Kevin's still not back in the same time zone he should be and I think I've joined him. I keep staying up late with him since he thinks it's the middle of the day at midnight. He's still not sleeping well at night which means I, the feather lite sleeper, am not sleeping well. I now feel like I have jet lag and I didn't even go anywhere!
Alyssa took the ACT today for the second time. She took Nathan's digital watch to have a timer for each section. It kept beeping randomly and almost got her kicked out. They did record her test number so we're really not sure if it will actually count or not. My $32 hopes so.
A week from Tuesday, Kevin and I will leave for a much-anticipated trip to San Diego with no kids! We haven't had a trip for just us in a couple of years and we are way overdue. It won't be all fun and games (for Kevin). He has a conference to attend and I'm along for the (free) ride. We'll have plenty of time together and I'll have some time to do things that I enjoy by myself. Moms don't have the opportunity to put their wants first very often so I'm really excited about getting to be selfish for a few days! Uncle Weve is coming to stay with the kids so they're all thinking '5 day party!' Uncle Weve will probably be thinking 'What did I get myself into?' before it's all over with but we appreciate him volunteering anyway!
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
26 hours later....
Kevin made it safely home today around noon. I promptly fed him some Taco Bueno and he went to sleep for a while. It'll take a few days for him to get back on Oklahoma time. 12 hours jetlag is a lot to recover from!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Monday morning news
Kevin's email for today is below. Thanks everyone for your prayers. Please say one for the kids and me also. I'm not sure why but no matter how long Kevin is gone, we all get a little crabby about the half way point and today is the day. The kids start back to school tomorrow after being off for fall break and I have to drive the carpool (which Kevin normally does). I also made 4 trips to the church today--2 Kevin would have taken care of and 1 because Alyssa locked her keys in her car. So basically I'm having a giant pity party about extra responsibilities while Kevin is trying to keep people from going to hell. Sometimes I have to remind myself of this to gain a little perspective!
We had a great day of worship yesterday... We had one service with the children at the orphanage, and then two more services out in the villages. It was raining again, but we managed to make it through. We drove as far as we could and then walked the rest of the way in the rain into the second village. I was soaking wet, but when I turned into the village, I saw about 100 people sitting there under a bamboo hut waiting on us.. Wow!! That got my batteries charged. These people are so hungry for the truth. I used the 23rd Psalm to talk to them about the one true creator God and the fact that Jesus is our shepherd. It was great to see so many adults trusting Christ and leaving the Buddah behind. Today, we are going to what is called "the dead end village." There is only one way in and one way out. This is one of the places we were supposed to go to the other day when we got rained out. When I say rained out, I mean that not even motorcycles could make it there. We heard that these people waited on us even though it was raining. So, we are going to go and see them today instead of our original plan. Thanks for all the prayers
We had a great day of worship yesterday... We had one service with the children at the orphanage, and then two more services out in the villages. It was raining again, but we managed to make it through. We drove as far as we could and then walked the rest of the way in the rain into the second village. I was soaking wet, but when I turned into the village, I saw about 100 people sitting there under a bamboo hut waiting on us.. Wow!! That got my batteries charged. These people are so hungry for the truth. I used the 23rd Psalm to talk to them about the one true creator God and the fact that Jesus is our shepherd. It was great to see so many adults trusting Christ and leaving the Buddah behind. Today, we are going to what is called "the dead end village." There is only one way in and one way out. This is one of the places we were supposed to go to the other day when we got rained out. When I say rained out, I mean that not even motorcycles could make it there. We heard that these people waited on us even though it was raining. So, we are going to go and see them today instead of our original plan. Thanks for all the prayers
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Just the Cambodian facts...
Not much news from the other side of the earth...
Friday's village visits got rained out by a major thunderstorm so Kevin spent the day at the orphanage playing with the kids. Saturday was spent visiting 2 villages. I only got a one line email tonight so not much other information than that. It is Sunday morning for him now and he is preaching at 3 different villages. I know he would appreciate your prayers.
Hope to have some more details soon!
Friday's village visits got rained out by a major thunderstorm so Kevin spent the day at the orphanage playing with the kids. Saturday was spent visiting 2 villages. I only got a one line email tonight so not much other information than that. It is Sunday morning for him now and he is preaching at 3 different villages. I know he would appreciate your prayers.
Hope to have some more details soon!
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Cambodia by Motorcycle
If good intentions materialized themselves into blogposts, then clever words would have appeared here everyday for the past 6 weeks. We've been adjusting to new school schedules, football practices and games, and husbands being out of town...which leads me to the real reason for this post:
Kevin left for Cambodia on Tuesday morning. Remember that as you are having dinner and settling in for the evening, he is heading out to villages to teach/preach. Please pray for open hearts for the villagers, safety for the team, and for the church planters/pastors to be able to absorb all that Kevin is teaching them.
Here's Kevin's email that he sent tonight.
It is about 6:30am here Friday morning. I think we are exactly 12 hours ahead of you. Yesterday, we made it to two different villages. We told discipleship stories to model them for the Pastor and to encourage the believers. Six people were saved in the two small villages yesterday. Today, we are going to pick up the pace. We are headed to more remote type villages. I think I am going to pull out Luke 15 today... The travel was a lot harder on me this time. My body was aching when I got off the plane here.
We just found out that the villages we are going to today are not accessible by car. We cannot even drive close enough to walk in some of the way, because the roads are so bad. Therefore, we are going to be riding motorcycles today. I am going to drive with Joe Pat on the back. There is a funny picture for the day...
I'm hoping someone really does take a picture and I promise to post it! Check back daily and I'll post updates as I get them.
Kevin left for Cambodia on Tuesday morning. Remember that as you are having dinner and settling in for the evening, he is heading out to villages to teach/preach. Please pray for open hearts for the villagers, safety for the team, and for the church planters/pastors to be able to absorb all that Kevin is teaching them.
Here's Kevin's email that he sent tonight.
It is about 6:30am here Friday morning. I think we are exactly 12 hours ahead of you. Yesterday, we made it to two different villages. We told discipleship stories to model them for the Pastor and to encourage the believers. Six people were saved in the two small villages yesterday. Today, we are going to pick up the pace. We are headed to more remote type villages. I think I am going to pull out Luke 15 today... The travel was a lot harder on me this time. My body was aching when I got off the plane here.
We just found out that the villages we are going to today are not accessible by car. We cannot even drive close enough to walk in some of the way, because the roads are so bad. Therefore, we are going to be riding motorcycles today. I am going to drive with Joe Pat on the back. There is a funny picture for the day...
I'm hoping someone really does take a picture and I promise to post it! Check back daily and I'll post updates as I get them.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Semi-annual growth check
Nathan went back to the endocrinologist for his 6 month growth check. He grew 1.2 inches and gained almost 4 pounds. That's huge amounts in the Nate world! So far we have avoided the need for HGH, but the dr. said if he is still behind when the teen years approach we may have to give him a jump start.
For the past year, he's been becoming more and more aware that he is smaller than other kids so please keep praying daily for him to grow. Someone asked him the other day if he liked girls. His response: "No, because they always just look at me and say 'Are you sure you're supposed to be in this class?'" He just doesn't realize that this is his first introduction to girls wanting to be in charge of everything!
Next growth check is in February!
For the past year, he's been becoming more and more aware that he is smaller than other kids so please keep praying daily for him to grow. Someone asked him the other day if he liked girls. His response: "No, because they always just look at me and say 'Are you sure you're supposed to be in this class?'" He just doesn't realize that this is his first introduction to girls wanting to be in charge of everything!
Next growth check is in February!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Just the facts
The past 2 weeks have been very busy at our house so I'll get you up to date on all the happenings then hopefully return to blogging on a regular basis with intentions of entertaining you with my wit and charm. But for today, it's just the facts.
*Zac and Kate have already completed 2 weeks of school. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is August 27 and they have been in school for 2 weeks. Remember the days of not starting till after Labor Day? Of course, that was back when bell bottoms and tie dye were acceptable but it just seems summer gets shorter and shorter every year.
*Zac and Kate are at different schools this year which totally messes up my simultaneous orthodontic appt. plans. Last year, I could drive to one school, get two kids and be on my way. This year, it's 2 schools for one kid each which requires an extra 30 minutes and some strategic planning to avoid pick-up traffic at all the other schools in between. Zac is enjoying high school but I don't think my brain has quite accepted that he is a freshman yet.
*Alyssa began her college classes last Monday. After I got over the shock of spending $313 on books which consisted of a paperback and a stack of shrink wrapped loose leaf papers, I am excited for her. She seems to be enjoying her classes. She even joined the Spanish club so she can practice conversing. There is the motivation of not having to take the final if you show up for a certain number of meetings but she actually wants to learn it, not just pass the class. Algebra has gone well so far with the exception of some of those pesky rate/time/distance problems that I would guess only 1% of America knows how to work. You would think the $100 calculator I had to buy would be able to do those for her.
*Nathan will start what will probably be his last year of homeschool next week. It is very strange here on M, W, and F mornings since it is just us at home now, but I'm enjoying the one on one time with him that I don't get very often.
*Zac and Kate have already completed 2 weeks of school. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, it is August 27 and they have been in school for 2 weeks. Remember the days of not starting till after Labor Day? Of course, that was back when bell bottoms and tie dye were acceptable but it just seems summer gets shorter and shorter every year.
*Zac and Kate are at different schools this year which totally messes up my simultaneous orthodontic appt. plans. Last year, I could drive to one school, get two kids and be on my way. This year, it's 2 schools for one kid each which requires an extra 30 minutes and some strategic planning to avoid pick-up traffic at all the other schools in between. Zac is enjoying high school but I don't think my brain has quite accepted that he is a freshman yet.
