August Already!

August is already here and I can't believe it. Summer has gone by quickly as usual. We started this month off with appointments and getting ready for school. 

After appointments we took Tatum and Titus to play at Incredible pizza. They played hard. On the way home Titus fell a sleep with his super hero mask on.

We have had very little rain this summer. With that our state has had it's share of wild fires. Here is one out of control in front of my parents house. Praise the Lord it was stopped just before it crossed the road over to their yard. It was a scary afternoon. 

 Every since we moved into our house I have wanted to paint the kids rooms. I had big plans and projects for this summer but spent to much time playing. So when it was to hot to play outside a couple weeks ago we painted rooms. Tatum needed new bedding for her room. She picked the zebra out all by herself. She like the leopard too but that was just to old. My choice was butterflies and flowers but she likes pizazz!! I am loving her new purple walls. Its so bright and cheery.

 Titus picked blue and red for his walls. I thought red would be a little to much so we settled with just blue. He wanted to change his mural to monster trucks too but that's not happening right now. My iPhone camera makes it look a little purple but it's a sky blue.

 Titus will be going to school two days a week this year. He met his teacher last week. He was all smiles and very excited. I am so not ready for this. My baby can't be old enough!! Yes, I will cry like a baby when he goes into his class room. 

I asked him the night before meet the teacher if he was excited to meet her? He said "Yes, but a little bit scared". I asked why and he told me his head is a little scared. I said oh well what about you heart. He said my heart isn't scared it's ready. It broke my heart. I told him he could stay home with Mommy and he told me no he's ready to go to school just a little scared. On our way to meet his teacher he said "Mommy I'm nervous"!

 Tatum and a couple friends started gymnastics last week. She is so excited about it. All day long she kept telling me she was so excited and then would ask me if I was so excited!

Saturday my cousin Nicole got married. She asked me to do her hair and her bridesmaids hair. I did Nicole's hair winter ball when she was in high school and maybe prom too but I can't remember. It was an honor for me to be apart of her special day in this way. She was a beautiful bride. 

This week school starts for both kids. Titus starts Tuesday and Tatum starts Wednesday. I am not ready for summer to be over but I am ready for schedule and routines again. I can't believe Tatum will be in kindergarten. I will miss her. She will be gone all day every day this year and it'll take some getting used to on both our parts.

July fun

July was supposed to be slower but it proved to be just as busy and went way to fast.

 We started the month with a fun trip to the water park with friends.

We got to spend a fun evening cuddling with sweet Hadley girl.

We got a new washer and dryer. Dan thought both would fit in the back of the Tahoe but they did not. So we had to drive with the dryer on top. Embarrassing!!  Dan couldn't fit behind the washer to hook up the dryer so he put me back there. It was tight quarters. It's working fine so I must have put it on right. I also have to say I love the new washer and dryer!! It has cut my loads per week in half!! AWESOME!!!!  

The second week of July was our annual cousins weekend. It is always such a great time with family. Ellie was looking to cute in her swim suite and head band!

We spend the day swimming, jumping off the bridge, visiting and eating lots of great food.

We end the day playing on a water slide and making mud pies. It was another successful cousin's weekend. We look forward to it every year.

Dan, Phil and Derick built our fence and Katie and Derick's in the 110 plus weather. It looks beautiful and they did a great job!! I am so thankful for these hard working guys.

A sweet child hood friend came into town and wanted to try her hand in noodling. It was a fun time of catching up and watching her noodle. I think she's now a pro!! She caught a good one!! I'm not sure she knew exactly what she was getting into but she was a good sport. Derick was her guide. He might have a future carrier here! 

Later that evening we took her to Pig N Out. Here are Katie and the kiddos watching a movie on her phone. They were so good during the noodle adventure! No fun evening is complete with out good food!!

 We took a fun family trip to Branson. We met up and spent the night with friends. We played, shopped and went to Silver Dollar City. 

