" rides at Disney.

I love this picture of you cause it reminds me of your sweet spirit and all of your potential.

You are a monkey and can climb up anything. You are really strong and will start gymnastics soon!

You sometimes can show lots of attitude and have a stubborn personality aka not wanting to take pictures for mommy.

You are a beautiful girl whom I know God has wonderful things to accomplish.

Anna here are some things about you at 3 1/2 in no particular order:

You've grown a lot over the last 6 months emotionally and in maturity. You've pretty much outgrown separation anxiety! There for awhile you really did not like it when mommy left your side. You've gone to art camp and two different VBS weeks this summer. You loved each one and did great.

You are still our climber and you are really good at it. You end up in some crazy places at times, but you always figure out how to get down. You love to hang on the monkey bars or any bar for that reason. You love for daddy to push you super high on the swings and to run really fast.

You are in love with Mary. You are so kind to her and it really shows us that you have a compassionate heart. You love to share with her and often times find her milk for her. You also love to share your blankie with her when she is upset. You still love this one blankie that has a tage. You tend to not care what the object is as long as it has a tag that you can hold on to while you suck your thumb.

You tend to not care for food. Lately, you've told us I don't like food! You do like crackers, cereal, eggs, spaghetti, mac n cheese, ice cream, bacon, yogurt, fruit. However, you just don't eat very much of it. You might finish 1/2 a cookie if we gave it to you.

You and Ellie still share a room and you love your new bunk beds. You all talk a lot at night and it normally takes 30 mins. to an hour of talking prior to sleep. We start early with bedtime.

You are still our best sleeper. You still love to take a nap and it can last up to 3 hours if you are really tired. We often have to wake you up which you do not like.

You are still pretty determined and I know one day that determination will go a long ways. You are determined in what you wear each day, taking toys everywhere, not holding our hand etc...

You respond well to discipline and you tend to easily ask for forgiveness.

You did great at swim lessons this summer and we are thankful that you are loving the water this summer.

We love you so much Anna and it has been so neat to see you grow into an awesome little girl. You will do great things for God and we can't wait to see it all unfold!

Mother's Day Tea

Anna always loves a tea party.

LeeAnn and Grayson. Anna's favorite classmate

Ellie and Aubren loved carpooling all year to school!

The girls preschool had a Mother's Day Tea in May. I am so far behind on blogging:) The children served us punch and cookies. Ellie's class sang a few songs and did a great job of making us feel special. I love our school and am so thankful for all the work the teachers do with our girls!

Mary's First Birthday Party!

Anna and her friends. Can't believe they were all smiling!

Ellie loved this float.

Family picture attempt-Anna who did not want in it.

Mary was not to sure of the cupcake that was half melted cause it was 100 degrees that day.

Singing happy birthday and she was so sweet.

We had a fun first birthday party for Mary at a local pool. It was perfect cause it was 103 degrees that day (June 4th)! It was super fun and easy. I love pool party birthdays. Ellie will also have a pool party in August. We had popcicles, water, and cupcakes. She loved the water and was happy for her first party!

Watermark Baptism Day

Watermark Baptism Day 2010 from Watermark Community Church on Vimeo.

Memorial Day and the lake...

We had a great Memorial Day weekend and a fun trip to the lake from Monday to Wednesday. We had some good friends come to visit from Missouri and a family from our church are so sweet to let us use their lake house. The girls love it here and I love this lake. It is small and surrounded by pine trees. It is very quiet there and so nice to be out of the city. The girls are not to fond of swimming in the lake, but they will ride the jet ski. Mike and I love to drive them as well. Shadow also enjoyed a dip in the lake and loved to chase us on the jet skis. What a great time away and the weather was perfect as in the lake feels like bath water!

Loves a lifejacket as long as it is pink.

A big step for Ellie to conquer this fear.

Shadow has turned out to be an excellent dog.

Love spending time with Mike at the lake.

Mary's first swim of the summer at a crawfish boil we went to prior to the lake.