On Thursday I was making our bed when I noticed that it was unusually quiet in the living room. I walked into the room and this is what I found. Apparently John Mark pulled the container of cupcakes from the top of the cabinet and helped himself to the cupcakes that were left. Oh- there were about 6 cupcakes left... He looked so cute sitting there with icing all over his face that I just couldn't get too upset with him.
This was a wonderful weekend for us. We didn't have anything planned and loved just spending quality time with each other and our dear friends.
Saturday we didn't do anything really. I cleaned the house and Micah played with John Mark. I 
know that it sounds really boring, but it was such a fun day!
Sunday was church and then we had a barbecue at the Wehunts. That is where these pictures of John Mark and Caroline are from. They had such a fun time running around and "climbing" the tree. By climbing, I really mean me and Jamie holding them up in the branches until they were tired and said "down."
Monday we went to the zoo and saw the animals. John Mark loved being at the zoo with daddy (he is much more interesting than mommy!) and got to ride the carousel and kiddie train. He had so much fun that he wore himself out and was asleep before we got out of 
the parking lot. We rounded out the evening with popsicles in the driveway. We figured that he was already a sticky, sweaty mess so why not add a little more sugar to his nastiness!!
It was a great weekend spent together, especially considering we are going to be busy for the entire month of June!
Today we were sitting in the living room when Micah and I noticed that it was abnormally quiet in the back of the house where John Mark was playing. I went into our bedroom to investigate and this is what I found...
John Mark had pulled everything out of my closet and was sitting on the ground. I guess he was thinking that we were going to hide from the tornadoes again! Then he proceeded to make me get in the closet with him. What a silly boy!!
I have a lot more pictures from this weekend, but I will leave you with these for now until I have a chance to post again.
My sincerest apologies for a lack of posting. We just got internet at our house today, and Micah has been out of town for a week with the laptop, which was my alternate way of posting.
It's been a busy couple of weekends for us. We celebrated Tiffany's graduation from
UCO with her Master's and Mother's Day this past weekend. It was a fun weekend filled with family and love.
Micah left early Monday morning for a staff retreat in San Antonio, leaving John Mark and I 
behind. I proudly survived my first 3 nights alone EVER, I think, in the history of Stephanie! In the past I have always had someone stay with me if Micah was out of town. I braved the week alone though and I have to say- it was a surprisingly good week. I never realized how much my being 
gone in the evening relied on having Micah at home to stay with John Mark!!
This weekend is HS graduations and parties. I am planning my pre-k graduation on Wednesday as well. The rest of May is already shaping up to be crazy busy, 
then we're off to Middle School camp the first week of June. I can't believe that is already here...
In John Mark related news- he is getting bigger and sillier everyday! His new favorite words are "whoops!" and "elbow." He loves to be outside and gets really upset when we have to come in. It just doesn't even seem possible that he is almost 2 years old!
Well, I guess that is all I have for now. John Mark just poured a cup of water on himself and me. Guess I'll clean that up now...
I have had way too much fun with my new camera. In fact, I took over 100 pictures on Sunday in the backyard... I will spare you looking at all of them, but this one is my absolute favorite. How can you not just love that smile?
I worked my first full day yesterday at the office. I had a great day and God answered my prayers for peace. John Mark had a fun time with mr. chris. Chris even taught him to say "YEAH!" and put his thumbs up. It's probably the funniest thing that he does.
Here is a slideshow of the tons of pictures that I took. Enjoy!!
Our camera died.
And by died, I mean was thrown across the room by a certain little boy we all know and love.
The result- these awesome pictures with lovely lines across them.
Anyway... we went to the zoo twice this week. On Wednesday with my pre-k class from school and today with Jonas and Eric. Wednesday was miserably windy. Today was perfect. The sun was just warm enough and the boys were GREAT!! They loved looking at the different 
animals and we even took a ride on the carousel. John Mark was the only one who seemed to really enjoy the ride though.
We had fun playing with the kittens and rock band!! Now he is completely worn out and sleeping in the chair with Micah. If I hadn't taken so many pictures today that the battery was dead, I would take a picture of that to put on here.
I ran 13.1 miles this morning.
I ran it in 2 hours, 19 minutes, 23 seconds.
That's a 10:39 mile, if you were wondering.
As I sprinted across the finish line,
hands held high in victory,
clutching tightly to my friends,
I laughed and I cried.
It was one of the most inspiring, difficult, beautiful experiences of my life.
Inspiring-
because seeing 18,000 people take off in memory of those whose lives takes your breath away.
At the very first turn of the marathon,
we were going up a hill
and in front of us was literally a sea of people.
because in those moments I felt so weak and tired
humble people sitting on their front steps cheered me on...
my 2 best friends came alongside me and pushed me to endure...
my Jesus whispered words into my heart....
and I knew I would make it.
