Life's Greatest Adventures

Conversation with Jacob

2012-02-09T12:59:00.003-06:00

I found this little questionare for kids thing through Pinterest. (Oh my, so many ideas there! Proudly, I've used about 5 that I've pinned!)

Here are the questions and Jacob's answers. I love the peek into his busy little mind!
What's your name? Jacob
How old are you? 4
What is your favorite color? blue and green
What do want to be when you're all grown up? an Indian, no, umm..... a Cowboy (said with complete Texas twang)
Who is your best friend? Beth. No, Jaxson and Jonas. And Jesus.
What is your favorite movie? Mulan
What is your favorite book? Daniel and the Lion's Den (what we read last night)
What makes you happy? When a friend plays nice with me
What makes you sad? When nobody plays with me
What is your most favorite food to eat? Lots of things (which means a sectioned plate with something in every section- stick cheese, lunchmeat ham, cheese nips or goldfish, yogurt or peaches or grapes and a dessert- candy or thin mints or brownie)
What is your favorite song to sing? (and dance/act out) I'll Make A Man Out of You (from Mulan)
What games do you like to play? Guess Who and Sorry

The Truth in the Tinsel

2012-01-12T14:09:00.006-06:00

Early in the Christmas season, I asked Beth what she tought of when she thought about Christmas. She said family and presents. While those things are certainly a part of Christmas, I realized our focus and balance was off. Talking to Kevin, we realized we wanted to refocus our family on the true meaning of Christmas. Jesus wasn't left out of our celebrating, mind you, we just wanted there to be more of Him.

I did some searching and searching online. I saw many things that looked amazing, that really told the story. Since my kids are 4 and 7, I knew we needed something simple and quick. The Truth in the Tinsel fit the bill! It was an e-book download. I printed the pages I needed. I already had most of the supplies in the craft closet, but did go buy a few things(and tweeked a few projects to fit what supplies I had). Reading the Bible passage, the discussion and the craft took about 15-20 minutes. That was great for the short attention span of a 4 year old but still deep enough for the 7 year old to not be bored.

With time being what it was and that it was already into December, I knew we wouldn't have time for all 25 crafts. Some days, we combined the stories and talked about them, making only one craft. Sometimes, we made two crafts. Some, we just skipped altogether. The kiddos really looked forward to this family Bible and craft time!

We all learned so much about the story of Jesus. It was a really special time for our family. I had wound garland with lights and ribbon on the stair rail, but I thought it was still missing something. Every craft we complete was hung on the garland, reminding us every day to celebrate Jesus.

We are already looking forward to next year, making sure we plan the time to complete every single day and honoring our Savior in the Christmas season!

Battle of the Ages- Wordless Wed.

2012-01-11T07:38:00.000-06:00

More elf adventures

2012-01-06T16:04:00.005-06:00

Our Elf on the Shelf, Tinsel, had a few more adventures before he headed back to the North Pole. I'm glad Tinsel didn't get into as much mischief as many elves we saw pictures of. The kids were pretty tickled with what they found a few mornings.

Did you see him in the stocking?

We even had an elf impersoninator.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T20:29:00.003-06:00

Enjoying traditional Mexican food dinner on Christmas Eve Day. Mmm, chips and salsa, enchildas, mmmm!

A Visit to Santa

2011-12-20T20:46:00.003-06:00

Right after school one day, we got Beth home and changed then off to see Santa at the mall. The letters had been written, with their biggest wishes.

All the way there, Jacob talked about what he would tell Santa. But, as we got there, he chickened out. There was nobody else in line, so Beth got some great chat time with Santa.

I tried to get Jacob to at least hand his letter to Santa, but he wouldn't have it. Since there was nobody waiting, Santa walked with the kids over to the special letter delivery system. They put the letter in a slot and pushed a button. Then, there were lights and sparkles as the letter poofed into his big bag.

Even if Jacob wouldn't chat with Santa, I'm glad they had the extra time with him. Beth made sure Santa knew her wishes and that she'd been a good girl. Maybe next year Jacob will be ready.

5 more days to see if their wishes come true!

Who is this one for?- Wordless

2011-12-14T15:43:00.001-06:00

Elf Shennanigans

2011-12-10T22:14:00.005-06:00

Tinsel, our elf on the shelf, joined us in 2009. He's been pretty good about keeping a close watch on the kids. The first year, we thought he was a goner when Kevin accidentally shot Tinsel with the marshmallow gun. Thankfully, he still had his magic and made it to the North Pole that night, returning to us the next year. This year, however, Tinsel has been getting into a little trouble.

Looking around and hearing stories about other elves, it seems that they must be talking when they go back to the North Pole. There seems to be more mischief from the elves than the children!

These little things, moments of Christmas magic and joy, make Christmas so much fun!

Meet Joy

2011-12-09T20:33:00.003-06:00

Wednesday night for AWANA, Beth had to dress a piece of fruit for "Fruit of the Spirit Night". We remembered about 30 mintues before we had to leave for church. I think we did pretty good for finding things in the craft supplies at the last minute. Turns out, Beth won 2nd place!!!! Certainly brought lots of joy home that night!

"But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23

By having Jesus in our hearts, these are the qualities Christians aim to exhibit. Some days some are easier than others. When we fail in these fruits, God still loves us. I am glad to serve a merciful Savior!

The joy of the season

2011-12-06T12:43:00.003-06:00

So I'm really stinking at this blog thing. I would say that thanks to Facebook, my family is all caught up on the daily cuteness of the kiddos, but I haven't updated pictures there either in a while.

Well, for now, enjoy this little peek of our Christmas season joy.

My folks came up Thanksgiving weekend, arriving after my 10 hour shopping adventure with friends + a 3 hour nap. We enjoyed more shopping, playing games, decorating the trees and relaxing by the fire.

I'm looking forward to more enjoying the moments of the season soon

American Wish List

2011-11-10T09:09:00.000-06:00

I decided that instead of just thinking things in my head, I would "write" down a list of places in America that I'd one day like to visit. I'm a bit of a nerd, so many of these places are educational. This list is in no particular order, and I reserve the right to edit it many times over.

1. Grand Canyon
2. Alcatraz
3. Washington DC- all the presidential monuments and such, including the White House
4. Smithsonian museums
5. Ellis Island
6. Statue of Liberty
7. various Civil War historical places- homes, battlefields, museums
8. Hawaii- Pearl Harbor, great beaches, volcanoes
9. Mount Rushmore
10. Williamsburg
11. weird and strange mueums
12. supposedly haunted places
13. Niagra Falls
14. Wyoming or Montana- the great expanse of land
15. homes of historical or otherwise famous and notorious people

For now, that's all I can think of. I know I've mentioned several places, if just to myself, over time.
Any suggestions for must-sees?

Interesting statistics

2011-10-15T09:07:00.006-05:00

Being the math nerd that I am, I enjoy reading statistics. This month, Parents magazine had an interesting article about the changing households in America. It was interesting and thought provoking enough to me that I thought I'd share.

Just in case you need clarification on what these really mean (I did):
Millennials are basically the kids (now adults) born in the 1980s and 90s.
GenXers are those born in the 1960s and 70s.

~Millennials (53%) and GenXers (57%) are less likely than older generations (75% of those over 65) to say a child needs a home with both parents.

~44% of Millenials says marriage is obsolete, 37% of those over age 30 think the same

~21% of households are married couples with children compared to 43% in 1950.

~23% of homes with a stay-at-home mom (for married couples with children under 15)

~10% of children under age 18 live in a home with a grandparent. Of those, 22% don't have a parent in that same household.

~More than half of moms say their kids have a better lifestlye than they themselves did growing up

What does all this say about our society? What does this mean for the future of our families? Is giving our kids a "better" lifestyle than we had growing up worth the destruction of the basic family structure? What values and ethics are being taught? Is a committment valuable anymore?

I know what I think. Tell me what you think about it.

The longest birthday celebration ever

2011-10-10T10:22:00.000-05:00

I have never seem someone so little extend their birthday celebrating out so long!

Birthday day- celebrating Disney World style! He wore a button that let everyone know it was his birthday. Just about everyone (employees and other guests) told him "happy birthday". He wasn't sure at first, then kindly said "thank you". Both lunch and dinner, the waiters noticed the birthday pin and brought Jacob a dessert complete with a candle and a song. Pretty special! Just so the rest of us didn't feel left out, we were often told "happy un-birthday" in true Disney style.

When we got home- opening presents from Mommy and Daddy and Beth (and a few that arrived in the mail while we were gone). As you can see, he was quite wowed by the Green Lantern game he got from Beth. His new Geotrax Batcave was a hit, too. We sure enjoyed just hanging out at home and playing with the new toys.

The next weekend- birthday party with friends then presents and fun at home with Grandma and Grandpa. We had his party at Peter Piper Pizza on a weeknight. That was absolutely the way to go! We nearly had the place to ourselves. It was just perfect! They had a great time playing together, ate plenty of pizza and cake, and played games to their hearts content.

Back at the house with Grandma and Grandpa, Jacob got to open more presents. An awesome Batcave got the response "It's just what I wanted!". Jacob is totally into superheros this year and now has lots of fun stuff to play with! It was fun to have Grandma and Grandpa stay to watch the Cowboy game and spend the night, too.
the NEXT weekend- Popi and Yaya came for a visit. We had so much fun just hanging out with each other. Jacob opened the last of his presnets- a trove of scurvy pirate goods!

So, now, two weeks after he turned 4, we have finished celebrating! Whew! We are so blessed to have friends and family with which to celebrate such a precious part of our life.

To my sweet 4 year old

2011-10-06T13:00:00.001-05:00

Jacob,

Poof! Time passed so quickly, and now you are 4 years old. According to your pediatrician's office, you are 40.5 inches tall and 34 pounds, both measurements just about average. But, anybody who knows you knows you are far from average!

You are very much an average, normal boy. Oh my, are you without a doubt a little boy! From the minute you wake up, you are full speed ahead. I don't think you know how to walk- you run, skip, jump, slide, etc everywhere you go. Unfortunately, you have your momma's lack of grace. You fall, run into things (because you don't pay attention) and have bruises all over your legs, but they don't seem to phase you. I get tickled because most of the time, you don't even notice when you hit something. Your hearing test at your check up showed that you have great hearing, but it seems to be "boy hearing". Too often you are so engrossed in what you are doing that you don't hear what we tell you. About the time that I say "nevermind", you acknowledge what I said. Silly boy!

You have such a big personality! You make me smile every single day with your sense of humor! We are quite convinced that you will be a salesman one day with your charming smile and twinkling eyes. You're so much like your daddy in this!

I love watching your wonder and you observe and learn new things. You get so excited when it's time for a "lesson". I am just amazed that you are in the early stages of learning to read. You know your letters and their sounds. You try so hard to sound out words, but so often those words don't fit the "rules" you know for sounds. You'll get it soon, I'm sure! The moments you slow down long enough to watch something, you are so observant to details- the colors, sizes, shapes of things. What amazes me more than anything is your joy in learning Bible verses. You are so proud of yourself, and rightly so, when you memorize a verse. Recently, you memorized John 3:16. What a big verse for a little boy! I hope you will always hide God's Word in your heart, and one day truly understand those verses and put them into practice.Of course, you have moments of attitude and temper. You are stubborn and bullheaded (I'll say like your daddy, but I know some is from me too). You don't like being told "no". You're trying so hard to be independent and determine what's best for you. I know it's hard to not get your way, but I promise I'm just trying to teach you and keep you safe. Despite those moments, you truly do have a tender, sweet heart. You love to snuggle, you worry when someone is hurt or upset. Every kid you meet is your friend. The moments that you say "I love you" or share a hug or kiss, all without prompting, are the best.Oh, my sweet boy, I cannot believe you are already 4. You have given us so many adventures, and I know we have so many more ahead. I look forward to them all!

Love, Mommy

Sorry (and a little treat)

2011-09-27T22:25:00.005-05:00

I know, it's been SOOOOOO long since I blogged. Life took over, and we've been super busy. I assure you that the blog posts coming soon will be fun!

Until then, enjoy a few I found on Beth's camera- silly brother, silly Beth and silly friend

2nd grade

2011-08-19T22:05:00.004-05:00

Well, my big girl is a 2nd grader. Today completed her first week, and she loved every minute.

We ordered uniforms and picked up some at a local store (limited choices). I bought size 8/10. She's so tall- the long legs she got from me! She's starting the school year at 52 inches tall and 64 pounds. We got some new shoes- size 1 and 1.5 (thanks for the sparkly ones, Popi and Yaya). We got all the supplies on the list (Jamie, shop the sales and use coupons!). We got Beth's hair cut. Mrs. Ashley cut 5 inches off and thinned it out some. I think that's only helped Beth's wave and fullness come out more.

About a week before school started, we found out she would have Mrs. Archer as her teacher. Previously, Mrs. Archer has taught PreK4, so this was a big change, but we were pretty excited. All but one student from last year has returned. Beth is still in a combined class of 1st and 2nd grades, a total of 13 kids. We went to Meet the teacher night last week, and Beth was just giddy with excitement to be heading back to school. I love that joy in her!!!

So, day 1 of second grade. She woke up early, tried a couple things for breakfast, I packed her lunch, we rolled her hair, and she put on her new uniforms. She really wanted to wear her pants the first day, but it's still over 100 degrees, so I knew she'd be too hot. I think she looked adorable! Jacob also got new shoes, so he wanted in the picture too.

We all took her to school together. She was so happy to sit in her desk for a picture. She's right up front for now. Then, she was into the chapel for morning assembly as we left. She was so excited that she didn't so much as look back.

Jacob was so ready for me to go pick up Beth when school was out. He'd sure missed his sister! She was a tired girl, but had a great day. They had 3 recesses and learned about the rules and stuff. To celebrate the first day of school, Beth chose dinner at Peter Piper Pizza. We all had fun playing games and spening time together.

Already this week, her class had visited the library, started review seatwork, and had lots of recess (inside and out). Next week, she's already looking forward to "Mexican Monday" in the cafeteria.

Time is sure flying by fast! It won't be long before Jacob will be starting school. In the meantime, I'll keep teaching him things at home. While he gets bored and distracted easily, he does love to do "lessons". I hope that joy of learning stays with him.

The reason you have kids

2011-07-30T14:36:00.002-05:00

is so they can do the chores. Or, at least that's what I teased my mom about when I was growing up and doing chores.

I decided I had to suck up my type A personality and let the kids start some real chores around the house. Best thing is, they love it (for now)!

Jacob has been setting the table for a while, but now he gets to put away clean silverware. Cleaning up toys and his room are also on his regular chore list. He likes to help me clean the floor, but I don't count on that being a complete job. Now, if I ask Beth to do something, he asks if I have a chore for him.

Beth, being older, has more that she's expected to help with. Most recently, I've handed over the unloading of most of the dishwasher. I will also let her load the dishwasher. Her other chores beyond cleaning up her room and toys- getting drinks ready for meals, clearing the table, recycling the cans/bottles. Occasionally, she'll help clean the floor and dust.

