Reflections in the Pond

Diligence Revisited

2012-01-26T17:22:00.000-06:00

Have you ever had a time in your life when the same topic or idea keeps coming up over and over again and you finally clue in that God is trying to get your attention?

I can point back to numerous times in my life when that has been my experience. It usually means that God wants my obedience in a certain area that is lacking. I can specifically remember the way the idea of adoption kept falling in my lap out of nowhere, or so it seemed, until I finally got the message. Keith was a part of that one, too, of course. God worked on both of our hearts for some time before we finally submitted to His will for us. Little did we know the countless lessons and blessings that would be ours through the awesome adventure that awaited us.

There have been other times as well. I can be a little slow when it comes to seeing the obvious.

Yesterday I posted some verses that God had impressed upon my heart about the need for me to be diligent in teaching my kids and others about the goodness of God. It was the idea of diligence that struck me.

Today, I was studying the beginning of Psalm 119 and this verse jumped out like it was in bold print.

"You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently." ~ Psalm 119:4

So, not only does God tell us to diligently teach His precepts to those following behind us, but He has commanded us to diligently keep those very precepts ourselves.

What exactly does it mean to be diligent?

"Diligence: constant and earnest effort to accomplish what is undertaken; persistent exertion of body or mind." ~ Dictionary.com

Constant...really? Earnest...really? All the time and with real effort. That's what it means. Not a haphazard attempt to throw it in here and there as you go through your day with your kids, or at work, or wherever. Not a life of obedience when it's convenient for us or when it's easy. It is a purposed, concentrated, "persistent exertion of body or mind." I would go so far as to say body and mind since we fight daily battles in both arenas.

The psalmist was obviously struck with this idea of diligence, too, as he followed that statement with this one.

"Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!" ~Psalm 119:5

As I purpose to teach my kids each day, I must remember the importance, the necessity, of keeping God's statutes faithfully and living them out in front of others. Otherwise, my words mean nothing. My prayer is that those following after me will see someone that preaches what they practice. That I may, in all honesty, tell them to follow me as I follow Christ.

As I've thought on this today, I've really been astounded at the depth of this one word that God has impressed upon my heart. If one word of His can have so much impact, it is easy to see how we will be able to study and dwell on the Bible for all eternity without exhausting it's depths.

Diligence

2012-01-25T09:55:00.001-06:00

In my quiet time this morning I was reminded of the importance, actually the absolute necessity, of being diligent in passing on the ways of the Lord to our children and the generations that follow after us.

Moses communicated God's message to His people in the book of Deuteronomy.

"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up." ~ Deut. 6: 5-7

Most of us are familiar with this passage in Deuteronomy but the thing that really spoke to me this morning came from a couple of follow on passages.

"Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, and had known all the deeds of the LORD which He had done for Israel." ~ Joshua 24:31

Obviously the people were following God's command up to this point. However, by the time Joshua died, someone--many actually--had dropped the ball.

"Then Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of one hundred and ten...All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel." ~ Judges 2:8 & 10

I would contend that they didn't know the LORD or what He had done because no one told them. The really disturbing part is what immediately follows those verses in Judges.

"Then the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals, and they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who where around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the LORD to anger." ~ Judges 2:11-12

In one generation, the elders had failed to pass on their knowledge of God and the consequences were devastating. The people did evil in God's sight, served the Baals, forsook the LORD, followed other gods, bowed down to them, ultimately provoking the LORD to anger. We see this playing out all around us, and I have to wonder at what point God will say "enough".

Although our culture looks like the people of Israel who did not know the LORD, I don't want that to be said of my family. My prayer this morning is that I will be diligent about sharing with them all that God has written on my heart and done in my life and that has to start with me knowing those things myself.

"Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil." ~ Ephesians 5: 15-16

Blessings

2011-05-19T12:23:00.005-05:00

I started this blog to chronicle the blessings in my life. There are many more of them than what I am faithful to get into print on these pages. Often, I would rather spend the time enjoying my blessings than writing about them.

Lately I've heard a song referred to many times. I had never heard the song until recently and now I'm hearing it everywhere. Today, I took the time to really listen to the lyrics. All I can say is WOW!

Last year, Keith and I read through Randy Alcorn's book, If God is Good, together. It was one of the best books I have ever read. This song echoes the truths in Alcorn's book.

Sometimes the blessings in life most certainly do come through trials, pain, and tears. I am grateful for all of God's blessings and was moved to share this song today out of thankfulness for them...however they come.

I can, in all honesty, say that some of the sweetest blessings in my life have come through very difficult times. I am so thankful that God knows what I need and is faithful to carry me through the difficulties to see the blessings.

Blessed Beyond Measure

2011-03-09T12:57:00.005-06:00

When I first started this blog I said that I was going to use it to chronicle the blessings in my life. I have been blessed beyond measure and I'm thankful to God for each and every one.

Today is my husband's birthday. God has given me a rich treasure in the man with whom I share my life. He is more than my husband, he is my best friend. He is a man of honor and integrity, a faithful provider for our family, a caring father to our children, a hard worker, a diligent teacher, and many other things.

The thing I am most thankful for is that he is a loyal follower of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and a son of the Most High God. There is no one that I would rather spend time with doing something we both enjoy or doing nothing at all other than just being together.

He has led our family, he has taught me much, and I am better because of him. James 1:17 says "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights..." and while I know Keith is not perfect, he is perfect for me and he is indeed a good gift.

You may think this blog post over the top but too many people only say these things about their loved ones when it is too late for them to hear it and I want my husband to know what I think of him now. He is one of my greatest blessings on this earth and so, today, I say "Happy Birthday, Keith! I am blessed beyond measure to be your wife and I thank God for each new day! I love you!"

Memories - Old and New

2011-01-13T20:35:00.004-06:00

Last night I worked in the nursery at church. It was a fairly easy time since most of the children seemed a bit mellower than usual and the normal nursery time was shortened by a baptismal service that was planned for 7:45.

I was enjoying the time chatting with my friend, Stephanie, and as we watched the kids play, Stephanie got up to get something and her precious son, Hudson, went running across the room after her. Watching his little feet patter across the floor transported me back 21 years. The way his feet hit the ground as he hurried across the room looked just like my oldest son, Jeremy, when he was that age. It's weird, how the years can just melt away with the funniest things carrying you to another time and place.

Jeremy, 2 years old

We have a new memory to add to the bank from last evening. Our youngest child, Kara, was baptized last night. It was a sweet time. Kara asked Jesus to be her Savior last summer. We have had several baptisms at church since that time but because it meant putting her face under the water, she was hesitant to "take the plunge". When our pastor announced that there would be a baptism service in January, Kara decided she was ready...no prodding from us.

As we prepared for last night, she never mentioned anything about putting her face in the water, so neither did I. She went into the whole thing with such an excitement and joy and I was equally excited for her. She had to read her testimony in front of the church beforehand and my heart could have burst as I listened to her and marveled over the change that God has wrought in this little one's life over the last 5 years.

For those of you that don't know Kara, or haven't known her since we brought her home 5 1/2 years ago, let me explain what she was like in those early months and even years. When she was placed in my arms in China on July 6th, 2005, she immediately went into an emotional shutdown . For the first few days, I was a little concerned about her blank stares and lack of any definable emotion. I knew that this was a normal reaction under the circumstances but it was still disconcerting to be watching it lived out right in front of me.

Slowly, very slowly, over that first week, I believe she began to understand, as well as an 8 month old can, that I was not a bad person and that she could "trust" me to take care of her needs. She began to show me brief glimpses of the little soul behind the blank and distant stares. Oh, the memories of those early days still tug at my heart. Those bittersweet moments of loving her so deeply and wondering desperately what I could do to convey that to her and let her know that she was now safe and would be ours forever...that she would never have to be alone again.

When I brought Kara home, she was afraid of a lot of things, one of the most apparent was men. And I brought her home to a house full of them. She formed a fairly quick attachment to me and if I was in the room she was usually attached to my hip. She could function without me, if she couldn't see me, but there was no comfort in that for her. She was markedly detached whenever she was held by Keith or one of the boys in those early days.

If anyone at church tried to talk to her, she would bury her head in my shoulder and act as if she were thinking "I'm not really here, please just ignore me". As the months passed and she got a little older, as soon as the worship service was over on Sunday morning, she would immediately pick up my stuff and hand it me and say "Can we go home now?" Home was her favorite place...her comfort zone. Everything else was a walk on the wild side to her and it was obvious that she wasn't very fond of the wild side.

