A Little Sunshine

They Are Built on the Rock

On August 25, 1990, two people came together and became one. They were determined to make their marriage a long and lasting union. They knew that the only way that could happen is if they were built on The Rock.

So before God, and in the presence of many witnesses, they vowed to build their life together on Jesus Christ.

Many years have passed. The rains have come and gone. They are still joyfully standing together in love. The storms have only proved and strengthened their devotion to one another.

Mama and Daddy, thank you so much for giving us a beautiful example of marriage. Happy Anniversary!

Two Little Hearts

Four little eyes that never saw the light;
Two little hearts are in glory bright.

Four little ears that never heard our voice;
Two little hearts that caused our hearts to rejoice.

Four little feet that never walked the earth;
Two little hearts never to be at our hearth.

Four little cheeks we never got to kiss;
Two little hearts we will forever miss!

Two little hearts who in peace sleep;
Those two little hearts the Lord bless & keep!

In Loving Memory~

Southerland Baby #8
5/09
Southerland Baby#9
7/09

Love Always,
~Your Big Sister


Southerland Babies #10 and 11..this is for you too~

An Evening Reflection

Our 2009 Family Picture....

Special thanks to the Ahlgrens for showing us the bridge and taking the picture~

Paton's 5!!

April 7, 2004 my little brother Paton Valor was born. He is a very special boy, and I'm so glad to have him! He was the first of my younger brothers and sisters I really got to take care of. A couple of weeks before his birthday, he and Daddy finished the book we use for learning how to read. He was Daddy's youngest student. He now takes a turn reading in Family Worship.

His birthday theme was Knights of Valor party. Brianna, Mama, and I made a castle cake. Daddy said he had never seen the family cake recipe look like that!





We love you Paton!!

Sarah's 3!

March 24, Sarah Grace turned three! The theme of her party was Dolphins and under the sea. Our grandmother (MamaLilly) surprised us by coming. We had a great time! Happy Birthday Sarah Grace!!

We Have a Dog!!

Almost two weeks ago, my dad said "Lets go to the pound and get a dog." We were all surprised and very excited. We had been needing a dog to chase birds out of our garden, but we hadn't seriously looked for one yet. We were hoping to find a beagle, but we didn't know if the place we were going had one. We ran up to the place 30 minutes before it closed just to see what they had. And there, sitting in the lobby area, was this beautiful beagle! It was if he was waiting for us to come and take him home. We all started petting him and playing with him. We were all glad to see that he was very good with the little ones. We found out that somebody had just adopted him, kept him for less than 24 hours, and brought him back that morning. Wasn't the timing amazing?

Well, a few minutes later he was ours and we took him to the Pet Store to buy him some stuff that he would need. While we were there, we met his original owners sister! She recognized him and asked if we had just adopted him. She was able to tell us some things about him, and she was so happy to be able to see him again.

We are so happy with Squire! He is proving himself to be a valuable part of our family and a great way to keep birds out of the garden. We are so glad God gave him to us and that He worked out every little detail!

Growing a Garden

This year we are trying to grow a garden. It's great to be able to work on it as a family. It's funny though, because whenever we are planting the seeds, it's dark. We call it Moonlight Gardening :-)
We have some good friends who have been doing it for 15 years, and they have been a huge help! They even let us scoop some of their goat poop to use as compost. That may not sound like fun, but it was! We have planted lettuce, spinach, potatoes, and onions. The lettuce and the spinach are up, but they are still pretty small. It is important to remember that while we plan and work, God is the One who blesses us with the food.

Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Psalm 127:1

A Day in "The City"

Yesterday my family and I went to Oklahoma City (aka: "The City"). In the morning we went to Capitol Day. That's where homeschoolers come from around the state and meet their legislators, bring them cookies, and talk about homeschooling. All y'all who live in Oklahoma should really go next year.

Us and Representative Jason Murphy

Us and Senator Patrick Anderson


After leaving the the Capitol we headed to The Oklahoma History Center. We were enjoying looking at the displays when part of the staff came and told us that we were under a tornado warning and that everybody needed to head to the basement for safety. Well, after staying in that concrete hallway for 20-30 minutes the warning was lifted, they opened the galleries back up and we looked around some more. We were then called back to the basement and stayed there for another 30-45 minutes. We were thankful we had a safe place to stay and that we weren't out on the road. After we got out the second time we left the building to try to decide where to go. We couldn't go back home because that's where the tornado was headed. We hung out in "The City" and then got back to our house at 8:30. Thankfully, our house was not damaged at all. An adventure....

A Famous First....

He's Growing Up...

Hello out there! Just posting some random news and pictures...

We are planning on growing a garden this year. This will be our first one so we'll see how it goes. Michael has done a lot of work tilling up the land. He really likes it and is very motivated.

We have some sickness in our family right now. Sarah has a stomach virus, and Samuel has a fever that keeps coming and going. Prayers for their healing and our patience in taking care of them would be appreciated!

Brianna and I are enjoying learning the piano and are preparing for a recital in a little more than a week. I'm glad we're doing this together, it's good to help each other remember what we've learned.

Blessings,
Brittney