They will sometimes help with laundry as well, if they're around when I am working on it. I know it's important to teach them how to take care of a home and themelves so they can one day be responsible adults. I count my blessings that they enjoy helping Mommy!

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life" ~Picasso

2011-07-14T14:39:00.005-05:00

One of my plans for the summer was to take the kids to a couple of the phenomenal art museums in Fort Worth. I wanted to encourage Beth's love of art and take Jacob along for the exposure. My cousin, Tessa, lives close to Dallas, and we don't take enough chances to get together. Well, wouldn't you know it, they're moving to Houston at the end of the month. We planned to get together before they left, so I invited her to the Kimball Art Museum with us. Oh, Tessa just happens to be an elementary art teacher, too.

Tessa talked about the art with the kids, asking them if a statue was a boy or girl, what colors they saw, the tools they used, etc. It was great for Beth, who wanted to read every description for Tessa.

The front desk had some great things for the kids to make the museum more interesting. Jacob had a ring of laminated photos of various art in the museum. His job was to look for them. He was so proud to find them. I tried to use the back of the card to ask him some of the questions about the art, but he wouldn't go for that. Beth got a hand-held device. Some art descriptions had a family picture and code number for her to punch into the device to hear some fun facts about the art. What seemed most interesting to her was when an artist would paint a family in clothes and surrounding that weren't their reality because the family wanted to appear wealthy.

When we got home, the kiddos were busy wanting to do artwork. Jacob drew a picture of our family and proudly showed it off,

Beth first drew a self-portrait, wearing clothes different that her own. Then, she made this colorful artwork (on the left) and signed the back. She said it was ancient, and one day, when she was dead, somebody might come to our house and see her picture and know that it was famous. Too funny!

My how they've grown

2011-06-30T22:49:00.003-05:00

WAY back when, we lived in another city, just the two of us. When we were expecting Beth, we attended good ol' Lamaze classes. In that class were lots of other first time mommies. After the babies were born, a bunch of us started a playgroup. Even when the kids couldn't really play with each other, we moms sure needed it. The comraderie, being able to talk openly about the struggles of this first time mom thing, developing friendships. It was fantastic! Eventually, the kids started playing by each other and then together. Our first gathering was when the babies were 4-6 weeks old. We got together about every other week for a couple years, including Daddies for special events.

June 2005- They were around 1 year old

Over the years, as the kids have grown and headed off to school, as some moms went back to working, as some moved away, as families added 2nd (and even 3rd) babies, we have stayed in touch. We have encouraged each other through job losses, big moves, job changes, loss of parents and miscariages. Recently, an extended stay with my folks provided an opportunity to get together with our old playgroup. The kids jumped right into playing together while we moms sat and reminsced about the early days and the treasure of our friendships.

Beth may not remember them, and Jacob certainly doesn't have a connection, but they will always be precious treasures in our life.

Surprise!

2011-06-30T19:43:00.005-05:00

Our kiddos have been growing by leaps and bounds. Did you notice the pictures of them riding bikes- nearly eating their knees. Well, we were planning on bikes for Christmas, but then we decided to surprise the kids early. They had absolutely no idea. It was priceless! Kevin got home from a work trip, ran to pick up Beth's bike. I had picked up Jacob's about a week earlier. Kevin got them ready and set in the garage, then we had the kids go out to see "something strange". Beth was first out of the door, and she was speechless. Let me tell you, that's really saying something. Then Jacob saw his and couldn't get his shoes on fast enough. He was beside himself that it was just what he wanted. He'd tried one out at the store just a couple days before.

We tried them out in the garage, adjusting seats and handles a little. We taught Beth how to use the kickstand and Jacob how to "ding" his bell. Jacob learned that pedaling backwards is a brake. Beth had to learn how to get on the bike safely. She was so tall for her other one that she easily swung her leg over- this one, not so much. After all that, we headed over to the park where the parking lot is flat and big enough to practice.

It was a tough start, getting used to the size and weight of the new bikes, but it didn't take long. Jacob wanted to make sure I took a picture of his bike seat. He's super proud of his Lightning McQueen "Kachow Kick-a-pow" bike. Beth is pretty proud of her not-pink (it's purple), bigger bike. I'm proud of her for riding a two-wheeler.

After we were back home, cooling off, Jacob said he couldn't believe it that they got new bikes. Beth was still grinning, then asking for dinner. They were both very thankful and appreciative. I'm thankful we were able to surprise them.

What a day!

2011-06-03T18:12:00.003-05:00

Today, Kevin and I are celebrating 11 years of married adventures.

Today was the last day of swimming lessons. We have swimmers! Big progress in the two weeks! They can both swim unassisted!

This morning, while I went to exercise, Kevin took the kids to practice bikes at the park. After a little lesson and encouragement, Beth is riding two wheels with confidence! She's grown a lot and will need a new bike soon, but it worked great for today! Jacob, of course, is Jacob. I got to see all the fun for myself this afternoon (when it was 99* outside!)

Kevin is currently grilling steak and potatoes. We're looking forward to a great evening as a family, celebrating our life!

Just keep swimming

2011-06-02T21:05:00.003-05:00

The last two weeks, we've had the kids in swim lessons. They're having a blast and are worn out come bedtime. It's been great! We signed up for group lessons and ended up with private lessons. Pretty cool for the kiddos!

Beth is learning swim strokes and leg moves. She's so much braver than she was last summer. I guess it's because she's 7. She does really well with the back stroke. While she's doing better, she still need some self-confidence that she knows what to do. Her instructor had us get goggles, thinking it would help with the under water stuff, so Beth wouldn't be so worried about where she was going. It helped a little today.

Jacob is such a nut! From the minute he gets in the water, he's grinning. He wouldn't swallow so much water if he'd close his mouth! He doesn't like to go under water, but he's learning to handle it. The teacher makes him go under water a few times before he gets the noodle he's anxiously wanting to play with. He can swim a little on his own, doggie paddle style, but he "whines" the whole time. He's learning some moves with his legs. His favorite arm move is "chicken-airplane-rocket".

Hopefully we'll get lots more water time this summer, building their confidence and practicing skills.

Real camping

2011-05-30T07:14:00.000-05:00

Since we'd had our trial run at home, we opted for our first real camping trip with the kids to be one night, close to home- you know, JUST in case. We made the reservations a while back, and boy, it came fast. I made lists of things to make sure to pack, groceries to pick up, camping extras to make sure came along too. It took me a few hours to get all the stuff together and make sure nothing important was left behind. Man, getting ready is a lot of work!

Jacob woke up ready to go that morning. The minute he saw me, he told me he was ready to get dressed to go. I had some chores and errands, Kevin had a few work things, but we were finally out the door. Thank goodness we didn't have far to go- you would have thought the drive was sheer torture for the kids. Little did they know the work required once we got there....

The kiddos were good helpers, for a few minutes anyway. We got the tent set up, the chairs out, and exlored a little around our site. They were looking so forward to all the adventures we would have! Up first- swimming in the lake. Thanks to the heat and bit of humidty, we were all kinds of sweaty after setting up camp. Swimming would be a great way to cool off and get our adventure started.

The water was nice and cool. But, the bottom was mostly rocks and not fun to stand on. Closer to the shore, it was "ooey gooey"(J said), so they were happy to play at the edge while Kevin and I watched from the rocky-sandy beach. The kids quickly made friends with some other kids cooling off in the lake. They all played with the sand and water together until it was dinner time.

Back at camp, we enjoyed simple moments of camping- tossing the football, reading, listening to ipod, playing games, drawing and coloring, blowing bubbles... I made simple hot dogs (no chili or cheese) on the propane stove. You know, there's something about hot dogs when you're camping, they just taste better.

We often refer to Jacob as being like the dog on the Pixar movie "Up". He is easily distracted from something he's doing or even saying, like when the dog says "squirrel" in the movie. Lo and behold, Jacob got distracted by a real squirrel and proceeded to chase that poor squirrel around and around the tree. It was too funny! Eventually we discovered that it was a brave squrirrel, and Jacob was able to feed it some bread.

After dinner, to help the waiting for dark (for the fire and s'mores), we headed to the park. With the sun going down, we were hoping the slides wouldn't burn their legs. We knew Beth was competitive, but we could really see it coming out in Jacob too. If he was climbing up a ladder/rock wall by himself, he paid attention and was careful, but if Beth were there at the same time, he would rush up to beat her. A few gasping moments for me, but he figured it out after he fell from one of the rocking horse kind of toys. Silly boy!

Finally, it was time for a fire. Man, those old fence boards Kevin took down at home really came in handy! I got all the s'more stuff ready. What's a camping trip without s'mores?! Jacob didn't bother with cooking his- he just ate the ingredients. Kevin just like his marshmellows roasted- as in caught on fire and blown out quickly. Beth like her marshmellows just a little squishy, but she did want the full-blown s'more. I like my marshmellows just to the point of showing any roasting on the "skin", warm enough to melt the chocolate on the s'more. Yummy!

What a long and adventurous day! The kids were actually asking to go to bed. So, one last trip to the bathroom, brush teeth and into bed. It was hot still, at 10pm. I had only made the beds with sheets. At some point I woke up freezing cold, wishing I'd put the blankets on the beds too. But, I didn't dare move in case I woke up the kids. They were out cold. A bird was chirping at 6am, the sun was coming up, but I managed to get back to sleep. About 7, I woke up again, snapped a sweet pic of the kids, still sound asleep.

After breakfast of yummy bacon and eggs, we got ready for fishing. The kids brought their Disney poles, Kevin brought his tackle box and a tub of worms. Exciting stuff!

Campout

2011-05-28T10:12:00.000-05:00

Oops! This has been sitting in the to-be-posted list for a while. Sorry.

We thought it was finally time to consider a camping trip for the kids. We were going to start with a backyard campout to see how it went. Well, Texas spring weather being what it is, it was going to be a bit chilly for sleeping outdoors (at least for us). No big deal- we'll "camp" inside. I made a huge tent in the living room, and we set up our air mattresses. We were ready!

We played games together, read stories and tried to settle in for the night. Only, Jacob couldn't settle down. We tried girls on one mattress, boys on the other, but then we discovered one mattress had a whole in it. So, Jacob and Kevin slept upstairs, and Beth and I slept on the inflated air mattress. Not a bad experience but really glad to be at home for this one!

Of course, the next morning, the kids wanted to play in the tent as much as they could. I love the simple moments, like Beth giving Jacob lessons on how to snap his fingers. I think we may be ready to try this camping this for real.

Life is good and full of great adventures, every day!

Wanna play Memory- Jacob style?w

2011-05-25T10:48:00.000-05:00

Beth's year in review

2011-05-20T23:41:00.005-05:00

During first grade, Beth grew 2.5 inches (from 48.5 to 51) and gained 9 pounds (from 54 to 63). Wow! It must be all that ranch dressing and bread and butter!

Beth and her teacher Mrs. Robles on the last day

The thing I like best about school...

math time

Who are your best friends? What do you like about them most?

Emma, Tatum and Faith

They like to play with me every time we had recess

Why do you like your teacher?
'Cuz what she does for us.

Like what?

She gives us recess, she helps us when we need help

After school, I like to...
play outside at home

My favorite book is...
from school- Kind and Brave

not school- Boxcar Children

My favorite tv show and movie is...
tv show- Jake and the Neverland Pirates

movie- Space Chimps

My favorite cartoon character is...
Big Baby (on Toy Story 3)

Some of my favorite songs are...
Lord's Army

Amazing Grace. We worked on that at school. I can sing the whole thing.

Glorious Day

What makes me laugh is...
at school- When Asher does funny thing and makes us laugh.

not at school- Daddy

My favorite hobby is...
reading, watch tv, drawing

I amaze everyone when I...

show them my writing (cursive)
Oh, and I also amaze everyone when I show them I can balance on one foot for 100 seconds.

On weekends, I like to...

go to church and play in the (little) pool

What was your favorite thing that our family did together this year?

going to Disney World

What are you looking forward to about second grade?

helping grade papers, writing on notebook paper

Disney on my mind

2011-05-18T10:15:00.001-05:00

So, I've been working hard to scrapbook our last trip to Disney. I'm still totally in love with digital scrapbooking. I'm learning so much and stepping way beyond my typical comfort zone with decorating pages. It's so much fun! Here are a few of my recent faves.

This has been getting me anxious for another Disney trip. Then, almost nightly, Kevin and I watch some Dinsey Park documentaries on Netflix instant. I'm itchin to go! So, tonight, while I was blog reading, a blog friend (whose hubby I went to elementary school with), is planning their first trip to Disney and asked for tips. I knew my response would take up too much of the comment box. If nothing else, it will help me plan some things before our next trip (that I honestly wish we were going on next week)

I'm sure I'll think of a thousand things, but this is a good start:

Rubber bracelets for the kids (I put them on their ankles) with my cel number written inside, just in case.

It will probably rain. I've been 3 times, and it rained at least one day every trip. We got a toddler poncho at Target for Jacob since the Disney ponchos are big (and pricey).

Don't try to do it all. It's impossible.

If your child has a fear of auto-flush potties, post it notes are fabulous to cover up the sensor!

at Epcot- We really like to get the Passports from the gift shop for the kids. At each country, we stop to add the stickers to the passport for that country and have it signed at the Kidcot Spot. We also find something from that country to have a picture with (last time was hats, next time Beth wants to do flags). I'd love to have them learn a word (the same word all day) in each native language. I love that Disney hires people from the actual country to work at the Epcot version.

also at Epcot- the Kim Possible adventures are another fun way to keep entertained while learning at the same time. Disney totally rocks this thing! We plan to do more than one next trip!

Epcot is easily becoming my favorite park because of all the interactive things available. The KidCot stations in the countries and in the Land area are pretty cool. The Innoventions areas have some fun things to do- make paper, fire safety, storm safety, etc.

at Animal Kingdom, talk to the cast members (employees) around the animal exhibits. They're a great wealth of information about the animals!

A lot of questions about "how'd they do that?" or fear about the ride/character/show could be calmed and explained away by saying "It's just part of Disney magic"

Having a small present (wrapped in Dinsey paper, of course) to open everyday added to the magic. I picked up things in the $1 section at Target or $Tree for a while- things like water bottle, something to do on the plane, small Dinsey figure toy, etc. Dinsey Florist can also set up a neat gift package that the resort can deliver to your room (hopefully while you slip away to do something).

at Hollywood Studios- get the fast pass for Toy Story Mania the very first thing when you get in the park, then get in line. It's worth riding more than once!

at Magic Kingdom- we always get an icecream on Main Street. A bowl is best for the kids. Poor Beth learned that the hard way and still talks about it.

Don't discount having down time. The hotel pool or arcade provide less stimulation for some relaxing fun. Great play areas (like Tom Sawyer Island at Magic Kingdom) or quiet sitting areas (like the lake at Hollywood Studios) are awesome!

Eating breakfast while we got ready in the hotel room was a great time saver. I'd packed easy things like pop tarts, granola bars. I also packed snacky things to take daily to the parks. We like stopping for a drink (usually shared) and a quick snack.

