What a wonderful 2nd Birthday Evan has enjoyed! Last night we had a dinner with my entire family: my parents, Jed's parents, my sister, her hubby & Max and my sister's in-laws. What an amazing gift to be surrounded by an entire table of loved ones. This morning we surprised Evan with a train table from Jed's parents and us. He was so cute. He went running towards the table making noises depicting everything he could see on the table: trains, helicopter, airplanes, firetrucks, etc. It was a priceless moment to see the look on his face.

Evan we love you so much. Even though we don't always understand you, you have always been our little enigma, you bring us indescribable joy! You make us laugh. You wear us out. You charm us. You are a power packed ball of energy, excitement and coordination. We know if you can harness all this energy and determination, you will one day have amazing things to accomplish in life. I can't wait to see how God shapes your life in the years to come.

Don't ask me how you start out in Grapevine at a winery looking at what grapes are left on the vine and end up at the Dallas zoo, but we did. Clearly, I may be past the mapquest days and need to head into this century with GPS. Somehow we didn't notice when 121 turned into something going SE towards Dallas. When the fog lifted enough to notice the buildings downtown in our view, we decided to be spontaneous and hit the zoo. It was a great idea! It was Nora's first visit to the zoo and we had a blast:)

Just a couple of cute pictures of the kids playing today. Can't beat the smile or funny face:)

Every morning, I walk in our neighborhood with friends. We each have two kids and push double jogging strollers. It is such a blessing to get out of the house, starting our days with friends, fellowship, encouragement and exercise. Getting the kids out in the fresh air does wonders for them and helps me get focused for the day. I love it. Girls in the neighborhood, you all know who you are and I am a better mom because of you. You give me new ideas, help me find strength and encourage me daily.

Friday morning, the group, minus one neighbor, stopped at our house to have cupcakes that Gigi made. The kids were a mess but enjoyed the cupcake break in their walk.

Finally, her dancing dreams have come true. Bebe signed her up for her first combo ballet and tap lessons and she couldn't be any more excited. I have to say it was the cutest thing I have ever seen...all these little girls in their pink and black dance leotards. Precious! I couldn't believe how big she was heading off into the studio on her own, ready to dance.

Some little girls were off in their own world, but Haley was keyed right into the dance instructor. She hung on every movement. You could tell she was concentrating trying to understand each hand and foot position. It was so adorable. She has been making up her own ballet moves for years and I wasn't quite sure if she would want to follow the instructions or just dance on her own. But, once again, she amazed me with her patience and precision. What a delightful treat to be able to watch her dance from behind the frosted window and see her beaming with joy as she learned each move.

Thankfully, Gigi was able to come with us and catch a glimpse of the excitement. She only got to watch a little of the dancing because she was helping wrangle the little free spirit dancer, Evan, who was INSISTING that he too should dance. In fact, at the second dance class I admit I let him walk around in tap shoes in the hallway to feel a part of the group. It was hysterical!

I wasn't prepared for this at all. We had a play date with a sweet friend on Tuesday morning and nothing out of the ordinary happened. Really, the kids played pretty well together. Lots of great sharing and everyone seemed to be happy as we parted ways to return home.

On Wednesday morning, almost 24 hours after being at our friend's house, our four year old walks into the kitchen and opens her little hands to reveal her friends FAVORITE train. I was speechless. I think my eyes almost popped out of my head. Knowing exactly where she got it I asked, "where did you get that train?". Haley says, "from our friend's house?" I say, "did you ask if you could borrow his FAVORITE train?" Haley says, "no, I sneaked it out of his house." I say, "how did you sneak it out?" She clasps her hands behind her back then clasps them in front of her body. Shock and awe from mom.

"Why would you do that?" I ask. Haley replies, "Because he did not want to share it with me." Oh, my word. How could my daughter purposely want to take her friend's favorite toy without asking and maliciously plot to hide the evidence from me? Could she really be this deceptive and sneaky?

Apparently, the guilt of taking the train overwhelmed her causing her to admit her sin. She couldn't take it any more. I guess that the lie wasn't as fun as she had hoped it would be. Hiding the train away wasn't that exciting after all. After many tears, lots of apologies and hopefully a discussion that will impact her choices in the future, Haley seems to understand that we don't take things from others without asking.

I know, we all have to live and learn. I remember vividly the consequences of taking a piece of candy from a restaurant and how humiliated I was returning to apologize. It did make a lasting impression. I can only hope that this whole situation had a similar impact on Haley. She did seem genuinely sorry. In fact at every meal that day and at bedtime she prayed, "Lord thank you for this day, forgive me for my bad choices and help me make good choices tomorrow."

It is good that we serve a God who understands our sin nature. Just like Haley, we are all sinners who want to do things we know we shouldn't. The guilt consumes us to leading us straight back into our Father's arms. Thank goodness we can be free from our sin, washed clean and be restored in our relationship with the Father.