*Alyssa began her college classes last Monday. After I got over the shock of spending $313 on books which consisted of a paperback and a stack of shrink wrapped loose leaf papers, I am excited for her. She seems to be enjoying her classes. She even joined the Spanish club so she can practice conversing. There is the motivation of not having to take the final if you show up for a certain number of meetings but she actually wants to learn it, not just pass the class. Algebra has gone well so far with the exception of some of those pesky rate/time/distance problems that I would guess only 1% of America knows how to work. You would think the $100 calculator I had to buy would be able to do those for her.
*Nathan will start what will probably be his last year of homeschool next week. It is very strange here on M, W, and F mornings since it is just us at home now, but I'm enjoying the one on one time with him that I don't get very often.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Is your mama a Llama?
While we were in TX last week, Alyssa and her friend Caitlin talked Aunt Liz in to buying a llama cake pan. (And yes, we are aware that this isn't really a llama. It's a Swedish horse of some sort but somehow saying you were going to make llama cake was more fun.) This, of course, led to lots of jokes about who was going to get to eat the llama head and who was going to have to eat the..um..other end of the llama.
Nathan's prayer after having cake:
"Thank you God that Alyssa made llama cake. Thank you that it wasn't a real llama."
Nathan's prayer after having cake:
"Thank you God that Alyssa made llama cake. Thank you that it wasn't a real llama."
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Alyssa's car!
We finally found a car for Alyssa after searching the newspaper and internet for what seems like forever! Obama's cash for clunkers is not friendly to economically challenged families like ours who want to buy some of those clunkers.
A friend of one of my coworkers has an auto repair shop and had this '99 Taurus for sale. It has a newer engine, new transmission, new brakes, and new tires and all of the work is warranted for 6 months. We are very glad to have the peace of mind that the car has been thoroughly checked by someone we can trust. And I'm ridiculously happy that I do not have to drive her to dance, school, or work. Yippee!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Happily Wicked
Way back last summer when we took our big vacation to NYC, the girls and I wanted to see Wicked. I called the box office 3 months before we were scheduled to leave to buy tickets. Didn't happen. Couldn't get 3 seats together...3 months in advance! Even if I was willing to pay $150 ticket (which I wasn't) I couldn't get tickets. So we ended up seeing Cirque Dreams instead, still a good show, but not Wicked. We decided we would see the touring show even if it meant driving 4 or 5 hours to another town because nothing comes to Tulsa...except it did!
42 semis and I forget how many people have descended upon our town for a month and I couldn't be happier. Alyssa and I were blessed with someone's season tickets last Saturday...orchestra center, 12 rows back. Perfecto! I really didn't know what to expect. I just knew it was what happened before Oz when Glinda and the wicked witch of the west were roommates in college.
Little did I know, I would be entranced from the minute the curtain opened, feel sorry for Elphaba (WW of the West), question Glinda's motives, and discover all the things I never knew about Oz but never thought to question, like why was the lion a coward and where did the tin man and the scarecrow come from? Thankfully, I have a date with Katie to see the closing show in a couple of weeks so I get to see it again. And if I had disposable funds, I would see it again and again and again. But at $50 a pop for balcony seats, I'll have to be happy with just twice.
So if the touring company is coming anywhere close to your town, GO! You can click here to see if they are coming to a city near you. A word to the wise: start saving now for your souvenir t-shirt; they are a whopping $39!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Who said summer was supposed to be relaxing?
Every year about May 15th, I have visions of grandeur of a relaxing summer where I have nothing to do but take kids to the pool and work on my tan. And every year about July 1st, I'm thinking 'I can't wait till school starts so my life will calm down to a normal schedule.' You would think I would learn, but year after year somewhere inside me there is a small glimmer of hope that this year's summer will be different. And if you could see my white legs you would know that this year isn't my year. (sigh)
School starts again in less than 3 weeks which means it's time to buy school clothes, schedule yearly check ups, and for the first time ever....buy college textbooks for Alyssa's dual credit classes. She's enrolled for Spanish I and College Algebra at the local community college and she'll receive high school and college credit for the classes. By the time she graduates high school, she'll have at least 24 hours college credit plus credits from CLEP tests hopefully saving us a year's worth of tuition. (Her tuition at the CC is covered by a scholarship. We just have to pay class fees and books...about $200 per class.)
So back to my summer drama...this week Alyssa, Zac and Katie are all participating in a mission camp with their youth group. They are going out in teams in our area and doing VBS, soccer camp, and basketball camps. Our youth pastor shared with us that Katie led someone to Christ all by herself today and there is just no greater feeling of pride (the good kind)for your child than knowing they are growing in their faith and sharing it with others. My shy child is very bold in her walk with Christ and shares with her friends at school constantly. Who knows, maybe that's why God led us to enroll her in public school!
The 'big 3' get home Saturday around 8 and Sunday morning at 9, the girls and I leave for our semi-annual must-go-to-a-real-mall-and-eat-at-La-Madeleine Dallas trip. That's 11 hours to do a whole lot of laundry and squeeze in a little sleep!Katie and I will return home on Wed. after seeing lots of old friends and fighting lots of temptation not to shop too much. Alyssa will fly back on Monday, Alone, which I'm not at all nervous about this year. I guess after letting my child spend 10 days in a South American country, a 45 minute flight from Dallas doesn't seem like such a big deal.
School starts again in less than 3 weeks which means it's time to buy school clothes, schedule yearly check ups, and for the first time ever....buy college textbooks for Alyssa's dual credit classes. She's enrolled for Spanish I and College Algebra at the local community college and she'll receive high school and college credit for the classes. By the time she graduates high school, she'll have at least 24 hours college credit plus credits from CLEP tests hopefully saving us a year's worth of tuition. (Her tuition at the CC is covered by a scholarship. We just have to pay class fees and books...about $200 per class.)
So back to my summer drama...this week Alyssa, Zac and Katie are all participating in a mission camp with their youth group. They are going out in teams in our area and doing VBS, soccer camp, and basketball camps. Our youth pastor shared with us that Katie led someone to Christ all by herself today and there is just no greater feeling of pride (the good kind)for your child than knowing they are growing in their faith and sharing it with others. My shy child is very bold in her walk with Christ and shares with her friends at school constantly. Who knows, maybe that's why God led us to enroll her in public school!
The 'big 3' get home Saturday around 8 and Sunday morning at 9, the girls and I leave for our semi-annual must-go-to-a-real-mall-and-eat-at-La-Madeleine Dallas trip. That's 11 hours to do a whole lot of laundry and squeeze in a little sleep!Katie and I will return home on Wed. after seeing lots of old friends and fighting lots of temptation not to shop too much. Alyssa will fly back on Monday, Alone, which I'm not at all nervous about this year. I guess after letting my child spend 10 days in a South American country, a 45 minute flight from Dallas doesn't seem like such a big deal.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
A little bit of heaven
One thing I love about missions is the little glimpses of 'all nations' worshipping together that we get. In this video, John, on the right, from our mission team is singing in English. Then, Alexi, one of the workers from the Venezuelan church joins in harmony in Spanish. Absolutely Beautiful!
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Another licensed driver in my house, Yippee??
I just watched Alyssa pull out of my driveway, driving herself to church tonight for the first time ever. I thought I would be so happy when this day came. Finally, someone else to help with all the taxi driving and since Alyssa is the cause of most of my mom-taxi trips anyway, I thought I would enjoy this new surplus of free time with which I would fold the laundry faster and clean the toilets more often. And I'm sure that relief will come eventually, but for now there's a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach brought on by the thought of my child being in command of a moving vehicle that is not a bicycle. And wondering how long she'll make it before she has an accident because all young drivers do eventually. Then praying that whenever it does happen, it'll only be minor.
I think I just wasn't ready for it to happen today even though we're 5 months past when she could have taken the test. In our 'wisdom' gained from talking to Alyssa's friends who all had to take the test twice, we were expecting her to get failed today for some silly mistake and to have to try again next week. So when she pulled back into the parking lot and said, "I passed!" I was so proud of her for doing what her friends couldn't, but caught off guard that this was really happening at the same time.
Thank goodness for cell phones. She has to text when she arrives and when she leaves which brings some peace of mind. Some...not a lot. I don't know how my mother did it without knowing for sure that I had arrived at my designated location. I think in a few weeks I'll be happy. Maybe if Kevin was here to share my angst it would help. He actually doesn't even know she has her license since he's still in the remote villages of Mexico and is being spared all this parental drama. I'll have to remind to him to thank me later for living through this rite of passage alone.
I think I just wasn't ready for it to happen today even though we're 5 months past when she could have taken the test. In our 'wisdom' gained from talking to Alyssa's friends who all had to take the test twice, we were expecting her to get failed today for some silly mistake and to have to try again next week. So when she pulled back into the parking lot and said, "I passed!" I was so proud of her for doing what her friends couldn't, but caught off guard that this was really happening at the same time.
Thank goodness for cell phones. She has to text when she arrives and when she leaves which brings some peace of mind. Some...not a lot. I don't know how my mother did it without knowing for sure that I had arrived at my designated location. I think in a few weeks I'll be happy. Maybe if Kevin was here to share my angst it would help. He actually doesn't even know she has her license since he's still in the remote villages of Mexico and is being spared all this parental drama. I'll have to remind to him to thank me later for living through this rite of passage alone.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Short and Sweet
I picked up Alyssa from the airport a couple of hours ago. We're just sitting on the couch catching up on all the shows I DVR'd for her while she was gone. I'm savoring all of the stories that are pouring out about her trip. I'm taking notes so I can share them with you later.