You never know unless you try it. There were plenty of things I didn't think Jacob would go for, but he loved it in the end. Beth is getting braver too. Some new things they tried last trip are what they're really looking forward to next time.

Eating half a meal means you get to eat dessert. It's balanced out with all the walking. Pizza was tastier to me than the burgers for a quick meal. The sit down meals were fabulous.

Oh, Pizza Planet at Hollywood isn't worth it. Not what we'd hoped for based on the movie, not as clean as we'd like (birds flying inside), and most of the expensive arcade games didn't work.

Soak in the details. Disney puts in so much effort to making EVERYTHING flow and go together. It's incredible!

The Disney resorts have bedrails available. All you have to do is ask, and they come install them.

To me, the dining plan is worth it. No thinking about whipping out the card to pay for a meal. We make reservations at our major top choices for sit down meals, especially one character meal geared toward each kiddo. Cinderella Castle for Beth (though Jacob was pretty impressed too, especially with his sword), one of the Epcot-Mexico choices for Kevin, a character meal with Mickey for Jacob (not that he talks to Mickey...), and pizza night in the hotel is my favorite.

Medicine of every possible need- allergy stuff, tylenol, immodium, tums, emitrol, miralax, benedryl, etc. You never know what you'll need, and it's super expensive to buy at the gift shop. Oh, the trip I got food poisoning was rough, but the gift shop had what I needed to leave the hotel room for the day.

Most days, my basic camera lens was just fine. The only day I wished I'd had my big lens was Animal Kingdom on the super cool Kilamanjaro Safaris. Oh, and make sure that battery is charged. Mine died our first day, and I could have kicked myself for missing out on Jacob's first Rain Forest Cafe experience.

My favorite Dinsey treasure is each of us picking a Christmas ornament at Downtown Disney's Christmas store to represent the trip.

Try to find shade for the parades. It gets hot on the concrete. And, get your spot early. For the Magic Kingdom SpectraMagic parade, which is so worth staying late for, find the spot before the fireworks, and then don't move until after the parade is over.

The shows are awesome- Nemo and Lion King at Animal Kingdom, Beauty and the Beast and Disney Jr at Hollywood.

Suck it up and wear the ugly athletic tennis shoes. No matter how hot it is, your feet will appreciate it.

That's all I can think of tonight. I found most of this (and so much more) through research, though some was learned the hard way. Allears.net is a great website. The Unofficial Guide is a great book (take the reviews with a grain of salt). Beyond the basics, The Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World has been my favorite book. For our next trip, I've bought a book to find Hidden Mickeys (Mickey Mouse heads hidden in the basic decoration around Disney).

I know of the few people who read my blog, at least 2 have been to Disney. Any tips you can offer?

PoeFam- I hope you have a magical trip!

Dallas Aquarium

2011-05-05T10:11:00.004-05:00

Sorry, I hadn't realized it's been so long since my last post. Oops!

Last month, Jacob and I got to join Beth for a field trip to the Dallas Children's Aquarium. Fair Park in Dallas is where there hold the Texas State Fair, but also an essential museum district. Man, I want to go back to check out some of the other museums over there.

The museum was just right to look at all the animals fairly quickly. However, there were a few other schools at the same time. Our group was 1st-6th grades, about 40 kids. The favorite part of the museum was the Stingray Touch Tank. Oh, every single kid could have stayed there all afternoon! Beth kept her hand in the water until a stingray came close. Eventually, I convinced her to touch one, and it wasn't so bad.

One of the things I love about Beth's school is that little siblings can be included in field trips and school activities! I wouldn't normally get to enjoy those moments with Beth if Jacob didn't come along.

There was a spot around the tank that had higher standing places and lower "ocean floor", increasing the chance of touching one. While Jacob and his little buddy Levi were busy playing in the water, a stingray swam by, brushing his hand. He was thrilled that he touched one!

We ended the trip with a picnic on the lawn and then home for a nap. What a fun day!

Birthday Fun

2011-04-23T10:11:00.007-05:00

For our birthday girl's 7th birthday, she really got to stretch out the fun. On birthday day, we started with a sprinkle donut and a candle (her request). We had made chocolate chip/M&M cookies to share at school, which she proudly shared with her friends and the school staff. She had to wait until after school to open her presents, though. She got just what she was hoping for- a pink Nintendo DS. Hard to believe she's outgrown her Leapster already.

Then, her dinner choice before church, Peter Piper Pizza. We all had fun with that one!

Then, a couple weeks later, we had her friend party. She chose a My Little Pony theme. With a huge invite list, and only half coming, we still had tons of people celebrating Beth's 7th birthday with us. She requested a bounce house in the back yard. We got lucky and found a pink/purple castle, then the company said they had a My Little Pony banner they could put on it too. With the trampoline and a table full of ponies and accessories providing more fun. The kids all had a great time and wore themselves out!

Then, after all the party friends went home, Grandma, Grandpa, cousins Emily and Gracie, Yaya and Popi stayed for dinner and more presents. Kevin grilled burgers for us. Then, Beth got to open MORE presents from family. That was really nice to get to visit with each other away from the craziness of the party. I look forward to making this a birthday tradition!

All in all, this birthday celebration was a success. She's already looking forward to the next one and making plans. I'm just looking forward to summer (4 weeks left of school)!

One Tough Cowboy- Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-20T07:24:00.000-05:00

To my little girl

2011-04-05T23:14:00.006-05:00

My sweet girl,

You are 7. Despite trying to keep this day from happening, here it is, just like you said. The closer your birthday got, the more I thought about the day you were born. I have looked at you in amazment that this once little bitty baby has turned into such a precious big girl, and it happened so fast. Seven years ago, you took your sweet time coming into the world, arriving early in the morning after a LONG labor. Must have been a sign of things to come. You take your time doing things and love getting up early in the morning.

I love seeing the new things in you, too.

Your art class has been such a fun experience for you. You've always loved drawing, but this class has opened you to trying to draw new things. I'm proud of you for trying new things. I know how nervous that makes you.

Your perspective on God is precious. We can talk about just about anything- how great something is, how big something is, how smart someone is, and you remind us that God is greater and smarter and bigger than anything. I love this stage and wish that I had that same childlike joy and awe again. Grownups forget that too easily. I enjoy our nighttime prayers, hearing what is on your heart. Lately, you pray for missions and people who need Jesus. I hope you always have a heart to share and help others share Jesus with the lost. Maybe that means one day you'll be a missionary.

I am so thankful that you are my daughter (Daddy's too). You are such a precious gift from God! Thank you for being such a good helper, wanting to be helpful and wanting to learn how to do things. Thank you for the sweet moments when you still act little, wanting to sit in my lap and snuggle with me. Thank you for being such a sweet sister to Jacob. Nothing warms my heart more than hearing the two of you playing nicely together.

I see so much of us in you. Of course, you look like Daddy. But, you have my long legs and my wavy hair. I see my love of learning and reading. I see Daddy's competitive side. I see my need for independence and alone time. I see Daddy's need for conversation when it's quiet. And yet, I still see you becoming your very own person. I look so forward to seeing how you will grow and change every year.

So, here's to another year of you looking forward to another birthday while I hope to hold it off as long as I can. I love you, my precious big girl. SO much.

Love, Mommy

2011-03-24T21:11:00.003-05:00

I've been busy working on digital scrapbooking our last Disney World trip. I found this great group online- Mousescrappers. I get lots of ideas, complete challenges to earn more digital scrapbooking goodies, and generally find people like me who love Disney AND scrapbooking. If you've wondered about digital scrapbooking, take a moment to check it out tomorrow!

Click the pic to link to the website!

Timestamp 5:58pm- Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-16T22:18:00.001-05:00

Zoo trip!

2011-03-15T12:55:00.000-05:00

As usual, I've been crazy busy with life. But, this is spring break, and I'm enjoying lots of resting and quiet while the kiddos are having adventures at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Beth had a day off school, spring was hinting in the air, and off we went to the zoo. For Christmas, Yaya and Popi give us annual zoo passes, and we certainly use them. This is the first year for Jacob to be old enough for his own pass. He was sure proud to take his picture and hold his card! One of the best things about having zoo passes is that we don't feel like we have to see all the animals in one day. This trip, we started with the animals we didn't see last time- the amazing reptile house.

Beth LOVED being able to take her own camera and take pictures. She learned a little more about how to use her camera to take pictures for where she was- inside or outside. Surprisingly, when it came to the opportunity for petting a snake, she was interested, but Jacob sure was.

At the end of the exhibit about Texas animals, there's a fun wishing well. When you thrown in a penny, you hear a wild animal sound. I gave them each some pennies, then we tried to guess what animals they were.

Jacob was quite amused by the turkey gobble and wasn't crazy about the jaguar (did you know they live in Texas?).

It was a fun day for just the three of us. I look forward to many more zoo trips- some as a family, some just me and Jacob. We always find adventure and learn new things!

Signs of Spring (Wordless Wednesday)

2011-03-02T12:55:00.004-06:00

Saddest Letter I've Ever Read

2011-02-24T11:50:00.000-06:00

A friend shared this link on facebook, and I want to share it here. I tried to copy and paste, but it wouldn't let me. Please take the time to read this blog. It's very thought provoking for Christian parents!
Saddest Letter I've Ever Read

Computer Time

2011-02-10T23:22:00.004-06:00

I have been a traditional scrapbooker for about 15 years. Geez, that makes me sound really old. I recently discovered a love for digital scrapbooking. Oh my goodness, it's so much fun! I can sit on the comfy couch, with my laptop and notes from our Disney trip (what I'm scrapbooking). I don't need to make a big mess. I can resize my pictures, getting more on a page than traditionally. For the decorations, I just find various things for free or purchase online to complete my pages. Let me tell you, the internet has SOOOOOOO much stuff, and I'm only getting started on what's out there. I've also found an online community with TONS of ideas and other Disney addicts, who also love scrapbooking. I'm learning so much about my photo software. It's so much fun! The online community also hosts challenges periodically, that really challenge me to learn new things in my program. Here are a few of my favorites:

I'm debating between having pages printed then put in a regular scrapbook or just having a book printed. Either way, I think I'm in trouble- I've got more pictures and fun than either book type will hold.

So, if you wonder why I haven't blogged lately, I've probably spent my computer time scrapbooking. I'll post again when something is exciting. For now, we're staying inside as much as possible and keeping ourselves busy.

Snow! Snow! Snow! Snow! Snow!

2011-02-04T21:57:00.006-06:00

I'm singing the title of the blog- think OLD Christmas movie, White Christmas (my favorite!).

So, day 4 of "hunkering down" in the house brought snow. What a gorgeous sight to wake up to! Jacob's sweet little voice on the monitor "Mommy, it's snowin!". Lucky for him, it was already after 7am, so it wasn't a big deal to be woken up.

After a morning of fun- a birthday party for Harry (Jacob's beloved toy monkey- the one in the party hat from Beth), building blocks, painting noodle necklaces, and whatever else we could come up with.

We filled our bellies with a warm lunch and got dressed (the first time out of jommies since Monday night!) to go outside. The kids were so excited to wear their rain boots in the snow. Walking out in the snow, you could hear the layer of ice crunch with each step.

Jacob was thrilled with throwing snowballs or snow-handfuls. They tried to ride their tractor/4wheeler things, but the ice layer wouldn't let them get too far.

I convinced Beth to get on the trampoline to jump, admist all the snow. Once she got it loosened up, she laughed as the snow bounced with her.

We played what we could in the backyard then checked out the front yard. I was fun to see neighbors out enjoying the snow and shining sun, despite that it was still below freezing temperature.

Beth found a great icicle on Kevin's truck. She was carrying around, using it to draw in the snow, teasing her brother that only she had one. Next thing I know, there was a frantic search for it. Apparently Jacob got it or Beth dropped it or something. Kevin asked Jacob where it was. Jacob laughed and said "I hid it!" Oh, that boy! Luckily, Beth was distracted by more playing in the snow,

It's cold out there!

2011-02-02T13:25:00.003-06:00

We got a COLD front this week. Temps have been below freezing since sometime Tuesday night, with wind chills often below 0. For us, that's stinkin cold. Because of the icy roads, school was cancelled, and we haven't left the house since Monday afternoon. That's a long time to keep kids entertained. Most of the time, they've played nicely together. Today, we're dealing with rolling power outages (only one so far, but I'm sure another will be coming shortly based on other friends' stories).

We have painted with some fun new paint brushes.

We have baked cookies.

We have done puzzles, played Wii, built blocks, taken naps, watched movies....

We have been busy learning, too.

Beth is working on expanding her story writing, and she's loving it. She has also been busy with crafts. A little double digit subtraction and a little reading comprehension, too.

Jacob is learning the letter W this week. I planned it weeks ago, not knowing what weather we'd have this week. But, the "winter W" worked nicely. I also try to teach him a Bible verse every couple weeks. This week, Psalm 51:7 "Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." Again, I promise I planned it weeks ago. To illustrate the verse, I drew a snowman, then we colored it "dirty" as we talked about sin and disobeying make our heart dirty. Then, we erased the dirty, talking about how only God can make our hearts clean, white as snow. He really liked the activity and memorized the verse pretty quickly.

Tomorrow, we're supposed to get snow. I'm betting school will be cancelled again. I wonder what we'll do tomorrow!

Budding Artist

2011-01-27T21:11:00.005-06:00

Last year, Beth took gymnastics. She wasn't interested in continuing that. We looked into piano lessons for her, but she wasn't enthusiastic about that. We thought for a while before we came up with the idea of art lessons. Beth LOVES to draw and color. If she wakes up before her alarm in the morning, we will either find her reading or doing art stuff. So, we looked around and found a couple options. After talking with Beth, the choice, with full enthusiasm, was a drawing class- "Young Rembrandts". Tonight was her second class. She is loving it! The teachers walks them through step by step to complete a drawing. Last week, Beth even drew the same picture on her own, a couple days after class. What a memory she has! So, here are her first two signed masterpieces. I can't wait to see more!

Moving on

2011-01-18T12:29:00.007-06:00

Christmas was good and lots of fun. All the toys and things found new homes in their appropriate storage areas. School is back in session. Life is returning to normal. Jacob is finally interested in potty training and off to a great start. We're dreaming of warmer weather and looking forward to springtime fun.

This past weekend, we made the trip to Houston. My sis and her hubby were in town, too. I haven't seen my sis in almost 1 1/2 years (they live oversees while my BIL serves in the AirForce), so it was good to see her again. Of course, the visit wasn't long enough, and we never really got to sit and chat just us, as sisters should be able to do. Oh well. Bonus, we saw Popi and Yaya too! Then, super bonus, my aunt and amazing grandmother came for lunch Saturday. What a nice time with family!

Lucky us, Houston weather was about 20 degrees warmer than what we left, so we actually got outside play time! We found an incredible sight- a butterfly weed with a bunch of Monarch butterfly caterpillars. Thanks to internet, we learned that this plant is one of their favorites to feed on. When Mom planted it, she thought it would bring butterflies, not realizing it would bring caterpillars. Monarch caterpillars are only caterpillars for about 2 weeks. You can see a baby one on the top left leaf. Hard to believe it will grow to the size of the others in such a short time. Hopefully, they had enough leaves to eat to enter the cocoon stage!