Kara never seemed to enjoy the nursery at church. I usually ended up staying with her, or she came with me to Adult Sunday School and worship. Just before her 3rd birthday she moved out of the nursery and started going to a program called Patch the Pirate on Wednesday evenings at church. She could go in with Emma so there was some comfort in that for her. After the first week of Patch she was eager to go back. After a few weeks, she would go on her own without me having to walk her to class. I don't really understand what caused the changes we were about to see in her, but I am confident that it was a work of the Lord.

Slowly, over the next 6 months, we watched the butterfly emerge from her crysallis. She found her wings and began to fly. Actually, I'm not sure that even describes the transformation we witnessed. It was like watching a flower bloom, each petal unfolding...one at a time...manifesting a thing of beauty with the sweetest aroma.

The first time I saw her crawl up into Keith's lap voluntarily, and then saw the look on his face, I could have wept for absolute joy. She was learning to trust in our love and it was such a beautiful thing. When he picks her up now and she wraps her whole body around him with a big old bear hug...well, I don't even have words for the thankfulness that wells up in my heart.

God has done a work in her. She is an amazing creature...created by a God that loves her and loves us. And we are blessed to call her our own.

I share all of this so that you can understand my amazement, joy, and utter gratefulness to God as I stood there last night and witnessed her read her testimony aloud to the whole church, climb into the pool, and conquer her fear of the water covering her face. She did look a little nervous as she clung to our pastor's arm because she couldn't touch the bottom of the pool; but, oh, the smile of sheer delight when she came up out of that water... buried in the likeness of Christ's death...raised to new life in Him. It doesn't get any better than that!

Veteran's Day Revisited

2010-11-12T07:22:00.018-06:00

I spent some time last night thinking about Veteran's Day, especially with regard to my husband and my children. When our sons were all very young, they were not fond of the military because to them it meant endless goodbyes and having daddy gone for months at a time. They are much older now and understand better the necessity of what their father was doing but sometimes I wonder if they understand the sacrifices that he made to do it.

They know that they missed their daddy terribly when he was gone but, oh, how he missed them. His job required his missing some of their childhood "milestones". Those are things that can never be gotten back. That's hard for a dad.

Through those months, the boys had to watch their mother deal with things she wouldn't normally have had to. It is a hard thing for a dad/husband to have to hear about those things from the other side of the planet and not be able to rush home and fix whatever was broken or just to hold his wife if she was what was broken at the time.

Military wives know that major things seem to happen when their men are deployed. Many times, in our case, Tyler would have a major asthma attack or someone else would get really sick. Oh, what a challenge for a dad to be so far away when those he loves are really ill...when all he wants in the world is to hold them, comfort them, and be with them through it. To wait days for an update to know if they are better or worse...perhaps only those who have been far away from family for an extended period of time understand the depths of that ache.

These are just a few of the small sacrificies their daddy made because he loved them, because he loved his country, and because it is how God created him. But there were bigger ones as well. The kids and I are so grateful that Keith was not called to the ultimate sacrifice of giving his life but many close to him were. He was pulled off a plane in Germany, on his way home from yet another deployment, and handed a piece of paper with the words "F-16 crash, Aviano AB" written on it and instantly knew that his best friend had made that ultimate sacrifice for all of us. Just a year later, he got word of the death of another very dear friend just 2 days before Keith was to deploy making it impossible for him to even attend his friend's memorial service. Such burdens are difficult for most of us to fathom.

I do not write this blog entry as a chastisement to my children or to myself for not understanding. I write it as a reminder to us all that there are many sacrifices, large and small, being made by our military members and their families day in and day out. I know that my children missed out on some big things with their dad when they were young, but it was necessary. It's very easy to focus on ourselves and not think about the flipside. Without the sacrifices of these individuals, we would not enjoy the freedom that we do today.

I am married to an incredible man and I know that there are countless others out there like him who make these sacrifices daily without comment or complaint. They don't ask for our thanks. They do it because it is who they are, it is what they have been called to do.

I, for one, am so grateful for that. And so, to my husband, Keith, and to the rest...THANK YOU! Thank you for being who you are and for being willing to die... for me.

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." ~John 15:13

Encouragement

2010-10-16T09:02:00.010-05:00

I saw this on our local home school loop this morning and was encouraged to remember why I do what I do and exactly what my goal should be in home schooling my kids. Sometimes I lose sight of the important things in the pursuit of the academic goal. I'm sharing it in hopes that it will be a gentle reminder to others as well.

1 Corinthians 13 for Home Schoolers
Though I teach my children how to multiply,
divide, and diagram a sentence,
but fail to show them love,
I have taught them nothing.
And though I take them on numerous field trips,
to swim practice and...flute lessons;
and though I involve them in every church activity,
but fail to give them love,
I profit nothing.
And though I scrub my house relentlessly,
run countless errands,
and serve three nutritious meals every day,
but fail to be an example of love,
I have done nothing.
Love is patient with misspelled words
and is kind to young interrupters.
Love does not envy high SAT scores
of other home school families.
Love does not claim to have
better teaching methods than anyone else,
It is not rude to the fourth telephone caller
during a science lesson,
does not seek perfectly behaved geniuses,
does not turn into a drill sergeant,
thinks no evil about friends' educational choices.
Love bears all my children's challenges,
believes all my children are God's precious gifts,
hopes all my children establish
permanent relationships with Christ,
and endures all things
to demonstrate God's love.
Love never fails.
Where there are college degrees, they will fail;
where there is knowledge, it will vanish away.
For we know in part and we teach in part.
But when the trials of life come to our children,
the history, math, and science will be done away
and faith, hope and love will remain;
but the greatest of these is love.

~Arthur Unknown

Looking Back

2010-05-31T00:01:00.011-05:00

Today is Memorial Day. On this day we honor those that have given their lives in service to our country to insure the freedoms that we enjoy. I am, indeed, thankful for what they have done and for the sacrifices their families have made and the pain that they have endured on our country's behalf.

Memorial Day 2010 is special to me for another reason as well. Twenty-five years ago today my father escorted me down the aisle of the United States Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel into the waiting arms of my husband-to-be.

A year earlier, as I toured the chapel for the first time, I had told my mom that I wanted to have my wedding there someday. I certainly wasn't thinking it would happen less than a year later but on May 31, 1985, there I was.

All of you that know my husband know that he is the writer in the family. I wish that I could convey my thoughts and all that is in my heart like he does. Since I lack his eloquence, I want to share a poem that I came across recently that captures the very essence of my thoughts and emotions on this most special of Memorial Days.

To my Dear and Loving Husband by Anne Bradstreet

If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were lov'd by wife, then thee.
If ever wife was happy in a man,
Compare with me, ye women, if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold
Or all the riches that the east doth hold.
My love is such that rivers cannot quench,
Nor ought but love from thee give recompence.
Thy love is such I can no way repay.
The heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
Then while we live, in love let's so persevere
That when we live no more, we may live ever.

This poem could not speak more from my soul if I had written it myself.

I began this blog as a means of journaling all of the blessings in my life. Next to the saving grace of Jesus and His work in my life, the greatest blessing that God has bestowed upon me is that of my sweet husband.

For twenty-five years now he has loved me, protected me, provided for me, taught me, been my best friend and constant companion (except when the Air Force deemed otherwise), encouraged me when I needed it, lifted me up when I was down, and held my hand through it all, the good, the bad, and the ugly...just as he vowed to.

Over the last few months we have had the pleasure of watching our oldest two sons embark on their own journeys into the adventure of married life. It has been exciting to witness the occasions as they exchanged vows with their brides. It brought back some wonderful memories of that day in 1985 as I stared into the eyes of my groom.

I can honestly say, given the opportunity, I would marry my husband all over again...a thousand times ten thousand times. He is the love of my life and I am truly blessed to have him beside me as we walk this journey together.

This last year has been quite the roller coaster for us but, through it all, God has taught us to love one another better...more deeply...more completely...more unconditionally. For that, I am eternally grateful.

And so, today, I am praising God for the way He has blessed my life through this man. I am thankful that He has given us these last twenty-five years and I pray that He will give us many more to enjoy together.

To my husband...Keith, thank you for loving me with all that that entails. There is truly no one else on this earth that I would rather spend my life with. You are my HERO!!! I am yours for as long as God gives us on this earth and I am so glad that you are mine!