I took Kevin, Zac, and Katie to the airport at 5am yesterday to begin their travels to Arizpe. I wasn't expecting to hear from them at all since there is no internet in Arizpe and phone service is not great. But I guess the Daddy had to make sure his baby girl made it home safely because he called tonight. We had a whole minute and a half to talk and I got that it was raining, which is highly unusual, and they are supposed to have a movie night in the town square tonight. There was also some trouble at the border and Kevin's van didn't get to Arizpe till 4 am so there are some things for you to pray for---cooperative weather and no border issues on the return.
I took Kevin, Zac, and Katie to the airport at 5am yesterday to begin their travels to Arizpe. I wasn't expecting to hear from them at all since there is no internet in Arizpe and phone service is not great. But I guess the Daddy had to make sure his baby girl made it home safely because he called tonight. We had a whole minute and a half to talk and I got that it was raining, which is highly unusual, and they are supposed to have a movie night in the town square tonight. There was also some trouble at the border and Kevin's van didn't get to Arizpe till 4 am so there are some things for you to pray for---cooperative weather and no border issues on the return.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
My lips are sealed
I've been a full 26 hours with no news from Venezuela..no phone calls, no blog posts...but who's counting? Of course, today I have HUGE news to tell Alyssa and no way to tell her. I have her ACT scores and I am very happy with them but I can't tell you how she did because that just wouldn't be nice for her to find out after the 6 people who read this blog find out so I must be excited for her without sharing the news....a very difficult task when you have good news and a blog.
So to distract myself from the fact that I haven't seen my child in 6 days and had to go see 'The Proposal' by myself since my chick flick buddy is out of the country, I'll tell you about how Nathan got to have a light saber fight with Darth Vader.
At Disneyland, they have a Jedi Training Academy. Kids are randomly selected to be 'trained' then they get to fight Darth Vader using their newly acquired skills. Nathan could discuss Star Wars with you for 12 hours straight, go to bed, then still have more to say the next day. There have actually been times when I have banned him from discussing anything related to Star Wars with me. My brain can only take so much Darth Maul, Ewoks, and Yoda debate in one day. He also uses 'the force' to open automatic doors.
When I tell you that this was the highlight of his little life, I am not exaggerating. I think my heart might have broken if he hadn't been picked, but seriously, who could pass up that cute face?
Darth Vader didn't stand a chance!
So to distract myself from the fact that I haven't seen my child in 6 days and had to go see 'The Proposal' by myself since my chick flick buddy is out of the country, I'll tell you about how Nathan got to have a light saber fight with Darth Vader.
At Disneyland, they have a Jedi Training Academy. Kids are randomly selected to be 'trained' then they get to fight Darth Vader using their newly acquired skills. Nathan could discuss Star Wars with you for 12 hours straight, go to bed, then still have more to say the next day. There have actually been times when I have banned him from discussing anything related to Star Wars with me. My brain can only take so much Darth Maul, Ewoks, and Yoda debate in one day. He also uses 'the force' to open automatic doors.
When I tell you that this was the highlight of his little life, I am not exaggerating. I think my heart might have broken if he hadn't been picked, but seriously, who could pass up that cute face?
Darth Vader didn't stand a chance!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
All My Fears Calmed for $1.50
I got to talk to Alyssa on the phone tonight! Woo Hoo! She actually called while I was still at work, time difference and all. (Apparently it's a genetic thing to not be able to figure that whole time thing out because she didn't realize I was still at work.) I'm sure everyone in my office thought I had lost it. I sounded like a giddy school girl when I answered the phone. And may I just say that technology is a wonderful thing when my child can call me from another continent for $1.50.
First, I had to get all the 'mama' questions out of the way: Are you sunburned? A valid concern since she is practically sitting on the equator and has her father's redhead fair skin. Thankfully, she reports just some pink cheeks and that they're staying in the shade most of the time. "Is your stomach upset?" Also a valid mama question given the fact she's in a South American country where she can't drink the water. Good news on that front too! No one on the team seems to suffering any maladies. All that paranoia and trip to the dr. for prescriptions for doxycycline and cipro paid off.
I had to calm the potential mama fears first before I could move on to the actual important news of her trip just in case our call got dropped. We were dealing with a pay phone in a small town in Venezuela and a cell phone in America after all! Anyway, the ministry is going well. They are visiting different villages each day. Some team members are doing door to door evangelism while others do VBS or sports camps with the kids and teenagers. The team all wrote their testimonies in Spanish before they left and they also have translators with them. Alyssa's also part of a drama team and they are doing a drama in each of the areas they minister to also.
It was great to hear her voice after 5 days, now just 5 days to go. I'm glad she has this opportunity of a lifetime to make an eternal difference in the lives of others, but I'll also be glad when she's home again. Because seriously, The Bachelorette and So you think you can dance just aren't the same without her. We're going to have some serious DVR catch up to do next week!
First, I had to get all the 'mama' questions out of the way: Are you sunburned? A valid concern since she is practically sitting on the equator and has her father's redhead fair skin. Thankfully, she reports just some pink cheeks and that they're staying in the shade most of the time. "Is your stomach upset?" Also a valid mama question given the fact she's in a South American country where she can't drink the water. Good news on that front too! No one on the team seems to suffering any maladies. All that paranoia and trip to the dr. for prescriptions for doxycycline and cipro paid off.
I had to calm the potential mama fears first before I could move on to the actual important news of her trip just in case our call got dropped. We were dealing with a pay phone in a small town in Venezuela and a cell phone in America after all! Anyway, the ministry is going well. They are visiting different villages each day. Some team members are doing door to door evangelism while others do VBS or sports camps with the kids and teenagers. The team all wrote their testimonies in Spanish before they left and they also have translators with them. Alyssa's also part of a drama team and they are doing a drama in each of the areas they minister to also.
It was great to hear her voice after 5 days, now just 5 days to go. I'm glad she has this opportunity of a lifetime to make an eternal difference in the lives of others, but I'll also be glad when she's home again. Because seriously, The Bachelorette and So you think you can dance just aren't the same without her. We're going to have some serious DVR catch up to do next week!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Finally!
We didn't hear from Alyssa yesterday at all which I'm okay with. I know they are extremely busy and it's not convenient to find a phone to call home on when you have 18 people in your group. But, there was no new post on the blog yesterday either and while I know that more than likely everything is fine, I like seeing something tangible that reassures me of that fact. So finally, there are 2 new blog posts today along with some pictures.
Here's an excerpt from Sunday's post:
It is hard to imagine just how large your Christian family is and today we were reminded of this. It was great to meet together with our brothers and sisters as the morning began and worshiped our Lord together. We sang songs (half the time not even knowing the words but still singing!), listened to preaching, and even spent some time teaching students and children. Afterwards we gathered together and enjoyed an amazing meal. It was a picture of Biblical community! Brothers and sisters united together through Christ; smiling, laughing, and worshiping together in fellowship!
Tonight we spent some time with the church and reached out to the community. We gathered together at a local park and played basketball, volleyball, and soccer with the community. We took some time with the people and shared our testimonies and got the chance to see over 30 people accept Christ!
I tried to put some pictures on here for you but I'm having techinical difficulties saving it from their blog and uploading to mine so here's a link for you. If you want to read more about the trip than I've posted here, just click 'daily blog' at the top of the page. Thanks for praying continually!
Here's an excerpt from Sunday's post:
It is hard to imagine just how large your Christian family is and today we were reminded of this. It was great to meet together with our brothers and sisters as the morning began and worshiped our Lord together. We sang songs (half the time not even knowing the words but still singing!), listened to preaching, and even spent some time teaching students and children. Afterwards we gathered together and enjoyed an amazing meal. It was a picture of Biblical community! Brothers and sisters united together through Christ; smiling, laughing, and worshiping together in fellowship!
Tonight we spent some time with the church and reached out to the community. We gathered together at a local park and played basketball, volleyball, and soccer with the community. We took some time with the people and shared our testimonies and got the chance to see over 30 people accept Christ!
I tried to put some pictures on here for you but I'm having techinical difficulties saving it from their blog and uploading to mine so here's a link for you. If you want to read more about the trip than I've posted here, just click 'daily blog' at the top of the page. Thanks for praying continually!
Sunday, June 21, 2009
1 Missed Call
Alyssa's team finished their traveling yesterday. She tried to call us but, sadly, we missed it. My phone was in my purse and set to vibrate since I had been at work all day. And the synapses that registered the phone was vibrating more than once, meaning it was an actual call, to realizing it was probably Alyssa, to leaping from the couch across the room, to digging it out of my purse...the call went to voice mail which when played back was a bunch of static. Bummer. I'm hoping she'll try again tonight. Today is their first full day of ministry so I'm anxious to hear how it went.
Here's a post from the team's blog about yesterday's travels:
So your probably wondering how was the drive. Well, we were told it would be a 6 hour drive. Thank goodness this wasn’t the case. It actually only took us a little over 4.5 hours. The sites were wonderful as we made our way through Caracas. The mountains, the ocean, all the house on all the hillsides made for a great first part of the trek. It’s amazing to think over 4 to 5 million people call Caracas their home. The houses are in places on the side of mountains that you wonder how you could even walk up to the houses. We had the opportunity to relax in our wonderful bus until the police decided to pull us over. Come to find out the police pull you over just if they feel like it. No reason, no purpose, but I guess to say hi. Turns out our driver knew one of the police men. We get back on the road then all of a sudden our bus dies. Our driver opens the hatch inside the cab and starts going to work. Cranks the engine to no avail. Vladimir decides we should pray. So, he prays in his native tongue and we pray in ours and we once again were being protected by Jesus. A few minutes later, a few cranks, a few turn this and that on the motor and it starts. We pulled over a little later down the road to stop and use the el banó. What was sitting in front of us? Did you think it was fast food, because it was. Burger King and his royal burgers awaited us. We all ate some Whoppers and pappas, some had ice cream sundaes(Alyssa) and of course Coca-Cola. We arrived at our hotel, checked in, changed clothes, and then came to the church. They prepared a wonderful lunch for us(yes it was our second lunch) and we felt so unbelievably welcomed to be apart of their work in the kingdom. Well we have just been hanging out here at the church for a while now and we are meeting some really incredible people. We have been able to share our favorite music with them. John and I were amazed to learn that they loved Hillsong United music and knew most of their tunes(of course they knew them in spanish).