Prayer Changes Things

2011-01-06T12:45:00.004-06:00

Ages ago, I got this email thing about praying for my children. I printed it, tucked it into my Bible and then just passed over it once in a while. One of my goals for 2011 is to spend more time in prayer, talking to God about the desires and concerns of my heart. I pulled out this little thing, so glad that I kept it. Going by the date on the calendar, I pray that same one from the chart. It's been something lately as I pray for my children and realize I desire these same things for my own life. We're always growing and changing, hopefully in a good way. Praying for those changes, God will grant the desires of your heart. He may teach a hard lesson along the way to get that growth out of you, but He's faithful and loving. He is our Heavenly Father, having adopted us into His family when we accept Him as Savior. As adopted children, we know we are wanted and chosen. How awesome is that! As a parent, I can relate so much more to seeing God as my Father. A parent wants to give their child the best they can, a child wants to make their parent proud. I hope that I please my Father God in my actions. This little list is certainly a reminder of the things God, my Father, desires in me. I hope you will join me in praying these things for your children (and even for yourself).
1- SALVATION Lord, I pray that my children would obtain salvation that is in Christ, with eternal glory (2 Timothy 2:10, Acts 16:31)
2- GOD'S GRACE I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior (2 Peter 3:18)
3- LOVE Father, grant that my children would learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit that is in them (Ephesians 5:2)
4- INTEGRITY Lord, may integrity and uprighteousness protect my children because their hope is in you (Psalm 25:21)
5- SELF-CONTROL Father, help my children not be like many others, but to be alert and self-controlled in all they do (1 Thessalonians 5:6)
6- LOVE FOR GOD'S WORD Lord, may my children regard your Word as more precious than gold and sweeter than honey (Psalm 19:10)
7- JUSTICE God, help my children to love justice as You do and act justly in all they do, all the while not passing judgement on others (Psalm 11: 7, Micah 6:8)
8- MERCY Oh Father, grant that my children would be full of mercy and compassion as You are, Lord (James 5:11)
9- RESPECT Lord, help my children to show proper respect to everyone, as your Word commands (1 Peter 2:17)
10- SELF-ESTEEM God, help my children develop a strong self-esteem, rooted in the realization that they are Your workmanship (Ephesians 2:10)
11- FAITHFULNESS Let faithfulness never leave my children, but bind this virtue around their necks (Proverbs 3:3)
12- COURAGE Lord, may my children always be strong and courageous in their character and their actions (Deuteronomy 31:6)
13- PURITY Create in my children pure hearts, O God, and let that purity of their heart be evident in their lives (Psalm 51:10)
14- KINDNESS Father, I pray that my children would be kind to each other and everyone they meet (1 Thessalonians 5:15)
15- GENEROSITY Lord, I pray that my children will be rich in good deeds, generous and willing to share (1 Timothy 6:18)
16- PEACE LOVING Father God, help my children make every effort to do what leads to peace (Romans 14:19)
17- JOY Heavenly Father, grant that my children would be filled with the joy given by the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 1:6)
18- PERSEVERANCE Lord, teach my children to persevere in all they do, help them run with perseverance the race set before them (Hebrews 12:1)
19- HUMILITY God, please cultivate in my children the ability to show true humility toward all and about all (Titus 3:2)
20- COMPASSION Holy Father, I pray that You would clothe my children with the virtue of compassion (Colossians 3:2)
21- RESPONSIBILITY Lord, grant that my children would learn to be responsible, for each one should carry his own load (Galatians 6:5)
22- CONTENTMENT Father, teach my children the secret of being content in every situation, through Him who gives them strength (Phillipians 4:12-13)
23- FAITH Lord, help my children to fight the good fight of faith, taking hold of the eternal life to which they were called (1 Timothy 6:12)
24- A SERVANT'S HEART God, help my children develop servant's hearts, that they may serve wholeheartedly (Ephesians 6:7)
25- HOPE God of hope, grant that my children may overflow with hope and hopefulness by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13)
26- PATIENCE God, strengthen my children with all power, so that they may have great endurance and patience with all people and situations they come across (Galatians 5:22)
27- PASSION FOR THE LORD Lord, I pray that my children's souls would pant for you as the deer pants for streams of water (Psalm 42:1)
28- WISDOM Father, I pray my children wold ask and that you would generously give wisdom to them as you promise (James 1:5)
29- PRAYERFULNESS I ask that my children be committed to prayer, and not faint, lose heart or give up (Luke 18:1)
30- GRATITUDE Lord, help my children to live lives that overflow with thankfulness, always giving thanks to You (Ephesians 5:20)
31- BOLDNESS I pray that my children would fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel of Christ Jesus, that their lives and words speak for God (Ephesians 6:19)

I hope you will join me on the journey this year, of praying daily for our children. Nothing but good can come of it!

It still looks a lot like Christmas

2010-12-29T19:23:00.007-06:00

Most decorations went up before Thanksgiving. But, we saved the trees for after Thanksgiving- our tradition. I love the magic of Christmas decorations. The lights, the smells, the memories... I have something Christmasy in almost every room in the house. A small tree in the upstairs bedrooms, the kids' tree in the gameroom,

the main tree in the living room,

and next year I hope to add a tree in the front room. It's so much fun taking out the ornaments, remembering and telling the stories behind them, rediscovering new ones bought to represent special times this year.

Tinsel, our elf on the shelf, came to visit around Thanksgiving and found lots of great places to keep an eye on things. Jacob was very concerned, first thing in the morning, about where Tinsel was. However, Tinsel didn't help motivate Jacob to improve his behavior. Beth was still amazed by Tinsel's magic arrival in a new place, but she wasn't quite as panicked about her behavior as she was last year.

One evening, I decided to play around with lighting and settings on my camera. I had SO much fun taking pictures of decorations! I'm learning to just go for it with the settings, and I can always delete pics I don't like. I love digital photography!

Everybody likes a good ghost story

2010-12-17T16:25:00.002-06:00

A Visit to Santa

2010-12-13T19:35:00.000-06:00

Jacob and I had some shopping to do at the mall one day. We talked about Santa, discussed what Jacob would say, walked by him only to have Jacob hide and not so much as wave. That's okay, maybe he'll be ready when we go back with Beth. Beth makes him a little braver.

Find a day that Kevin was in town, pick up Beth from school, let her change clothes and off we went. There was no line!!!!!! We got our letters out, got close to the entrance, and Jacob shut down. He wasn't going for it, no way, didn't want to go with Beth, didn't want to give him the letter, nothing. So here's Jacob's 2010 Santa pic:

Beth was excited, though. She walked right up, hopped on his lap and had a great conversation. They talked about her wish list, how she'd behaved this year and about her silly brother. I love the magic of Christmas through her eyes!

After we got a picture, I did manage to convince Jacob to give Santa the letter in exchange for a coloring book. Still, he wouldn't talk to him. (I know, I forgot to take a picture of the letter, but it wasn't amazing since I wrote it- a Handy Manny workbench and a monster truck). However, he perked right up for the ride-on machines right next to Santa's station. Little stinker!

I'm hoping next year will be the perfect year. Beth will still believe in Santa's magic, and Jacob won't be scared. Like I said, hoping.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-12T07:32:00.000-06:00

We went to visit Yaya and Popi this Thanksgiving, and got a couple bonus days around the holiday for just hanging out. It was a wonderful visit! We we arrived, the weather was around 80*, perfect for playing outside. By the time we left Friday, it was in the 50s!

We did lots of playing outside, even making smores one night. Jacob just ate plain marshmellows, Kevin likes his a little crispy, Popi patiently toasts his evenly.

Lots of preparing for Thanksgiving

On Thanksgiving day, Nanny, my 91 year old grandmother, came over early to spend time with us and help do some cooking. She directed my mom on the sweet potatoes, re-taught me how to make my favorite "Big-Momma cookies" (that I haven't gotten right on my own in years), and just spent time enjoying each other. What a treasure to spend time with Nanny!

My aunts came, and one of Popi's cousins. A small, but nice gathering.

I didn't get nearly as many pictures as I'd hoped. I was busy helping Yaya get everything ready. I can't wait to see what pictures are on her camera!

Being Thankful

2010-12-11T07:31:00.002-06:00

So, I just downloaded last month's pictures. Sorry for the delay.

Around Thanksgiving, I try to do some sort of thankful craft for the whole family. Last year, it was our turkey. This year I wanted to make a Thankful Cornucopia (or "corn-u-coconut" according to Jacob). I found some fruits and veggies online, got all the right color paints, and away we went.

While Thanksgiving is a perfect time to stop and remember to be thankful for what God has blessed us with, we try to talk about it more often. I hope you took time to thank God this Thanksgiving season. If you're reading this, I'm thankful for you, that you care about our family to read the blog. Thank you!

Who am I?

2010-12-01T10:02:00.000-06:00

Family Pictures

2010-11-30T21:14:00.005-06:00

While we were visiting my parents for Thanksgiving, I had my mom take some family pictures for us. After all, it had been nearly a year and a half since the last set. I had coordinated all our outfits (originally planned a sweater for myself) only to be melting in 80* temps that day. Don't get me wrong, I love Texas weather, but "fall" pictures can be a bit confusing. Back to the pictures. Why is it that with about 30 pictures taken, only 1 comes out right? With just 4 in our family, it was hard enough to find one where everyone was smiling, no one was squinting or making weird faces (Jacob!), hoping for no sweat spots and, of course, the picture where I looked the skinniest :) Then, there's the fact that the day before we drove down, Jacob went face first into the corner of a cabinet door, leaving a nice big scratch on his face. Sigh.

Well, with the reality of picture taking, I'm glad to say we have a good family picture, worthy of mailing out in a Christmas card, thanks to a little help from photoshop. Oh, the above picture is my favorite of the rejects. Certainly you didn't think I'd reveal the good picture yet, did you? :)

We heart That big red bullseye store

2010-11-17T12:58:00.006-06:00

Ok, so I realize my posting has been rare. This time of year gets so busy, doesn't it? I love being at home to attend and help with things at Beth's school. I love getting that extra time with Jacob.

I've turned Jacob into a T-aholic. As soon as we leave the gym, he asks if we can go to T. He'd like to get a "popcorn combo with an icee". If you've never done this, it's the best under $2 you could ask for while meandering around the wonderful aisles at T. The popcorn is tasty! Until last month, we just got a drink, then *gasp* the soda machine wasn't working. So, I got an icee, and Jacob fell in love. It doesn't matter if it's 8am, and we're running to T before the gym, he still thinks he needs a "popcorn combo with an icee". Oh, and he orders it himself, but lets me pay. But don't worry, I make sure our trips are educational as well as entertaining. We talk about the colors and shapes we see, we count things too. We LOVE looking at the holiday displays. We also have to go to the toy section and push every possible button there is. It sure makes T fun!

Our T also has a Star-coffee place right next to the snack bar. I ordered a pumpkin spice steamer (warm, flavored milk- I don't like coffee) one day last week. Beth just asked and asked about it. I let her taste it once it cooled down. Now, she's been asking me if we can go get "warm milk" at T. Sweet girl that she is asked if I could make it for her at home. Sure, but it wouldn't taste very good since I don't have all those yummy flavors to add. Couple those things with my already crazy love for T. Yup, we're in trouble :)

What's a post without pictures of my silly kids? Enjoy! (I know I do)

Now, I'm off to eat more bon-bons (which really means do chores)!

Random

2010-11-09T21:29:00.002-06:00

There's this thing going around on facebook where you have to think of 30 random things about yourself. I got tagged to do this by two friends. So, why not kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, and make a blog post out of it!

I am a list maker. I make to-do lists, wish lists, project lists, book lists, packing lists. You name it, the way to get it done is a list.
I rarely get all the things on my list finished on the day I intended.
That said, I'm a procrastinator. Always have been and don't really try to change it. I guess I work best under pressure.
I love to read books. Real, for the fun of reading, books. I can't remember the last time I did that.
I'm a book buyer, not a library checker-outer. I keep books in the thoughts that I'll read it again, though I rarely do. I share books I really enjoyed but want them back to keep.
I love to scrapbook. I used to be a scrapbook company consultant. I should probably be scrapbooking instead of doing this.
I'm about 4 years behind on my scrapbooks. I haven't done Jacob's baby book yet. Beth has about 5 books already. That poor second kid.
I think I'm a great friend. Even more so when that friendship is returned to me.
I use sarcasm in situations where I feel out of place or uncomfortable. It's been know to cause problems and hurt where none were intended. I'm sorry if you've been a victim of this.
When I say "I'm sorry", I really mean it.
I have voted in every election since I turned 18. It hasn't always been for the same party. Hmmm! :)
I talk to strangers, especially old people.
I love to ask people who have been married a long time what their secret to a long marriage is. The most common answers: forgiveness, don't go to bed angry, sense of humor, keep her happy.
I like dusting. The smell of good 'ol lemon Pledge can't be beat.
I hate cleaning bathrooms. I procrastinate it until last and the very last minute.
I love to organize. I will organize closets and cabinets in an effort to procrastinate other things. I love tub and baskets for organizing. 99% of the time, I can tell you exactly where something is- even tell you what to look next to or under- even if I haven't touched it in months.
If there is clutter and disorder, I am more easily stressed out. When order is restored, so am I.
I love symmetry and order. My closet is sorted by color, only on white hangars.
I am a math nerd. Yup, I said it. I enjoy algebra and would do it for fun. When I took my teaching exam, I was just about to fall asleep, then I got to the math section and perked right up.
Spreadsheets are fun! If I have something to research or information to organize, I usually put it in a spreadsheet. Ah, organization!
I don't miss teaching. Middle school math. Well, the math part was fun, but the kids, the parents, the tedious paperwork, no thanks.
I've considered homeschooling, but I'm afraid I'd fail at it.
I have fallen in love with exercise. I'm going to the gym about 5 hours a week and wish I could fit in more. I love feeling the pain after a good workout. I even love the sweat, proving how hard I'm working.
I don't have an iphone or blackberry. Heck, I don't even have a full keyboard phone for texting. Granted, I don't have the phone attached to the bag either. :)
I have amazing children. Every day, I am thrilled to be their mom, in spite of the rough moments. I'm thankful they are teachable and hope they always will be.
I question myself daily if I'm the best mom my kids deserve. Did I play with them enough? Did I teach them the right things? Have I given them too much? Will they need therapy one day because of me?
I appreciate my parents more every day. Something I could only see now, as a parent. I'm thankful for their example in the way they lived their life being the same as what they taught me. I'm thankful for their sacrifices over the years to give me things, even when it turned out to be a waste of money. I'm thankful they taught me the value of working hard for something instead of being handed everything. I'm thankful they taught me how to be a good citizen and value where I live.
I have been blessed with a great husband, the perfect match for me. We're a great team together. He makes me laugh, his kisses make me melt, he challenges me to think about things deeper, he's an incredible daddy, he's a hard worker....
I am a Christian. I am saved and will go to heaven when I die.
I'm not perfect, by any means. I am a follower of Christ, trying to be an imitator of Him. I desire that my actions and words reflect God- His kindness, His love, His grace, His justice, His Word. I fail every day, and He forgives me every day.

