Another video of Luke

Luke pushing his lawn mower through Aaron's legs! He kept doing it-it was cracking us up.

Posting videos is fun!

Video of Luke walking

Luke walking!! He walks all the time, all over the place.

Very possibly the most serious and silly post I have ever written.

The question in my family is never, "Do you have Tomato Soup?", of course I have Tomato soup. There is always Tomato soup in the pantry.
Tomato soup is so good. Whether its a treat, "We are having Tomato Soup!" or a fallback meal, "Well, we can always have Tomato soup...", its always, dependably good.
It can be eaten alone, with a grilled cheese sandwich, with cheese (Cheddar or American), with noodles, and a combination of two or even all! You can be creative, like my brother and shortcut the addition of cheese and noodles by simply pouring your soup over macaroni and cheese. I have heard of people eating their Tomato soup with crackers, or pepperoni slices (not me)-but the options are there, and there are many.
Its a part of my upbringing. A permanent fixture of my life. Tomato Soup is a staple. And I love it.

I had Tomato Soup today for lunch, with noodles and cheese. Did you?

A Wedding Announcement

I have obtained permission to post this....

My brother Cody has gotten married! I am posting some pictures from the wedding at the Justice of the Peace in Texas. They are having their "Real" wedding next year on their anniversary. But Cody and Courtney are really married!

This is a picture of my mom Stacy, my new sister-in-law Courtney, her new husband and my brother Cody, and my dad Dean.

Here is the ceremony:

The new Mr. and Mrs. Cody Dale Durham:

My brother Cody has joined the United States Coast Guard (like my sister), and is leaving for Boot Camp on September 4th. After Boot Camp he'll be headed to California (where my sister Amanda is) for his "A-School". Because he and Courtney are married now, she can go with him and they can stay in military housing in California on base. This is very exciting for them. A lot of changes in their very immediate future. They could definately use your prayers!

Congratulations Cody and Courtney Durham!
We love you!

High School Musical

I have been hearing about a Disney Channel Movie called, High School Musical. Well, I finally watched it and actually really enjoyed it! For a complete review, click here, and you'll be taken to Plugged-In Online's Christian Movie Review.

The two central characters of the movie, Troy and Gabriella, discover that they have a newfound, and common, love for singing. But known as a Math Wiz and a Basketball 'Playmaker', they find that in high school, its hard to be more than one-dimensional. When Troy and Gabriella break out of their stereotypes by simply having other interests, it messes up the "Status Quo" and rocks the school off balance. Other kids start sharing too! Like the skater who plays the Cello, or the basketball player who dreams of baking the 'perfect souflee'. The movie has alot of great points and good themes, such as strong parent relationships, encouraging friendships, and an emphasis on teamwork and perseverance. But what caught me was how normal it seemed that there would be segregation in the lunch room-jocks, brains, skaters, cheerleaders, artsy, nerds, etc. all at separate tables.

I was wondering if that was something any of you have experienced? Do you, did you, find it hard to be multifaceted, more than just a label? Do you see this happening around you? Can you break out? Can you help others?

Just a musing...hope you enjoy.

Luke is 1

Another great picture of "My Guys":

Luke had his very 1st Birthday Party! Yes, thats right-he's ONE YEAR OLD!!

Here are some pictures of him eating his cake and enjoying his balloon and attention.

He is such a big boy: 24 pounds and 30 3/4 inches.

We had a great time watching him play with his new presents. He got so many!

My mom, Stacy, was here for his birthday and made it that much more special.

He is also a very proficient walker, I'll get a pic or video of that up soon. And my next post will be to show you all how we changed Luke's room. Can't wait!

Girls' Tea

I had a Girls' Tea at my house. It was for Jr. High Girls (going in through going out), and the dress was semi-formal .
Thankfully I had help Hostess-ing (is that a word??). Kelly helped me majorly!

So here is a picture of me and Kelly, aka The Hostesses, in our "semi-formal" dress. You can't see it, but we are getting mobbed by the Paparazzi.

We had TONS and TONS of food-seriously, my house still have some of the leftovers and this was last week! Check out the spread below. And just to make it that much more special, we ate on China and Silver.

We played a few games of "I Never" (see above picture) and one game of "Psychiatrist"; it was lots of fun and I think we had a good time hanging out and getting to know each other better.

Here is a very lovely photo of all the girls on the top of my stairwell.

Aren't they all gorgeous?!

And this is how they really act.

Just kidding. This was their hilarious attempt at looking psycho.

I think they all have a career in acting. :D haha

I had an awesome time and I think everybody else did too. It was fun to dress up and eat on fancy plates, but it was even more special to be with all these girls and get to know them better.

Thank you all for coming!

How am I going to top this next year?