Here's a post from the team's blog about yesterday's travels:
So your probably wondering how was the drive. Well, we were told it would be a 6 hour drive. Thank goodness this wasn’t the case. It actually only took us a little over 4.5 hours. The sites were wonderful as we made our way through Caracas. The mountains, the ocean, all the house on all the hillsides made for a great first part of the trek. It’s amazing to think over 4 to 5 million people call Caracas their home. The houses are in places on the side of mountains that you wonder how you could even walk up to the houses. We had the opportunity to relax in our wonderful bus until the police decided to pull us over. Come to find out the police pull you over just if they feel like it. No reason, no purpose, but I guess to say hi. Turns out our driver knew one of the police men. We get back on the road then all of a sudden our bus dies. Our driver opens the hatch inside the cab and starts going to work. Cranks the engine to no avail. Vladimir decides we should pray. So, he prays in his native tongue and we pray in ours and we once again were being protected by Jesus. A few minutes later, a few cranks, a few turn this and that on the motor and it starts. We pulled over a little later down the road to stop and use the el banó. What was sitting in front of us? Did you think it was fast food, because it was. Burger King and his royal burgers awaited us. We all ate some Whoppers and pappas, some had ice cream sundaes(Alyssa) and of course Coca-Cola. We arrived at our hotel, checked in, changed clothes, and then came to the church. They prepared a wonderful lunch for us(yes it was our second lunch) and we felt so unbelievably welcomed to be apart of their work in the kingdom. Well we have just been hanging out here at the church for a while now and we are meeting some really incredible people. We have been able to share our favorite music with them. John and I were amazed to learn that they loved Hillsong United music and knew most of their tunes(of course they knew them in spanish).
Friday, June 19, 2009
Tulsa, Dallas, Miami, Caracas
I took my baby girl to the airport this morning to send her off on her first mission trip without her mission pastor dad present. I did get a little choked up which is unusual for me, but in my defense, just before we left for the airport, I had gotten the news that a friends' mother passed away during the night and I was already feeling sad for her. Then, Alyssa started rubbing it in that she was going to have a stamp in her passport before I did and then I wasn't so misty eyed anymore.
She should be in Caracas by 6:40pm Venezuelan time but I have no idea what time that is for us. I'm a fairly intelligent person but for some reason, time zones require way too much thought for me, coupled with the fact that President Chavez gets an ego trip from declaring that Venezuela doesn't fall into any of the internationally accepted time zones and adds or takes away 30 minutes from whatever time zone they're supposed to be in just to be difficult so I've decided I'm not even going to try to figure it out.
In other news, I am aware that I still haven't posted anything about our vacation yet which I'm planning on working on in the next week. As soon as we got back, we had VBS, lots of dr. appointments, Alyssa taking the ACT, and football practice everyday. I haven't been home long enough to fold the towels I washed on Monday yet much less blog about Mickey. And now, I must go color and highlight my hair since I have a black stripe going down the middle of my head with a few gray hairs poking through. It's reached defcon 5 status and I can no longer comfortably go out into public until it is fixed.
She should be in Caracas by 6:40pm Venezuelan time but I have no idea what time that is for us. I'm a fairly intelligent person but for some reason, time zones require way too much thought for me, coupled with the fact that President Chavez gets an ego trip from declaring that Venezuela doesn't fall into any of the internationally accepted time zones and adds or takes away 30 minutes from whatever time zone they're supposed to be in just to be difficult so I've decided I'm not even going to try to figure it out.
In other news, I am aware that I still haven't posted anything about our vacation yet which I'm planning on working on in the next week. As soon as we got back, we had VBS, lots of dr. appointments, Alyssa taking the ACT, and football practice everyday. I haven't been home long enough to fold the towels I washed on Monday yet much less blog about Mickey. And now, I must go color and highlight my hair since I have a black stripe going down the middle of my head with a few gray hairs poking through. It's reached defcon 5 status and I can no longer comfortably go out into public until it is fixed.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
My Boys
My boys are almost 5 years apart in age, but amazingly, they still hang out together--a lot. They light saber fight on the trampoline, play basketball or soccer in the front yard, wrestle, nerf gun fight, and shoot each other in video games. So while we're off enjoying Space Mountain and the California beaches, you can enjoy some pictures of my awesome boys.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Man Code Education
We were watching the Bachelorette on Monday night when one of the guys mentioned breaking 'man code'. I asked Zac to tell me some 'man code' and he only knew two rules. But then Alyssa wanted to know about whether bikinis or skimpy clothing was really a temptation to guys. (According to Zac, this depends on the girl.)
I sat in my chair, listening to this conversation, and it made me smile. Why? Because my kids feel comfortable enough with me and their siblings to talk about whatever comes to mind. There are no off-limits topics or ones that are met with condescending looks or immediate reproof. That is not to say that we are accepting of all things or inappropriate in our speech. My kids just feel okay bringing up any topic. I give them my opinion and guidance when needed, but for the most part we just enjoy being together.
I think we accomplished this in our family by what we did when the kids were younger. When we were in the 'preschool' phase, we were consistent in our discipline--the rules stayed the same every day of the week. The result is that now we very rarely have to discipline our kids other than an occasional attitude check or chore reminder. Instead of griping or nagging them all the time, we can just enjoy each other's company and 'hang out'.
We definitely haven't done everything right with our kids and definitely have some regrets about things I wish I had done better, but this one thing we got right. A lot of parents I know don't enjoy being around their kids. I'm glad we've transitioned from being the rule-makers to developing the friendships with our kids that will last the rest of our lives.
I sat in my chair, listening to this conversation, and it made me smile. Why? Because my kids feel comfortable enough with me and their siblings to talk about whatever comes to mind. There are no off-limits topics or ones that are met with condescending looks or immediate reproof. That is not to say that we are accepting of all things or inappropriate in our speech. My kids just feel okay bringing up any topic. I give them my opinion and guidance when needed, but for the most part we just enjoy being together.
I think we accomplished this in our family by what we did when the kids were younger. When we were in the 'preschool' phase, we were consistent in our discipline--the rules stayed the same every day of the week. The result is that now we very rarely have to discipline our kids other than an occasional attitude check or chore reminder. Instead of griping or nagging them all the time, we can just enjoy each other's company and 'hang out'.
We definitely haven't done everything right with our kids and definitely have some regrets about things I wish I had done better, but this one thing we got right. A lot of parents I know don't enjoy being around their kids. I'm glad we've transitioned from being the rule-makers to developing the friendships with our kids that will last the rest of our lives.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
All cleaned up for Vacation
I'm taking a break from packing and laundry and cleaning and making lists of all the things I need to remember to do tomorrow before we leave for our vacation. Why is it so much work to go on vacation? I probably make it more complicated than it needs to be. To truly enjoy my vacation I need my house to be clean before I leave. Otherwise I spend the last 3 days of my vacation, stressing out about going home to a dirty house. Pathetic, I know.
We'll leave on Friday morning to fly to Houston where we'll meet up with Kevin's brother, aka Uncle Weve, then fly to Orange County, as in the OC baby! We've got big plans to ride everything in both Disney parks at least once, star stalk at the Land of the Lost Premiere at the Chinese Theatre, drive on the PCH, and for a little culture, go to the Getty Villa in Malibu.
One of the things on my to do list is to schedule a few posts for next week. You'll just have to come back to see if I actually get that done or not!
We'll leave on Friday morning to fly to Houston where we'll meet up with Kevin's brother, aka Uncle Weve, then fly to Orange County, as in the OC baby! We've got big plans to ride everything in both Disney parks at least once, star stalk at the Land of the Lost Premiere at the Chinese Theatre, drive on the PCH, and for a little culture, go to the Getty Villa in Malibu.
One of the things on my to do list is to schedule a few posts for next week. You'll just have to come back to see if I actually get that done or not!
Monday, May 25, 2009
It's a holiday, supossedly
I would like to request a 'do-over' for my holiday weekend.
Reason #1: Kevin had to go out of town on Friday for a conference. He needed to meet with a guy who's going to be a guest speaker at our church in the fall and the only time they could get their schedules together was this weekend at Bike week (as in Harley) in Ridgecrest NC. He got home last night around 8:30.
Reason #2: Kevin had to leave again today for another conference in Dallas. He'll be back tomorrow night. So in 5 days I will have seen him for about 20 hours, 8 of which we were asleep.
Reason #3: The city of Broken Arrow felt the need to call me at 8 o'clock this morning to tell me they would not be picking up my trash. And while I appreciate this information, they had already called on Friday so I already knew this and would have assumed it anyway even without a phone call. I work Tues, Thurs. and Sat. On Mon., Wed., and Friday, I also get up at 6:30 to get everyone out the door on time. On Sunday, I get up to go to church. As you can see, this leaves no day of the week for me to sleep in. Today was my day and totally ruined by a stupid pre-recorded phone call that I didn't even want!
