Father's Day

So the kids had a blast yesterday showering Donnie with surprise gifts throughout the day after breakfast in bed.  But I think this was his favorite.  He recently moved into a new office so we thought this would be a great addition (seeing as how he had one picure of me and Joshua when he was two, one picture of the boys when Caleb was 8 months, and ZERO pictures of the girls...I take complete responsibility). And with this he can change the pictures out whenever he wants!

And here's a little video of their Father's Day card presentation.  We had fun making this one as well.

Summer kick off

Well the Nuzum family kicked off the summer with a couple of amazing trips!  We've known for awhile that Donnie would be doing some traveling for work this summer, but the kids and I were not planning to tag along.  Until, however, I got plane tickets for Mother's Day, for myself and the kids, to go with Donnie to Denver. (My husband rocks!)  Woo hoo!!  I can't believe it's been 7 years since we left there for NC!   It's just as beautiful as I remembered and we had a blast!  We were so blessed to be able to stay with our dear friends, the Morrises.  Joshua and Nathaniel obviously don't remember crawling around in diapers together (they are only 25 days apart in age), but they acted as though they had known each other forever.  This picture pretty much sums up the entire week with these two.

The boys were very sad to leave their friends at the end of the week. Ella had a blast with their 6 year old, Alia.  And both girls played "Mommy" all week to Erin and their precious new addition, Malachi.



Here's the entire crew.  Ella was exerting her independence in this shot...

Their oldest, McKenna was 5 when we left Denver, and she's grown into a beautiful 12 year old.  I held it together until I had to hug her and say bye.  Love that girl!!! I was able to do a little catching up over coffee with Christy, which we've been dreaming of doing for the last 7 years.  But I definitely left wishing we had more time.  Thank you, Morris family, for an amazing week and for opening up your home to us!  We love you!!

After the trip to Denver, Donnie had 2 days to pack up and leave for West Palm Beach, FL for another speaking engagement.  The day after he left, Wendy, Gerald, and Jake showed up on my doorstep from Texas!  What?! (my husband rocks!)  We haven't seen them since Christmas so I was so excited to get to spend the week with them while Donnie was out of town.  Now Donnie was "supposed" to be arriving back home Friday, but my sister hands me an envelope when she gets in the door that says "Happy Birthday".  Inside is (ONE) plane ticket to West Palm Beach, FL from Friday until Monday.  What?!  (Did I mention my husband rocks?)  So my AMAZING sister, brother in law, and sister in law (Donnie's sister is here for the summer) took care of all our four children (which includes a baby still getting up twice to eat at night, people!) plus their 18 month old so that Donnie and I could have a weekend alone in West Palm Beach.  Of course I didn't take my camera which almost makes me start to wonder if I dreamt it all.  But it really did happen, folks, and it was wonderful!  We shopped, dined, and walked the beach for three magnificent days!  You would have really thought we were in love the way we were holding hands the whole time, but honestly I'm so used to holding onto at least two hands, while juggling a diaper bag, lugging an infant carrier, and being pulled in 4 different directions, that Donnie had to hold my hand just to help me to walk straight.  So a BIG thank you to Wendy, Gerald, and Nicole for holding down the fort and loving our kiddos while we were gone, and to my amazing husband for planning an unforgettable two weeks!!  I love you!

I'll end with some photos we got today.  I mentioned before that Donnie's sister Nicole is living with us for the summer and it's been SO much fun having her with us!  She is majoring in broadcast communication and is spending most of her days volunteering at Elevation in hopes of learning the ins and outs of production.  She had some time off today, though, and the kids had a blast with Aunt Koko and the new slip-n-slide!

Our songwriter

So the boys had a hard time getting to bed last night. There was whining, arguing over sleeping arrangements, lots of stalling, and there may or may not have been some parental threats. So when Joshua, finally in bed, asked if he could tell me his song he wrote, I very curtly responded, "Tomorrow!" This obviously was another attempt to delay bedtime.

Then morning came and his first question to me was, "Now can I tell you my song, Mom?"
"Sure, honey"

This is what followed out of my eight year old's mouth...completely unedited.

"When sin is upon me I find my God right next to me. When the war has ended I find the Lord very strong in me. He is faithful, He is strong, He is good, He is peace to the Earth and everyone."

"Where did you hear that?"
"Nowhere. I just thought of it in my head"

Do not put out the Spirit's fire. 1 Thessalonians 5:19
Please Lord, never let my words, actions, frustration, or neglect ever quench the fire you are starting in our children's hearts.

PS. This has been posted with Joshua's permission. :)

Her Majesty

Princess dress.  Check.  Princess slippers.  Check.  Throne.  Check.  Princess movie. Check.

All orchestrated by her personal servants brothers.

Happy Mother's Day!

Honored.  Amazed.  Humbled. Grateful. In awe. These are only a few of the words that describe how I feel about having the privilege to be called "Mom" by these 4 incredible blessings the Lord has entrusted to my care.  However they also describe how I feel about the dozens of other Moms the Lord has placed in my life that I want to honor today.  First of all, I'm so grateful for my mom and the loving home she provided for my sister and me growing up.  She taught me, and continues to show me, what complete and total unconditional love really looks like.  I love you Mom!  Wendy, you are a rock, a beautiful woman of faith, and an amazing, fun-loving momma!  Jake is beyond blessed!  I love you sister! I am also so grateful for my mothers in law and the fact that I can call each of them a friend. What a blessing!  Kelly, Nicole, and April...you may not all be moms, but you don't have to have kids to posses a Mom's heart and pour life into those around you and that is what I see in each of you!  I'm so blessed to have gained 3 more sisters when I married Donnie!

...and to all the other sweet friends the Lord has placed in my life who are always there for me, being Godly examples for me as a mother & wife, whether by a phone call of encouragement or a conversation on the couch, thank you, thank you, thank you!  Our kids are reaping beautiful friendships, because of the seeds you are planting in your children!  Here are a couple of pictures from this past week of some pretty amazing kids that we are honored to call friends!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!



Soccer

Well, we've started a new season of Upward soccer and Joshua lives for his Saturday morning games!  Caleb gave it a try last Spring and had a little difficulty staying focused.  Rephrase...he was extremely focused on finding bugs in the grass and playing tag with his teammates...but kicking the soccer ball...I'm not even sure he ever noticed there was a ball involved.

Needless to say there were a few tears shed when he found out he wouldn't be joining Joshua on the soccer fields this season.  But he has seems to have gotten over it fairly quickly and is thoroughly enjoying cheering on his big bro.

As is the little diva of the family.

And while Grandpa was here for a visit, he and Caleb came up with the perfect cheer for our "mumber 4"...



Update

Update in pictures...because I have no time for words :-)

Trip to the mountains with the best e-group ever!

Enjoying the arrival of Spring!

brothers

Easter party and egg hunt

sister love

Easter morning

Daddy and his baby girl