A Birthday Fit For a Princess

This past Saturday, we hosted a princess makeover party for SaraGrace’s 3rd birthday.  Can I tell you….this is what you dream of when you find out you are having a girl!!!  This party was so much fun; we’re almost sad it’s over:( 

 

It all started with the invitations.  I found these on Etsy (I’m an addict!).  They just send you the digital file and you have them printed.  Very easy, but darling!  SG loved them so much.  When she saw them she said, “Momma!  I’m a princess!”  SO CUTE!  Anyway, here they are:

Then, we got a little carried away.  We ordered her a princess outfit from Etsy (Told ya I was addicted!).  She had to be none other than Cinderella.  Here she is with her princess outfit on:

Then, we had to have the “slippers”.  Well anyone that knows SaraGrace knows nothing other than flip flops will do.  So I got on Etsy AGAIN and found these:

   She was IN LOVE!  So…the day of the party, we had to transform the castle.  The door was decorated with a tulle door knocker, the stairs were draped in tulle and ribbon, Mom’s bathroom/bedroom was transformed into a beauty salon, and the family room became the castle dining hall.  We set up little tables with princess themed decorations, complete with place cards.

Once the princesses began arriving, the Fairy Godmother (Beas, who is a little pregnant, so we had to get creative with a costume) dusted them at the door with Fairy Dust.

My sister, Kiss, helped keep the little beauties in line:

Then, they entered the beauty salon where we did hair~

  

Nails~

and Makeup~

Once the makeovers were complete, we took a picture of all of the little princesses:

As you can see, we had a great time getting all princessed up!  We then moved to the Royal Dining Room where we feasted on sandwiches, cheetos and grapes.

Then it was time for cake!  SG wanted a castle cake so Momma did her best to oblige.  I was way out of my cake-making league, but she LOVED it! 

She was so proud, she would say, “My Mommy made it!”  It just melted my heart!  Here is a closer picture of it.

 

It was then time to hand out the goodies.  Oh the goodies!!!

  

SG had the best time!  It was so much fun to see everyone get dressed up, including the adults.  I did manage to get one picture of Mommy and her princess:

I do want to thank all of my friends that came to help!  They were makeup artists, hair dressers, nail technicians, etc.  I got to spend some time with one of my best friends from high school so that was special too!  I haven’t seen her in a while.  But my MOM was the real hero of the day.  She worked so hard, and fixed the food, goodie bags etc.  Here she is dressed as the butler:

Here’s hoping we’ll have a simple birthday next year….NAH!

8 Years…Who’d Have Thunk It?

Today, Rob and I celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary.  It’s hard to believe we have been married that long!  Our first year was a whirlwind….met in January, engaged in April, married in July, pregnant (miraculously) in October, new house in March, baby in June, 1 year anniversary July.  Whew…that wears me out just telling y’all about it. 

 

Now, y’all don’t laugh too hard.  Here is a picture from our honeymoon.  I didn’t have any wedding pictures here, so I had to take a picture of a picture. 

Speaking of wedding pictures, that is a post all in itself.  When I get time, I want to scan them in and post.  You will have a good laugh.

 

Here is a picture from our mission trip.  It was taken in the basement at Kerrs Creek Baptist Church.

What a world of difference 8 years makes!

Our marriage didn’t start out in a way that God would have been pleased.  We made some choices that lead to many years of heartache.  However, I am so thankful that my God is merciful.  His grace is new each day.  He has brought us from the depths of divorce, alcoholism, and many other worldly traps.  I am now so thankful for the lessons we have learned along the way.  They shape our testimonies and allow God to be shown as victorious. 

 

Rob,  I am so thankful that you came into my life (though we were living in sin:))  I am very proud of the Christian man you have become.  I thank God for the hardships we have faced and conquered through Him.  He is doing a mighty work each day in our lives.  I love you with all of my heart!!!

I have lots to post from the trip, but I will do that tomorrow.

Bittersweet Goodbye

We just pulled away from Calvary Southern Baptist Church. This past week has flown by, and we were surprised how much we became attached. Both kids cried when we left:(.