On the good side, I did manage to get the garage cleaned out. Found lots of mice poo and 7 gloves, only 2 of which actually go together. And, I can now locate a philips head screw driver in less than 30 seconds as opposed to the 30 minutes it took last week. Spending time looking for things that should be in their proper place sends my organized personality to the brink of a breakdown so getting the garage organized has probably saved me from a panic attack in the near future.
Reason #1: Kevin had to go out of town on Friday for a conference. He needed to meet with a guy who's going to be a guest speaker at our church in the fall and the only time they could get their schedules together was this weekend at Bike week (as in Harley) in Ridgecrest NC. He got home last night around 8:30.
Reason #2: Kevin had to leave again today for another conference in Dallas. He'll be back tomorrow night. So in 5 days I will have seen him for about 20 hours, 8 of which we were asleep.
Reason #3: The city of Broken Arrow felt the need to call me at 8 o'clock this morning to tell me they would not be picking up my trash. And while I appreciate this information, they had already called on Friday so I already knew this and would have assumed it anyway even without a phone call. I work Tues, Thurs. and Sat. On Mon., Wed., and Friday, I also get up at 6:30 to get everyone out the door on time. On Sunday, I get up to go to church. As you can see, this leaves no day of the week for me to sleep in. Today was my day and totally ruined by a stupid pre-recorded phone call that I didn't even want!
On the good side, I did manage to get the garage cleaned out. Found lots of mice poo and 7 gloves, only 2 of which actually go together. And, I can now locate a philips head screw driver in less than 30 seconds as opposed to the 30 minutes it took last week. Spending time looking for things that should be in their proper place sends my organized personality to the brink of a breakdown so getting the garage organized has probably saved me from a panic attack in the near future.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
What you missed
Some how I managed to go a whole week without posting. I've been working tirelessly on my 'to do' list that has grown to novel status while my toe has been broken. There are still a few things I can't do, but it has improved a lot in the last couple of weeks and I'm almost to 'cute shoe' status.
Last Wednesday, I painted Kate's room purple then put her loft bed together that we bought in February. It's very tall so then we had to take the ceiling fan down. Currently, she doesn't have a light at all with the exception of the lamp she stole from the living room. Home depot is on my list for today.
Alyssa's recitals were this weekend. She did a marvelous job as always and as always I didn't get any good pictures. Something about the lighting, the motion, and the fact that I'm not allowed to use a flash challenges my photography skills. I get blurry photos with weird lighting every time and there's just no way to fix blur even in photoshop. This is one of my better shots of her doing "Swans" from Swan Lake.
Her professional pictures should be ready by the end of June.
Zac and Kate will be done with school on the 28th then we fly out to California the next day! Woo Hoo! We are all very excited about our trip and it can't seem to get here fast enough! Nate has been done with school for a couple of weeks and Alyssa is working on ACT prep. She's taking it for the first time in June so that she can take dual credit classes at the community college this fall.
I must get back to my list, but first I need to find out why Dora the Explorer is on tv in the living room when there are no children anywhere around.
Last Wednesday, I painted Kate's room purple then put her loft bed together that we bought in February. It's very tall so then we had to take the ceiling fan down. Currently, she doesn't have a light at all with the exception of the lamp she stole from the living room. Home depot is on my list for today.
Alyssa's recitals were this weekend. She did a marvelous job as always and as always I didn't get any good pictures. Something about the lighting, the motion, and the fact that I'm not allowed to use a flash challenges my photography skills. I get blurry photos with weird lighting every time and there's just no way to fix blur even in photoshop. This is one of my better shots of her doing "Swans" from Swan Lake.
Her professional pictures should be ready by the end of June.
Zac and Kate will be done with school on the 28th then we fly out to California the next day! Woo Hoo! We are all very excited about our trip and it can't seem to get here fast enough! Nate has been done with school for a couple of weeks and Alyssa is working on ACT prep. She's taking it for the first time in June so that she can take dual credit classes at the community college this fall.
I must get back to my list, but first I need to find out why Dora the Explorer is on tv in the living room when there are no children anywhere around.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Communicating with Teens
If you want the lines of communication to stay open with your teens, then you need to become proficient at texting--their preferred method of conveying information. It's still cool to text your mom since no one probably knows who they're texting but a conversation with mom is out of the question.
Katie and Zac went on a church choir trip to Kansas City this past weekend. Katie doesn't have a cell phone yet so I have to rely on Zac to provide me information about how the trip is going. Great. Here's our conversation on Saturday night:
Me: Are you having fun? We're at dance recital #2. I know you're sad you're missing it. (Notice my complete thoughts and correct grammar.)
Z: at the park
Me: Have you seen Kate at all?
Z: A little
Me: Are you capable of texting more than two words?
Z: I'm having lots of fun mother.
Me: Much better. Love you!
Z: K
Katie and Zac went on a church choir trip to Kansas City this past weekend. Katie doesn't have a cell phone yet so I have to rely on Zac to provide me information about how the trip is going. Great. Here's our conversation on Saturday night:
Me: Are you having fun? We're at dance recital #2. I know you're sad you're missing it. (Notice my complete thoughts and correct grammar.)
Z: at the park
Me: Have you seen Kate at all?
Z: A little
Me: Are you capable of texting more than two words?
Z: I'm having lots of fun mother.
Me: Much better. Love you!
Z: K
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
If I had known...
There are some moments in life when I wish I could see into the future so I could plan things a little differently. If I had known in advance I was going to break my toe, there are definitely some things I would have taken care of before hand.
First, most important: Gotten a pedicure. The tidbits of nail polish on my toes is left over from January and looks hideous yet I'm forced to parade my feet in front of doctors and x-ray techs which causes me to cringe every time I pull off my sock. I think I can stand to actually touch it now so this issue will be resolved this week.
Second: I had plans to paint Katie's room the weekend I broke my toe. We were trying some sample paint colors in her room so for over 6 weeks, she has had a purple square and smiley face painted above her bed. I also had planned to have my kitchen painted by now, but the white walls are torturing and mocking me. I don't know how much longer I can take the boringness of it.
Third: I would have already done my cute spring shoe shopping. I feel like I've missed out on the big game for the Spring. By the time I can shoe shop, all the cutesy, fun, yet economical shoes will be gone. And, no I can't shop anyway with just trying them on my right foot. I have weird, skinny feet and one is longer than the other by about a 1/4 size.
Seriously, my toe is doing much better. I put on a tennis shoe this weekend for the first time and survived. I'm hoping in a few more days I can tolerate some ballet flats. I have to get into shape so I'll be ready to go see Mickey Mouse in a few more weeks!
First, most important: Gotten a pedicure. The tidbits of nail polish on my toes is left over from January and looks hideous yet I'm forced to parade my feet in front of doctors and x-ray techs which causes me to cringe every time I pull off my sock. I think I can stand to actually touch it now so this issue will be resolved this week.
Second: I had plans to paint Katie's room the weekend I broke my toe. We were trying some sample paint colors in her room so for over 6 weeks, she has had a purple square and smiley face painted above her bed. I also had planned to have my kitchen painted by now, but the white walls are torturing and mocking me. I don't know how much longer I can take the boringness of it.
Third: I would have already done my cute spring shoe shopping. I feel like I've missed out on the big game for the Spring. By the time I can shoe shop, all the cutesy, fun, yet economical shoes will be gone. And, no I can't shop anyway with just trying them on my right foot. I have weird, skinny feet and one is longer than the other by about a 1/4 size.
Seriously, my toe is doing much better. I put on a tennis shoe this weekend for the first time and survived. I'm hoping in a few more days I can tolerate some ballet flats. I have to get into shape so I'll be ready to go see Mickey Mouse in a few more weeks!
Monday, May 4, 2009
Money Saver: Pest control
I used to pay 40 bucks every three months to have a pest control company come spray my house. Then I met someone who worked for Orkin and told me the ingredients to look for in a good bug spray so I could do it myself. I'm sorry to say I don't remember the exact ingredients, but I can tell you I've been using this stuff for several years and it works great.
You can get the larger bottle at Walmart for around $7 and it will last over a year. It works for indoors and out and seems to kill all sorts of bugs. We've lived in lots of places and every house seems to have its own bug issue. Our last house had ants everywhere--even in the pantry and our current house has big ugly spiders. I usually spray the baseboards and around the perimeter of the house in the spring and don't spray again the rest of year unless I notice the reappearance of the creepy crawlies. Savings over using a professional: $153/year!
You can get the larger bottle at Walmart for around $7 and it will last over a year. It works for indoors and out and seems to kill all sorts of bugs. We've lived in lots of places and every house seems to have its own bug issue. Our last house had ants everywhere--even in the pantry and our current house has big ugly spiders. I usually spray the baseboards and around the perimeter of the house in the spring and don't spray again the rest of year unless I notice the reappearance of the creepy crawlies. Savings over using a professional: $153/year!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Head Theories
Nathan wasn't feeling well on Thursday. Anytime a 9 yr. old boy volunteers to take a nap, you know something's not right. He seemed to feel the need to explain why he didn't feel good. He told Alyssa he hadn't cleaned his ears in a while so all that extra ear wax must be weighing his head down, making it feel heavy. The he told me that he hadn't gotten to bed on time in several days so his neck must be too tired to hold his head up and that's why he needed to lay down all day.
I think I need to teach him the phrase, 'I have a headache' and make life much simpler!
I think I need to teach him the phrase, 'I have a headache' and make life much simpler!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Not really a banquet
Warning: Objects in box may be smaller than they appear. (Sorry this is sideways. No matter how many times I rotate and save, it uploads sideways.)
I very rarely by convenience foods--too expensive and not healthy. But, occasionally something will go on sale and I'll give in. Should have passed up this 90 cent deal. Disgusting! Good thing boys will eat anything. I hate to see groceries go to waste!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Motorcycles, Princesses, and Manhood
I think we just survived the busiest weekend in history. How 500 events all got scheduled in the same weekend, I'll never know.