"I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine". ~Song of Solomon 6:3

Happy Anniversary Keith! I look forward to the future with you by my
side.

Can you hear me now? A call to modesty.

2010-05-04T16:00:00.002-05:00

My husband wrote a blog post last week and addressed it specifically to dads. Dads definitely have a responsibility here but so do moms and maybe even more so.

It is our responsiblity to set the example for our daughters. Please take the time to read his post if you have girls or even if you don't or even if you have no children at all.

God created men to have their attention grabbed through their eyes--and it is good. God said so! It is our responsibility as Christian women not to take advantage of that. Think of the men out there that we cause to struggle day in and day out because of our attire. Think of your sons or your friend's sons or the young men in your church. Or the older men.

It's an easy fix, ladies. Cover up! No, i'm not advocating the burqa but a camisole or tank top under a sundress or low cut top goes a long way. A good friend mentioned last week that she teaches the girls in her youth group to wear those low cut tank tops backwards under their clothes. Great idea! Thanks Jori! The point is that you can still look beautiful and quite fashionable without causing the men around you to struggle.

As a wife and the mom of four young men, this grieves my heart. Society would have us believe that we have a right to dress however we like and that it is the man's responsibility to "just deal with it". That is not what Scripture says. It is our responsibility to not cause our brother to stumble, to not defraud the men around us. If you disagree with this, it is not me that you disagree with.

For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification. So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you.

~1 Thessalonians 4:3-8

Think about your husband. Just try to imagine, in our culture, what he is faced with day in and day out. It starts with us, ladies. If we are not willing to swim against the current, if we do not set the example for our children, if we do not teach our daughters the "why" of it all, then we are not the wives and mothers that God calls us to be.

We have a responsibility and it is not to bare our cleavage in some "I am woman, hear me roar" show of feminist ideology and immodesty. We have a responsibility to God Almighty to honor Him with our bodies first and foremost.

When we do that, we will greatly bless the men we so dearly love.

My babies are growing up!

2010-05-04T09:39:00.006-05:00

Kara lost her first tooth yesterday! She was so excited. She immediately went to the growth chart on our kitchen wall to see if she had gotten taller. Too cute!

My oldest baby, Jeremy, turns 23 today and my youngest is losing her teeth. The years are falling off the calendar at an amazing pace. I am so thankful for my family and all of the milestones that God has allowed me to witness.

Answered Prayers

2010-03-06T22:00:00.002-06:00

I'm sitting here tonight with a "to do" list a mile long. Drew will be married by this time next week with Jeremy's wedding to follow 5 weeks later. Keith, Tyler, and Austin are out tonight celebrating with Drew and some wonderful men from our church. I have put my sick girls to bed and the house is unusually quiet. And so I sit and ponder instead of tackling the cleaning that needs to be done. Oh well, the dust and grime will still be there when I get around to it. Funny how that happens...it never cleans itself.

Anyway, I started this blog as a blessings list of sorts but I have done a poor job of keeping up with it. These last few months have been filled with things that make one really search to find the blessings, and maybe I won't even see them until some time yet future. Nonetheless, I could not let this season pass with out recognizing the blessings that are, oh, so obvious.

Years ago, even before our boys were born, Keith and I began praying for their future spouses. We prayed, even when they were toddlers, that somewhere out in this big ol' world, God would be raising up little girls in godly families that would grow to be godly women to someday make wonderful wives for our sons.

Today I attended a bridal shower for a God-crafted answer to prayer. As I sat across from Alicia (Drew's fiance) and listened to some of my dearest friends whisper about how beautiful she is, I was overcome with thankfulness to God. Alicia is beautiful on the outside, but so much more important than that, she is beautiful on the inside. She has been raised in a family that knows the Lord, and her heart for Him evidences that. She knows that she is an answer to our prayers because we have shared that with her. I am so thankful that God has chosen such a one to be Drew's bride. She is a blessing!

Besides the wedding, this next week will hold another special moment for me. On Friday, I will finally get to meet another answer to our prayers, Jeremy's fiance, Tiffany. They will be coming in from Colorado for Drew and Alicia's wedding. We were supposed have met Tiffany the week after Christmas but our trip was cancelled due to a surprise blizzard and family illness. I'm looking forward to having the opportunity to share with Tiffany face to face, that she embodies God's well-designed answered to prayer.

I have seen pictures of Tiffany and so I know that she, too, is a physically beautiful young woman and though I have not yet met her, I am certain that she is truly beautiful on the inside as well. How do I know? Because I know my son. I know what Jeremy has always wanted in a wife, and I know that he has always had very high standards for the one that he would eventually share his life with. I can't wait to be able to blog again after next week and share what I will then be able to speak of first-hand. I am looking forward to the meeting, to being able to wrap my arms around another of God's sweet, sweet blessings in my life.

My boys have chosen well. I am so excited for them...for the adventure they are about to embark upon. I am so thankful for a God who hears and answers our prayers. He is GOOD, and He loves to give GOOD things to His children.

How cool is that!

My Chatterbox

2009-11-14T14:32:00.005-06:00

Trip to Grandma and Grandpa's House

Two cups of coffee - $Free from home :)

One tank of gas - $60.00

One McDonald's lunch - $6.00

2 1/2 hours in the car with my daughters - Priceless

Kara, who is normally the quiet one, was quite the little chatterbox today as we made the drive from Wichita Falls to Plano. I thought I would share some excerpts from our conversation. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

About 1/2 hour into the trip...

Kara: Are we still in Texas?
Me: Yes we are.
Kara: Well Texas sure is a big world.

Kara: Would it be funny if those cows over there were dancing in the middle of the field?
Almost immediately followed by...
Kara: Mommy, do you remember when we saw that buffalo poop?
Which was followed up with...
Kara: I smell a skunk. I think it must be skunk time. Mama, how can we smell a skunk in the car?
Me: Skunks have a very strong odor, Kara.
Kara: Do you mean they stink?

A short while later...
Kara: Are we there yet? My tummy is really hungry.
Me: Not yet, we still have a way to go.

When she wasn't rambling on she was singing to herself in the back seat. She loves to sing and when she can't think of a song she will make one up. I couldn't make out what she was singing today but given the conversation of the morning, I'm betting she was making it up as she went along.

The chatter continued with...
Kara: Where's Emma? I can't see Emma! Did we leave her at home?

Just before we made our mid-trip potty stop she asked...
Kara: Are we almost to Gatorade?
Me: To where?
Kara: Gatorade! You know...where we always stop.
Me: It's Decatur, Kara.
Kara: Oh...well are we almost there?

Kara: Mama, can you tell us when we get to a different state?
Me: Grandma and Grandpa's house is still in Texas.
Kara: Oh, well are we there yet?
Me: No.
Kara: I'm hungry though.
Me: I know, Kara. Just a little further.
Kara: Is there a McDonald's there?

After our potty stop...
Kara: Is Plano not far away from Grandma Judy's house?
Me: Plano is where they live.
Kara: But I thought you said they live in Texas.

Kara: Are we gonna sleep there?
Me: Yes, Kara.
Kara: Emma, too?
Me: Yes
Kara: All of us?
Me: Yes, Kara.
Kara: Why?
Me: Because we are going to be there until next Thursday and we can't stay awake that whole time.
Kara: But what if the phone rings?
Me: Well, someone will answer it.
Kara: LIKE ME?!
Me: Uh, NO! - like Grandma or Grandpa.
Kara: Oh.

Shortly before our arrival...
Kara: Does fired mean when you have a job you don't have a job anymore?
Me: Yes (wondering how much more random you can get than that).

Just after we hit the exit to Grandma and Grandpa's house...
Kara: Mommy, I'm tired of sitting.
Me: Me too, Kara.
Kara: Why do we have to stop at the red light? Move cars, move, I'm tired of sitting.

What a total crack up! She is never that talkative. I wish I would have had a way to record it all because I'm sure that I didn't remember all of it just as it happened. On the flip side of things, Emma was unusually quiet. I guess she couldn't get a word in edgewise.

Today is the Day!!!

2009-10-30T01:00:00.001-05:00

Almost 24 1/2 years ago I had the distinct honor of watching my husband-to-be graduate from the United States Air Force Academy and become a 2nd lieutenant in the Air Force. Two days later we were married and the great adventure began. Within a month of that, we moved to Arizona and a few short months later he started pilot training. And the rest, as they say, is history!