There is so much to share, but we are in the mountains so cell service is touch and go. But I do want to share that 7 kids were baptized tonight, one being Cade. What a special night!!! God did a mighty work there this week. How amazing is He!!!

Rob was really down about leaving those youth boys. They are so precious, and struggle with so much. One told Rob he didn't want us to leave, and one was ready to come home with us. We are definitely planning a visit for him.

Thanks so much for sharing this journey with us! We have cherished your prayers, and ask you to continue to pray for us. God has laid a lot on our hearts this week, and now we need to pray and seek guidance for what He has in store for us.

I will share more tomorrow when we get on the road and service is better.

Love y'all!

YYYYYes to VVVVBS

Well, last night we started our VBS at the church we are staying at. We had 55 people and 2 decisions. Today has been slow. We are ready to get out and evangelize, but haven't gotten to yet. Rob is teaching the youth, and one o the guys is on his way to take us to neighborhood so we can meet some other youth. I am teaching music, an it's been a lot of fun! I will have to say this trip is not what we expected, but it's not our expecations that matter, only God's. The guys in the youth have now convinced Rob to go coon hunting Wednesday night. So yall please pray for safety:)

We look forward to this afternoon as we get to go visit some people in the neighborhood.

Things are going good here. Our kids are doing great too. Rob and I got up this morning and did a workout. Nate should be really proud!!!

My cell service is touch and go in the mountains but I will do my best to continue to post. Thanks for your prayers and encouragement.

Shut Down

The last two days have been exhausting. We've been busy just meeting people we will be ministering with. Then, last night, Rob and I were in counsel with Bryan until 2 am. It was recharging and refreshing, yet challenging. We definitely know we have some work to do to get ready for what God is calling us to do. Needless to say, we are tired and need some rest.

Tonight, we are at Virginia Military Institute for the fireworks. They have all kinds of hot air balloons. The kids have enjoyed watching them. The church brought a group to pass out tracks and evangelize to the thousands of people here. Meanwhile, someone became offended and we have now been SHUT DOWN. While we are disappointed, we know it is Satan at his best! But the battle was not lost. Hundreds heard the message, and two made decisions to accept Christ! Praise God! This was just getting us warmed up for the week ahead. Please pray for the people who heard His message today. Also please pray for rest so we can be prepared for what Satan is gonna throw at us this week.

Ready to Get Started

We finally arrived at the Volpes yesterday at 5:00. We went to their church to participate in their youth basement program. The boys played flag football and the girls just hung out. We had a great time and a few youth made decisions. We got to spend some time talking about the mission ahead of us. It is so good to be back here. The people here are so sweet. We have definitely made some friends. We have a busy day ahead. We are going to a BBQ and then to a birthday party. Tomorrow is church and then tomorrow night we will be going to Virginia Military Institute for the big festivities for the fourth. We will be evangelizing and passing out flyers there. It will be a great way to get in the groove for the task ahead of us starting Monday.

Thank you for your encouragement and prayers. We are truly blessed to have this opportunity!

Up and Running

We finally decided to stop in SC this morning at 4:00. We slept in a little later this morning so Rob could rest, because the rest of us were well-rested...HA! After some breakfast, we are now on the road. Hopefully we will be there soon, but not soon enough. SG is dying to see Shiney and Cade can't wait to see Brooke (oooooh):).

On the road....

We are finally on the road! I snapped this picture the first time we left our driveway. After that, we returned to get my dress I left laying on the couch, drove out again, headed the wrong direction, then said "let's eat!" so we went to Cracker Barrell not too far from our house. It is now 10:36 pm and we are finally on the interstate. We are definitely starting out in typical Vaughn fashion:)

If you know me well, you know it is way past my bedtime. Poor Rob....he's gonna be on his own in a few minutes. Please pray that he stays alert while the rest of us get our beauty sleep:)

I am blogging from my phone for the first time, so this is going to be an adjustment. Yall know I can talk way faster than I can type on this thing, so I'm going to have to keep it short from here on out. The Lord's already doing a work in me....HA!

Thanks again for all of the encouraging emails we have received. It's a real blessing to have so many Christian friends who we love so dearly.

Happy Trails!