Friday, I attempted to have a garage sale. I never put an ad in the paper but I've never lived on the edge of civilization before. Pretty much after you pass our neighborhood, you're in the middle of nowhere so you're not going to be casually driving by our neighborhood and just happen to see a 'garage sale' sign. So pretty much my only customers were all the construction workers who were working in the back of the 'hood. I still made $150 but usually my garage sales bring in $400.
Our friends Robbie and Keli stopped by and Robbie gave Nate his first (and last until he's over 18) motorcycle ride.
I really doubt that bicycle helmet would have saved him from serious brain damage were there an actual wreck. But, I'm a mom and had to put something on his head.
Friday night, the girls had a Disney princess sleepover at church but Alyssa didn't actually sleep over since she had her first day of work on Sat. morning. Zac went to a youth 'man retreat'. They camped out, had 'man olympics' and peed outside--activities all designed to proclaim their manhood. Out of 100 pictures put on facebook by one of the youth leaders, this was the only one of Zac--throwing a spear in some sort of manly contest.
Saturday was filled with me and Alyssa working, picking up Kate from church, dropping off and picking up Nate from choir practice for the musical on Sunday, and Nate going to a birthday party which I almost forgot about.
Friday, I attempted to have a garage sale. I never put an ad in the paper but I've never lived on the edge of civilization before. Pretty much after you pass our neighborhood, you're in the middle of nowhere so you're not going to be casually driving by our neighborhood and just happen to see a 'garage sale' sign. So pretty much my only customers were all the construction workers who were working in the back of the 'hood. I still made $150 but usually my garage sales bring in $400.
Our friends Robbie and Keli stopped by and Robbie gave Nate his first (and last until he's over 18) motorcycle ride.
I really doubt that bicycle helmet would have saved him from serious brain damage were there an actual wreck. But, I'm a mom and had to put something on his head.
Friday night, the girls had a Disney princess sleepover at church but Alyssa didn't actually sleep over since she had her first day of work on Sat. morning. Zac went to a youth 'man retreat'. They camped out, had 'man olympics' and peed outside--activities all designed to proclaim their manhood. Out of 100 pictures put on facebook by one of the youth leaders, this was the only one of Zac--throwing a spear in some sort of manly contest.
Saturday was filled with me and Alyssa working, picking up Kate from church, dropping off and picking up Nate from choir practice for the musical on Sunday, and Nate going to a birthday party which I almost forgot about.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Movie Review: Marley and Me
Last Friday night, we had pizza and movie night. Everyone was home at the same time with nothing to do. We have to celebrate these moments. They don't happen often. To make it even better, the pizza was free. I called it in. Kevin went to pick it up and we were told we had a $40 credit. The family who owns the dominoes goes to our church. They saw me hobbling around church on Sunday and felt sorry for me. She had sent a card to let me know about our blessing but it went to our old address so we were completely surprised by some free yummy pizza in all its cheesy goodness.
Anyway, movie of the night: Marley and Me. Totally thought it was a family movie. Totally was not. Funny. Cute. But dealt with adult themes like miscarriage, job fulfillment, mid life crisis.... Zac bailed on us about halfway through. Clean and fun for the most part, but just not appealing to the younger masses.
We are a practical family. No one is overly emotional in that we don't get sucked into the trap of crying during a movie. Towards the end when......(spoiler alert)......Marley is very sick, Nathan says, "Can Marley hurry up and die already so I can go upstairs?" I'm sorry. I think I have raised cynical kids.
And then Nathan gave us yet another quotable quote at the end of the movie:
"That movie was sadder than The Pursuit of Happyness."
Alyssa: You haven't even seen that movie!
Nathan: Nope, but I'm pretty sure it was sad.
Anyway, movie of the night: Marley and Me. Totally thought it was a family movie. Totally was not. Funny. Cute. But dealt with adult themes like miscarriage, job fulfillment, mid life crisis.... Zac bailed on us about halfway through. Clean and fun for the most part, but just not appealing to the younger masses.
We are a practical family. No one is overly emotional in that we don't get sucked into the trap of crying during a movie. Towards the end when......(spoiler alert)......Marley is very sick, Nathan says, "Can Marley hurry up and die already so I can go upstairs?" I'm sorry. I think I have raised cynical kids.
And then Nathan gave us yet another quotable quote at the end of the movie:
"That movie was sadder than The Pursuit of Happyness."
Alyssa: You haven't even seen that movie!
Nathan: Nope, but I'm pretty sure it was sad.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Final Flashback: All the birthdays
Aren't you glad this is the last flashback? I'm getting dizzy from all the time travel! Nate's birthday fell on the same day we needed to travel to Arkansas for the wedding so his birthday celebrations were spread out over an 11 day period. It would have just been a week but we had to postpone his outdoor birthday party thanks to 6" of snow!
So it all began with opening his gifts from us on the night before his birthday. He got Wii outdoor challenge, legos, a badmitton set, a nerf gun to torture his siblings with, and a sleeping bag for Jack.
The next night, his actual birthday, we were in AR. Kevin and I had to go to the rehearsal dinner so Papaw and Uncle Weve took him to get pizza and a shopping spree to Walmart--the only shopping option in town!
Finally, he got to have his party at the mini-golf course.
We had pizza (Nathan's fave food) and Transformer's cake. 3 of the 5 friends gave him Target gift cards, probably because of the new Target that opened up in our 'hood which I'm soooo excited about! No more 15 minute drives to Tar-jay!
I'm not sure what Alyssa and Zac were doing in this picture, something of a model pose? I'm just thankful my 16 and 13 year old kids are good friends and like to hang out together. How often does that happen?
So it all began with opening his gifts from us on the night before his birthday. He got Wii outdoor challenge, legos, a badmitton set, a nerf gun to torture his siblings with, and a sleeping bag for Jack.
The next night, his actual birthday, we were in AR. Kevin and I had to go to the rehearsal dinner so Papaw and Uncle Weve took him to get pizza and a shopping spree to Walmart--the only shopping option in town!
Finally, he got to have his party at the mini-golf course.
We had pizza (Nathan's fave food) and Transformer's cake. 3 of the 5 friends gave him Target gift cards, probably because of the new Target that opened up in our 'hood which I'm soooo excited about! No more 15 minute drives to Tar-jay!
I'm not sure what Alyssa and Zac were doing in this picture, something of a model pose? I'm just thankful my 16 and 13 year old kids are good friends and like to hang out together. How often does that happen?
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Flashback #3: The Wedding
Here's a few pictures from the wedding we attended. Kevin's brother Steve took these with his new and first camera. Can you believe that? 4? years old and just got his first camera. I think it was all provoked by Facebook, but that's just a theory. You can read more about the actual wedding here.
As always, my hopes at getting a family picture were dashed again, this time with a handful of flying birdseed. Not really sure why we didn't try again. I think at this point we were all tired and ready to go home.
The Brothers Grimm...just kidding. It was fun getting to spend the weekend with Kevin's family.
Alyssa and Nathan at the reception which included a bounce house!
Katie and her Uncle Weve
As always, my hopes at getting a family picture were dashed again, this time with a handful of flying birdseed. Not really sure why we didn't try again. I think at this point we were all tired and ready to go home.
The Brothers Grimm...just kidding. It was fun getting to spend the weekend with Kevin's family.
Alyssa and Nathan at the reception which included a bounce house!
Katie and her Uncle Weve
Friday, April 10, 2009
How to score a free haircut
I'm going to interrupt all the 'flashbacking' to tell you how we scored a free haircut today.
If you're going to attempt this, you're going to need cooperation from others. First, you need the guy who has the appointment time 2 slots ahead of you to be late, affecting everyone else's day that comes after him. We arrived at 12:55 for Alyssa's 1:00 appt. at which time the stylist was just starting on the color appt. scheduled before us. She assured us she could get us out of there before 2.
1:45 rolls around and we're still waiting. We have to leave by 2 because Alyssa has a job interview at 2:30. If you've seen Alyssa's hair, you know there is no way in heck anyone could wash, cut and dry her hair in 30 minutes much less 15. Just not physically possible. So after driving 17 miles one way and sitting for 50 minutes, we left with no haircut. Kevin is taking her again tomorrow for the free haircut that was offered when I called to reschedule.I was really tempted to go somewhere else, but we love our stylist and she did try to make it right. Plus, I'm not one to play Russian Roulette with haircuts.
Good news of the day: Alyssa got the job she wanted at Rue 21, a jr. clothing store, that is opening up next to my brand new Target just a few miles from our house. She starts on April 25, helping them get the store set up and organized for the grand opening which she will be wonderful at. (Remember her closet!) Now if we can just keep her from buying half the store with her discount!
If you're going to attempt this, you're going to need cooperation from others. First, you need the guy who has the appointment time 2 slots ahead of you to be late, affecting everyone else's day that comes after him. We arrived at 12:55 for Alyssa's 1:00 appt. at which time the stylist was just starting on the color appt. scheduled before us. She assured us she could get us out of there before 2.
1:45 rolls around and we're still waiting. We have to leave by 2 because Alyssa has a job interview at 2:30. If you've seen Alyssa's hair, you know there is no way in heck anyone could wash, cut and dry her hair in 30 minutes much less 15. Just not physically possible. So after driving 17 miles one way and sitting for 50 minutes, we left with no haircut. Kevin is taking her again tomorrow for the free haircut that was offered when I called to reschedule.I was really tempted to go somewhere else, but we love our stylist and she did try to make it right. Plus, I'm not one to play Russian Roulette with haircuts.