It has been a good 24+ years. We have made some wonderful lifelong friends and we have enjoyed everywhere we have lived. We have seen many friends from the old days get married and we have stood by as a few very dear friends were laid to rest. We have met a lot of people and we have said lots of "goodbyes".

As I have worked on Keith's Air Force scrapbook these last couple of weeks, I was struck by the inevitable "finis" flight at each base...the final flight before moving on to a new station. There are many of those flights chronicled in his scrapbook. It reminds me of the saying that "all good things must come to an end". And so...today will be the final "finis" flight of his Air Force career...weather permitting...followed by his official retirement ceremony. As Keith's time in the Air Force comes to an end, I am moved by the fact that our God has always proven Himself faithful to us. He has seen us through the ups and downs of the last 24 years and has honestly blessed our socks off. On top of it all, because of God's grace, we know that we have eternal life...one good thing that will never come to an end. So...thank you, Lord, for your grace, your hand of protection, and the many, many blessings that you have bestowed on us these last 24 years, and thank you for my husband.

And, since I don't get to speak at the retirement ceremony, I figured I would take this opportunity to publicly thank my husband for letting me come along on this ride. It has not always been easy. When the boys were all little and Keith was flying F-16s, yeah...many of those days were tough. But the memories are so sweet and I wouldn't change any of them. God showed himself to me through those sometimes difficult circumstances and I learned much about Him and myself in those days.

I am proud of my husband. He is a man of honor and integrity. He has served his country well. He loves me and his children; but he loves the Lord most of all, and that is what makes him special. He has very high standards...he says what he means and he means what he says. He is gifted, motivated, trustworthy, and seeks to honor God in all that he says and does. I am honored to be his wife.

So...Keith...thank you for sharing your life with me. It has been a grand adventure and rather than look at today as an end or even a new beginning...I see it as a new day that we get to spend together, and I am thankful. I thank God for the man that you are and for blessing my life by putting you in it. I love you dearly! Congratulations, Hon, on this...your special day and thank you for all that you have done to preserve the freedom that we enjoy!

Not to be outdone by her sister...

2009-10-29T01:00:00.002-05:00

...today is Kara's 5th birthday!!! It really is fun to have the girls' birthdays so close together. It adds to the excitement of it all. Happy, Happy Birthday to my girly girl...the one that always has a song in her heart. We love you!!!

Happy 7th Birthday Emma!

2009-10-28T09:00:00.007-05:00

Today is Emma's 7th Birthday!!! Seems like it's impossible that she is 7 already. Yikes! I hope you have a wonderful birthday Emma...my little bundle of energy that keeps us from ever having a dull moment. We love you!!!

Answered Prayer

2009-07-23T09:16:00.008-05:00

It has been a busy summer around here. I have a lot that I need to update on here but since several people have asked about my Facebook status, here is the story.

Tuesday night was the first meeting of a four week inductive Bible study that I am leading at my church on the book of Ruth and our Kinsman Redeemer. It is a Precept Upon Precept Bible Study. I have worked hard to get ready for it and was really excited about it.

This first week was supposed to be more of an intro to the study and a how-to lesson for those that had never done a precept study before. Keith taught me how to use powerpoint and I had worked up a fairly lengthy pp presentation teaching the method of inductive Bible study. I was all set.

Then Satan went to work trying to mess everything up. It started at 3:30 Tuesday morning when Emma woke me up. Both girls were wide awake and it appeared that they had been for some time. I won't bore you with all the details but 2 hours later they were still awake and consequently so was I. So, I was tired from the get go. It was one of those difficult days where everything you do seems to be wrong or go wrong.

I fixed an early dinner and started packing up to head to the church. I started a pot of coffee to take with me and the coffee pot was sounding very strange. I went to check on it (it is a new pot that we have only had a few months) and I had forgotten to put the lid on the carafe before I put it in the coffee maker so the water wasn't flowing through to the pot it was just filling the basket and running over into all the guts of the pot which was now full of grounds. Ugh! Keith cleaned it all out for me and ran a pot of water through it and then made another pot of coffee. It worked fine, thankfully.

So, then I get to the church. The projector at church has been having some issues but I really needed it for that powerpoint presentation. Keith had helped me set it up Sunday night after church. It took him a good 20 minutes to get it to work. Then he just put it on Standby so it would be ready to go Tuesday night. Well, when I got to the church the projector had been moved and unplugged. My heart sank because I just knew after the way the day had gone, that projector wasn't going to work and there went my entire pp presentation, which was all of the info that I needed to cover that night. I was going to have to wing it and I was nervous enough already. You know, that standing up in front of people thing.

I plugged the projector in and the power light wouldn't even come on. Turns out the plug I was using had been disconnected earlier that day. I switched to another plug and initially got nothing on it either but then the power light blinked so I knew that at least the plug was working. I worked for a solid half hour to get the projector to come on and it wouldn't even hiccup. I was down to 10 minutes and still had to set everything else up.

My head fell into my hands and I prayed, "God, Satan has been working against me since 3:30 this morning. I'm tired, frustrated, and discouraged. I know that this is your will and He doesn't want it to happen but I also know that you are so much greater than him. Please make this projector work and light a fire in these women to know your word. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

I lifted my head and put my finger on the start button and that projector lit up just like it's supposed to, not even a hint of a delay. I kid you not. All I could do was sit there and bawl like a baby. It was so incredible. That had to be the quickest, most obvious answer to prayer that I have witnessed in a long time. "I am the Light of the World" comes to mind. Beautiful!

The rest of the evening went well without even a hint of a problem with that projector. So for those that were wondering about my Facebook status...there you have it. God is so good and this is going to be a great study!

22 Years Ago Today...

2009-05-04T09:51:00.008-05:00

Wow...I can't believe it has been that long! 22 years ago last month, I was hospitalized with pre-eclampsia. The day that I was admitted to the hospital, 5 weeks before my due date, the doctor said that I would be there until I was a mother...and I was.

On May 4th, 1987, when the doctors could no longer control my blood pressure, they induced labor and Jeremy, my firstborn, came into this world at 2:06 pm. It was a glorious day and we were so excited to be entrusted with the care of this awesome little being.

Jeremy...on his "birth"day

Jeremy at 2 years old

Jeremy at 5 years old

Jeremy in the 5th grade

Jeremy in the 9th grade

Jeremy as a senior in high school

22 years later, Jeremy is living and working in Africa. Who knew when that little baby was born what God had planned for his life. Jeremy, we are praying for you and excited to see what comes next in your life. I wish we could celebrate with you today but know that we are thinking about you and loving you dearly.

Happy Happy Birthday Son, from your proud Mama!

Easter 2009

2009-04-13T15:09:00.007-05:00

Saturday dawned bright and early and dying Easter eggs was at the top of the schedule for the day. The girls were very excited. The box of PAAS that I purchased for the occasion (the original PAAS, not those newfangled things that never work the way they are supposed to) was short some of the color tablets so we had to make do with what it did include. The girls didn't seem to mind and they had a good ole time dipping...waiting...and removing their eggs. Emma is not so good at the waiting part.

Rain was in the forecast for Easter Sunday so we had the girls' Easter egg hunt on Saturday afternoon. Keith hid the eggs all over our front yard and then the girls set to work.

And because I rarely make it into the photos...

Celebrating Easter causes me to focus intently on the most important thing in my life...Jesus Christ. Not only did Jesus die for me but He conquered that death and lives again. Therein lies the victory!

We had a great service at church. Our pastor spoke on the significance of the resurrection...in other words, where would we be if Jesus was not raised from the dead. Praise God that He lives!

Here are a few pics of the girls and the family taken before and after church.

After church, we had some great friends over for lunch. We had quite the feast: ham, twice-baked potatoes, green beans, corn, deviled eggs, rolls, jello salad, fresh fruit, and an awesome dessert that Bonnie (my friend) made. Yumm!

It was a cool and wet day here but we enjoyed it immensely. We really needed the rain so it was a welcomed treat.

I hope you all had a very blessed Easter Sunday. We really should celebrate the significance of Easter every day.

Happy Happy Birthday Keith!!!

2009-03-09T16:50:00.002-05:00

I know...most of you have given up on me and this blog thing...but I couldn't let the day pass without wishing my husband a wonderful Happy Birthday!!!

We celebrated last night because Drew and Tyler have to work tonight but I did make his favorite strawberry rhubarb pie which we will enjoy after dinner in honor of the occasion.

