Our Rock Star

Eden had another opportunity in the Roch Church's Music is For Kids Father's Day program this year. I actually wasn't going to have her be in it this year, just because our life has been kind of crazy and I didn't know if I could fit another thing into our schedule. I thought if I didn't mention it to her that she wouldn't even remember..WRONG!! She loves to go TheRockChurch.org and watch different videos and things on there and one night while watching the MIFK's video from last year she asked when it was going to be this year.."Oh no" I thought! I couldn't tell her that she already missed one practice!? So you guessed it, that next Tuesday night we were headed to Elk Grove for practice. I'm so glad that I did, she had a blast and I also got to enjoy weeks of sitting in the Tuesday night service at The Rock and was blessed each week! And as a bonus I got to see friends that I normally don't get to see and I was able to make some new friends too!

So I don't think she will let a year go buy without forgetting and I'm glad. She loves The Rock Church and has made a ton of friends that I hope will continue to grow as they get older. There is nothing like having your little girl get so excited for Tuesdays to come and to hear her play the music CD over and over until everyone (including her 2 year old bother) can quote each line by memory! We love you Rock Church and cannot thank you enough for letting Eden be a part!
Also, she thought she was pretty special that they named the Park after her: Eden Park. You should have seen her face when we walked into the church Friday night, super surprised! Her aunt Tawni was to pick her up that night to spend the night and she told me to tell Aunt Tawni that she wanted to be picked up Late, Real Late! Oh my Word girl you're only 5! Dear Lord, what am I going to do in 10 years!? This is scary!:)
Here is our Little Rock Star singing her part Sunday morning! GO EDEN AUTRY!








To see more pictures from Father's Day Sunday go to my Facebook page.

Birthday Party, Sleepover and Piano Recital

The Shoemake family is so full of life, I can hardly keep up with everything these days!

Last Saturday night we went to Modesto to celebrate a very sweet little girl's birthday, Zoe Warren. Eden had a blast seeing all her little friends and running around Chuck E Cheese playing games. Huntley had a ton of fun too. A huge thank you to Daniel Warren for taking Huntley and playing games with him. He is still talking about shooting the bear! Daniel took Scott's place since he was being a RAD photographer at a wedding. I got to see a lot of friends that I love and that I'm not able to see that often. It truly is nice to have friends that you can just pick up right where you left off. Thanks for inviting us Zoe and Happy 7th Birthday! xoxo


Jocelyn Powell, Zoe Warren and Eden.

After the party we went to my sister Crystal's house for a sleepover. Here is Huntley and Ashlyn sleeping in the same bed. This was not a good idea because they woke each other up way to early!! EPIC FAIL as Scott would say!



After staying up too late talking, Crystal putting me to work on crafts and kids waking up way too early, we loaded everyone up and headed to Revival Center. This just wasn't a normal Sunday because my little, wide mouth, smiley niece Averie Layne was being dedicated to God! There is nothing more precious than that. I'm proud of my little sister and my brother-in-law for staying strong in the truth and sticking up for what they believe in! We don't know what the future holds for little Averie Layne but God does and I believe that's great and mighty things! Scott was super bummed that he had a wedding that day and wasn't able to take pictures so you'll have to settle for 2nd best! :)






This week has been kinda of rough since Scott has been in Philadelphia for four days for a wedding. We have had lots of crying from Eden and Huntley because they want their Daddy! So we are missing Daddy like crazy and need him back soon! You never really realize how much someone does until they are gone. So since his been gone, I have realized that he does help out a lot and I can't do it without him for very long!

Eden was super bummed that her Daddy wasn't going to be here for her piano recital that took place tonight in Lodi. She has worked really hard and practiced a lot and she did AWESOME! I am so very proud of her and I know her Daddy is too! Thanks to all the family that came to hear her play, it just made it much more special with you there.


Here she is waiting for her turn.





She said she was so happy that she didn't mess up!


Here they are with their cousins.



Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy each and everyday with the ones you love!
We LOVE our Family!!