Good news of the day: Alyssa got the job she wanted at Rue 21, a jr. clothing store, that is opening up next to my brand new Target just a few miles from our house. She starts on April 25, helping them get the store set up and organized for the grand opening which she will be wonderful at. (Remember her closet!) Now if we can just keep her from buying half the store with her discount!
Flashback #2: A visit from the Texas Babes
The Texas Babes have been featured here before and oddly get lots of hits from the Google search engines. David and Anna, along with their parents thank goodness, came for a few days during Spring Break. We haven't seen their family in almost a year so we were very excited to have them visit. Everyone loved having the babies here except Zac, who I think secretly adored them especially when Anna kept chasing Belle all over the house.
Even though we were having a typical windy and cold Oklahoma day, we braved the Tulsa Gardens.
I discovered it's very difficult to keep a 2 year old from illegally picking the tulips, but isn't she adorable?
Even the big boys had fun swinging!
And proof that 13 yr. old boys are still kids at heart...Zac just had to climb this tree and got high enough that it made me a little nervous.
After the gardens, the 'big' girls went to Utica Square and drooled over the historic mansions around the area. Then the adults got to eat a very nice dinner out at Copeland's. Gotta love date nights! One of the benefits of having teenagers!
Even though we were having a typical windy and cold Oklahoma day, we braved the Tulsa Gardens.
I discovered it's very difficult to keep a 2 year old from illegally picking the tulips, but isn't she adorable?
Even the big boys had fun swinging!
And proof that 13 yr. old boys are still kids at heart...Zac just had to climb this tree and got high enough that it made me a little nervous.
After the gardens, the 'big' girls went to Utica Square and drooled over the historic mansions around the area. Then the adults got to eat a very nice dinner out at Copeland's. Gotta love date nights! One of the benefits of having teenagers!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Flashback #1: Go Celebration
Flashing back to the first weekend in March, we had our GO (Global Outreach) celebration. We invited lots of workers from all over the world to come educate our church family about where they live and what they do. Each worker and their family stayed with a host family and had a host Sunday school class that took care of feeding them and providing a gift of some sort. It was a great weekend and I was very glad to get to meet a lot of the people that Kevin travels to see all over the world. Since I'm the one who stays at home base all the time, it was cool that they got to come to my territory instead.
This is Alyssa and her friend Carolyn, dancing in our opening ceremony on Thursday night. It's really not a great picture since I wasn't using a flash or a tripod but I'm proud of her for using her talent for God's glory.
The ladies in my Sunday school class call this guy the church version of guitar hero. He does an awesome job playing for us every Sunday and really gets into it.
I think this picture captures my favorite memory of the whole weekend. When Kevin goes to Asia he works with this little boy's family. Nathan prays for them every single night. It was so fun to see them finally meet and get to play together. Amazingly, this little guy speaks his native language and English perfectly!
This is Alyssa and her friend Carolyn, dancing in our opening ceremony on Thursday night. It's really not a great picture since I wasn't using a flash or a tripod but I'm proud of her for using her talent for God's glory.
The ladies in my Sunday school class call this guy the church version of guitar hero. He does an awesome job playing for us every Sunday and really gets into it.
I think this picture captures my favorite memory of the whole weekend. When Kevin goes to Asia he works with this little boy's family. Nathan prays for them every single night. It was so fun to see them finally meet and get to play together. Amazingly, this little guy speaks his native language and English perfectly!
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Week in Review
*I'm almost at the end of week 2 with my broken toe. No more crutches but I can't walk long distances yet. I tried to get a temporary handicap parking sticker, but in OK you have to mail those in for it to be processed. I'm just guessing by the time it shows up, I'll already be well so I've parked illegally a few times out of necessity while hoping the limp and ugly boot on my left foot would get me out of a ticket.
*Our dishwasher has broken and thanks to the marvelous internet, I've decided that it would be a waste to have someone come look at it. The part that I'm fairly certain it needs is close to $200 and I can have a new one for $400. Only problem is I don't have an extra $400 at the moment. So the current debate is do I keep hand washing dishes until I have the cash or use a credit card. Neither option is appealing but for now I can't seem to force myself to pull out the plastic. (Dave Ramsey would be so proud!) Probably should go to Sam's and buy the gallon size of Dawn!
*March was a very busy month for us...hence the lack of posts! So my goal for the next few days is to do a series of Flashbacks so I can share all the happenings and pictures with you. You can just pretend you're one of the Losties and feel right at home!
*Our dishwasher has broken and thanks to the marvelous internet, I've decided that it would be a waste to have someone come look at it. The part that I'm fairly certain it needs is close to $200 and I can have a new one for $400. Only problem is I don't have an extra $400 at the moment. So the current debate is do I keep hand washing dishes until I have the cash or use a credit card. Neither option is appealing but for now I can't seem to force myself to pull out the plastic. (Dave Ramsey would be so proud!) Probably should go to Sam's and buy the gallon size of Dawn!
*March was a very busy month for us...hence the lack of posts! So my goal for the next few days is to do a series of Flashbacks so I can share all the happenings and pictures with you. You can just pretend you're one of the Losties and feel right at home!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
This little piggy
This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed home,
This little piggy ran into the ottoman and got broken....
Somehow I managed to break my middle left toe last night. Kevin took me to urgent care this morning. I knew there wasn't a whole lot they could do for a broken toe but I can't put any weight on it and I didn't have any crutches. So basically I went to the dr. just to get some crutches and the ugliest shoe ever to stabilize it. The real challenge was this was happening outside:
Katie took these pictures for me. I hope you can tell how hard the snow is coming down. It started about 8 this morning and hasn't stopped yet. I haven't heard the official totals yet, but I think we're around 5 to 7 inches. Kevin spent most of his afternoon trying to make a judgement call about church tomorrow. They finally decided on one service and no Sunday school. Personally, I'm going to stay in my chair with my foot propped up and watch it snow.
This little piggy stayed home,
This little piggy ran into the ottoman and got broken....
Somehow I managed to break my middle left toe last night. Kevin took me to urgent care this morning. I knew there wasn't a whole lot they could do for a broken toe but I can't put any weight on it and I didn't have any crutches. So basically I went to the dr. just to get some crutches and the ugliest shoe ever to stabilize it. The real challenge was this was happening outside:
Katie took these pictures for me. I hope you can tell how hard the snow is coming down. It started about 8 this morning and hasn't stopped yet. I haven't heard the official totals yet, but I think we're around 5 to 7 inches. Kevin spent most of his afternoon trying to make a judgement call about church tomorrow. They finally decided on one service and no Sunday school. Personally, I'm going to stay in my chair with my foot propped up and watch it snow.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Technophobes Anonymous
I wouldn't exactly say I'm a technophobe, but I would say I have no need for technology that is not practical or useful to me in a major way. I learn what I need to learn to do what I need to do and the rest of it I can do without. Mainly because technology, though designed to make our lives easier is usually a huge time vortex that I don't have time to get caught in. All of these facts make what I did today totally out of character.....
I bought a Blackberry.
I know....shocking! Especially after the whole panic attack over changing my phone number. But there was logic behind the decision:
1)Kevin was upgrading his phone for work purposes which meant our whole family plan had to change to a data package and if I'm paying for the service I might as well use it.
2)My phone has developed a mind of it's own and randomly turns on and off at will. Remember this is the ghetto phone that the Sprint guy laughed at when I pulled it out of my purse. I could have gotten a lower tech phone but it would have cost about the same.
3)Now that I have a keyboard, I might actually text my children which will make them happy. They would rather answer a text than a phone call for some reason.
Now I just have to get over my paranoia of losing it or dropping it or having lemonade spilled in my purse and destroying it. (This is a valid fear as it has happened before.) And to prove my time vortex point...I spent almost the entire day setting up this crazy phone and now feel compelled to check for new facebook updates on a constant basis.
I bought a Blackberry.
I know....shocking! Especially after the whole panic attack over changing my phone number. But there was logic behind the decision:
1)Kevin was upgrading his phone for work purposes which meant our whole family plan had to change to a data package and if I'm paying for the service I might as well use it.
2)My phone has developed a mind of it's own and randomly turns on and off at will. Remember this is the ghetto phone that the Sprint guy laughed at when I pulled it out of my purse. I could have gotten a lower tech phone but it would have cost about the same.
3)Now that I have a keyboard, I might actually text my children which will make them happy. They would rather answer a text than a phone call for some reason.
Now I just have to get over my paranoia of losing it or dropping it or having lemonade spilled in my purse and destroying it. (This is a valid fear as it has happened before.) And to prove my time vortex point...I spent almost the entire day setting up this crazy phone and now feel compelled to check for new facebook updates on a constant basis.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Dot com shopping
Nathan's birthday was last Friday. My baby is now 9. So the birthday cards have been pouring in all week. Nate now has $50 practically burning a whole in his pocket (or my purse where I made him keep it.) Nathan is not a saver. As soon as he gets money, he wants to immediately go to Target to spend it. I've convinced (demanded) that he wait until after his party to buy anything.
So this morning I feel Nathan climb up in my bed and I hear these words: "Mom! I want to buy Rayman TV party. I looked on target.com and it was 49.99. But then I looked on Amazon.com and it was $39.99 and it has free super saver shipping and if we order in the next 8 hours it can be here by March 30."
I just want to know when this kid of mine learned to comparison shop online. And no, I didn't order the video game in the next 8 hours. I really was going to make him wait until after his party tomorrow night, but we had to postpone it due to a 90% chance of rain/snow this weekend. (Did you read that?....SNOW!...In the last weekend of March!) So I'll probably cave in and order it tomorrow.
