Jaycee and Jackson~ The best kids in the world!

Well, of course I am bias! Who isn't towards their kids? I had a few moments and thought I would share with everyone what these 2 kids are up to these days.

Well, Jaycee is a sweet little girl. She obviously has her moments with displaying much attitude, but for the most part she is very sweet and kind. She loves Jackson very much. She is always on the lookout for him. Her new thing now, is when Jackson goes to bed she has to give him hugs and kisses before I take him in his room. Its so very precious. She is a little artist. She LOVES to color. She would do it all day if I would let her. She isn't great about staying in the lines. Actually, all she wants is blank sheets of paper and then she does her own thing. So my fridge is covered with her artwork and I have a huge stack of artwork in the cabinets. She tells quite the stories, too. Most of the time they start one time I.... She is learning to sing the alphabet song. She loves to dance around the house. She is always asking Byron to turn on some sweet music. She loves animals. We are so thankful that she is such a delight. Everyday, she amazes me with how much she soaks in. She has become quite the back seat driver. She knows what red lights are for and she will let you what you are suppose to do at each color. She is doing fabulous with going potty. She has been dry during the night for about 3 weeks. I haven't let her sleep in panties yet, but I really think she could do it. So I am very happy with how smoothly that went. She is such a blessing and we are so grateful to be her parents.

So its Jackson's turn. He is all boy! He goes non-stop. With no one in my family having a boy its all so new to us. We are loving every moment of it. He is still very much a momma's boy. He's tough and plays hard but he still wants his momma! I know that will change one of these days. He loves Byron, my dad, and Pa. He would go to work with them everyday if he could. He tries to eat rocks, bugs, dog food, and dirt. Its really quite gross. Tractors, cars, and balls are favorites of his. He loves to ride the lawn mower, golf cart, and four-wheeler. He is an excellent eater and sleeper. He will eat anything you put in front of him. He sleeps about 11-12 hrs a night. We are transitioning into 1 nap a day. He is talking a lot more then Jaycee did at this point. He is growing up way too fast on us. He wants to be a big boy. He can now climb up in the recliners, and he thinks he is pretty big stuff for that, b/c that is where Jaycee sits. Oh, he loves music too! He loves for his Paw Paw to play for him. He already strums on the guitar with my dad. The louder the music is the better. That would be him and his sis. In the car, that is all it takes and they are both conked out in no time!

Well, I guess that is it for now on the kiddos!I know I am missing so great phrases that Jaycee says and other things that Jackson does, but this will have to do. We are so blessed by both of them. They are such a blessing from our Heavenly Father. We are so thankful that we have healthy and happy babies!

Here are some pictures from the weekend. I took some of Jaycee's beautiful bedroom.

Arbuckle Wilderness

Last night we had a family outing. We went over to our wonderful friends' house. Trey and Serah along with Trey's family own Arbuckle Wilderness. It is a drive-thru park with all sorts of exotic and rare animals from around the world. You can visit www.arbucklewilderness.com if you want to read a little more about what it is like. So we got an amazing tour of the park. We loaded up on the mule and went for a ride. Jaycee was extremely excited and we all had a superb time. Towards the end it was getting a little dark so some of my pics didn't turn out too great. I am sure this won't be our last time to go thru this amazing place. So here are pictures of our wonderful evening!

Serah (35 weeks pregnant) and Ethan

Byron and Jackson

Robbie the Rhino- He is between 15-17 yrs. old

Roxie the Rhino- She is 2 yrs. old

Trouble the Rhino- He is 52 yrs. old

Trey riding Trouble!

The man made lake in the park

Longhorns

Jaycee holding her feed for the animals!

The herd of goats coming to get their grub on!

Ethan feeding the goats

Byron and Jaycee

Jackson gettin' some love from the goats

Jackson loved letting the animals eat out of his hand

Striped-Hyenas

Byron feeding steak to the spotted-hyenas

Fiona and Dora the baby goats

Jaycee bottle feeding the baby goat

Sorry baby goat that we made you work so hard!

Jaycee feeding the camel

This is what cattle look like in India

This is a Scottish Highlander hangin' out with his buddies from India

A timberwolf

Minature Donkeys

Mariah the White Tiger- She wouldn't take the piece of steak from Trey

The giraffe checkin' Jackson out

Giraffes!

Truly amazing!

Can't remember what type of animal this is, but they were very gentle

Jackson just laughed as the animal ate from his hand- They all had to work extra hard b/c he would keep his hand closed.

A Salute~ To the 4 men in my life!

Since Sunday is Father's Day, I thought I would share a few things about the 4 men that play an important role in my life and my family's life.