Round Up

2010-11-02T22:02:00.004-05:00

Every year, our church hosts Round Up weekend. It's packed full of old-west style activities. Saturday, there was a mini-rodeo. Our church has a bus ministry that bring in kids (and any parents wanting to come) from the surrounding towns to church on Sundays.

The K4/K5 teacher, Ms. Bettye, is a remarkable woman with such a love and desire for the Lord that I've only seen in a couple other women in my love. Her life story, her road to Jesus, is incredible. In fact, she is a product of the bus ministry. What a blessing that we can be a part of a church that desires to bring all kids to know Jesus!

This rodeo event was the big thing for the kiddos during Round Up. The stands were packed with bus kids who were excited to see the cowboys and bulls. Bro. Jimmy (the bus ministry guy) preached a sermon complete with altar call. I'm not sure how many, but I do know some kids asked Jesus to be their Savior that day!

The kids loved watching the events. The bull riding was a big favorite. I explained what I could about the rules and the goals of each event, so they'd understand a little more. Beth found it more interesting and exciting that she thought it would be. Bull riding, barrel racing, team roping, a calf scramble for the kids and goat dressing for the Sunday School teachers. What fun!

After the rodeo and the bus kids were back on buses, Beth and I walked around a little bit. One of our church members let her ride his horse. She had her nervous smile at first but really enjoyed it after a few minutes.

That was Saturday morning. Sunday was cowboy breakfast- pancakes and sausage cooked over an open fire. YUMMY! There were a few horses to see, a couple miniature horses and even a baby miniature. Jacob had his turn to ride a horse, but he wasn't sure about it at all. He preferred to pet the baby pony.

Church with a mini concert by Brian Free and Assurance and a great sermon by our Preacher. Then, onto fajita lunch with all the fixins and any dessert you could want. Needless to say, we were ready for some good Sunday afternoon naps after all that! What an incredible weekend to fellowship with church family.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T21:50:00.003-05:00

So, yup, about time I got around to posting again. All this eating bon-bons and watching soap operas gets in the way of my blogging time, you know.

We've just come off a crazy, busy weekend. But, it was a good one. I'll post about it a bit scattered, but knowing the folks that read this are mostly family, I'm betting I'll be forgiven. With Halloween falling on a Sunday this year, Saturday meant candy time at our church's Trunk or Treat/ Fall Festival event. We had lots of participation from church members hosting games and trunks. There were TONS of people from the community out to enjoy it. Woohoo! The kids had a blast playing games and getting candy. Jacob only wanted suckers and would put back candy or give it to Beth if it wasn't what he wanted. He even turned down chocolate! Eventually, he was okay with tootsie rolls and smarties as alternatives. Beth loved checking out all her friends' costumes and playing the games. Kevin and I had been asked to organize the event (you know that really means me), so my pictures from the festival are a bit lacking. Kevin was busy in charge of our game booth, and I walked the kids around while distributing more candy to the trunk hosts. It was a fun night, and the kids came home with plenty of candy. I've stashed the really good stuff in the guest room :)

So, here we are, in our costume finery:

Buzz Lightyear- Are you really surprised?

A pig in a blanket- Her original plan was Jessie from Toy Story, but we couldn't find a costume. After some online searching, she really liked this idea (but refused a tail or nose).

Super Mom- complete with a glittery cape and pearls. I opted to not wear heels given that I'd be running around for about 4 hours.

Just one more cup

2010-10-24T15:55:00.000-05:00

There was a lot of good "extra" stuff from this retreat that I wanted to share. Thanks for being patient.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What are you?

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She didn't know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as if as soon as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. There, the mother filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots. In the second, placed eggs. In the last, she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word. About 20 minutes later, she turned off the burners.

She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled teh coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she said, "Tell me what you see."

"Carrots, eggs and coffee," the daughter replied, in that lovely tone of voice.

The mother brought the daughter to the bowls and asked her to feel the carrots. The daughter did and noticed they were soft. Then, the mother asked her daughter to take and egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg inside. Finally, she asked her daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted the rich aroma.

"So, what's the point, Mother," said the daughter, again with that lovely tone of voice.

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity- boiling water- but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile, it's thin outer shell protecting its liquid center. But, after sitting through boiling water, its insides had become hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique. After they were in boiling water, they changed the water.

"Which are you?" the mother asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"

Which are you?

The carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do you wilt, become soft and lose my strength?

The egg that starts will a malleable heart but changes with heat? Do you have a fluid spirit but after a death, a breakup, or other hardship, have you become hardened and stiff? Does your outer shell look the same but on the inside is tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or the coffee bean that actually changes the hot water- the very circumstances that bring the pain. When the water gets hot, do you release fragrance and flavor- changing the situation around you instead of letting it change you?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our song leader taught us this song. When you take the time to really pay attention to the words, I hope you are as moved as I am every time I hear it.

The Potter Knows the Clay

I know you are going through the fire

It's getting hard to stand the heat

But even harder is the wondering

Is God's hand still on me

It's lonely in the flames

When you're counting days of pain

But the Potter knows the clay

How much pressure it can take

How many times around the wheel

'Til there's submission to His will

He's planned a beautiful design

But it'll take some fire and time

It's gonna be okay

'Cause the Potter knows the clay

Friend, I just came through that fire

Not too very long ago
And looking back I can see why

And that my God was in control

But on the hottest days I'd cry

Oh Lord, isn't it about time

But the Potter knows the clay

How much pressure it can take

How many times around the wheel

'Til there's submission to His will

He's planned a beautiful design

But it'll take some fire and time

It's gonna be okay

'Cause the Potter knows the clay

Aroma from the Grinder

2010-10-22T17:57:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd share a few more things I read at the coffee themed Ladies' Retreat.

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10 Uses for coffee grounds

1. deodorizer- dry them out, then put them in a bowl in your fridge or freezer or rub them on your hands to get rid of food prep smells

2. plant food- for rosebushes, azaleas, evergreens, camellias

3. insect repellant- sprinkle old grounds where you don't want ants or even on the ant piles

4. dye- steep grounds in hot water, then you have brown dye for fabric, paper or even Easter eggs

5. furniture scratch cover up- steep grounds and apply a bit of the liquid to scratches with a q-tip

6. cleaning product- great for scouring greasy and grimy stain-resistant objects

7. kitty repellent- sprinkle mixed with orange peels around your plants to prevent kitty powder rooms

8. flea dip- follow up doggie's shampoo with a coffee ground rub down

9. dust inhibitor- before you clean the fireplace, toss in wet coffee grounds over the ashes to keep dust under control

10. cellulite reducer- Yes, that's right! Mix 1/4 cup warm, used grounds and 1 tablespoon olive oil. Rub on then wrap with shrink wrap, leaving on for several minutes. Unwind and rinse off. For best results, do this twice a week. I may need to give this one a try. Too bad I don't drink coffee.

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Cowboy coffee? It's said they made their coffee by putting grounds into a clean sock and immersing it in cold water, then heated over the campfire. Hmm, were those socks REALLY clean?

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Tips for handling your "cup"

1. Don't drain your cup dry (exhaustion)

Psalm 37:7- Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him...

2. Don't get it too hot (temper)

Ephesians 4:31- Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice.

3. Don't let it get too cold (indifference)

Revelation 3:15- I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would that thou wert cold or not.

4. Don't let it get too strong (overwhelmed)

Psalm 61:2- From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.

5. Don't let it be too weak (fatigue)

II Thesalonians 3:13- But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Perfect Blend

2010-10-20T15:33:00.005-05:00

Earlier this month, I attended the Ladies' Retreat with our church. The theme was "The Perfect Blend: Living Above the Daily Grind". Let me tell you, the team goes all out with the theme too- all kinds of coffees (and teas and hot chocolate) and snacks, a insulated mug gift, team names, decorations and much more. Our speaker, Martha Johnson, even titled and taught her sessions with the coffee theme.

Mrs. Martha enjoying some quiet time before a session

This year, we were out in Glen Rose, at a marvelous retreat center. The rooms were so nice, comfy beds, big bathrooms, and beautiful grounds along the Paluxy River (where dinosaur footprints have been discovered). The staff was so nice, and the chef made amazing meals! This was a huge step up from our youth-camp like place last year. The weather was fantastic, too- cool mornings turned into nice days. Each room had a balcony, too. Just gorgeous! Bonus, we were close to town. Glen Rose town square is a quaint little place with a handful of boutiques and antique shops. We had some free time on Friday to explore and really enjoyed ourselves.

We had craft time. We decorated bookmarks with our "life verse"- a verse that encourages us or has spoken to our hearts. Later, in devotion time with small groups, we traded bookmarks and explained why that verse was significant to us. Now, I have a verse and bookmark from a friend, that reminds me to pray for them. We also got to decorate an apron with paint, material, ribbon, and other crafty things. It's amazing to see the creativity of the ladies of the church and how each of us managed to create something different.

One of the things most ladies look forward to is the baskets. Oh my! This is an experience! People donate items to be used in themed baskets- like Christmas, home, cooking, scrapbooking, chocolate, etc. The team puts together the baskets and puts them on display. Ladies buy tickets to put in drawings for whatever baskets they would like to win. I'd say there were at least 50 different baskets this year. There are also a handful of auction type baskets. All the money went to the church for a need- this year, new lawn equipment. Not long before the last session, tickets are drawn and winners pack away their baskets. Yup, I won two of the seven baskets I was hoping for!!!!!

Yes, there was lots of fun times. But, there was also great time learning more about God's Word. A few of the points that stuck in my head were

God's plan is to fullfill HIS purpose. It is a process until we are the product He needs.
Why is (fill in the blank) happening? To reveal things about myself and to perfect me. I Peter 5:10
All resentment is rooted in unmet expectations
When we ignore God, it grieves Him. When I'm grieved, I don't say much. Is it like that with God?
Just like coffee, we can be weak (Matt. 6:30-34), bitter (Eph 4:31-32), stale (1 Corin. 15:58) and cold (Psalm 119:97-115).
Having the "Perfect Blend" means being "rooted and grounded in love" (Eph. 3:17). God's unending, perfect love.

At the end of the last session, we take our burdens, big or small to God. We privately write them on a paper, fold them up and staple them to the cross. It is an incredible feeling taking it to Him and leaving it there. Now, even as I type this, I realize that I've tried to "take back" what I gave Him. I have to remember that in God's awesomeness, He will take care of it. I cannot, in my humanness, begin to understand God's greater plan for me. I have to "let go and let God". That's the purpose of taking it to the cross, to lay it down and let go.

I'm already looking forward to next year's retreat. I'm planning for my mom and a college friend to join me too. If you happen to be in the Fort Worth area next October and want to experience Christian fellowship and growth, I'd love to have you along, too.

The most magical place on earth

2010-10-11T20:54:00.009-05:00

I was "encouraged" by a friend to update my blog, so I guess I best get to it.

I have recovered from vacation. That laundry is all caught up (though that stuff keeps coming back, you know) and almost all the souveniers have found a place to belong. I downloaded the 1000 pictures, deleted a handful and poured over them, relishing each wonderful day and memory. We treasured the time as a family, away from news and internet, just enjoying the magic Disney had to offer us every day, all day, for a week.

This was Jacob's first trip. Seeing it through his little boy eyes, the recognition of his favorite characters and movies played out in grand Disney World style- gosh, it couldn't be beat. His first plane ride, which he loved. Sleeping at "Cinderella's house" was pretty exciting, too. His absolute favorite ride was Finding Nemo at Epcot. His least favorite ride was "the fast slide" (Malestrom in Norway) at Epcot. He surprised us by being such a trooper, never having a meltdown, falling asleep when he needed to, going on rides he wasn't sure about only to say "that was fun" at the end. He wasn't going for the characters though. No way. The big fuzzy ones he would just watch but not talk to or get near. The human characters, he eventually would take his autograph book to but didn't want to stay for a picture. The only way to get Jacob to be still and quiet was to have him watch a parade or big show. I can only imagine what his brain was processing watching it all.

Beth still remembers her first trip last year and looked forward to doing some of the same things again this trip. There were plenty of firsts on this trip. Beth is tall enough and getting braver every day. She got to ride some bigger rides with Kevin- a thrill for both of them. She had no problem meeting all kinds of characters, though she sometimes didn't want to slow down to stand in line and would rather just skip it to go to a ride. She turned into a *more* beautiful princess, enjoying every minute of pampering (and was quite thankful to return to comfy clothes and shoes after lunch at the castle). I had done some research about special treasure hidden within the normal realm of the park, things easily overlooked. Beth enjoyed finding these- like the special horse on the carousel, Cinderella's horse. Despite the big firsts, she acted like a pro, telling Jacob about something we were going to do or explaining "Disney magic" along the way.

It was an incredible week together. I truly treasured the moments of joy we shared with the kids. Disney is fun, even more so through their eyes. My favorite moments were the ones away from the parks, honestly. Waking up to the sounds of whispers and giggles from the other bed and hearing a sweet little voice wonder if I had "anymore presents today" (I gave them a small present each morning, Disney themed of course). Our now traditional room service pizza picnic is another favorite, just recapping the day we ended early, knowing it's okay not to go from sun-up to sun-down.

We're already dreaming about another trip. It seems that no matter how long you go, you still can't manage to see it all. Until then, I relish the magical memories we created as a family.

A week of family fun

2010-09-29T14:07:00.005-05:00

So, last week, we disappeared as a family to spend some time together having LOTS of fun. We went from kids-up to kids-crash, all day long, every day. We never watched the news or check in on facebook. Kevin did check in on work email once a day, but that wasn't a big deal. I'm still sifting through pictures and laundry, but here's a sneak peak at some of our fun.

2010-09-16T07:26:00.001-05:00

Oh my sweet boy,

I can't believe you are turning 3 today! Where has the time gone? It seems just yesterday that you joined our family. You arrived at full speed and haven't slowed down since! I couldn't imagine our life without you. Our family is complete, with you in it.

You fill our lives with such adventure on a daily basis. You keep us on our toes and full of laughter. I'm seeing how different little boys are from little girls. Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way. The way you play, the toys you like, the sounds you make, the things you find funny. Oh, you are such a hoot! You are quick to play along when I tease you.

J: Where are we going?

M: Crazy. Wanna go?

J: Where are we going AFTER crazy?