Friday, March 20, 2009
My hometown
We're in Arkansas in the town Kevin and I grew up in. It's one of those towns where directions to anywhere contains the phrase, 'You know where the old such and such used to be..' To which I reply, 'No I haven't lived here in 20 years.' For the most part, everything looks the same as it did in high school.
We are here for Kevin to officiate the wedding of a family friend. I'd met the bride once before when she was about 6. Coming home is always interesting. One of Kevin's ex's is the wedding coordinator. The rehearsal dinner was held in a home that used to belong to a family I babysat for. I practically lived at this house every weekend for 4 years and even had my own room. Now, going back 25 years later, I expected the interior to be completely different. It wasn't. Same wallpaper, same curtains, same appliances, even the furniture seemed to be arranged the same way. Something about small towns makes everything freeze in time.
We are here for Kevin to officiate the wedding of a family friend. I'd met the bride once before when she was about 6. Coming home is always interesting. One of Kevin's ex's is the wedding coordinator. The rehearsal dinner was held in a home that used to belong to a family I babysat for. I practically lived at this house every weekend for 4 years and even had my own room. Now, going back 25 years later, I expected the interior to be completely different. It wasn't. Same wallpaper, same curtains, same appliances, even the furniture seemed to be arranged the same way. Something about small towns makes everything freeze in time.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Too tired to Blog
We had a great weekend, but I still haven't recovered. So....I'm going to send you over to Natalie's blog today to hear about it from their perspective.
Just click here.
I promise I'll post a full report in the next couple of days....after I take a Benadryl and sleep a lot!
Just click here.
I promise I'll post a full report in the next couple of days....after I take a Benadryl and sleep a lot!
Friday, March 6, 2009
My track champ
Warning: Mom Brag Ahead!
Zac's first track meet is Tuesday. He was chosen to run the 4x100 relay, 100m sprint, and short and long distance hurdles. He was also timed 2nd fastest 8th grader out of everyone from the 5 middle schools in our district. Go Zac!
Zac's first track meet is Tuesday. He was chosen to run the 4x100 relay, 100m sprint, and short and long distance hurdles. He was also timed 2nd fastest 8th grader out of everyone from the 5 middle schools in our district. Go Zac!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
That's so my child!
Wednesday, Nathan was helping me get the house ready for our guests for the Go celebration. He decided to make himself a list of things to do. Soooo like me! I make lists for everything. Confession: sometimes even if I'm already done with a chore, I'll write it on the list anyway...just for the thrill of checking it off! My favorite part of Nathan's list is that he added boxes for the check marks!
Brian and Natalie made it here safely Wed. evening. We had a great night, reminiscing and laughing. Brian tried to teach me how to drink coffee...I still don't like it. We had to make ourselves go to bed at 11:30 since we had a full day today.
Brian and Natalie made it here safely Wed. evening. We had a great night, reminiscing and laughing. Brian tried to teach me how to drink coffee...I still don't like it. We had to make ourselves go to bed at 11:30 since we had a full day today.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Get ready for GO
GO stands for Global Outreach. Every year we hold a conference to encourage the ministries we support and to educate our church about ways they can get involved. Last year focused solely on local and state ministries. This year is our international celebration. We have 40 workers, some with their families, coming to spend Thurs. through Sunday with us.
I'm really excited about this years' conference for several selfish reasons. 1)Brian and Natalie get to attend and stay in our home for 5 days. We haven't seen them in 3 years so we're really looking forward to spending some time with them. 2)Our India contact will be here along with his family. His wife and 2 kids have never been to America before and I haven't gotten to meet them yet. I love being around B and hearing his passion for his people to come to know Christ. 3) Alyssa will be going to Venezuela for 10 days in June. The pastor of the church we support/work with there will be here. It will be awesome to get to meet him on my own turf since I won't be going on the trip.
So....please pray this week for all the volunteers who make this possible, that everything will fall into place. This includes Alyssa, as she is choreographing and dancing at the kick-off on Thursday night and all 3 worship services on Sunday morning. Pray for all of our worker families to have safe travel and to be encouraged and refreshed after their weekend with us.
I'm really excited about this years' conference for several selfish reasons. 1)Brian and Natalie get to attend and stay in our home for 5 days. We haven't seen them in 3 years so we're really looking forward to spending some time with them. 2)Our India contact will be here along with his family. His wife and 2 kids have never been to America before and I haven't gotten to meet them yet. I love being around B and hearing his passion for his people to come to know Christ. 3) Alyssa will be going to Venezuela for 10 days in June. The pastor of the church we support/work with there will be here. It will be awesome to get to meet him on my own turf since I won't be going on the trip.
So....please pray this week for all the volunteers who make this possible, that everything will fall into place. This includes Alyssa, as she is choreographing and dancing at the kick-off on Thursday night and all 3 worship services on Sunday morning. Pray for all of our worker families to have safe travel and to be encouraged and refreshed after their weekend with us.
Friday, February 27, 2009
California or bust
Plans are coming together for our 2009 vacation. Once again we've been blessed with free airfare, via Uncle Weve's numerous trips between Baton Rouge and Buffalo. At the end of May we'll be jetting off to Orange County, CA. We'll be checking out the California version of Mickey Mouse and friends for several days. We'll be doing some other things not associated with Disneyland, yet to be decided. If you have any ideas for 'not to be missed' fun for us, please leave it in the comments.
I'm glad I have this trip to look forward to because the Oklahoma weather is about to drive me crazy! Yesterday was gorgeous, high of 70 and low of 60...perfect weather in my book. This morning I awoke to my laptop informing me it was 26 outside. It hasn't gotten above 40 and the wind is freezing! This winter has seemed to last forever! Darn groundhog and his stinkin' shadow!
I'm glad I have this trip to look forward to because the Oklahoma weather is about to drive me crazy! Yesterday was gorgeous, high of 70 and low of 60...perfect weather in my book. This morning I awoke to my laptop informing me it was 26 outside. It hasn't gotten above 40 and the wind is freezing! This winter has seemed to last forever! Darn groundhog and his stinkin' shadow!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
A strawberry cake mystery
I made a strawberry cake before I left for work on Tuesday morning. When I came home for lunch, it looked like this:
Alyssa and Nathan were the only ones home and neither of them had touched the cake. Which only leaves Belle as a suspect. But, you would think if the dog helped herself to cake on the counter that she would have eaten the whole thing or at least left a crumb or two on the floor but there was not a trace of one anywhere. Just Belle laying on the floor, looking guilty and hicupping.
The funniest part of this mystery though is that no one seemed to remember to inform Kevin and Zac of the mysteriously disappearing cake and they both had a piece!
Alyssa and Nathan were the only ones home and neither of them had touched the cake. Which only leaves Belle as a suspect. But, you would think if the dog helped herself to cake on the counter that she would have eaten the whole thing or at least left a crumb or two on the floor but there was not a trace of one anywhere. Just Belle laying on the floor, looking guilty and hicupping.
The funniest part of this mystery though is that no one seemed to remember to inform Kevin and Zac of the mysteriously disappearing cake and they both had a piece!
My budding cartoonist
I never know what's going to be on the white board when I go upstairs in the morning for the start of school. There was the whole Tail incident. Then last week, I found this:
...courtesy of Zac.
Just in case you can't read it: The muffin on the left says 'Weew, it's hot in here.' The muffin on the right says 'Ahhh! A talking muffin!'
...courtesy of Zac.
Just in case you can't read it: The muffin on the left says 'Weew, it's hot in here.' The muffin on the right says 'Ahhh! A talking muffin!'
Grow, Nathan, Grow!
Most of you know we've been praying for Nathan to grow. For several years this has been a concern. He didn't grow at all between 2 1/2 and 5 or between 6 1/2 and 8. So we were really hoping for some progress at his 6 month check last week. My prayer was that he would grow enough that we wouldn't be forced to make a decision on whether or not to give him growth hormones. When you give kids HGH, it's not a one time shot, but a 2 to 4 year commitment of usually 2 shots a day. Not something we wanted him to have to go through.
A big Praise: Nate grew 2.5cm and gained 2 pounds. Not huge numbers but when you've been looking at no progress for a while, this was huge for him. And it was enough, that the endocrinologist didn't even want to discuss HGH shots! Woo hoo! Don't stop praying for him though. He'll have another check in 6 months and we want to see some big numbers on that scale!
p.s. I've taken the 'Pray for Harper' button off the sidebar since she's home and doing well. If you want to keep up with her progress, I addded her mommy's blog 'Kelly's Korner' in the links under 'Blogs I read'.
A big Praise: Nate grew 2.5cm and gained 2 pounds. Not huge numbers but when you've been looking at no progress for a while, this was huge for him. And it was enough, that the endocrinologist didn't even want to discuss HGH shots! Woo hoo! Don't stop praying for him though. He'll have another check in 6 months and we want to see some big numbers on that scale!
p.s. I've taken the 'Pray for Harper' button off the sidebar since she's home and doing well. If you want to keep up with her progress, I addded her mommy's blog 'Kelly's Korner' in the links under 'Blogs I read'.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Got Endust?
Honestly, I do dust my house at least once a week. "I" meaning either I or one of the kids does it but somehow the hood on our fireplace got missed a few times. Katie decided to leave her mark in the dust. I promise you it's clean now. So here's your challenge for today: go dust all the weird stuff you usually don't, like picture frames, ceiling fans, fireplaces, etc....
You'll have an amazing sense of accomplishment when you're done and maybe a case of the sneezes.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Upward Basketball
Nathan's playing his second season of Upward at our church. He's on the 3rd/4th grade team this year. Translation: As a short 3rd grader, he's pretty much the shortest kid in the league but he makes up for it in his agression on the court. He hears the whistle blown at him for fouling quite often. He scored 3 goals at last week's game!
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