 We welcomed our newest nephew into the family. Sweet baby London is adorable. 

We took a hike at Grandpa Stokes' and road around on the 4wheeler for a bit.

Nana Dianna took the girls out for a night out to see the play Tom Sawyer at a children's theatre. The play was really good and cute. It kept the girls attention the entire time.

 I'm a little behind but I had the kids pictures taken. They turned out so cute!

That pretty well sums up our month of July. We tried to make the most of our summer and enjoy every minute.

Tatum came home from church telling us her friend Eden is learning "Chinese Spanish". 

- She asked if the candy from tomorrow was still good. (meaning yesterday)

The Olympics were on during July and we loved getting to watch it. The kids even watched with us and were into it. Tatum's favorite part was the gymnastics and Titus liked the swimming and racing. 

While watching the rowing Titus yelled "Look Mom they are racing!" 

-While playing Titus got stuck and yelled "I need a little help in here"

It's a sad/glad day

There are some people in your life that just make you feel special. We lost a great man like that early this morning. Tim is one of those men. Everyone that knows him understands. I have known Tim all my life. He is one of those guys that just make you smile. He would walk toward you at church with a big grin on his face or trying to hide his grin because he is trying to be serious when he tells you something ornery. As a kid I can remember him dancing around being silly for his girls and I while watching TV. I one time spent the night and then went to work with him and his girls. Well he worked and we played. Every time I pass that house I think of him. I remember playing in the cutest little play house that he had for his girls. Swimming in the trough that he put tar all over the bottom of so it wouldn't leak and his girls could play. The girls taught me how to ride a bike over the big grease spot in his driveway that his truck had made.

Here more recent he was working on another house close to my parents house and I had to smile because he is one the hardest working people I know. In fact every time I would see his red truck it made me smile. Dan and I would stop while he was working there and say hi. He would greet us with his big smile and make us feel as though we were exactly who he wanted to see at that moment. Other times I would stop on my own and check on him and say hi. We all worried because he was due for new kidney and functioning on way less then the rest of us.

Tim had this amazing ability to remember every ones birthdays. One year I can hear it like yesterday he called and says "Is this the Launi Stokes?"  I said answered yes and then he went on to tell me that he remember it was my birthday. It made my day that he would take time out to call and that he remembered. 

His family has and will always hold a special place in my heart. I love his girls and wife so much as well. They were there when Tatum was born and Anita was there when Titus was born as well. She was in the operating room when Tatum was born and helped to take pictures. She took me to the hospital when at church camp I fell and cracked my nose. I love them like my own family. My heart hurts for all that know him and the loss everyone is feeling.

I can picture Tim at the ski lodge shoveling tons of snow because he was going to dig us out of there. I see him pacing the floor because he knew he needed to get back to work. I can hear him calling me Leslie and asking where Launi is. I can hear him reassuring me as I freaked out about my new front porch that it was not supposed to have a lip hanging over. The guy did not mess it up that's the new style, the lip is old and out. It will look fine as soon as you get grass and things how you want it. He assured me he would have done it the exact same way and once I knew that's how Tim would have done it I've loved it ever since. I was standing on my porch talking to him about it on the phone while he assured me it's right.

So many times I would pass him in his red truck and I would wave for all I could because this time he's going to see me! I think in all those years of waving he only saw me once. We would laugh because he never would see any of us! Every time I would say to Dan I just love that man. He's such a great guy. He would smile and say yes he is a very good man. Then we would talk about how he would make us laugh and was always smiling. I am thankful that Tim and Anita for their anniversary weekend spent Sunday morning at our church and I was able to hug them.

 I was amazed because at a talent night at church he memorized all of the sermon on the mount and recited it. Above everything he loved God and truly walked with the Lord. He will be greatly missed but has left an unbelievable legacy. I know with out a doubt we will see Tim in heaven someday. Heaven just got even sweater. Please remember this precious family in your prayers.