How is it already June 14th?

We have been super busy over the past few weeks. I have MUCH to blog about, but no time to do it!

This week we have VBS, and we leave on Friday for the beach. I'm hoping to get a post up about the end of the school year/beginning of summer stuff before we leave. We'll see if that happens. Hope everyone is enjoying life! It's supposed to be in the 90s all week...ummmmm...hello hot!

I'll at least leave you with a few picturs! These were taken on Memorial Day at "Lawn Chairs and Lemondade"!

NUTTY - it's my favorite word!

Wow! How did life get so absolutely NUTTY?!!!! I have enough going on for about 15 posts, but I'm condensing them all into one. With that being said....WARNING...random thoughts ahead!

1. Preschool - Tomorrow will complete our 2nd full week, and things have not slowed down yet. I'm hoping they will soon. I feel like I am running at a constant sprint the entire time that I am there. I'm still needing to fill one teaching position, and I have another teacher that is pregnant and due next week (I need to find a sub for her while she's on maternity leave). This is TOTALLY stressing me out. Thankfully, my DEAR and PRECIOUS friend Shelbi has helped me out by filling in. I owe her big time. Thank you, Shelbi!!! Meanwhile, I'm also figuring out that there is no way possible to keep everyone happy...I don't like that. I'm a pleaser by nature. I don't like it when people are mad at me. It will get better...right?

2. Campbell - She is MUCH better!!! Thank you for your sweet comments and prayers. Little Miss Doodlebug is back to being our smiley, happy baby. She is babbling like crazy, and I am loving it!!! Today she was stuck on NANANANANANA. My mom was beaming (she is "Nana" to the grandchildren). Cams got to go to preschool for the 1st time on Tuesday, and she did so great. She took her naps and stayed on her eating schedule like she had done it a million times. I was so busy dealing with everything else going on that I only got to check on her once. :( I meant to take a picture of her first day, but I forgot that too! To make up for it, I took this one when we got home. Notice the return of the "1st Day of School Dresses" - we've got to wear them while they fit! They were watching a show together, and I thought they looked so sweet sitting there beside each other!

3. Karson - She had her first dance class on Monday night. It is a ballet/tap combo class, and she LOVED it!!! Her teacher's name is Miss Mary, and she is "very pretty" (that's what K told us after class). Kars's BEST friend, Addi, is in the class with her. These 2 were born 2 days apart, and have literally been together since then. This is the first year that they aren't in school together, so it was a glorious reunion Monday night when they got to see each other for dance. Kars keeps asking how many days it is until she gets to go back...I think she likes it! Here is one of the pictures I took Monday night. (They will both turn 5 at the end of October - how is that possible?)

4. Decisions - We have been thinking and praying about some major things for our family over the past few months. Some of those things are coming to a head this week. We would so appreciate your prayers. We are excited about how God is working and providing for us, but it is also scary to step out on faith. We just want to follow HIS plan for us.

5. Story - A quick Karson story! She has been practicing writing her name using both lower and upper case letters at school. Tonight she found a pad of sticky notes on my desk and asked if she could practice on them. I told her yes, and she proceeded to carefully write her name. After she finished, she peeled it off and began to stick it to her back. When I asked her what she was doing, she said she was making a name tag (many times at church, the teachers stick their name tags on their backs). When I asked her why she needed a name tag, she whispered in my ear, "I'm making a name tag because Ma sometimes calls me Bella". ("Ma" is her grandmother, and Bella is her cousin). I nearly fell out of my chair. She is now asleep in her bed with her name tag still on...just in case someone might mistake her for someone else.

6. Rus's Birthday - This Friday, September 12th is Ruston Blake Zumwalt's 35th birthday. Happy Birthday, Rus!!!!!! I hope you know how much I love and appreciate you! I am so thankful and proud to call you my husband. I pray that this next year of life brings many blessings and much joy. I know one thing for sure, it will be FULL of new adventures!

If you're still reading, thanks for enduring my rambling! I'm hoping that life is going to calm down sometime soon!

BUSY!!!!!

Life. has. been. crazy. I've never been one that likes to be going constantly. Don't get me wrong, I don't like to sit around and do nothing all the time, but non-stop activity is not my cup of tea. The schedule for our family has been the following:

July 28 - Rus to OKC for the All-State Game and Coach's Clinic
July 29 -31 - Melissa to Dallas to teach Allen HS and Lovejoy HS camps
Aug 1-2 - Melissa @ Beth Moore Simulcast (which totally ROCKED!)
Aug 3-11 - Rus to California to coach Area Code games
Aug 1, 4, 5 - Melissa teaching Owasso camp
Aug 5-6 - Melissa to Dallas to teach Haltom City HS camp
Aug 8-10 - Melissa to Austin to teach a leadership workshop

Woof! I got tired just typing that. I also almost burst into tears. You might notice that NONE of those items included our sweet girls. :( A huge thank you must go to our parents (specifically the moms) for helping us out while we are gone. We absolutely could not do this without Nana and Ma.