Eden's Big Kindergarden Graduation

Last week we had two important events at Eden's school. On Thursday she had her awards ceremony and brought home a trophy that made us proud. The trophy she received was the Christian Character Award for her class. She was super excited and said, "This is the first trophy that I've ever got!" She didn't quite understand what the trophy was for so we explained what Christian character was and told her how proud we were of her. Her cousins Ashleigh and Caitlyn Knight also received the same trophy. We love these girls so much and are very proud of them too and are thankful that Eden's has two "big" cousins to look up too.



Eden also got two certificates- One for being Most Observant and those that know Eden well you know that this is so true. The other was for Scripture Memory.





On Thursday night we headed back to the church for her big Graduation. We curled her hair that afternoon and she was super excited about it. She did AWESOME, but it also made me a little sad to think that she is not a baby anymore, she has completed her first real year of school. They say that after kindergarten the years fly by. Eden has already grown into a very sweet and lovable little girl and I know that God has great plans for her life. At night during our bedtime prayers she asks God to help all of her family to be saved. I think that she has a very sincere heart for God and I pray that He will continue work in her life. We're proud of you Eden Girl and we love you very much!!



Huntley waiting for "his Eden".



Averie came to help celebrate and she is one of Huntley's favorites. He doesn't want to put her down.



They all did so good singing their songs.



Eden signing the alphabet and saying a scripture for each letter. Poor Carlos, I think she hogged the mic...Sorry!



Eden and two of her friends leading "I Ain't going to let the Mountains Praise the Lord".



All smiles while receiving her diploma.



Eden and her friend Reagan.



We LOVE you Sis Carmen! Thanks for everything you did for Eden this year. She will be back I'm sure to see you and fill you in on everything. :)



Two of her favorite people Tina and Jatoria.



So happy to see her cousin Ashleigh there.



Eden with one of her friends Shane David. I think this is such a cute picture of them!

Thanks to everyone that came to share in this special time in Eden's life. She is making memories that she'll never forget. Also thanks to everyone that sent her a card or gift that wasn't able to make it, I know you were with us in heart.

Much Love
Cheryl

Full of Life

The Shoemake house has been so busy and full of fun that I haven't blogged in a few weeks, but this post will defiantly make up for that..These are just some of the things that's been making our life so full of LIFE...

Most of mine and Huntley's days are spent at Kiddie Kingdom Preschool, where we have a ton of fun and lots of friends. I am so blessed to be able to have him there with me everyday..



We miss having Eden at the school to play with us but she is having a BLAST in Kindergarten( which is over in 2 weeks). They recently had Spirit Week and we had a great time getting her outfits together. At the end of the week she was sad that Spirit was over.



Tuesday- Royalty Day. She loved dressing up as a Royal Princess. She won best dressed in her class that day.



Wednesday- Super Hero/Bible Character Day. She was so excited to dress as Mary. This is who she chose to dress like and it made us proud as parents that she would choose Mary.



Thursday- Crazy Hair Day. This day is always a lot of FUN, even though it takes you longer in the morning to do your hair than it would normally. She wanted to be silly and take a picture with one of the Lip-Sticks that you can find in my etsy store...



Friday- Clown Day. Isn't she just the cutest Clown ever!?

We want to Thank all of you who Sponsered Eden in her Jog-a-thon. She ran 21 laps and won first place in her class. She raised a total of $311.00 and gets to go to John's Incredible Pizza on Tuesday. I think she is losing sleep over it, she's so excited.



Since Huntley has turned two we have been wanting to potty train him but my excuse has been that it has been too cold so I would wait till it warmed up. So it has warmed up and as of last Sunday night he hasn't had a diaper on at all during the day. YAY! He has had accidents of course but he has been doing GREAT! So proud of my little munchkin. He's a BIG boy now which kind of makes me sad, but my pocket book will be thanking me. haha For all of you parents out there that is having problems in the potty training, here's a tip for you that has worked on my kids and all the kids in the preschool. Once you make up your mind as a parent to potty train your child you do not put a another diaper/pull-up on them at all except for nap and bedtime. Anyways...here is my BIG boy in his underwear....He is too cute... Well I think so!



He even has a fan club, cheering him on. ( My dad said, "Poor Huntley can't even go to the bathroom without everyone staring at him.") Huntley didn't seem to mind.



Our "Big Boy" now!



I'm thankful that these two call me Momma. They make my days brighter and put a smile on face everyday..I love you Eden Autry and Huntley Drew.





