Family Time

This past week has been relatively quiet in the Pierce household, for which I am very grateful! Looking ahead at our calendar for the next few weeks has me feeling a little overwhelmed because we have so many activities coming up; but, I'm not complaining - it's all good stuff! I've heard it said that May is "a mother's December"; with all that goes on at the end of the school year, I have found that to be true. All that to say, that I'm grateful for this past week and a weekend without a whole lot going on. I did take a few pictures, so I'll share those:


Friday night was a family movie night. We had dinner in front of the TV and watched "Underdog". Not the most enlightening or thought provoking movie experience, but the kids thought it was hilarious, and there's nothing better than the sound of my kids laughing!

We spent yesterday afternoon out running some errands. We stopped for dinner at Red Robin. We had never been there and the kids thought it was great.

All the errand running was too much for Camden and he had to take a little nap along the way. Of course, he was still awake at 10:30 last night! He is always saying something to make us laugh. Yesterday he kept losing his balance while putting on his pants and said, "I'm having trouble stablizing." At lunch today, he was interrupted while trying to tell a joke and he said in frustration, "Why do you keep erupting me?!" Too funny!

Beautiful Bluebonnets

"Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these." Luke 12:27

God really does make some beautiful flowers, doesn't He? The Luke passage goes on to talk about how we shouldn't worry about what we wear, when God takes such good care of the flowers, that are here today and tomorrow are gone. That seems very fitting to me with the bluebonnets, since we enjoy them for such a short time each year.

We went to Alvarado yesterday to enjoy the bluebonnets with our good friends, the Edens. Kim is a physician and a sweet older couple that are patients of hers own about 25 acres and have a gorgeous field of bluebonnets. Our next door neighbor (who happens to be a photographer) and her family also went with us so that she could take a family portrait for us. I think we got some pretty good pictures with our camera, so I can't wait to see what her's look like!

Ice Cream Field Trip!

The pre-K classes from Camden's pre-school took a field trip today to Beth Marie's Old Fashioned Ice Cream Parlor on the square in downtown Denton. They got to take a tour and learn how they make ice cream. Camden knew before we went that he wouldn't be able to have any ice cream because of his milk allergy, so he had this great idea to take some cereal from home to put in his cone. He loved it!


In this picture of the two pre-K classes, Camden is on the back row, third from the right.

Camden taking a look at the big ice cream making machine. They use a machine that was made in the 1950's and produce about 300 gallons of ice cream every day.

Playing in Heaven

A few nights ago, I was reading Cullen's devotional with him. (We bought devotional books for the kids for Easter and they have prompted so many great conversations.) Cullen commented that when he gets to heaven he hopes he can ask God to be kid again. I asked him why he would want to be a kid again and he replied that he wants to be able to "play on God". That brought to my mind an image of the kids playing all over Robert or my dad on the floor - one of their favorite things to do. I think that it's great that Cullen's concept of his heavenly Father is of someone who we can play with. So I'm hoping with Cullen that there will be some serious playing in heaven! And maybe we should all try to do little more playing while we're here on earth, too.

Cub Scout Family Camp Out

This past weekend Cullen's Cub Scout pack had a family camp out. We camped at Hickory Creek Park on Lake Lewsiville, less than 10 minutes from our house. The campground is very nice, we were blessed with beautiful weather and we had a great time!

On Saturday afternoon the kids participated in some relay races which were a lot of fun - I think I had as much fun watching as they did playing!

One of the relays involved counting popcorn kernels and putting them in plastic containers. I'm still not sure what the point was, but it proved to be fun.

Another relay had the kids tossing a ball over their heads, retrieving it, and tossing it over again - 10 times in all.

Kenna is always finding one bug or another to study. She thinks they're cute. Maybe she'll be an entomologist someday.

Saturday evening ended with awards and skits at a pack meeting around the campfire. Cullen and the other boys in his den have worked all year completing requirements for their Tiger badges; they received them at the meeting.

Rocket Scientist

Well, maybe it's not rocket science, but Cullen did build a rocket to race in his Cub Scout pack's Space Derby. He and Robert built his rocket on Friday evening and Saturday morning, just in time for the race that was held on Saturday afternoon during the pack's family camp out (more pictures from that in a later post). This was the pack's first time to do a Space Derby and there were a few glitches. Due to problems with most of the rockets, they decided to postpone the official race until the next pack meeting. But Cullen's rocket did great - out of the ten rockets entered, his was one of only two that made it to the end of the race! Way to go Cullen!

Cullen carving his rocket from balsa wood using a potato peeler.

The rocket line-up. Cullen's is the red, blue, and silver one, second from the left.

Cullen's rocket in the lead. (The yellow, red, blue and silver blur to the left side of the picture.) It's hard to see what's going on in the picture, but the rockets travel along a 40 foot length of fishing line. Most of the rockets didn't make it to the end, but Cullen's did.

Nature Walk

What a beautiful day today was! We took advantage of the great weather, packed a picnic lunch, and headed up to the 380 Greenbelt Corridor.

I love this man!

Last night Robert surprised me with these yellow tulips (my favorite color and one of my favorite flowers). We had been out for a nice dinner - thanks for babysitting, Nana and Papa. Once everyone was in bed, Robert treated me to an at home spa night - candles, bubble bath, foot massage, and hair brushing (that may sound weird, but having my hair brushed is one of my favorite things!). Robert's job has been very stressful lately and the fact that he still takes time to care for me is one of the many reasons that I love him.

Camden and the "Fantasies"

Quick Camden story. Camden and I attend a Bible study on Wednesday mornings. The children's program is great and he has learned a lot. On the way home this week, I asked him what he had learned. Never one to give a direct answer, he asked me what I had learned in my class. I told him we had learned about some things that Jesus taught. He said, "Yea, and the 'fantasies' didn't listen to Him." Of course, he meant the Pharisees, but he was close! Gotta love that kid!

Love God, Love Others

Wow! I can't believe I'm actually composing my first post on my very own blog! I've been thinking about starting a blog for awhile now (thanks for the nudging, Amy W!), but finally decided it was time when my mother started one. No offense Mom, but I can't have you being more "with it" than me! I'm sure most of my posts will be about the daily happenings of our family, but I thought for this first one I'd write a little about myself and my current outlook on life.
First of all, I feel blessed to be called a child of God. Everything I am and have is from Him. Second, I love being the wife of my husband of 14 years, Robert. While things don't always go according to our plans, there is no one I'd rather be sharing this life with. Third, I feel priviledged to be the mother of three amazing children, Kenna (recently turned 10), Cullen (7 next month), and Camden (5 1/2). Like most middle class Americans of my generation, I often get caught up in all the busyness of life; but, I really feel like God has been trying to teach me lately to slow down and focus on the things that really matter, the things that are eternal - God Himself and the people He has placed in my life. Jesus tells us in Matthew chapter 22 that loving God and loving others are the two greatest commandments, so that's what I want my life to be about. While I often fail miserably at this, I trust God's mercy to cover my mistakes and His grace to use my efforts to His glory. So, I'll close this rather lengthy first post with a quote from St. Francis of Assisi that sums up my current philosophy of loving God and loving others.

"Keep a clear eye toward life's end. Do not forget your purpose and destiny as God's creature. What you are in His sight is what you are and nothing more. Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take nothing you have received... but only what you have given; a full heart enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice, and courage."