I'm sure it's normal for any mother to hate being away from her children. I just can't help but feel completely guilty about it. I feel like I'm missing out on Karson's last few days of being at home. She will start Pre-K on August 13th. I feel like Campbell is changing daily and I'm missing out on all of her sweet subtle daily changes - I won't even be home on her 6 month birthday. I feel like I'm not being a very good mother to them because I'm never home, and when I am, I'm so tired that all I want to do is sleep. I feel like I've been the worst wife ever, because the house is a mess, laundry has been piled up (I did get that taken care of tonight), and I haven't cooked in....years. Am I pitiful enough????

I must be grateful. God provided all of these opportunities for us to be able to use the talents HE gave us. It will definitely help us out financially, but I also must look at the fact that HE is providing us opportunities to touch lives. HE is broadening our territory and I so hope that we will get out of the way and let HIM be known to each girl I teach or each boy that Rus coaches.

This is but an ant-hill in the great landscape of time. I keep telling myself that it will all be over in a week. The girls will have a blast with their grandmothers, Rus will do a great job coaching, and I will enjoy getting to see people I never get to see. I just wish I didn't have that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Guilt has always been one of the devil's favorite games to play with me. I refuse to let him win with that one.

If you have a few extra minutes, we would so appreciate being added to your prayers. Pray that all travel will be safe, that the girls will handle all of the changes in routine, and most importantly, that the LORD be glorified through this. Thanks so much!!!

Life in FULL swing

Wow! We have been super busy lately. Where did June go? What have we been doing?...

1. VBS was great - so glad I decided to work. Shelbi and I had a great time working together again. It was like old times!!! Karson had an awesome time with her friends, and Campbell did great in the nursery (she's so big)!

(Here are the girls on the last day - they were worn out, but so happy!)

2. Karson completed her 2 weeks of swimming lessons. SHE ROCKED!!! We are so proud of her. After crying every day last year, we were not really looking forward to it. She was a little timid the first day, but after that, she loved it and learned a ton! It's so fun to watch her conquer something that you know scares her - so brave!

3. Campbell is doing so well with her new medicine!!! She is MUCH happier and seems to feel a lot better. We had to adjust the dosage, but other than that, she's doing great. She even got to have cereal for the first time yesterday! She's growing, growing, growing. Last night was the first night we put her to bed before 9:30, and she still slept until 7:30 (that's my girl!)

4. We went to the lake and had an awesome time. My sister's husband's family has a lake house at Eufala, and we always love the privilege of getting to go. This time was no different. It was such a relaxing and fun weekend for all of us! (Pictures soon!!!)

5. Our friends P and J are too funny. There is a history of the "prank game" with these 2!!! We've found all kinds of things on our porch over the past few years! We try to get them back, but they always seem to be one step ahead of us. Well, when we arrived home from the lake the other day our sidewalk was lined with about 15 American flags. The next morning Rus and I both received text messages simply saying, "God Bless America". We replied...GAME ON! We'll let them live in suspense until we make our move! :) This picture does not do it justice (the flags are lining both sides of the sidewalk) - it really is quite patriotic. I've decided it looks festive and will leave the flags there until after the 4th! Thanks for the decorations, guys!

6. I'm getting ready to start the "camp circuit". I will be going to Dallas 3 times in the next month. I also have one camp in Austin and one here in Owasso. I always enjoy teaching camps once I get there, but between now and then it's going to get a bit crazy around here. I'm never good at leaving the girls (this will be the first time to leave Campbell over night), but I know it helps our family. I'm grateful that God has given me the ability and opportunity to use His gift. I'm trying to stay focused on that!

7. A quick Karson story...Yesterday morning I was trying to get laundry finished, and straighten up the house. Kars got very frustrated with me because I couldn't come play with her in her room. She stormed off and mumbled, "then I'm not letting you in." Soon after, I saw her go into my room and get a piece of paper. She began making a sign to hang on her door - one that would "not let me in". The funniest thing about the whole thing was that she asked me to help her spell all of the words. By the time she finished making the sign, she forgot she was mad at me...but she hung her sign up anyway.

I'm grateful for a busy life - it is always full of God's blessings! Tonight we're taking Karson to Bass Pro to go fishing in their pond, and tomorrow we have a play date with Mommy Pose, Mia, and Cole! Let the adventures continue!!!!