Difficult-
because for the first 8 miles a driving north wind cut into my face,
a cold drizzle melted into my skin for several miles.
because around mile 10 my ankles were so weak
I was afraid they might break.
because 13.1 is quite a bit further than 10!!
Beautiful-
because God met me there,
revealing a little bit more of Who He is.
At mile 7 I took out my headphones and listened-
to the pounding of feet on the pavement,
to my own breathing,
to the prayers being whispered from my heart.
because this was more than a race...
this was my life story
strung out across 13.1 miles of pavement.
Parts were fun and easy,
a little bit like a party.
Other parts were so hard I wanted to cry.
But I had sweet friends running with me,
each step of the way.
Without them I wouldn't have made it-
today, and in every aspect of my life.
because crossing that finish line,
holding hands with Marcy and Kelly,
gave me hope-
that I will be able to make it,
no matter what life throws at me,
as long as I have my Jesus and the people He has given to me.
"I have fought the good fight,
I have finished the race,
I have kept the faith"
2 Timothy 4:7
On Monday, Caroline came over to hang out with us while Jamie went to a meeting. We had a great time playing and coloring. That girl completely cracks me up. At one point she was singing the ABC's with so much passion her face was turning red and she was grunting.
lunch on it. They had so much fun eating their chicken nuggets and peaches. It was totally obvious that they really thought they were big kids for eating by themselves in the playroom.Today was the kind of day
that makes you want to stop-
to reflect on all the good,
the blessings.
To say "thank You"
to the Giver of every good and perfect gift.
We sang my favorite song in worship.
The wind was blowing just right,
causing the living room blinds to clap joyfully
as I sat on the floor reading.
I spent quality time with my Jesus-
studying for my breakout lesson
and running in spring air.
Children played in their yards,
daddys mowed,
mommys planted tulips and pansies
as I ran by.
I baked yummy fish,
with new potatoes and green beans for supper.
And the perfect end to my night?
Snow cones,
shared with John Mark
while sitting on the front porch.
"Savior, He can move the mountains
My God is mighty to save,
He is mighty to save...
Forever, Author of Salvation
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave."
--Mighty to Save, Hillsong
I have accepted a new job.
Starting in June, I will be the assistant to the children's director at HHBC.
It was a very serious, difficult decision.
We prayed, cried and discussed A LOT.
But after much seeking,
we felt that we couldn't deny that God had opened this door.
And so in June,
I will be leaving my baby for 32 hours each week.
If you think of me,
say a quick prayer!
We moved last weekend
into a lovely house-
complete with a gorgeous kitchen,
clean bathrooms (YAY!)
and a PLAYROOM for all of little boys toys.
Our move did lose one thing-
our internet and cable.
2 streets from our old address
our internet package was not available.
So here i sit, in the dark
using wi-fi to post to this blog.
Random Micah music is playing through the speakers.
John Mark is sleeping in bed.
And for the first time in a long time,
I feel settled.
Peaceful.
My heart is at rest.
Listen, God,
I'm calling at the top of my lungs:
"Be good to me! Answer me!"
When my heart whispered,
"Seek God,"
my whole being replied,
"I'm seeking him!"
Don't hide from me now!
--psalm 27:7-9 (msg)
Micah went out of town this weekend to visit a friend, so John Mark and I loaded up the car on Thursday evening and headed to mom & dad's. We had a great weekend full of playing, laughing, and of course- eating!! It was too cool to spend very much time outside (especially since I only packed shorts for JM- oops!) but on Saturday it finally warmed up enough for us to go outside. "Out" is one of John Mark's new favorite places to be and words to say. He loves to run to the window, pick up the blinds and stand behind them saying "out" over and over.
Because it was finally nice Saturday evening, we let John Mark play outside. He decided that mom needed help watering the plants she was putting out for spring. He had a great time pouring the "wa-ler" from his watering can into the flowers... on the sidewalk... on himself... you get the picture! He loves to do anything that we are doing!!
Last year at a garage sale, mom bought him an antique tricycle that she is planning on redoing for him to ride on. He found it in the garage and decided to take it for a spin. He doesn't quite get how to make it go, but he loved holding onto the handles and being pulled around the driveway!
When we got home this evening, John Mark ran in the house saying "daddy! daddy! daddy!" and running everywhere looking for Micah. I was very sad to tell him daddy wouldn't be home for a few more hours. But boy will John Mark be excited when he wakes up in the morning and daddy is home!
When I was a little girl,
my parents always sang the same lullaby.
It was a simple song they made up
to the tune of "this is the day."
