Kinley's Indoor Camping Party

Kinley picked an Indoor camping party for her birthday this year. 

Our very first experience with a sleepover party. 

 I set the limit of girls to her age so she was allowed to invite 9. 

 

Ben set to work building tents in our garage. 

They were SO easy to make and were great for like one time use. 

  

On party day, we moved out all our living room furniture, sent the boys to grandparents and Ben and I turned our living room into the camp site.

.  

 First up on Kinley's agenda was to gather up and do a photo scavenger hunt around the neighborhood before it got dark. The girls had 20 items to find and take a picture with. 

We loaded up everyone in the back of Ben's truck and went for it. 

 They had the best time

!  

Selfie with a flower

  

Fire Hydrant selfie

  

Posing as a tree, under a tree

 

group pic of left shoe
 
  in front of a boat

  

 with something that starts with a "D"

  

With something blue
 
picking up litter
 
Forming a single letter
 
With a bird

 camouflaged - can you spot them??
 

 crammed into a small space

  

With a neighbor :)

  

My personal favorite...Group Pyramid! 

After we finished the scavenger hunt, we came home hungry for camp food - hot dogs, baked beans, bbq chips and lots of snacks. 

 

After dinner we sang Happy Birthday and had cake. 

 Mendy outdid herself again with this delicious and incredible camp cake! 

Amazing.

   

 After dark and since Kinley's birthday is the same weekend as Easter, we had a glow in the dark Easter Egg hunt. 

The girls had so much fun using flashlights and glowsticks to find all the eggs. 

 And as if it couldn't be more "camp-like" there were two owls across the street in the trees hooting during our hunt and we snuck up on them, shined our flashlights and bird watched for a little while too.

 An indoor camp out with real live animals!

 There are perks to basically living in the forest.

   

 After the scavenger hunt, it was time for Smore's on the back deck! 

 

 NO ONE ELSE I would rather host a party with.

 This guy made everything happen. 

 So thankful. 

And we had our own little date night around the "campfire" surrounded by 10 girls. :) 

 

After smore's was craft time (shrinky-dinks), presents, a change to pjs, a Greatest Showman watch party complete with Easter egg hunt candy, popcorn and camp snacks.

 

 These two weren't into watching the movie so much and just sat on the couch and talked with me for a while. 

Love these girls and I forsee lots of couch talks in our future. :)

These three together is like crazy dejavu. 

 Love their friends-that-are-really-family love for each other. 

If we had to pick people to be on our lifeboat, these girls would be on it :)

Lights out was midnight and these cuties were adorable going to bed. I don't know if they slept but I know Ben and I slept all night until 7am so I call that a success!
Camp breakfast was buffet style with breakfast casserole, cinnamon rolls, fruit and juice and these girls ate like they were at summer camp. 

Overall, first sleepover party was a great success.
 I am so thankful for the sweet girls that Kinley has in her life and grateful for this precious 9 year old.
 Kinley Gay, you are a joy!
You light up the room and you bring both a fun excitement for life and a peacefulness that is almost impossible to do.
You make everyone feel so loved and appreciated and are such a wonderful friend.
 Your little brothers think the absolute WORLD of you and your dad and I are smitten ourselves.
We love you sweet girl.
 God has special and specific plans for your life for His kingdom.
 Keep being brave and courageous and following Him where He leads.
 I am beyond grateful that I get to watch.

I love you baby girl.

More March - Gator Gala & family time

Had a great time at the annual Green Oaks Gator Gala.  

The theme this year was Wizard of Oz and we had the best time!  

I channeled my inner - Glinda in my fave thrift store find of all time. 

 

Michelle has been in Lindsey and I's BSF group for 2 years and she has the SWEETEST, most precious baby girl, Lindy, who spent a year with us in group too. 

Fun backstory....when God first called me to be a BSF group leader, I found out Lindsey was going to be in my group. I was overjoyed and thought it was so sweet of the Lord to put one of my best friends in group with me to help me "feel more comfortable" leading each week. 

Ha! 

Shows how narrowly focused my mind is because God has SO much more planned. 

The minute I met Michelle and she told me she had just given birth to a baby girl 2 months ago that they did not know had down-syndrome until she was born, I KNEW God put Lindsey in my group for HER, not me. 

I just got to watch their bond and connection grow each week for two years and I could not be more blessed and thankful. 

 How cute are they!? 

 

Our girl of the night Mallory!

 

Dylan rocked it on Dr. Seuss' birthday in his last minute theme shirt. 

 

 I got to have a one on one lunch with mom on her birthday and it was so fun! 

 

It rained a TON this spring but one beautiful sunny day, we went with Alex and Mendy and Cannon to the park to catch some sun. 

Girls in our matching DIFF sunglasses and boys found a rain puddle pretty much the size of a pond and got as dirty as they could. 

 

Going through the Baptism Book with Kinley.
She accepted Christ last summer but has been still thinking and praying about when she wants to get baptized.
Taking our time working through it all.
Love these moments.

Went to the Ft. Worth Zoo with Minnie and Cannon one day.

Bass Hall Date night with Box L - 

we went to hear the annoucement for next year's shows and took the secret underground tunnel to Bass Hall.

   

Madagascar at Casa Manana with Honey and Aunt Jan

  

 Ben was a WatchDOG at school the last week of March and got to spend all day with Kinley and Ty and appear on the morning show. 

 This year he brought old yearbooks of when we went to school there and showed pictures of Nurse Katy and some other teachers who were in the old yearbooks. 

 It was a hit!