Lemonade and Puppy Love

Sofie and Lily joined their friends Molly, Kinley, and Gracie in selling lemonade this week. One hot evening, the girls set up shop in the Reck's front yard and sold cups of lemonade for 25 cents. They were highly motivated to make their stand a success as they planned to donate all proceeds to the SPCA here in McKinney.





Thanks to their determination and the generosity of many thirsty customers, the girls raised $51.07. This afternoon, we drove to the SPCA and dropped off the donation. The volunteers who serve there were thrilled and excited to receive the girls' gift.



One of the volunteers even offered to take the girls for a tour of the adoption center. They loved meeting all the dogs waiting for their forever homes and felt happy that their generosity would help keep the dogs comfortable as they wait to be adopted.

As we were leaving the SPCA, one of the volunteers told the girls to let them know the next time they decide to sell lemonade. The girls told him, "It will cost ya 25 cents!" Ha! He looked at me and said, "They are true salesmen."

God's Luv...FBC Tennis Camp 2011

FBC Tennis Camp at McKinney North High School.



Lily and Sofie spent their first week of summer vacation at tennis camp. First Baptist Church of McKinney has several sports camps throughout the summer months, and the girls were excited to learn tennis. Every day, I dropped them off at the court, coated in sunscreen, holding a water bottle in one hand and a racket in the other. They had a great time and cannot wait to go again next year.


Lily listening intently to her coach.




My little Bug...tiny and mighty.



Look out tennis fans! You've heard of the Williams sisters. Here come the Arbuckle sisters.




The girls were especially excited to get a free ice cream certificate for memorizing their Bible verse for the week. This week, they were challenged to "Rise Above" and...

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road the leads to destruction. And many people enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life and only a few will find it."-Matthew 7:13-14

After all it's all about God's love...or should that be luv?! Ha!

Hot, Hot, Hot!

It's summer in north Texas which means....IT'S HOT! So, we are making the best of it as we try to stay cool! Sofie and the next door neighbor, Landon, had fun slippin' and slidin' in the backyard on Saturday afternoon. After a while, Lily decided to join in the fun. The kiddos enjoyed a popcicle break. One of the perks of living in our master planned community is The Beach Club. We had a great time in the water on Sunday afternoon. This is just the first official weekend of our summer break and it has already reached 100 degrees. Needless to say, we are in for a long, hot season. Something tells me we will be using LOTS of sunscreen in the next 3 months.

We will also be eating lots of shaved ice. Bring on Summer!!

Dancing Diva-Spring Recital 2011

"Dancers are the athletes of God."-Albert Einstein

Leaving for the recital..."Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night"


Lily performed in her spring recital on Saturday evening. Her team did a fantastic performance to the song "I've Got A Feeling" by The Black-eyed Peas. I wish our camera would have taken clearer pictures, but we weren't able to use a flash while in the auditorium. Lucky for us, we ordered the DVD and will be able to treasure this memory forever. And Lily cannot wait to show it to Jack since he was at Extreme Camp this weekend and had to miss her big night. Watching Lily and her friends shine on the stage made all those afternoons in the studio completely worth it!



Sofie and Molly enjoyed hanging out as we waited for Lily's song. We are so grateful to have "framily" to share precious moments like this.


This was Marty's favorite part of the routine. Lily's pops up and strikes a pose.


The girls did a great job on their floor work.


I wish you could see her smile here...I think she sparkled more than her costume.


One sweet group of girls having a blast on the stage. All their hard work has certainly paid off.


Here the girls are all smiles after their performance.


Sofie couldn't wait to congratulate her big sister with some flowers.


After the recital, we celebrated at Ben and Jerry's. Yummo!

Life To The Extreme

This morning, I woke up early and took a van load of teenage boys to the departure site for Extreme Camp. Their excitement was contagious as we drove to our church parking lot and loaded duffel bags, sleeping bags, and pillows onto to bus. Zip lines, swimming, and tons of fun await them at Camp Wow in Oklahoma. The boys could hardly wait to get out of the van and onto the bus.

For the next four days, the youth at FBC McKinney shall live life to the extreme.
And while I hope the next four days are everything they imagine, I hope that camp will be so much more than fun memories with friends. In fact I pray they are moved by the Holy Spirit and embrace a life with Christ with the same excitement they are feeling this morning.

Love,
joy,
peace,
patience,
kindness,
goodness,
faithfulness,
gentleness,
and self-control.
(Galatians 5:22-23 NLT)

These are the building blocks of living life to the extreme. "And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself." (Ephesians 2:20 NLT) So while my son and his posse' take in the great outdoors, I pray they also turn their hearts to their Savior. I pray they dig deep in His Word and come back changed by His grace. For the LORD is "great and powerful, glorious, splendid, and majestic. Everything in heaven and earth is yours, and you are king, supreme ruler over all."(1 Chronicles 29:11) In Him, we have life to the extreme.


Jack is somewhere in this sea of blue...have fun, son.


Update: During Extreme Camp, God called out over 100 kids who are feeling called to serve in ministry. Jack was one of them. In addition, 47 kids chose to accept Christ and were baptized at Camp Wow. Praise God!