Even though Daddy sometimes scares you playing Zurg, you love it and ask for more. You're such a daredevil too. You love hanging upside down, being slung around in play then laugh and ask for more. What a difference from your cautious sister! Playtime with Daddy is so much fun. You both love playing blasters (guns) together. If you can't find your blasters, you just make one out of blocks. You are total boy in that you find body humor absolutely hilarious- toots, burps, talking about them, saying potty words, etc. I know you didn't learn that from me, so it's got to be part of being a boy. I want to laugh along with you sometimes, because you're so tickled, but I have to teach you when and where those things are okay. OH, and when you get to laughing, whole-heartedly laughing, a vein pops out on your neck, and I can't help but giggle with you. It's such a precious, sweet sound, hearing you laugh.

Most of the time, you love to learn new things. Anytime I go to the hall closet, you ask if we're going to do a lesson. It has been fun learning about the letters and their sounds. You find such joy in recognizing letter while we're out and about. That's how I know you've been listening! I'm glad you've started to like coloring. Your little brain is just an amazing sponge. When you listen and aren't distracted, you learn so quickly. You're really starting to understand how to play games on the computer. It amazes me that I can leave you in the chair to play your new "Frog Jr" (Webkinz Jr), and you don't need help.

It's been a joy to hear you memorizing scriptures! Your favorite is still the first one you learned, the one you pretend to read when you hold a Bible- Ephesians 6:1 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." You love going to church to see your friends and favorite teachers. That makes me so proud. I know you're listening to the stories and lessons, sometime remembering what you heard. You've been learning so many songs that you love to sing at home too. Your favorites are B-I-B-L-E and Zaccheus.

Those scriptures and lessons you've learned come in handy when you get in trouble. You know when you disobey and why you get in trouble, but you sure don't like it. When we talk about what Jesus asks us to do, you know the answer. You're 99% of the time remorseful and ready to say "Sorry for ---" and give hugs. Usually, you have to tell Mommy our reminder "Obey the first time, with no fits." I know it's hard for you to do that when you have a mind of your own wanting to do your own thing, but you're learning. I'm glad you're tender-hearted to doing what's right.

You love your sister and your friends with everything you have. You wake up and want to know where Beth is. You can't wait to see her when she gets home from school. Then, you love to play with her and be in her business. If she's close, you may be content to sit together, or you may irritate her just because you can. I absolutely see that little brother side of you, pushing her buttons until you get in trouble. I love seeing the sweet, loving brother side of you too. You share your toys or snack, you're willing to play things like "Beth's Restaurant". Those precious moments bring me such joy. I hope you will always love each other like that.

I can't wait to see what adventures the next year brings. I have big plans for you with potty training. You told me you'd go on the potty when you are 3. So, it's time kiddo! With Sister in school all day, you and I will have lots of time for lessons, trips to Target and so much more! I'm so glad I get to share in the joy and adventures of your life!

Love, Mommy

The Greatest Show on Earth

2010-09-11T13:57:00.002-05:00

Last month (hey- better late than never, right?) we took the kids to the circus, while it was in town. It was their first trip EVER, and I haven't been since I was young. Kevin and I were really looking forward to it! We thought about keeping it a secret until we got there, but we just couldn't.

We got there early enough to watch the pre-show. We watched clowns balance plates, Chinese acrobats bend and balance furniture, the ringmaster do magic tricks. Though we couldn't see it well, Jacob was most impressed by the elephant that was painting. Neither of the kids were interested in trying on the costumes like I'd hoped.

We headed for our seats, and Kevin stopped for some cotton candy. Jacob had never tried it before and was pretty pleased. Beth really liked the pink kind.

Time for the show! Boy, it's changed from what I remember. Nobody rode the animals, the tigers were in a cage, there were lots of flashy lights and fireworks. Still, we were all mesmorized by the fun music and great sights to see! Jacob liked the animals- horses, dogs, elephants, tigers- that did tricks.

Beth really liked the acrobats and was quite impressed with the ones who rode the bike on the high-wire. She said she would like to work in the circus one day and be an acrobat. Though, there was one trick she said she wouldn't do- some circle thing that goes around and around. She also decided that our whole family should work the circus together (we'd talked about how sometimes whole families work together).

My favorite part was watching it all through their eyes. It's so much fun to have kids, because then you have an excuse to go to fun places!

Still time to shop JBF Fort Worth

2010-09-09T12:24:00.000-05:00

Ok, so I've talked every 6 months about JBF, the huge consignment sale in Fort Worth. This weekend will be the last two days of the fall sale. If you want to shop, go to Will Rogers in Ft Worth Friday 10am-7pm or Saturday (the 1/2 price sale) 8am-8pm.

This is a video shot at FW JBF after a second item drop off for consignors. As it goes through, showing all the incredible choices at great prices, imagine twice as much stuff. That's what I got to shop through last weekend by being a volunteer. I'm just blown away at how this sale gets bigger and bigger every time. They said that 1300 people consigned items this time!

Busy, Busy, Busy (Updated)

2010-09-05T13:45:00.002-05:00

We have been super busy, and I haven't slowed down to blog. I'm sorry. In the next week, you'll see all these new posts. When the post is ready, you can click the link from here!
No Cavities! (wordless)
First Day of First Grade
It's Beginning to Look a lot Like....

*new* Birthday Party Circuit
*new* Since it's Not Fall, Yet
*new* Honoring Mr. Owens

The Greatest Show On Earth

I was looking at my blog design. The picture in the heading is almost a year and a half old. I guess I really need to get my blog designer to help me out with an updated look. That, or I need to figure out how to do it myself. Ha!

Honoring Mr. Owens

2010-09-04T20:57:00.000-05:00

Mr. Donnie Owens is an incredible teacher. Or was, since he retired, again. I was quite priveleged to be a member of the marching band in high school while under direction from Mr. Owens. Now, while I didn't play an instrument, I was in the color gaurd. (I know, I'm looking dorkier and dorkier as this post continues.) He was the teacher who challenged you to give more than your best because you respected him. His lessons were not only that of music and marching but of life. Marching practice at 6am- "To be early is to be on time. To be on time is to be late. To be late is to be sorry."- as he hollered directions into the megaphone for people to stay on step, get in line, etc. In those early morning hours, band practice could be heard miles away, especially when the wind was just right. He taught us to deal with it and move on- "You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear." His life was an example in and of itself. As of now, he and his wife have been married 53 years. She offered unending support- sewing band uniforms, at every event in Gator blue, as an elementary teacher. They together lived the life of God-fearing Christians.

Mr. Owens came to my hometown in 1973, from Oklahoma where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Southeastern Oklahoma State University and later a Master of Music Education degree from North Texas State University. Mr. Owens has forty-five years of experience in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas as well as State Honor Bands in all three states. His Dickinson High School Marching Band advanced to every 4A State Marching Contest, made finals every time and won the State Marching Contest five times. In 1994 the Dickinson Band Hall was renamed the "Don Owens Band Hall", the year he retired from Dickinson. Mr. Owens has held individual offices in Oklahoma and Texas band organizations and has received numerous individual honors. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Bandmasters Hall of Fame, he was the first Texas band director to receive the UIL Denius Sponsor Excellence Award, and he was receive the National Band Association Citation of Merit. He was inducted into the Texas Bandmasters Hall of Fame in July 2010. Less than 1% of high school band directors are inducted into a hall of fame, and Mr. Owens did it twice! The requirements to be considered for induction are incredible- length of service overall, continued service to one school, awards won, etc. Hands down, Mr. Owens earned and deserved these honors.

Recently, some former DHS graduates and Donnie O students organized a banquet honoring Mr. Owens upon his induction into the Texas hall of fame. I was so honored to be able to attend. I know he touched thousands of lives over the course of his career, and there was quite a crowd to prove it. As people shared their stories, you could hear that Mr. Owens was the kind of teacher who truly made a difference beyond the classroom. The director of music in the district found old files while cleaning the band office and found proof of Mr. Owens' dedication to his job. There were only 4 days that Mr. Owens requested off in his 20 years at DHS. One to be pall bearer at the funeral of the father of 4 students, one to be a pall bearer for a former student, one to deal with his father's estate (I don't recall the other). It's incredible to see a good handful of former students who have returned to work in the same district as band directors and teachers at the various levels. At the banquet, the Mayor of Dickinson came by to declare "Mr. Owens Day" for the city. He certainly deserves it!

I can't even begin to express the wonderful memories and experiences of being part of the band program under the direction on Don Owens. At the banquet, I also found out that he and Mrs. Owens live about an hour from me. They invited me to come visit. I may just have to take them up on it.

Since fall doesn't officially start yet

2010-09-02T20:55:00.000-05:00

We're doing what we can to tolerate the 100+ degrees temperature days of August. It was quite hot, still at 100 degrees come 6 in the evening. In August, we had 21 days that crossed 100 degrees, and 5 more days that were 97-99 degress. Talk about HOT!

Good things to do when it's hot:

1) Wash your tractor

2) Drive tractor/4 wheeler in the rain....

...that Daddy makes

3) Race to see who can get across the hot, crunchy-dry grass to the pool first

4) And just lounge around in the pool

Now that we're getting rain again and cool evenings/mornings, I think these pictures are officially the last swim of summer. While I do love the sun and fun of summer, I'm looking forward to the cooler temps in fall, opening the windows to freshen the house, decorating with pumpkins and such, and enjoying the sights, sounds and smells that fall brings.

Birthday Party Circuit

2010-09-01T20:49:00.000-05:00

It seems like we've had a birthday party to attend every weekend! But it sure has been fun celebrating in lots of different ways with lots of friends and family!

Tatum's 6th birthday- All the girls got dress up wings, crowns and dresses. Plus, there were pony rides! Talk about fun!

Marissa's 3rd birthday- at Chuck E Cheese. You can't go wrong with games and pizza!

Popi's 59th birthday cookout

Mallory's 2nd birthday- An ADORABLE ice cream shoppe theme. The buffet of ice cream toppings, the cupcakes that looked like ice cream cones and pink everywhere!

Ryan's 5th birthday at McDonalds- happy meals, cake and playland time. What more could they ask for? (I purposely left my camera at home so I could enjoy visiting with adults while the kids played)

Jacob's 3rd birthday- Toy Story themed (and more details coming later)

Coming this weekend- Cody's 9th birthday at the fire station!

No cavities! But still missing 1 tooth- WW

2010-08-25T07:50:00.000-05:00

First Day of First Grade

2010-08-24T20:54:00.006-05:00

We'd already taken her supplies on orientation night. Found her new classroom- it's upstairs, super exciting. Found her desk and who she sits by. There were workbooks in the desk! Beth's teacher told us the general plan and how it'll be different from kinder. Beth was thrilled to hear she'll get to take tests and have spelling. I love that girl! A long wait over the weekend (with plenty to do, though) until school started on Monday.

The night before, we picked out her clothes (after a few decision changes). She chose her new black polo and new khaki skort. That skort is a size 8, and I'm not sure the length will make it all year. She's so tall! I like to take her measurements to see how much she grows over the school year. She's starting at 48.5" tall and weighed 54 pounds (I'm not so sure that's right, but we'll go with it).

Bright and early, excited to be starting school. Kevin and Beth have breakfast together while I get her lunch packed and make sure her backpack is ready. Of course, Jacob is up early, too. We got everyone dressed and out the door to arrive just in time. Every morning they start out in the gym (1st-12th grades) with pledges and a prayer. Then, they head to their classes. All these grades are in the same building, less than 75 students total.

Waiting to go upstairs- Beth and a few of her church buddies

Here's Beth's class, all 9 of the first graders. Only 1 is new from kindergarten, but Beth knows her from church. Because of the small, close-knit school, 1st and 2nd grades are together in one room, same teacher. The 2nd graders, 5 of them, are on the other side of the room, facing the opposite direction.

Beth had a great first week. Her classroom job was to feed the pet turtles, and she loved it. While they started with water bottles at their desk, that only lasted a week. Too many trips to the potty! They've started a little work, but she's ready for more. She's come home absolutely worn out- all day with no nap is a big change. I know once her body adjusts, she'll be fine. We're trying to get naps on weekend to catch her up. All in all, we're looking forward to a great year!

Jacob had a hard time on the first day, missing his sister. But, now, he's fine with "just Mommy and Jacob" hanging out.

It's beginning to look a lot like....

2010-08-24T20:49:00.007-05:00

getting the stuff ready

(and then, there were 4 tubs of clothes)

JBF time!!!!! It's that time of year again, when I get ready for the biggest consignment sale in Texas, Just Between Friends. Twice a year, I pull out all the clothes and toys and stuff I've stashed away as the kids grew out of it or over it. I clean, sort, package, price and box all these goodies to sell for someone else who's just the right size and age and can't live without it. JBF is THE way to get rid of gently used items and pick up some new fun! The Fort Worth sale is incredible. They're planning this time for about 1000 people who will consign their stuff. Imagine two football fields of clothes, toys and gear you may need or want for children (and maternity), and it's all in there. Literally, there may be 20 of the same baby swing. It's just incredible to see! I love this chance to clean out the closets, toy boxes and garage (where it's been stashed). Then, I get to spend time shopping and hanging out with friends who enjoy JBF as much as I do. So, for the next couple weeks, forgive me as I go into warp mode to get ready and not wait until the last possible minute.

The funny things you can find- WW

2010-08-11T10:45:00.001-05:00

Daddies are fun!- WW

2010-08-04T10:36:00.000-05:00

Big girl moment #2- Loose Tooth

2010-08-03T10:59:00.000-05:00

When Beth was 4, she started asking about when she would lose a tooth. I told her when she was 5, probably while she was in kindergarten. Well, 5 came and went, still no loose tooth. Kindergarten started and finished, still no loose tooth. Poor kid. A couple weeks ago, during her dentist check-up, they told her she had a tooth that was a little loose. Oh, the excitement! Every day, she'd ask me to check how loose it was. We told her to try to be patient, that it would some out when it was ready. I said it would happen before she went to Popi and Yaya's house. Then, the closer her trip got, the more I worried that I'd miss it, that her tooth would come out at Popi and Yaya's house. I didn't want to miss that moment! This last week, she checked out a book at the library about the tooth fairy, wrote the tooth fairy a note (who also wrote one back, telling Beth she would see her soon). The anticipation was too much! While fixing her hair for church Wednesday night (before they were leaving for P&Y the next day), she showed me how she could wiggle it with her tounge. OOOOO!!!! I gave it a wiggle. Yup, it was coming out! I gave it a tug, then Kevin worked on it. That little tooth is so tough to grab with grownup fingers.

Finally, out it came! She didn't whine about it one time. Meanwhile, Jacob says he has a loose tooth, too. Once we got the bleeding stopped and her mouth rinsed out, she couldn't stop grinning. I don't think I've ever seen a smile so big.

We got her tooth ready and into the special tooth fairy bear. Grandma gave Beth that bear, I think when she got her first tooth. That night, we tucked the bear under the corner of her pillow. We talked about how much she might get and that it was the first tooth, making it extra special. She was ready to get to sleep!

Sure enough, the tooth fairy came through! A $5 bill! Lucky girl! She was so proud and excited that she got $5 for her special first tooth. She's looking forward to loosing another one already. It won't be long- the next tooth over is already loose.

