Baby Samuel

In just a few months, Leah and Kenny will have their first baby! We are all so excited to meet him. Will he have her jet black hair? Or, will he be a blonde baby like Kenny was? Will he have Kenny's bubbly personality or super-Type A-organized habits like Leah? We'll soon find out!

To help prepare for his grand arrival, we hosted a baby shower with the theme "Showered with Blessings" for Leah and Kenny. It was beautiful and much fun!

And with the soon-to-be-mom .... Leah, you look great girl!

Bringing Back the Flower Girl ....

What is it about little girls and weddings? Most love them! And this BIG GIRL loves them too! So you can imagine how much I loved it when Katelyn and Owen were at the house recently, and Katelyn had a great idea of taking some of the leftover flowers from Whitney's wedding and playing "wedding!" It went a little something like this ....

Lauren: "OH YAY! I would love to play wedding."
Katelyn: "Ok, well you have to be the bride."
Lauren: "You don't want to be the bride? Who are you going to be?"
Katelyn: "I'm going to be the FLOWER GIRL!" (As she jumped up and down with excitement.)
Lauren: "Well, do I have a groom?"
Katelyn: "Sure - that's Owen's job."

Sweet Owen played "groom" as long as he could. When I wanted a picture of them together, he was tired of playing wedding, and simply asked for his dump truck. Kids - I love them!

Yes, even after one year of John and I marrying, she still wants to be the flower girl. Just precious.

Mr. and Mrs. William Lehmann: The Wedding

As I posted previously, Whitney's wedding day was perfect.

We had a fun time that morning at the MAC make-up counter getting our wedding faces on. And wow, Whitney sure talks A LOT when she is nervous and jittery.

Then we ventured to the church, and time flew by! Before we knew it, I was prepping her dress and veil to walk down the aisle. (As she was claiming she was about to pass out!) I missed some pictures at the reception. Did NOT get any pictures of her cake or Will's. Didn't get any pictures of them cutting the cake. Where was the announcement that they were cutting the cake? Definitely missed it. Sure didn't get any pictures of them walking out. Where was my mind?! I guess I was consumed with throwing flowers.

And that's why we rely on professional photographers. But for now, here's the gorgeous bride!

Pre-ceremony

Will - you looked SHARP!

My sweet John --- who was totally the best husband that weekend. He said his motto for the weekend was "keep my mouth shut, stay out of the way and do what I'm told." He's really the best.

After Ceremony- The Sword Ceremony.

The Reception

We're one blessed family!

What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate. Mark 10:9

Mr. and Mrs. William Lehmann: The Rehearsal

Well, they are married. She is now Mrs. William Lehmann. My sissy is married! It's still so odd saying that, but absolutely nothing was odd about their wedding. It was complete perfectness, in my world. I'm pretty sure Whitney would say the same thing too. She was gorgeous, and Will was ever-so handsome in his uniform. The day was incredibly smooth and fun. Simply wonderful!

So let's get to my favorite part - the pictures! Here are a few of the rehearsal night. Mr. and Mrs. William Lehmann: The Wedding will be posted next.

Whit with her gift-ribbon bouquet that I made...with her help. I had never made one before. It was fun!

They gave each other their wedding gifts that night.

Will wanted a Kindle and got one...

and Whitney wanted the sentimental gift, a pearl bracelet. Very pretty!

Whitney's now brother-in-law, Rick. He's a handsome boy too!

The updated family picture. Dad's not alone anymore. He's now got some man support. He's very grateful.

Gone to be with Jesus

Last week John's grandfather, his PawPaw, went to be with Jesus. Definitely a sad time, but we were all reminded of his love for God, funny personality and caring spirit at the funeral. That was a blessing. He was 88 years old and lived a great life. He will be greatly missed. Thank you to everyone who called and emailed. We appreciate your prayers.

This was the last picture John and I took with him. It was Christmas Eve. He loved opening his gifts and loved the great food that night! He was truly a sweet, sweet man of God!

A Birthday Gala Extravaganza

My family loves birthdays. If we all lived closer, every one's birthday would be a big deal. But we still try to make everyone feel important on their special day. Whitney definitely felt special on her day. It wasn't just a one day celebration --- but an entire weekend! With the entire family. Since May 27 was Whitney's last birthday as a "single woman," my aunt Trina and uncle Ock planned a birthday celebration at their blue beach house.

(I love this house, by the way. It's a fairly new investment for Trina and Ock, and I already see many years of memories happening here.) This is what we saw when we walked in ...

Oh yeah. Not just "birthday weekend," but "gala extravaganza." Oh, Lord. Whitney will never be the same. I think she's expecting this every year now. And we saw this ...

In just two weeks, Will joins our family. So this was his weekend to be celebrated too --- or a weekend to really think about the decision he is about to make. Smile. Nothin' like a family weekend to break a guy in!

Ock wanted to do something fun for dinner one night so he put together this shrimp boil. Yum. Yum. Yum.

The family loved it, and didn't wait a minute to dig in!

And then we had chocolate cake. Two kinds of chocolate cake, actually.

And would it be a birthday gala extravaganza without a group family shot? I think not!

The perfect shot with the blue house behind us. (The entire family cooperated for this picture. Amazing!) Here are a few more from the weekend.

The beautiful couple we celebrated this weekend. They are simply gorgeous, and so much fun!

The best part of this weekend was having everyone there. It's just not the same when someone is missing. I'm ready for the next family celebration at the blue house. Hmmm...Could it be sometime in late June for John's birthday?

Family. The people who make a birthday gala extravaganza weekend so fun. Happy Birthday, Whitney! Welcome to the family, Will!

My Girls

If you've heard me talk about 'my girls' this past year, this is who I've been talking about! (Minus about 7 of them!)

Aren't they so fun looking?! Trust me - they are!

Leslie (back row, far left) and I have led counseling sessions taught the 10th grade girls at Frazer for the past year. Not sure if I would have survived without Leslie as this was my first year in the youth group. I can remember the first Sunday morning as I walked into our room. There was a sea of beautiful, chatter-y girls. About 20 of them. Leslie couldn't be there that day, and I'm not quite sure how we made it through that first Sunday. But we did. I managed to get my name out and why in the world I was going to be one of their teachers. (Lucky them! They got a rookie! Again, thank the Lord for Leslie.)

Fast forward now 9 months --- I've had the BEST year with these girls! I told them Sunday I was going to be a little attached to them because they were my very first class. They broke me in. They have made me laugh, put me on the spot with interesting questions, and given me a fashion review with their outfits each Sunday. The best part, though, has been hearing what's on their hearts, and leading them in Truth as they continue to build their identity in Christ.

My girls are incredible!

Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12