So I will begin with my dad, Donny. He is such a hard worker. He is a dedicated man. He has always worked extremely hard for our family. He is a rock for my mom. Their relationship is quite amazing. Honestly, I don't think either one would do too well without the other. My dad was our provider growing up. He was tough, but I definitely wouldn't be the person I am today if it weren't for him. He showed us tough love, but the tears that streamed down his face when they rolled me in to have knee surgery definitely will be in my memory forever. That showed me that he has a tender spot and that he truly cared for me. I can count on 1 hand how many games he missed throughout my entire career of basketball. That meant the world to me. I don't think I would have made it through college without the support of my parents. I will never forget in high school when dad would come in my room and pray over me before school. My wedding day, my dad had to let his baby girl go, but he knew I was going to be very well taken care of. He knew that this was God's plan for my life. The most recent, was probably the smile on his face when Jackson was born. His first and only grandson! Was he ever so proud! So he has always been there for me. Even though he is a man of few words when it comes to all the mushy stuff, I know his love for me. I so appreciate and I am so grateful that I had/have a dad in my life.

Now, for my Pa. Jerry Sutton, wow is there one word that describes this man? He has such a wonderful heart. He is very compassionate. He is a very giving man. To hear his stories, from having nothing and working hours upon hours to provide for his family, and to see where he is today! WOW! He is a true business man. I love to sit and listen to his stories and all of his wisdom. The Sutton Family would not be who we are without him. He is definitely the rock for this family. The love he has for my grandma is incredible. Fifty plus years together and they are still going strong. He is such a people person. He will talk to anyone anywhere. Anyone who comes to his home is immediately accepted and they feel like they have been a part of the family forever. He also stands up for what he believes in and will not back down. He is an incredible man. I am very thankful to have him in my life. He is the best Grandpa in the world!

To the best father-in-law in the world. Andy Lohrer is another exceptional man. I have only known him for 5 years, but he has accepted me as one of his own. That is a tremendous feeling. I have never once felt like an outsider in this family. From the first time I met him, I was welcomed with open arms. He is also a very caring, giving, and compassionate man. He will defend his family to the very end if needed. He is an extremely hard worker. His love for ALL of his children is amazing. He will do whatever, whenever you ask. His love for Marilee, is like no other. She is his treasure. I am so thankful for how they raised Byron. Andy loves God, he loves this country, and his family is so dear to him. Even through the craziness that is called our life he has never once questioned anything. He has always been 100% supportive. He is a wonderful Papa to our kids. So thank you, God for blessing me with another wonderful dad. He has touched my life in so many ways and I am truly honored to have my last name be Lohrer and to be a part of such an amazing family.

Last but most definitely not least, my hubby Byron. What an answer to prayers. My mom and I sent many prayers up through the years, and God definitely went above and beyond my wildest imagination. Byron is everything I needed and desired. He loves God and so has a heart to do what God wants him to do. He is a very loving husband. He works so hard for this family. I know he didn't think his life would be so crazy. He has been so wonderful through it all. I will never forget the moment I told him I was pregnant (with Jaycee). I was so extremely nervous. Before I could totally get the words out, he said yeah you are pregnant. I turned a little defensive in that moment, but then realized that God had been preparing him. I still remember the way he looked at Jaycee when he held her for the first time. Byron saying, wow this is a glimpse of God's love for us. Jaycee has done nothing to deserve or earn our love, but he was already so passionately in love with her. Then to see him with Jackson and how they are already doing the men stuff! Its great! I am so truly grateful that our children are raised having a dad at home. I am so thankful that he values me as a woman. He is so supportive and so caring. So honey, Happy Father's Day to the most amazing man ever! You are my rock. I don't know what I would do without you. I love all the things about you, even though at times I seem like I don't. God couldn't have gotten it more right when he moved this world around just to bring the 2 of us together! Through all that we have experienced in 4 yrs of marriage and we are still together. Thank you for being the provider and allowing me to stay at home with the kids. Thank you for being such a great daddy to Jaycee and Jackson. You mean the world to them. I love when you get home and both coming running to you yelling Daddy. That will never get old! I can't wait for our time to come when we will be coaching basketball together. I know that is both a passion of ours and we will be an amazing team. I look forward to many wonderful and amazing years with you. I love you! You're the best.

These 4 men hold such a special place in my heart! I thank God everyday for all of them and what they mean to the families they are a part of. I thank God that they are all Godly men. That they have great work ethics and moral values instilled in their lives. Its so wonderful to know that our children will be blessed by the heritage of these 4 men. Most importantly, that Jaycee will have an understanding and knowledge of what to look for in a husband. That Jackson will have 4 amazing role models in his life to teach, show, and guide him through this not so perfect world. That each one of them will leave an impression on future generations. Thank you to all 4 for loving God and your family! And dedicating your lives to be a Godly man, a husband, a father, grandfather, and great-father and for choosing the road less traveled! Love you all very much!