Big girl moment #1- The Sleepover

2010-08-02T10:47:00.000-05:00

Kevin and I have talked for a while about when Beth would be old enough to have a friend sleepover. We decided to give it a go. I talked "what if" with Beth- who would she invite, what would they do, would they be nice to Jacob, etc. Little did she know I already made plans for her buddy Faith (who she would have chosen to invite). Faith's mom talked to Faith about keeping it a secret and about sleeping over. They worked out what she would bring- her sleeping bag so she didn't fall off the bed, lots of blankets and pillows, her little game player, etc. Finally, the day arrived. I had Beth clean her room extra good, I kept telling her "no" to getting involved in this or that, all while we were waiting for her friend to arrive. FINALLY, the doorbell rang! I let Beth answer the door when she saw who it was. She asked Faith, "what are you doing here?". Faith had to tell Beth twice that she was staying the night. The look on Beth's face was priceless!

It didn't take long before they were off and playing. Jacob loves all his sister's friends, so I asked the girls to play with Jacob a little, too, and I would give them alone time later. They kindly obliged. They had so much fun playing together. Once they got just girl time, they played each other's game things, made pipe cleaner crafts, got their sleeping bags ready and got jommies on. I settled in with Jacob for a movie, and they eventually came to join us. Faith looked like she was about to crash, so bedtime for all. Even after stories and lights out, the girls giggled for at least an hour. It was so hard to fall asleep for them! Despite the late bedtime, they were up before 7am. I was already looking forward to naptime! I made pancakes for breakfast- they each got their first initial for a pancake shape. It wasn't long before they were full and ready to play. It's a long time of togetherness, all three kids were being testy with each other, so I knew it was time to take Faith home. They really did have a great time together and look forward to another one. Next, Beth will spend the night at Faith's house. Such big girl stuff!

He makes me smile

2010-08-01T10:38:00.003-05:00

While Jacob is full of energy from sun-up to sun-down, challenging me to stay on my toes, he provides some great moments of entertainment.

We recently went to a birthday party at the zoo. When we came back to their house for cake and such, Jacob made himself right at home.

He and his buddy, Mr. Joe got comfy

Can't you just hear the laughter?

Look at his veins popping in his neck because he laughs so hard.

This is a rare moment of calm and quiet. Also a rare moment when I see myself in Jacob (who resembles his Daddy in MANY ways)

What to do???????

2010-07-31T10:25:00.005-05:00

The kids have been shipped off to Popi and Yaya's house for a week. Then, I'll go down to spend a long weekend visiting and drive home with the kids. This is the first time EVER we've been at home without the kids. It's wonderfully quiet!

What are our big plans? Whatever we want! We've already had a hot date out to dinner then grocery shopping at Walmart. See, exciting stuff, huh? Other plans this week:
- catch up on blogs
- clean out the kids' rooms
- regular house chores- laundry, bathrooms, floors, dusting....
- errands, that I can run in half the time without kids and don't have to be back for naps
- exercise
- prep for Just Between Friends consignment sale
- read, maybe at the neighborhood pool
- scrapbook
- watch old movies
But, it will blissfully be done in my time, without extra voices and whining (maybe a little from Kevin).

This is good stuff. Thanks Popi and Yaya!

Wanna Play a Game?- WW

2010-07-21T09:57:00.001-05:00

I love summer!

2010-07-20T13:54:00.005-05:00

The other day, we decided to take the kids to the neighborhood pool for the first time this season. We've been enjoying the little pool in the yard and goodness knows I can't take both kids to the big pool by myself while Kevin's working.

Jacob has a floating suit thing, but he tumps over. I finally found him some floaties, and he was quite pleased (they have sharks on them). Jacob took to the pool like a fish to water. No fear and wanted to do it all by himself. At first, he giggled so much, open-mouthed that he kept swallowing and gagging on the pool water. Eventually, he figured out how to catch and spit it out instead. At bath time that night, he asked for his floaties and told me how much fun he had at the pool. Good stuff!

Beth takes a little longer to warm up to the idea of swimming. I wish we'd gotten out here earlier, but oh well. She swam around with floaties some, then we worked on her real swimming. Oh, the drama! After a while, though, she was getting the hang of it again. Don't worry, we'll get some more practice in.

Then, home for little pool and playing in the yard time. My little water bugs sure had fun! Like our redneck-i-fied pool?

The other day, I was shopping at Target (like that's a surprise), and I found these smaller hula-hoops ("hoop-a-loops" to Jacob) for $1.50 on clearance. OK! It's been fun to watch them try to use them then come up with other games to play with them instead.

Jacob discovered that the water hose is a great microphone. Quite a concert he gave! B-I-B-L-E that all the neighbors must have heard, Zaccheus, Jesus loves me.... Then, Kevin played that age old water hose trick. Jacob didn't get flustered at all and thought it was so funny he asked Kevin to do it again. Silly boy!

Meanwhile, Kevin grilled burgers while we hung out together outside. I think we've had burgers every night for a week since we've been hanging out outside every evening. I love summer!

Wordless Wednesday- Boy Adventures Never Cease

2010-07-14T07:29:00.000-05:00

Zoo much fun!

2010-07-09T12:43:00.000-05:00

I just love having such a great zoo not too far away! June was a great month to be a zoo member. There were special presentations before regular zoo hours on Mondays to go learn more about animals or see their feedings. Since Beth is so interested in snakes, we went up the day the snake keeper was to have a session. While the "presentation" wasn't very exciting, we still had a great time checking out the animals and trying to stay cool!

Another day while Kevin was out of town, we invited our friends Mary and Mallory to spend some zoo time with us. The kids were all so cute being by each other and talking about the animals. Since we went after naps, we spent a nice, not-crowded couple hours at the zoo before they closed. Stopped at a mall for dinner to miss rush-hour traffic. What fun spending time with friends!

The Evolution of a Summer Pool

2010-07-08T12:32:00.006-05:00

Kevin and Beth took a trip to pick up a summer kiddie pool. I was thinking they'd come back with one of those old standard hard plastic type, maybe the one with the slide. I'm told Beth was even given the choice of one of the really big ones that take gallons and gallons of water (but there was something about taking the trampoline down temporarily). Instead, she chose the alligator with a slide in and a slide out. Pretty fun looking!

It didn't long before we realized there just wasn't much room to "swim" with both slides. Off went the slide-out. Much better!

Then, the slide-in went flat. Ok, no big deal, take it off too. Much better! Now, there's room for Beth to stretch out, close her eyes and sing. (I'm sure Yaya is now having a "that sounds like a little girl I used to know" moment) We also put the big hard plastic slide in it once in while for more adventure. Talk about redneck! But, they love it!

Next summer, I'm hoping for a pool at least long enough that I can get in and cool off too. :)

Time changes things- WW

2010-07-07T07:57:00.000-05:00

February 2008

July 2010

The best decision, ever!

2010-07-01T11:00:00.000-05:00

About a month ago, Beth made the best decision she will ever make in her life, an eternal decision. In Sunday school, the teacher asked anyone to raise their hand if they needed to make this decision, and she did. Her heart has been tender to it for a while, knowing that she loved Jesus. It took her asking Jesus to live in her heart to assure that she'll spend eternity in heaven.

For the next few days, out of nowhere, Beth would start singing "I'm saved!" My heart just swelled with pride. She understood it, she meant it with her whole heart, she'd be in heaven one day. How awesome! The first step in obedience to Christ, in her salvation, is to be baptized, to show others that she'd made that decision to be a new person with Jesus in her heart.

On Father's Day weekend, it was her turn. She was a little nervous, but Bro Jim talked her through it. The water was warm, and she got to hold her nose. After church, lots of people told her congratulations, and she liked that. We're so proud of her, with her tender heart, asking Jesus to save her.

Yes, she'll still sin and make choices that don't please God. But what a wonderful God we serve, that He will forgive her. I hope her heart is always tender to listen to God's teachings, to grow in a relationship with Him, to see Him as a friend and wonderful heavenly father. Regardless, I love knowing that when we die, I will see her in heaven, as we praise Jesus together!

The age of accountability, different for every child (or person), is reaching the point where heart and head match, knowing it's more than just saying you love Jesus and singing songs about Him. It's making a choice to follow Him. It doesn't matter how kind or obedient or loving you are to people. God wants us to make the choice to invite Him into our hearts. He's in charge of heaven, and without his permission you don't get in. You can dress and act the part, but you have to be a member. Sounds simple, right? It is! If you want assured membership into heaven, here's what you have to do:

1. Know that God loves you. Above all else, no matter what you've done, no matter what you'll do. He's a Father that knows no bounds of his love. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16. Could you imagine letting your own child die, just to save others? Me either. But, that's how much God loves us.

2. Admit you are a sinner, you've made bad choices. It doesn't mean a criminal, it just means your human-ness is there. "For ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23 Tell God you know you're a sinner. Talk to him like you would a friend.

3. Realize that sin has a price. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23. Our choices, our sins, will come payment-due. Thing is, Jesus paid for them, for OUR sins, with his life. It was a gift, and all we have to do is accept that gift. It's not a strings attached deal. It's ours, for free! "God commandeth his love toward us, that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

4. Just ask! Ask Jesus to be your savior, believing that he forgives you, that you will have eternal life! "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13. Tell him that you know you're a sinner and should pay the price for it. Tell him thank you for loving you and for paying the price for those sins. Tell him you choose to have him live in your heart and change your life for eternity.

If you have more questions about this, please send me a message. I'd be happy to talk to you about it!

Nevermid going to Infinity and Beyond, we're going to Target!- Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

Stand Up

2010-06-29T14:08:00.003-05:00

This is another great church bulletin thing from Father's Day. I just love stories like this!

Jack Eckerd was a businesmann, the founder of Eckerd Drug stores. In the 1980s, he became a Christian thanks to a friend, Chuck Colson. After his conversion, he walked into one of his stores, down the books and magazines aisle. The first thing that caught his eye- Playboy and Penthouse magazines. When he went back to his office, he called the president of the comany and said, "Take those magazines out of the stores." The president reminded Eckerd that those magazines make the company $3 million a year. Still, Eckerd wanted them out. So, in 1700 stores across America, by one man's decision, those magazines were removed. His heart was truly changed by Christ. His friend Colson called him and asked to use the story. He asked Eckerd, "Did you do that because of your commitment to Christ?" Eckerd replied, "Why else would I give away $3 million? The Lord wouldn't let me off the hook." Eckerd later wrote letters to all the drugstore operators, all the other chains and requested they also remove such magazines from their stores. Not one person answered him. He wrote more letters. Meanwhile, Eckerd stores had more customers, simply because the pornographic magazines were gone. Other stores took notice and removed them as well. All the while, the presidential porography commission was meeting in Washington, debating what to do, trying to develop recommendations for the president to consider stemming the tide of pornography. During this, 5000 7-11 stores also removed the magazines. The chairman of 7-11 happened to sit on Eckerd's board of directors and gave into the requests to pull the magazines. In a period of 12 months, 11,000 retail stores in America removed Playboy and Penthouse. They didn't do it because of a law, but because one man was committed to honoring Christ.
~ paraphrased

Whether it be Christian convictions or environmental rights or whatever we feel stongly about, how often do we really stand up for it? Do we keep it to ourselves, just living our lives? Or do we hold someone accountable for their choices too? Do we think we can't make a change in this world because we're just a regular person? Are we too scared of what people will think to do what we know is right?

I'm trying to live my life in such a way that is honoring to God. But, I'm human, and I sometimes fail Him. In my human-ness, I've hurt people's feelings. I've been scrutinized unfairly because I profess to be a Christian. People forget Christians aren't perfect. I'm going to keep doing what I know is right, trying to honor God in my words and my actions. I'm going to stand up for what I believe in. I'm going to make choices that show I won't compromise my beliefs. I want my family and my God to be proud of me.

What will you stand up for?

It was worth it

2010-06-22T21:19:00.007-05:00

Kevin and I celebrated 10 years of wedded adventure this month. To reward ourselves, we took a cruise, just the two of us, 5 days of ocean bliss. No chores, no kids, finishing conversations without interruption- good stuff!!! Even with technology of cel phones and internet available, it was great to disconnect from world and enjoy each other.

For the sake of sanity, we dropped the kids off with one set of grandparents then were allowed to stay at the other grandparents house for the night (even though we didn't bring the kids). We sailed right out of Galveston. I loved watching the brown water change to blue somewhere in gulf. It was just incredible to see the vastness of the small part of the ocean we were in, water as far as the eye could see.

Crusie ships are incredible! Our room was perfect, with a balcony just right to sit and watch the ocean. Every night, with turndown service, we had a cute towell animal on our bed and the schedule of events for the next day. You could keep yourself busy all day or choose to do nothing.

Not only does this ship house about 2000 passengers, but the staff and all the space for activities.

It was no big deal to see this 40s era Rolls Royce parked in the "hall", looking like a hotwheel in comparison to the size of the ship.

There were a few dance clubs, a casino, 3 restaurants, many decks, a mini golf course, a gym, a spa, several kids areas, the main stage area, shops.... Just incredible! Oh, and a library. LOVE IT! I didn't finish my book until the last day, so I never checked out from the library, but it sure was cool.

We never went hungry, to say the least. Pizza and ice cream available 24/7

Meals in various restaurant spots all day long. A tucked away spot with little treats, too. Hey, the strawberries were healthy :) We decided to take the stair everywhere we went, and it was a good thing.

Somewhere along the trip, out in the ocean, while enjoying the view, these little things would pop out of the water, glide along then go back in. Flying fish! How incredible to see! This picture was taken with my big zoom lens, then zoomed digitally. Sometimes, we'd see whole groups of them flying together. Just amazing! When I mentioned it to a cruise staff member later, she said it was the season for them. I feel blessed to have witnessed one of God's unique creatures of the ocean.

This was an incredible trip. I really enjoyed spending time with my husband, celebrating such a milestone. I look forward to many more years of adventures with him. I also look forward to more cruises! :)

More about the stops in another post.....

A science story

2010-06-18T07:36:00.003-05:00

Beth recently made this science story from some things she'd learned in school. Enjoy! Of course, as usual, it won't rotate the pictures.

My sience book. My faveret sience things

God gave us our nose to smell

God gave us our skin to feel (touching the bark on a tree)

God gave us our tung to taste (eating broccoli)

God gave us our eys to see

Committed

2010-06-15T09:34:00.003-05:00

On Sundays, in our church bulletin, there's a story or letter from our preacher. Sometimes it's from his heart, sometimes it's copied. Every now and then, there's something that really makes me think. So, why not share that!

Committed to His Word
The Bible is essential equipment for the human race.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."
God's Word teaches me, rebukes me (repairs my way of thinking), corrects me and trains me in righteousness.

Years ago, the state of Kentucky had a law that every public school classroom post the Ten Commandments. The Supreme Court ruled against the state of Kentucky, ordering them to remove all copies of the Ten Commandments saying, "Having the commandments on the wall may induce a student to read, meditate upon and actually obey what is therein written." Even the Supreme Court realized the Word of God has the power to transform the character of the people who read it.

Would it really be so bad if students read and obeyed the Ten Commandments?

