The Bright Eyed Brunette

  Happy Birthday to my beautiful Makena!  Makena's birthday fell on a Sunday this year. Those are always hard birthdays for us. We have church on Sunday morning and early Sunday evening, so we had her party later in the evening. She wanted pizza and swimming, so that is exactly what we did. Everyone deserves to wake up feeling special on their birthday! Her daddy made her number pancakes. He has done this for the kids almost every year since they were little. Makena and Wrenley Wrenley had to help Aunt Kena blow out her candles. She is practicing for her birthday next month! Wrenley is her sidekick :) We are so proud of you Makena Faith! I'm excited to see what the next year holds for you! Much Love,  Beth

The sand in your toes, the salt in the air; nothing beats a trip to the beach! We had the most wonderful time last week in Gulf Shores, Alabama, or as we like to call it, "our beach". We could venture out, but we know where we are going, we know the good places to eat, we know the good places to stay and shop, and for this type A mom, that is a little slice of heaven! Note to self: check Trey's bag and make sure there is no harmonica next year! PERFECTION! We ate at the Pink Pony Pub as soon as we got settled in our condo. Love these two! He was the most excited to be out of the car! He's the best :) This was his idea 💕 Seeing your name on the back of 4 chairs and 2 umbrellas means it's gonna be a good week :) The best view with my little fine-feathered friends One day Trey talked us into going out on the banana ride. I thought, "oh yeah, that looks pretty tame". That was not the case. The four of us along with two older ladies (probably in their 60...

 We had the most laid-back 4th of July celebration in the history of our family! We were leaving to go on vacation on the 7th, so we were more ready to leave than to have a celebration. We bought very few fireworks. For once we didn't have to worry about some people wanting to go to the river and others wanting to go to the pool because the river was too high and there were no sandbars available...so the pool it was!  We celebrated at lunch with a fish fry (duh). If there is a family function in the summer, you can bet your bottom dollar that fried fish will be involved! My dad, Trey, and Carl were the main cooks Tim and Toby (the dog) supervised :) Wrenley showed us her scooter-ing skills My big girls Makena and Miss Wrenley Aunt Jamie sitting at Wrenley's little table Elijah and Ellie Kate Noah was with his girlfriend. Me and my girls with my mom. I have no clue where Wrenley was :) Mi familia :) All the girls The boys (minus Noah) After our yummy lunch, we went out to the p...

 Earth Day Through a Lens of Faith: A Christian's Reflection As we approach Earth Day, I find myself reflecting on what it means to be both a steward of God's creation and a person of faith. While some might see tension between environmental awareness and Christianity, I see a beautiful harmony rooted in scripture and divine purpose. First and foremost, we must remember that "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it". This fundamental truth shapes how we approach environmental stewardship. Unlike secular environmentalism, our care for the Earth stems not from worshipping nature itself, but from honoring its Creator and fulfilling our God-given mandate to be good stewards of His creation. In Genesis, God entrusted humans with a profound responsibility: to "rule over" and care for His creation. This isn't a license for exploitation, but rather a sacred duty to tend and protect. Think of it as being entrusted with managing someone else's proper...

  My greatest blessings! Trey and his girlfriend, Alana. Wrenley loves her and calls her Lana :) My big girls💗 It was at that moment that I regretted getting a white dress. Little Miss Wrenley and her wet grassy feet had me a little less than smiley :) Always stopping to smell the flowers This was from Wrenley's Easter party at school. She was proud of her creation :) She loved finding the eggs this year! At its heart, Easter is about hope, renewal, and new life. Christians believe that through Jesus’ resurrection, humanity is offered the gift of salvation and eternal life. The Apostle Paul emphasized this in 1 Corinthians 15:17, stating, "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." Thus, Easter is not merely a memorial of an event but a celebration of ongoing spiritual transformation. In a world often marked by brokenness and uncertainty, the message of Easter is profoundly relevant. It reminds believers that no darkness is permanen...

 Well, we came home from our little Texas adventure just in time for some stormy weather. Tornado weather to be more specific. Since Caleb is still at the Fire Academy 2 hours away, Carlie and Wrenley came and stayed with us. Makena was at a museum conference 2.5 hours away and was on her way back when the weather was getting bad here. Turns out, Carlie and Wrenley would have been more safe at their house because a tornado came through about a mile up the road. Carl and Trey watched it from our porch! Both of these pictures were screenshots from videos. In the actual video you can see it spinning, and later you can see debris flying. There was significant damage just a few miles (5 or less). While Carl and Trey were videoing and watching the storm pass through, Wrenley and I were in the bathroom with a baby bed mattress on our heads, lol! I'm looking really rough. We had just gotten out of the tub! This was just before the electricity went off. We were without power for about 8-10 ...