I need to bring it to the next level!

Okay, so I haven't done too well at blogging since the return of our internet. I am really going to try and do better. The day consist of chasing 2 kids around the house, all of us wanting to be outside, and then all the everyday duties its hard to sit down and blog. I love taking pictures but it takes some time to upload them to the computer, then upload them to my Wal-Mart account and then resize them to post. So sorry!

So here are pictures of our trip to Dallas! There aren't a lot of pictures, but my hubby isn't crazy about taking pictures. So I got what I could. I only got one of us together! I will take it! I am thankful for that one and that it actually turned out pretty good!
The view from our hotel room! We were on the 15th floor! Awesome View!


This is a picture of the Old Red Musuem- Its a gorgeous building!

This is inside our hotel looking down 15 floors!

I got one of my hubby!

Happy 4 yrs to us!

The waterfall in the hotel's lobby!

More of the hotel waterfall! So peaceful!

Jaycee and Byron~ The fish was caught with Byron's fishing rod-(His Early Father's Day Gift)

Our busy week is over!

Well, this week has flown by! Its been one great week. Jaycee LOVED the F.R.O.G.(Fully Rely On God)Carnival. She loved the carnival games, puppet shows, frog cupcakes and then the competition games. She was one of the youngest ones there, but did really well. So it was a good night for Jaycee and me. We really enjoyed our time together.

Wed. we didn't make it to church. We had lots of things going on and we had been that direction twice in 3 days, so we decided to hang out with the kids before we went away for a night.

The anniversary celebration was amazing! It was so nice to get away and just have time to ourselves! Our hotel was incredible. We had awesome views of downtown Dallas. I will post pictures later from our trip!

The kids did great with my parents. Jaycee helped my mom name her new horse. The name is Miss Molly. Jaycee had quite the stories for us when we returned! They road the lawn mower and golf cart. They did a lot of playing outside.

Today, Jaycee and I went to Serah's baby shower. It was lots of fun and she got some really great stuff! Jaycee had fun playing with some of the other young girls there.

So now we are back at home relaxing. We might do a little fishing tonight. I think that is our new family hobby! Byron got his Father's Day gift a week early, his very own fishing rod. So he is anxious to get out and test it!

So I am definitely ready for next week to stay at home and play in the water!

One Busy Week Coming Up!

This week is packed full with lots of fun and wonderful memories to be made. I guess it started last night. The first Sunday of every month we have small group. Yes, a little different from maybe some churches, but we still have 2 church services through the week. We have Sunday morning and Wednesday night. We have many families that drive a good distance so its really not feasible for us to get together every week. Its a bummer too when it only happens once a month, b/c you feel like you miss so much if you aren't able to make it. At the start of the day, we didn't think we would be able to make it. We didn't have a sitter for the kids. My grandparents decided not to leave for their mini-trip until today, so they came over to watch the kids! Which was great! It gave Byron and I a little time together, and then gave us fellowship with our friends! The kids LOVE their Ma and Pa! They have so much fun when they are with them! We got home last night and both kids were still awake and going pretty strong. Jackson went to sleep with Pa rocking him, but Pa went to lay him down and he started crying. They left him for a few minutes, but Pa couldn't take it anymore so went and rescued him.

Today could be our only day at home! Its full of laundry and cleaning. I just love those days. Even though its everyday around here. Its amazing how much laundry we can accumulate. I can have it all done by the end of the day. In 2 days, I can have the washing machine running again for pretty much the entire day! Just amazing!

On with this week. Tomorrow I get my hair done. Its been quite sometime since I have done anything with it. So I need some help. Quite surprisingly, my hair has been the same color for 11 mos. now. I should get an award for that. It all changes tomorrow. I can't take the solo color anymore. Not sure what I am going to do, but I am looking forward to the change.

Also, tomorrow night Jaycee and I are having a mother/daughter night. WOOHOO! Our church is having a carnival for ages 3-1st grade. So Byron and Jackson are staying here, while Jaycee and I go have some fun.

Wednesday, we will probably be at Ma and Pa's for a little bit so I can mow their lawn. Then Wednesday night is church.

Thursday, Oh glorious Thursday! Its mine and Byron's 4th anniversary. We are actually getting away for a night. We are so excited! My parents are going to watch the kids. We are heading to Dallas and staying at the Hyatt Regency in the downtown area. I am so stoked to get away with my hubby.

Friday, Byron and I will hang out in Dallas and do some shopping. We will head home in the evening and get our babies.

Saturday, I am a hostess at my friend Serah's baby shower. So that will be fun to hang out with friends and celebrate the upcoming arrival of her baby boy, Tate.


I am sure by next week we will be ready to stay at home, soak up some sun, and play in the water A LOT!