- Copied and summarized

Letter of the week: S

2010-06-11T19:00:00.003-05:00

Oh my, did we have fun learning "S"!

There are so many things you can do with the letter S. I think this has probably been the most successful letter yet!

We always start with coloring the letter and gluing it construction paper, along with pictures of things that start with that letter. That page becomes the placemat of the week. (Sorry it won't rotate)

We read books (some that also have songs we sang)- Snuggle Puppy, Twinkle Little Star, Itsy Bitsy Spider, Stuck in the Mud, Skidamarink

We made art- with stamps, S snake, S spider

We tried to trace the letter, but we have a long way to go with motor skills on that. We found poems and little books about spring and sunflowers. We sorted M&Ms by color. We practiced sign language signs for animals. We practiced shapes (and counting) with these great mini pages designed for color dot stickers or whiteboard magnets. Jacob LOVED the sticker part of this!

We learned a verse (KJV but shortened). It just amazes me how his brain can memorize these already! At the end of the week, we add his verse to a special treasure box of his verses. He already has a handful in there, and he's SOOOO proud to say them for me.

We played games- Straw Hockey, Silly Faces

But of all those fun things, I think this is the one that made the biggest impact. I took boxes from the recycling bucket and some solid color dot stickers. He looked to find the letter "S" on the box and put a sticker on it. From them on, he looks for the letter "S" everywhere- store signs, on clothes, in a book, on movie credits. Just incredible the impact that had!

Sources for our "lessons": No Time for Flashcards, Brittney and Quinn, Alphabet worksheets, Making Learning Fun and I'm sure I'm forgetting the others at the moment

Kindergarten graduation

2010-06-10T19:00:00.000-05:00

I was expecting some cute little ceremony, but it was quite a production! The kids showed off the things they learned about in class during the year- phonics sounds, math facts, daily routine, fun songs. Each student had a part to play, usually more than one. We were pretty proud of Beth. She loved playing teacher, using the pointer to lead the kids in a phonics chart.

They were supposed to keep it secret what they were doing in the play, and she did a great job. Although, looking back, I know why she was singing some of the songs I didn't usually hear her sing :) After all the performing and a quick sermon, the official graduation part began. As you would expect with 5 and 6 year olds, it was funny watching them trying to remember which hand to shake with and how to move the tassle.

Hard to believe she's a first grader now! Thank you Mrs. Amenell. You did a great job loving and teaching the kiddos. You will always be special to us, as Beth's first teacher.

Then, of course, what's a celebration without some Mexican food?!

It was wonderful to have both sets of grandparents with us for this special day and around the table all enjoying each other. It was a great day!

End of year zoo trip

2010-06-09T19:00:00.000-05:00

On the last day of school, Beth's class went to the zoo. One of the things I love about her going to a small close-knit school is that so many brothers, sisters and even friends from other classes were able to tag along on this trip.

We had quite a crew- PreK3, PreK4 and Kinder, plus some parents and extra kiddos. Kevin had been out of town all week, flew in that morning and met us at the zoo. We were so happy to have him join us too!

Beth sure had fun with her friends! We finally got to see the new MOLA exhibit, which is basically the new reptile house. Beth is still fascinated by snakes and such. The kids had a chance to pet a live snake. Neither of mine hesitated for a minute! Jacob wanted to see the elephants and loved that one was playing in the pool.

It was a hot and unusually humid day for north Texas, but we still had a blast. As we headed to the exit to meet back up with everyone, we got to see this new baby animal and its momma. When we walked up, the baby was only about 15 minutes old and still wobbly on its legs. How precious!

What a great ending to an exciting first year of school!

For your listening pleasure

2010-06-08T20:48:00.002-05:00

Especially for Grandma, so you can hear it whenever you like.

You Always Want What You Don't Have (aka The effects of sponge rollers)- WW

2010-06-02T11:20:00.000-05:00

Before

After

Taken April 2010

"Beth, smell"- Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-26T12:01:00.000-05:00

Beth's Kindergarten year in review

2010-05-25T10:40:00.000-05:00

During this school year, Beth grew 3 inches (from 45 to 48 inches) and gained about a pound(from 44.4 to 45.6 pounds). I think she also gained some wisdom and perspective, dealing with other kids who are different and behave differently than she does. She is still a tender-hearted, empathetic person. God is growing her every day!

playing on the school playground, 2 days before school ended

The thing I like best about school...

writing in cursive

Who are your best friends? What do you like about them most?

Faith and Nadia

I don't know (whining)

Why do you like your teacher?

She liked us. She taught us new things.

When I grow up, I want to be...

a teacher, just like her

After school, I like to...

play at home

My favorite sport is...

gymnastics

My favorite book is...

The Lighthouse family series- The Whale

My favorite tv show and movie is...

My favorite movie is Cinderella

My favorite cartoon character is...

Snoopy

Some of my favorite songs are...

I'm thankful to be an American

The Price of Freedom

(can you tell her choir is working on 4th of July songs?)

What makes me laugh is...

Daddy

My favorite hobby is...

color

I amaze everyone when I...

tell them I'm saved
(more about this coming in another post)

On weekends, I like to...

go to church

What was your favorite thing that our family did together this year?

my birthday party

What are you looking to about first grade?

Meeting my new teacher (she already knows her, but still...)

Whew!!

2010-05-24T21:19:00.005-05:00

My goodness, the end of the school-year is nuts! Beth finished up her kindergarten school-year last week. First of all, it's hard to believe it's already over. Secondly, that makes her officially a first grader. Oh my! I love that I have been able to attend every field trip and special event with her, Jacob along too. And, thanks to the flexibility in Kevin's job (and access to him through technology), he's been able to join us too. What a blessing to be part of the fun!

At the award ceremony, Beth was presented with an award for Excellence in Reading. I'm so proud of her. She absolutely loves to read! She's soaking up books about snakes, dinosaurs, Titanic, tornadoes, volcanoes...not to mention great stories. I'm so proud to have a reader. That's the nerd in me. I guess she took after me in something, if not her looks. :)

Beth earned a field trip to Peter Piper Pizza for accomplishing her fundraiser goal of selling 15 items. Turns out, of the 12 kids who earned it, 7 were from her class. Wow. So, a morning away from school, learning how pizza is made, playing games and then eating the pizza they "designed" (picked out their own toppings).

Another great activity was Family Fun Day. Wow! That was some day. Every class had a shirt color. Family members were invited to the school for the day. It was really neat to see some parents wearing the class' color. There were TONS of activities- water balloon war, bubbles galore, bounce house, water "park", and a few carnival type games. After all that fun was lunch with burgers and hot dogs. Thankfully, the big storm held off until after Beth's class got through the lunch line and into the building. Jacob had a great time too. I really love that Beth's classmates are so kind and welcoming to him.

On the last week of school, Beth's first field trip was to a local campground, that just happens to be part of the Jellystone park group. So, a morning on a new playground, then a hayride with Yogi Bear. Sadly, most of the kids didn't know who Yogi Bear was before that trip. Since then, my kids have watched a Yogi cartoon. Yogi sang songs with the kids, and they were quite impressed that he knew "Jesus loves me". Then, a picnic lunch (away from Yogi, so he didn't take them). Those kids were a hoot- moving their seats, boys away from girls, sit-by-me-no-me issues... all for kindergarteners! Full bellies, some extra silly behavior and a BIG skinned knee later, it was time to go home for naps.

It's been a great year. She loved school. We can't wait to see what adventures 1st grade will bring!

Other posts of end of year fun coming soon:

Graduation

Last Day Zoo trip

Treasures found!- Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-12T08:18:00.002-05:00

Party time!

2010-05-11T14:30:00.000-05:00

Ok, so yet another post I failed to put up a month ago. Can I be forgiven since I'm doing two posts in one day?

Beth had her 6th birthday party at Buffalo Nickel- a putt putt and arcade place in town. SO much fun! It gets kinda old going to the same bounce houses and pizza places. I'm so glad she was up for going somewhere new.

Everyone played putt-putt (except me- cuz you know Mommy had to be hostess).

Some were more serious than others.

But, everyone had a blast!

We came inside to cool off and play in the arcade.

Then, cake and present time! Woohoo!!!! Beth had picked Care Bears for her cake and even offered to give Jacob the boy Care Bear toy.

She had so much fun- everybody did, really. Those 4 of you who read the blog, who also happened to be there, thanks for being a part! There's nothing like celebrating another year of her precious life with precious friends and family.

The perfect day for an outing

2010-05-11T13:43:00.000-05:00

We headed to the newly remodled Fort Worth Museum of Science for the day.

Ok, so that was a month ago. Sorry it's taken so long. Umm, it's not like I have anything to do besides blog, you know :)

Ok, back to the story. We'd tried to go to the museum a month ago but couldn't find a parking space. Beth was quite disappointed that day. So, today, no problem with parking, she was thrilled. Beth has been very interested in learning about dinosaurs lately. How perfect that there's a fantastic dino exhibit! Beth was ready with her notepad and pencil to do "research".

This museum is really more like a children's museum, with all the interactive stuff. We measured bones, looked at fossils in a microscope, put together dinosaur bone puzzles.... Jacob wasn't too pleased to get into the footprint replica (found in Texas!)

But, the best part of the dinosaur fun was outside. A fossil-dig! We had "shovels" and paintbrushes to dig and brush away the sand until we uncovered a bone. So cool!

Then, back inside for more adventures. In the children's area, we played with trains and grocery shopped, walked an "obstacle" course and spun tops. In the tinker area, we built a musical pinball course, used wind to push a sail-car and played with tinker toys. In another interactive area, we chose the craft room. Jacob tried stamps and marker toys and then just enjoyed attaching tissue paper to his page. Beth made a birthday hat (supposedly in honor of Jane Goodall's birthday).

After a stop for lunch in the cafe, we headed upstairs to the western area. How can a museum in Texas not have a tribute to cattle and the western fronteir?

Tucked into a little room were "horses" to ride while you herded cattle into the pen. Both kids had a blast on these!

At the end of the exhibit was a display about what products we use that come from cattle. I'm quite amazed. Needless to say, no part of a cow is wasted. Then, down the hall, we found the temporary exhibit- CSI. I love the CSI shows. Not for the gore, but for the nerdy scientist part of the show. It was fun, for a little while. We had tired kiddos, so we didn't finish the investigation. A last stop at the gift store with their Easter money. I couldn't believe that Beth didn't find anything she had to have. She chose to spend her money at Target later. Jacob found a giant snake and a spaceship. Perfect ending to a great day out as a family!

It's good to be the mommy

2010-05-04T10:43:00.004-05:00

My sweet little artist has been very busy with her artwork. It usually centers around the upcoming holiday. Since Mother's Day is next, I've been getting lots of sweet cards. These are the best parts of them!

Despite the tough days, tantrums, illnesses, long nights, and all the other things moms have to deal with, I wouldn't trade my job for the world. It's these sweet moments that make it all worthwhile. The hugs, the snuggles, the unprompted "I love you", the laughs as they discover the world and try to explain themselves. Life is good! I'm so blessed to be a mommy!

I love spring (Wordless Wednesday)

2010-04-28T09:46:00.003-05:00

Let the Games Begin

2010-04-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

Oops, I kinda forgot about a few posts waiting in the wings. Sorry.

Last month, Beth participated in Sparks-a-rama. Sparks is Beth's age level of the AWANA program from church (a great program with Bible lessons, scripture memory and fun games). This is the first year our church took a group to participate in the Sparks game competition.

(my friend and I made the banner!)

It was a LONG day, but the kids had fun. We were at the church, Beth loaded on the bus at 6:30am. Yikes! The leaders fed the kids donuts and kolachies. Yummy! By the time we got to the SMU campus, where the even was held, the kids were anxious to get started.

Poor things, they had to wait a long time, an eternity to their little selves, until their turn. We watched the bigger kids compete in their games. The little kids kept asking if it was time for them. Poor things. It's hard to be little and have to wait so long. The big kids competed in two rounds in the morning. Our group won first place for their area!!!! After lunch, they also moved onto semi-finals and then finals, placing 2nd overall, out of about 30 churches. Way to go kids!

Meanwhile, we took the little ones out for their lunch and to burn off a little energy. It was a nice warm spring day and the silly kids all wanted to sit by the fence in the shade.

After a sermon/presentation, it was finally time for the Sparks to get ready. They were so excited! They played a variety of games of speed, teamwork, balance and just plain fun! For our section, about 6 churches, they placed 2nd. For the overall competition, they placed 4th out of about 20 churches. Not bad for their first competition!After the Spark competition, the bigger kids had their semi-final round. Beth was worn out and hungry. It was a long day for a kid who usually gets a nap. I was out of snacks, the concession stand was closed. She asked to go home. I'm so glad I drove and didn't ride the bus! We made a Mickey-D stop, and she devoured a happy meal. She almost fell asleep, but not quite. It was a fun day. Next year, I'll make sure to pack lots more snacks and a coloring book (I had taken travel games this time, but they got old quick).

Life's Greatest Adventures

Conversation with Jacob

The Truth in the Tinsel

Battle of the Ages- Wordless Wed.

More elf adventures

Merry Christmas!

A Visit to Santa

Who is this one for?- Wordless

Elf Shennanigans

Meet Joy

The joy of the season

American Wish List

Interesting statistics

The longest birthday celebration ever

To my sweet 4 year old

Sorry (and a little treat)

2nd grade

The reason you have kids

"Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life" ~Picasso

My how they've grown

Surprise!

What a day!

Just keep swimming

Real camping

Campout

Wanna play Memory- Jacob style?w

Beth's year in review

Disney on my mind

Dallas Aquarium

Birthday Fun

One Tough Cowboy- Wordless Wednesday

To my little girl

Timestamp 5:58pm- Wordless Wednesday

Zoo trip!

Signs of Spring (Wordless Wednesday)

Saddest Letter I've Ever Read

Computer Time

Snow! Snow! Snow! Snow! Snow!

It's cold out there!

Budding Artist

Moving on

Prayer Changes Things

It still looks a lot like Christmas

Everybody likes a good ghost story

A Visit to Santa

Thanksgiving 2010

Being Thankful

Who am I?

Family Pictures

We *heart* That big red bullseye store

Random

Round Up

Halloween 2010

Just one more cup

Aroma from the Grinder

The Perfect Blend

The most magical place on earth

A week of family fun

The Greatest Show on Earth

Still time to shop JBF Fort Worth

Busy, Busy, Busy (Updated)

Honoring Mr. Owens

Since fall doesn't officially start yet

Birthday Party Circuit

No cavities! But still missing 1 tooth- WW

First Day of First Grade

It's beginning to look a lot like....

The funny things you can find- WW

Daddies are fun!- WW

Big girl moment #2- Loose Tooth

Big girl moment #1- The Sleepover

He makes me smile

What to do???????

Wanna Play a Game?- WW

I love summer!

Wordless Wednesday- Boy Adventures Never Cease

Zoo much fun!

The Evolution of a Summer Pool

Time changes things- WW

The best decision, ever!

We heart That big red bullseye store