This is the 25th birthday that I have had the honor of celebrating with my beloved and I can honestly say that I love him more today than ever and I pray that God will give him many more happy birthdays and that I will be around to celebrate them with him.

I love you dearly, Keith. I hope your day was truly something special.

New Year 2009

2009-02-03T13:00:00.009-06:00

Okay...this is the final installment of my holiday recap. Hey, it's only the 3rd of February...it could be worse.

My parents came up to spend a few days with us over New Year's and we had a great time. We played lots of games, mostly cards, and just generally enjoyed being together.

Mom had a craft session with the girls while she was here. They love anything that has anything to do with paint, glue, glitter, etc. They had a great time working on some flower magnets that they got for Christmas and I think Grandma had fun helping them, right, Mom?!...Mom...are you there, Mom?...Mom?!

While Mom and the girls were having their fun, Keith was trying to help Dad with a problem on his computer. They ultimately figured out that it was a Vista problem and one without a fix...go figure! Here is my handsome hubby...

My Dad loves genealogy and spends lots of time on his computer working on tracing our family lines. He has uncovered some interesting tidbits over the years. I don't know how he keeps all that information straight. I would have the lines all criss-crossed if I were him.

These pictures were taken the day they left to go home. I didn't have a recent picture of them together so I had to snap one while I could. I think they were both in the midst of saying something when I snapped the camera. Oh well...I tried.

Here is Grandma and Grandpa with the grandkids. Well, some of them anyway.

We really did enjoy the time that we had with all of our family over the holidays. It is always a blessing to be together and we miss them when they are not here. After Mom and Dad left, it was back to the old grind stone and it took us several days to find a real routine again. I think I prefer those days when the routine gets tossed out the window in favor of doing the fun things but if we did that every day we would never get anything productive done around here.

So, that sums up our holidays. If it had taken me any longer to recap them we would be prepping for Thanksgiving all over again. How is it that the months fly by so quickly. I know that age has a lot to do with it but this is crazy. January is gone already and Valentine's Day is on the doorstep. Since I do such a poor job of keeping up with this blog, maybe I should wish you all a Happy Valentine's Day now...then I won't feel bad when it's February 20th and I never did a Valentine's post.

Here She Is

2009-01-31T11:25:00.008-06:00

As predicted, Emma lost her other tooth yesterday morning just before gymnastics.

Our little girl is growing up!

All I want for 2009 is my 2 front teeth...

2009-01-28T10:57:00.004-06:00

I am almost to the end of my holiday recap but I'm going to take a short detour today.

Last Friday Emma lost one of her front teeth on the top. The other one is very loose and will probably be out within a week. She has already lost the two on the bottom but the permanent ones were already coming in when those fell out so it never was obvious that she had lost the baby ones.

This time is different. There is now a gaping hole in the front and she has a beautiful toothless grin. Oh, the milestones of childhood!

She has been really good about losing her teeth. This time she was eating a bagel for breakfast when it fell out. I was in the other room when she came walking in holding her tooth and grinning. This girl has such a high tolerance for pain that most of life is a breeze for her.

Sometimes her pain tolerance level grieves my heart. I have to wonder if she figured out early on that crying over things didn't elicit a response from anyone so why bother. That makes me sad. It's amazing to me that so much can be learned and remembered in that first year of life outside the womb.

Anyway...I wanted to share her milestone with all of you. Here is a pic of my gorgeous girl with her beautiful new smile. I'm sure that another picture will be forthcoming in the next week or two with an even wider gap in the front. :)

Mr. Breakable

2009-01-18T15:21:00.011-06:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, and most of you know already, Austin has taken up position as resident King of the Broken Bone in our house. We have decided that football is not his sport if he wants to stay healthy.

In October of 2007, he broke his right arm (both bones) playing in a football game in Paint Creek, Texas...picture the middle of nowhere surrounded by nothing but cotton fields. Thankfully, the bones did not pierce the skin and we made it the 2 1/2 hour drive home to the hospital without incident. He spent the night in the hospital and had surgery the next day where the doctor had to insert a pin to keep the bones in place until they healed.

Fast forward to October of 2008, and then hit the repeat button. Actually, this time it was his left arm, he was injured during practice here in town, and the break was a buckle fracture...much less traumatic than last year. He wore a cast for 4 weeks and a brace for 2 more and he was good to go.

That brings us to the day after Christmas 2008. He and Tyler were up at the school by our house playing football with some friends. Austin punted the ball and felt his hip pop. He fell to the ground and couldn't get up. Tyler came home to get someone to go and pick Austin up. I was in the middle of cooking with Kara and her new oven and didn't think it could possibly be anything serious and so I let him sit up there for the next 10 minutes waiting on me. Yea, I know...Mother of the Year. :(

As soon as I got to the school, I could tell that things were worse than I expected just by looking at his face. His face was flushed but he was really white around his eyes. I could literally see the pain in his eyes. I felt horrible.

I brought him home and called our doctor on base. He said to take him to the local walk in clinic since the base clinic was closed for the holidays. The nurse practitioner that was on duty didn't think it was anything other than a strained muscle until she saw the x-rays...then things got chaotic fairly quickly.

Turns out that Austin experienced an avulsion fracture where the tendon that runs from the knee up to the side of the pelvis actually pulled part of the pelvic bone away from the rest of the bone. In an adult the tendon would have sustained the injury but in kids, where the bones are still growing, the injury occurs in the bone and not the tendon.

We left the clinic with pain medication and crutches and orders to put no weight on the leg until he saw a specialist on Monday, which we did. If the displaced bone had been more than 1/2 inch away from the pelvis it would have required surgery to fix. Thankfully Austin's was not. It should heal on it's own eventually...the doc says 6 weeks to 3 months.

He is now walking without crutches and can do pretty much anything he wants within reason. The goal is to not reinjure the hip during the healing process. My goal for him is to not break anything else either.

Because of the number and nature of breaks in just a little over a year, the doc decided to test Austin for bone issues. All of the tests came back normal and the doc says he's just "unlucky". My personal thinking is that he has grown so much in the last year his poor bones have had a hard time keeping up. That...or he's trying to make up for his older three brothers that never broke anything.

I knew when Austin burned his hands when he was 13 months old and it didn't phase him we were in trouble. Nothing keeps this kid down. He is amazing. He can't wait to be cleared so he can go back out and play some more football. Mom's not so sure about that.

Petite Chef and Artiste Extraordinaire

2009-01-13T20:52:00.008-06:00

For Christmas this year, we decided to encourage the girls' individual interests.

For months now, Kara has been enthralled with all things kitchen. She loves to be in the kitchen with me and pushes her little step stool right up next to me whenever I'm slicing, dicing, sauteing, boiling, mixing, baking or just making "peanut and jelly" sandwiches.

She loves the kitchen so much that at the tender age of 4 she requested a cookbook for her birthday. She wanted her very own cookbook and that is what she got...Paula Deen's My First Cookbook to be exact... and she was thrilled.

So...for Christmas this year she got an Easy Bake Oven along with her very own Chef outfit. When she opened the oven on Christmas Eve she shouted "MY OVEN!". She was so excited. It didn't take her long to figure out how to make chocolate cake in her own little stove. Here are a few pics of our personal chef and her new oven.

Emma's current interests are a bit different than her sister's. While she enjoys messing around in the kitchen as well, she has begun to excel in the art arena. She can color like it's nobody's business and can draw things that really look like what she's trying to draw. She obviously has not learned this talent from her mother.

So for Christmas we bought her an art set full of all the various implements that one needs to create. Daddy will have to teach her how to use them all because Momma is clueless. Along with her set of goodies, she received an art smock and an artist's beret.

The girls seemed really excited with their gifts and we are hoping that they will enjoy many hours of fun with them.

The day after Christmas, as Kara was busy watching her cake bake in it's oven, Tyler came rushing in the door from the football field to tell us that Austin had been injured while playing ball with some friends. I left Grandma Jan to finish the cake with Kara while I went to pick Austin up. We were a bit surprised by the nature of Austin's injury but you'll have to tune in next time to hear that story.

Christmas!!! Happy Birthday Jesus!!!

2009-01-09T12:25:00.000-06:00

Our Christmas celebration began with our church's Christmas Eve service. Several of our church members participated in the service by singing, reciting poetry, reading the Christmas story, playing instruments, etc. It was a neat evening and we ended the service by singing Silent Night by candlelight. Beautiful!!!