Happy Mother's day!!!!
XOXO
Cheryl

It doesn't get any sweeter.....

Isn't this the sweetest most adorable picture ever!? Huntley has been having this fetish with sleeping on the floor, which I don't know why anyone would want to sleep on a hard floor when they have a nice comfortable bed to sleep on, but he insists! Most of the time Eden wants to sleep on her bed, but the other night she wanted to sleep on the floor too. Huntley can't seem to be like a normal child and lay down without wanting me to lay on his pillow and rub his back. At first I didn't like the idea of rubbing his back because I could think of a lot of other ways I could be using my time, but then I realized he is little only once and he won't want me to do this forever. So I actually enjoy rubbing his back while we talk and give kisses and while he is laying there I pray for him and his sister that God would be with them and give them a heart after Him. While I was rubbing his back he reached over to where his sleeping sister had her hand and held it. Soon after, he fell asleep and I knew I had to take a picture of it. We have the sweetest kids and it really makes me happy to see them get along (most of the time). I'm trying my best to enjoy every moment spent with them.

-Cheryl

Easter Weekend

We had a very eventful weekend, as is usually the case with Easter weekend. We attended Modesto Revival Center's annual Saturday Night Drama, and enjoyed seeing and spending time with friends and family. On Friday night Eden went to spend the night with her friend Jocelyn Powell. This was Eden's first time to spend the night alone(without Mommy and Daddy) at someone's house other than with her Mimi, Aunt Crystal and Aunt Tawni. She did AWESOME and enjoyed every minute of it. Her and Jocelyn has been buds ever since Eden was born. I think she really enjoyed spending time with Jocelyn because it makes her feel like a "big kid" since Jocelyn is two years older than her. She is already looking forward to the next time she can do it again.

Eden and Jocelyn being silly.


Our resurrection Sunday service at our home church was extra special due to the fact that Scott's Dad and Stepmom came to be in service with us. Since Huntley was so engrossed with the drama we saw the night before, he was telling everyone he saw today that Jesus went up in the sky and that the bad guys were hitting Jesus. It make my heart happy to know that our 2 year old can tell people that Jesus is alive. We know that the influence that Jesus is having on Huntley at a young age will not be forgotten as he grows up.

Huntley and Eden. Huntley with his new favorite Spiderman bowl and cup from Aunt Tawni.


It was pouring rain outside so we made the best of it and had an "indoor egg hunt."








Huntley giving the play-by-play from the Easter Drama in Modesto.



We hope that you had a AWESOME day celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
With the craziness of this weekend I almost forgotten to mention that Scott's dear sister is expecting her second child. We are so excited to be having another niece/nephew to love!!

A Legacy Left, Heaven Gained

I know I'm not supposed to judge people and say they've "made it to heaven" or "not" but I'm pretty confident in the fact that my grandfather is playing his harmonica with the angels at the foot of Jesus right now. George Alexander Drobshoff left an impact on this world with his quiet demeanor, his tender spirit and his generosity toward others. I could tell stories about those he impacted on missions trips, the former drug addicts he helped to overcome, the countless hours of skilled labor he gave to his local assembly or the help he has given to so many that are near to him...but I want to talk about the impact that he left on my life.
The fingerprints of my grandfather are forever etched on my life. He taught me how to change the oil in my car, how to weld and fabricate parts. I'll never forget one particular day that I brought him a fork that I wanted to install on my mountain bike. The only problem was that the threads were the wrong size and the metal tube was too long. Any other grandpa would have said to go buy another one that fit! But my Russian grandpa had a shop where magic happened and any problem was apt to be solved. So we (well, "he") measured the tube length, took concise measurements of the thread pattern and we proceeded to re-thread the top tube of this bicycle fork in my grandpa's shop. By the end of the day I was back on my mountain bike and ready to charge the hills. As long as I live, I'll never forget the lessons he taught me and the kindness he showed me. I miss my grandpa dearly. I am so glad that my children were able to spend time with him and as they grow, I count wait to recount all of the stories of my time spent with my grandpa. -Scott

Here is a photo from this past Christmas when we spent the day with grandma and grandpa Drobshoff. Enjoy.