That's right ladies and gentlemen-
I just came in from running 8 miles.
And let me just tell you-
8 miles is FAR.
But not as far as 13.1 is going to be in 27 days.
I will give you a mile by mile rundown:
Mile 1- was an easy go with a stop to cross the street.
Mile 2- I hated my life.
Mile 3- more hating the streets right now.
(for some odd reason, miles 2 and 3 are the WORST)
Miles 4-6- I was in the zone. I found my stride.
Britney was blaring from my ipod.
My water bottle was mostly full.
It was as though my head disconnected from my body
(think floating head doctor from Scrubs)
and I no longer felt the pain.
Then came:
Mile 7- it was like we crossed that street
and my head reconnected to my body.
My legs hurt.
My lungs were burning.
Sweat was dripping in my eyes.
My water bottle was mostly empty.
But I pushed on.
And finally...
Mile 8- familiar street signs passed by.
I topped that final hill.
Home- I tell you this place has never looked so good!
I never got the slideshow to load, so here are the pictures from Easter. Enjoy!
playing in nanny's yard
feeding birds with grandad
swinging!
checking out the buffalo
in the hammock with our buddy Eric
looking for Easter eggs
full basket!
still hunting
John Mark & Jonas
John mark & Mommy
all the babies- from left: Eric, Katelyn, Jentry, Anna Grace, Lauren, Mady, John Mark, Jonas
babies & mommas
looking mischievous with Caroline at church
"dude, what's this chick crying about?"
family picture, Easter 2008
What a weekend! We had planned on going to Central High to see the family on Thursday, but mom got sick that afternoon. After a round of phone calls, we decided to go ahead and stay with nanny. So on Friday we ate a fabulous lunch of roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, homemade bread... a meal that only nanny could "throw together at the last minute." That afternoon we went to the mountains to show John Mark the mountains and buffalo. Unfortunately, those pictures are on mom's camera because I didn't have mine with me.
Saturday morning, Nanny and I set the house up for a big Easter egg hunt that we were having with all the girls and kiddos. I am very proud of my Easter basket cupcakes that I made, so I am showing a picture of them here! The kids had a great time hunting eggs, eating and running around together. After all the fun at Nanny's house we went to lunch at the Bistro.
This morning we got up and went to church. John Mark looked so handsome in his dinosaur tie and fancy shirt. I kind of figured that he would hate his tie and throw a fit about wearing it (kind of like his daddy, maybe? :) but he actually loved it and cried when I took it off to resize it.
After church we had lunch with Micah's family, another egg hunt and then naps! We rounded out the evening with a cookout at Micah's grandpas house. It was an exciting, exhausting weekend. I took over 100 pictures, so I put the best of them in a slideshow. Enjoy!
Edit: I can't get the slideshow to work... so I'll have to post it later!
Last night was our top secret, super fancy date.
Up until 3:00 yesterday afternoon, I was under the impression that John Mark was going with us.
At 3:00 Micah told me that he was staying with Chris & Kelly not going with us, but that was all he would say.
At 5:00 I found out we were going downtown.
At 6:00 we dropped John Mark off at Chris and Kelly's. When we got in the car, Micah handed me an envelope and inside were 2 tickets to ANNIE!!
So we ate supper at a fancy little restaurant downtown and then watched Annie at the Civic Center. Dinner was fabulous, and the show was incredible. THIS is why my husband is the greatest husband in the world- not only did he WILLINGLY go to see a musical, he dressed up in a suit and tie just for me. What a man!
This morning I ran in a 5K with Marcy to benefit the children of Sierra Leone. It was a benefit race for OCS Heroes week.
This is our before picture.
I have a picture identical to this from 7 years ago in our brown house.
(is that POSSIBLE?)
Yes, we are wearing matching shorts.
We have no shame. None.
You should just be thankful our shirts are different colors!
This is our during picture. I know it doesn't LOOK like we're going fast at all, but I promise you- we were trucking it! We both finished the race in under 30 minutes. We were freezing cold with snot running down our faces, and there were moments we questioned our survival... 
but it was totally worth it!!
And this is the after picture.
We are proudly displaying our certificates we got for completing the race. From here we went to breakfast at Panera and shopping at the mall. Yes, we stayed in our matching shorts.
Dirty stares and hateful glances don't stop us- no shame, remember! It was a GREAT morning.
Finally, we rounded out our weekend by wishing miss Caroline a very happy second birthday. She had a great party at her house with lots of cupcakes, juice and giant Cinderella balloons. Unfortunately, this is the only picture I got all day because we were pre-occupied with the birthday girl.
It has been a busy couple of days filled with celebrating.
Celebrating love.
Celebrating friendship.
Celebrating life.
I love a good celebration! Don't you?