It is our family's tradition to open our gifts on Christmas Eve. We have another tradition that some think is a little odd but we have come to enjoy and even look forward to...we eat McDonald's fast food as our Christmas Eve dinner.

It actually started years ago, the December that Austin was born. We went to church on Christmas Eve and then headed home to open gifts. We had not eaten dinner and everyone was hungry. We wanted to do something quick so we could open the gifts and then get the boys off to bed at a decent hour. McDonald's was on our way home so that was the choice of the evening.

Somehow that has grown into a yearly tradition. And hey, we like McDonald's and it makes my life easy. I have usually spent part of the day in the kitchen already prepping stuff for dinner on Christmas Day so the break is great for me.

Anyway, now that you know the history, after church this year we headed straight to McDonald's. They were closing at 8pm so we didn't have much time to dilly dally. After gathering the goods we drove home and joined around the table for some yummy fare. I know, I know...some of you would debate the yumminess...but you have to admit that McDonald's has great fries.

After dinner some little elves showed up to pass out the gifts. We take turns one at a time...going from youngest to oldest, opening the gifts. That way the little ones have to watch the older folks and everyone gets to see what everyone else gets. We like it that way and it stretches the event out a little longer.

I won't bore you with what everyone got but we had a wonderful time and we were all thankful for the gifts we received but mostly for the gift that God sent to each of us on that first Christmas Eve so long ago. I mean really...it just doesn't get any better than that. We are truly so blessed by God everyday. I am so grateful.

In the next post, you'll get to see pictures of some of the things the girls got for Christmas. We had fun catering to their individual interests.

I'll Be Home For Christmas

2009-01-07T13:00:00.000-06:00

Keith's mom arrived on December 19th. The kids and I had not seen her in 2 1/2 years so we were really looking forward to her coming. Kara had asked me the day before if it was just one more sleep until Grandma came. When I replied that it was, she responded with "I saw her picture once". It was so funny the way she said it because Jan's picture sits on top of our piano all the time and Kara knows who she is.

Tyler and I had been looking through some of his pictures from when he was little just a few days before that and Kara had noticed one of Jan with Tyler from years ago. I think that is what she was talking about...but she's 4 so who really knows. Anyway, it brought a chuckle as she often does.

The girls were thrilled to have Grandma's attention and the boys couldn't wait to break out the cribbage board. We shopped, played, cooked, and ate...a lot. In short, we had a great visit. It was so good to see her and we are praying that it won't ever be that long again between visits.

The next day, the 20th of December, Jeremy arrived via American Eagle Airlines. It was wonderful as always to have all of my kids at home for the holidays. As the kids get older each year (notice I said "the kids"...Keith and I aren't getting any older) I cherish the time when they are all at home more than ever. I know that it won't always be possible so I'm especially thankful for it when it is.

The girls were in hog heaven. Not only did they have Grandma's almost full and undivided attention but now big brother was home too. They both adore Jeremy and he them. They were all over him the minute he walked through the doors at the airport. He had one sister on each knee as he sat waiting for his baggage to arrive. He looked at me with a huge smile on his face and said "I've got my girls."

I wish I had a picture of Kara the morning Jeremy had to leave to go home because she had a death grip on him and wouldn't let go. She was not happy that he was leaving. It was sweet but sad as well.

We celebrated a wonderful Christmas together but I'll recap that in the next post. Most of our time was just spent enjoying one another's company and playing games with the girls and each other.

Jan had sent the girls a game called Doodle Dice for their birthdays. We had not gotten around to playing it with them until the Christmas break. It turned out to be so fun that we adults would play it even after the girls went to bed. It's a great game... so check it out for yourselves (here).

Jeremy had to head home on Sunday morning after Christmas and Jan left the following day. It is always hard to say goodbye and I don't particularly like it very much. But, thankfully, they both got home safe and sound and we are already looking forward to the next time we will be together. We miss you both already. Thanks so much for making the trip to spend Christmas with us.

The girls were a little lost for a few days until Grandma Judy and Papa Wes arrived to spend New Year's Eve with us and they had a captive audience once again. I'll blog more about their visit in due time.

We have started back to school and life has already gotten crazy busy again but I'll try to keep up a little better than I was doing before the holidays. We'll see!

Messiah Baptist Church's Annual Cookie Exchange

2009-01-05T13:00:00.002-06:00

On December 15th we held our church's annual cookie exchange here at our house. I look forward to this event every year. We always have fun and end up with lots of yummy goodies to enjoy throughout the holidays. Actually they never last that long around here but enjoy them we do.

This year we were blessed to have our pastor's mother in town for the event and she graciously consented to share her heart with us that night. Her challenge to us was to slow down and remember the real reason we celebrate Christmas. It is always so easy to get caught up in everything that the world has added to Christmas. It is vital that we don't lose sight of God's gift to us and what the birth of Jesus really means.

This is our pastor's wife, Liesl, and her mother-in-law, Jo Ellen.

Here is Jo Ellen giving the devotion.

My camera was not cooperating that night so the pictures are not the best but I'm going to share a few more with you anyway. Here are a couple pics of the ladies that attended.

After the devotion and snacks, some of the ladies participated in a little craft project that we had planned for the evening. We made a photo calendar for the new year. It was a fun project and I think everyone enjoyed it...at least I hope they did.

And here is the finished product.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable evening. It was warm inside in spite of the freezing (literally) cold outside. The food was wonderful, the devotion challenging, and the fellowship was oh so sweet. Thanks for coming everyone...I hope you had as much fun as I did.

The Gingerbread House

2009-01-03T13:00:00.000-06:00

When the girls and I went to my parent's house last month, a friend of my mom's gave the girls one of those gingerbread house kits. We were going to put it together that weekend but knew that we would never get it home intact so we waited.

The girls nearly drove me nuts asking day after day when they could work on it. They had an absolute delight of a time when they finally got to get their hands "dirty". I was pleasantly surprised with how easy the whole thing was and how well it turned out. Here are some pictures of the event for your viewing pleasure.

If you look closely at the last two pictures, you will notice that the little trees are missing in the last one. Those were the first to be eaten after the girls finished the house. You have to be quick with the camera around here if food is involved.

Stay tuned for the next installment in this December rundown...

Austin's 14th Birthday - December 14, 2008

2009-01-01T20:00:00.003-06:00

Wow, 14 years old...I can hardly believe it. I distinctly remember the day that he was born. Keith's squadron was deploying to Saudi Arabia before Austin's due date so he was encouraged to come a little early...2 weeks to be exact.

I had a doctor's appointment on the morning of the day he was born. My midwife told me that he was about 6 1/2 lbs. I laughed and told her there was no way. I told her that all of my other boys were bigger than that and I felt bigger with Austin than with any of them. She shrugged her shoulders with a "you'll see" look on her face.

He was born at 9:54 that night and weighed in at 8 lbs. 11 1/2 oz. Yeah, this mom knows a few things about baby boys. Can you imagine how big he would have been if he had come on time or even late? Yikes!

Here is a picture of him at 9 months.

We should have known when Austin was a baby that we were in for a wild ride with him. When he was 13 months old he pulled my curling iron off the counter and wrapped both hands around the barrel holding it and crying until I got to him. It resulted in 2nd and 3rd degree burns to both hands but never slowed him down a bit. Here he is with his bandages which we changed twice a day for weeks.

It was a grueling experience for his parents but God was merciful and healed him beautifully.

Austin was the first of all four of our boys to have staples in his head...thanks to a fall on the trampoline. He was also the first of our boys to ever break a bone...which he has now done three times in the last year and 2 months. We have decided that football is not his sport if he wants to keep his bones intact. This picture was taken when he broke his arm the first time in October of 2007.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we are thankful Austin has survived to see his 14th birthday. He is active, athletic, full of energy, and all boy and he always has been. We wouldn't have it any other way.

Here is Austin on his big day.

Austin, we hope your birthday was as special as you are. And we pray that God will see you through to celebrate many more wonderful birthdays in the future. We love you, Son.

Tyler's Senior Pics

2008-12-31T20:00:00.001-06:00

December...here we go!!!

I think I will take the events from the sneak peak one by one.

The first thing we tackled in December was taking Tyler's senior pictures. He and I went out on a Sunday afternoon and took 155 pics. We had fun and got some great shots. There really isn't much to write about our afternoon so I'll just post some of my favorite shots and leave it at that.

It's New Year's Eve so I will close by wishing you all a very Happy New Year. May 2009 draw you ever closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is the reason for...everything.

Here I Am

2008-12-30T20:12:00.007-06:00

Yes, I know, I should just be a summertime blogger. Once school started this thing got hard to keep up with and as the holidays drew closer it was just impossible. I'm not apologizing because there will always be many things that are priorities for me over this blog but I know that those who like to follow along are more than ready for an update. So over the next week or two I will try to catch you up a bit. But remember, we start back to school next week so you never know what might happen. It may be summertime again before you get the Christmas recap.

Well, the last thing I blogged about was Alicia's deer so I'll try to pick up there. The weekend before Thanksgiving Keith took the younger three boys down near College Station to a friend's hunting lodge for some male bonding time. They came home toting three 8 point bucks and some great stories.

Needless to say, we have a freezer full of venison and have enjoyed some yummy jerky since then. The guys had a great time...just don't ask Tyler where Dad shot his deer. Thanks KC and Cathy for your awesome hospitality and for feeding our family for the next year.

While the guys were down south, the girls and I spent the weekend with my folks. We had a great time as well but the time always passes too quickly. Why is that? When you are in the dentist chair the hour drags by but when you are doing something you enjoy the days tick off the clock with reckless abandon. Go figure! I forgot to take my camera along this time so I have no pictures to share of our weekend.

Next up in this whirlwind update would be Thanksgiving. We spent a quiet day at home and really enjoyed the chance to rest and do nothing...except cook and eat, that is. Keith deep fried our turkey once again. I doubt that we will ever make turkey any other way unless forced to. It is so good. Yummo! Here is the end result...before we ate it of course.

Here are the girls on our front porch on Thanksgiving Day. You know you are in Texas when you can be outside barefoot on Thanksgiving.

The day after Thanksgiving I started decorating the house for Christmas. We finally got the tree finished on Sunday afternoon. As is our custom, here is a pic of Keith putting the angel on top of the tree and another of the kids in front of the finished product.

That about sums up November for us. Tomorrow or Thursday I'll dive into December. Here is a sneak preview of our December.

1) Tyler's Senior Pictures
2) Austin's 14th birthday
3) The Girls' gingerbread house
4) MBC's Annual Cookie Exchange
5) Grandma Jan comes to visit
6) Jeremy comes home for Christmas
7) Christmas!!!! Happy Birthday Jesus!
8) Little Chef revisited
9) Emma the Artist revisited
10) Austin breaks his hip...no I'm not kidding
11) Grandma Judy and Papa Wes come for New Year's Eve

Shannon, I apologize for the odd number of items but I'm too tired from all of these events to rework the list. ;)

See...it has been a busy month and it's not over yet. I can't wait to share some of these events with whoever out there cares to follow along. We are richly blessed but I could always use a few more hours in my day to share those blessings with everyone else.

For now, I wish you all a belated Blessed Christmas and a Joyful New Year! Thanks for hanging with me and gently encouraging me to update this thing. You know who you are...and there's more than one of you!

Deer Hunting Season...

2008-11-08T15:41:00.010-06:00

...is upon us. Drew, Tyler, and Austin have already been out several times. They've seen a few deer that were out of range along with some wild boar, bobcats, and turkeys. But, so far, none of them have had a good enough angle to put any meat in our freezer. We are confident that it will happen before the season ends.

Yesterday, Drew took Alicia hunting with him. Drew's friend Levi went as well. I believe that it was Alicia's first time to hunt. As we were doing the dishes after dinner, the phone rang. Alicia had killed her first deer...a 6 point buck. Not bad for your first time out!
I'm not sure which of them was more excited...Drew or Alicia.

Levi helped Drew drag the deer back to where they were parked, and he brought it back to the house for them in the back of his truck. Thanks, Levi, you saved the back of our suburban. We are grateful.

We let the girls stay up until the hunters got back so that they could see the deer. Drew had promised on opening day of the season to bring something home for them to see, so it was a little overdue as far as they were concerned.

Once they got the deer unloaded and into the garage Kara noticed that its tongue was hanging out. She wanted to touch it. She was fascinated at the sight.

At one point, shortly after they got here, Emma, Alicia, and I were in the house together. Emma was going on and on to Alicia about killing the deer and then she said "You're going to make a fine wife someday". The way she said it sounded so grown up, almost like she was the wise older woman speaking to the wee lass. I just about cracked up and Alicia got a good snicker out of it too.

Levi and Tyler pitched in to help Drew skin the beast and cut it up. Then Drew and Alicia had a late night of meat processing but I'm pretty sure that it was worth it to them. What a fun memory.

Congratulations, Alicia! We're excited for you. Are you ready to go again?

Out of the mouths of babes...

2008-10-30T10:18:00.005-05:00

Something funny happened on our way to Sea World.

OK...actually it wasn't on the way to Sea World but it was that morning.

As Kara and I lounged on the bed just enjoying the freedom to be lazy, I made a flippant comment that my mouth tasted funny. Her response "That's yer breath yer tastin'!" I just about fell off of the bed laughing.

Don't you love it when kids say something hilarious without even meaning to...even if it is at your expense?!

Happy Birthday to...

2008-10-28T20:23:00.011-05:00

...both of our girls!!! Today is Emma's 6th birthday and tomorrow is Kara's 4th. In honor of their special days we decided to do something we've been wanting to do for a while now...we went to Sea World!

Last Thursday evening, Austin had a football game down in Arlington. We made the trip down to watch and then spent the night there after the game. His team won! They are undefeated for the season with two games left to play. Go Warriors!

Friday morning we headed to San Antonio and arrived about 2:30 in the afternoon. Once we checked into our hotel we were off to the pool...Kara and I preferred the hot tub. Awesome!

That evening we took the girls to PF Changs for dinner. They couldn't have cared less about where we ate but we used their birthdays as an excuse for an awesome dinner. They loved the little desserts that they got for free just because we were celebrating their birthdays. Kara prefers dessert over dinner anyway. In our rush to make our dinner reservation I forgot the camera so you'll just have to take my word for it that it was a great time for all of us.

Saturday morning, after eating breakfast in the hotel we were off to the main event.

It was a gorgeous day and we had a great time. Emma was very excited to ride her first ride with Dad and Austin. Kara wanted to go so badly but wasn't tall enough. She was crushed. When the ride was over, Emma was less than enthusiastic. She thought twice before saying that she wanted to ride anything else.

As it turns out, Kara is our little daredevil. Who would have guessed?! We took her and Emma both on a little kiddie roller coaster and the pictures that the park takes were hilarious. Kara was grinning from ear to ear and Emma had a look of "I'm not so sure about this" on her face. It was a great contrast but the pictures were outrageously priced so we let the park keep them. Here's a picture that Austin took...it's a little blurry but you get the idea.

We took them both on the log ride and Kara loved every minute of that as well although she did say that it scared her "two times". Emma liked that ride too.

Daddy took Kara on another ride that goes around and around...kind of a kiddie version of the "Tilt-a-Whirl" for all you carnival goers. I got nauseous just looking at it and Emma turned it down so SuperDad was the hero. After they got off he commented that he needed to find a bush to barf in. He didn't really but I guess Kara has an iron stomach as well. What a crack up that our little bitty shy bird of a girl would be so adventurous. Here's a couple of shots of the "spin until you puke".

On top of all the rides we got to see our favorite shows.

We saw Shamu...

the dolphins...

and the sea lions and walrus...

It was a full day and when it was over we were all exhausted as you can see.

So, that was our trip to Sea World. We had a great time and I'm so glad that we went. I think the girls will remember it for a long time. I have more to write about their birthdays but that will have to wait for another day. For now, I will leave you with one final picture just because I think it's cute.

19 Years Ago Today...

2008-09-29T15:40:00.015-05:00

...my 2nd son was born.

Drew was born on a Friday. The Tuesday before his birth as I was driving to the hospital for a check up, I received a little gift...a speeding ticket. Joy! What nerve that policeman had to give a ticket to a woman 2 1/2 weeks from her due date and on her way to the hospital. Can you imagine?!

Needless to say, by the time I arrived at the hospital my blood pressure was sky high. I had had pre-eclampsia with my first pregnancy so the doctor was pretty concerned. I tried to convince him that it was just stress but he wanted me back that Friday for a recheck. He said if my blood pressure was elevated at all I would be having a baby that day.

I guess you can figure out what happened since Drew was indeed born that Friday evening. The labor and delivery is kind of a funny story in and of itself but I'll spare you the details. He was a beautiful baby that weighed in at 7 lbs. 13 oz. and was 20 inches long. He was born with a head full of brown hair that was as wild as could be. We were thrilled!

Drew's first year was filled with ups and downs. He ended up having two major abdominal surgeries before he was a year old. There were times when we wondered if he would see his first birthday.

At three years old, Drew had to get his first pair of glasses...bifocals. He handled them like a champ other than the first week when he buried them in a snow bank in our front yard. I guess they did take him a little getting used to.

Now, at 19, he has grown into an awesome young man with a bright future. He is in his third year at MSU and has a new job here in town. He has a great cluster of friends and one special one too.

We celebrated Drew's birthday yesterday because he already had big plans for today. As I type this, he is on his way to Dallas with Alicia and her brother Sam to go to a concert featuring one of their favorite musicians.

Wow, where have the last 19 years gone? Sometimes I just wish they were all little again. But, then again, what a joy it is to see them becoming what God has created them to be.

Happy Birthday Drew! We think you're awesome!
But you knew that already, didn't you?!

And since Drew was born on his grandmother's birthday...Happy Birthday Mom! I hope it was wonderful for you. We send lots of hugs and much love your way!

Extra-curricular Activities

2008-09-11T21:31:00.009-05:00

I have been on a cleaning frenzy. I intended to give my house a good "spring" cleaning this summer while we were out of school but somehow the summer passed and it never happened. Don't ask me what possessed me to start it the week we started school, but I did. I think maybe it was the need to feel organized that got me motivated.

Anyway, I have dusted, vacuumed, cleaned blinds and windows (inside and out), cleaned ceiling fans and light fixtures, sinks and toilets, walls and floors, refrigerators and ovens, and just about everything else you can name. It feels great...for the 24 hours or so that it lasts.

Seriously though, I do feel better when my house is clean. It may not always be picked up and tidy but when it's clean underneath it all, I feel much better. I still have the girls' room and the laundry room to hit but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I figure by the time I finish the whole house, it will be time to start over. C'est la vie!

In the midst of the frenzy, we continue to have school. It is going great for the most part and we are enjoying it. We have even added in some extracurricular activities that I thought I would share.

In August, I signed the girls up for gymnastics at the local YMCA. They allow the home school group to come in and use their facilities on Fridays. Emma has loved it from day 1. The teacher is a young man and Kara has yet to warm up to him. I keep hoping that as time goes on she will get excited to try more and more. Last week at the end of class, the mom that helps out told me that Emma is fantastic. I had to have her repeat what she said because I misunderstood the first time and thought that Emma was in trouble again. I guess I shouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions.

She was impressed with Emma's lack of fear and willingness to really try to do what they want her to do. Here is a shot of her working on a back flip.

And here she is on the balance beam.

On one occasion, Kara's courage was mustered long enough to try a few things. Unfortunately the pictures are not great but you get the idea.
They are having fun and it is a great way for Emma to burn some of her excess energy.

After gymnastics last Friday morning, we headed to the base for a ceramics class. Yes, I know I'm crazy to take a 3 year old and a 5 year old into a room filled with nothing but breakables but in the name of "Art class" I did. They actually did quite well and we had fun too. Here are a few pics of them cleaning their greenware and of the projects they chose.

The bear and the dog are Emma's and the ladybug family is Kara's. Last week they cleaned them and then they were to be fired over the weekend. Tomorrow we go back and they get to paint their goodies. I'll take more pictures of the masterpieces when they are finished.

Emma started piano lessons on Wednesday of this week and our Wednesday night children's activities at church called "Truth Trackers" started this week as well. So, as you can see, the girls are plenty busy and I'm frantic trying to keep up. Not to mention that Austin is playing football with one of the local Christian schools and he has practice every day with games on Thursday evenings and most of those are out of town.

Tyler and Drew are in class at MSU every morning of the week and working most afternoons so life is crazy...but good. To keep up with all of this, I have taken to carrying around a day planner that pretty much never leaves my side now. It is like carrying my brain around in my hand. Somehow I keep up with things better this way. So, if you happen to come across a little brown tapestry binder without an owner, please return my brain...I would be lost without it.

School Day Funnies

2008-09-02T20:54:00.008-05:00

The girls and I had a fun day in school today.

At the end of each day, I read a book to Kara entitled Abadaba Alphabet by Sheila Moore. The book is a super fun way to teach the phonetic sounds of the letters if it doesn't drive mom crazy first.

Kara has caught on to most of the sounds and really has learned a lot by just sitting in on school with Emma and I and from listening to me read this book countless times (we've been reading it since May).

Today, as we read the book, Kara was eager to say most of the sounds on her own. She did quite well and I had a fleeting thought that maybe she was ready to start putting those sounds together into very small words.

I turned back in the book to the "d" page and found the word dog. I asked her what sound each letter made individually. With a little help, she got all three. So I said "Kara, If you put those three sounds together, what does "duh... ahh... guh say? She looked at me so enthusiastically like a light bulb had just gone on. She smiled hugely as she said "volcano?".

Okay, okay...so maybe my three year old isn't quite ready to read yet but I think she's brilliant anyway.

Along those same lines, I saw the following quote on our local home school support group's yahoo group and thought that it really summed up what our home schooling adventure is like these days.

"I compare what we do to a hike with puppies rather than a march with an army. We don't march steadily on with prescribed stops. We stroll along, sometimes running ahead, sometimes running behind, then stopping to chase a lizard, smell the flowers - or eat them!"

I'm not sure who the author is but it definitely describes school with Emma and Kara...and I'm happy to say that I'm loving every minute of it - still!

Drama Queen

2008-08-30T21:08:00.004-05:00

As I mentioned in a recent post, the new school year has begun in earnest around here.

On the third day of school, Emma was assigned a poem to memorize. Technically, seven school days later, she is still supposed to be working on the same poem.

The poem is fairly short at only eight lines. I, as her teacher, was supposed to read the poem to her three times that morning and three more times in the afternoon. This procedure was to be repeated each day until she learned the poem.

Well, on that first day, I read the poem three times in the morning as instructed. When we came back to it later that day she wanted to read it with me. So we read it together three times and put the book away.

The next morning I pulled the book out, opened it to said poem, and told Emma that I was going to read the poem to her three more times just like yesterday. She said "No...just let me say it!". I thought to myself "Oh, this oughta be good (with a sarcastic tone of course).

Much to my amazement, she said the poem word for word and even added her own drama in the form of hand motions.

Look out HOLLYWOOD...here she comes!

HHH

2008-08-25T16:14:00.004-05:00

This last weekend was the annual Hotter Than Hell Hundred bicycle race here in Wichita Falls. It is a one hundred mile race with shorter variations for the not so crazy. Can you imagine riding 100 miles on a bicycle when it is 100+ degrees outside? No thank you, says I.

Actually the temp this year only reached the upper 90's so the riders got a small break there. Our pastor rode the entire 100 mile course in less than 5 hours...Way to go, Lukus!

Two of our sons decided to hit the trail this year as well. Drew rode the 50 mile course with his girlfriend, Alicia. Here they are at the finish line. You two amaze me!

Austin rode the 100K, which amounts to about 62 miles. It makes my back side sore just to type that. He teamed up with a couple of guys from our church for mutual support. Thanks Josh and Scott for letting him tag along.

Anyway, we are very proud of both of our guys for taking part in this event. It even made me consider taking up cycling...but it was a fleeting thought.

Way to go, Guys! You Rock!!!

A New School Year

2008-08-18T21:24:00.006-05:00

Today we began another school year. This will be our 16th year of home schooling. Wow! In the beginning I always said that we were taking it just one year at a time. Where did all of those years go?

Now we have graduated 2 sons and our third will graduate at the end of this year. Son #4 is in eighth grade and we are starting over with a 1st grader and a preschooler in the form of 2 very rambunctious little girls. What a blessing!

Austin actually started school last week since he will once again be playing football with a local Christian school this fall. They were starting two-a-day practices today and I didn't want him to get behind on school before we even got started so I had him start last week. He wasn't very happy about it but has since changed his mind and is glad that he started when he did.

Tyler started today with the girls and I. He will be taking a class this fall at MSU but we are still trying to nail down the details of that. He has a slightly lighter academic load at home because of that and his work schedule. He and Drew will start their college classes next week.

The girls and I had a great first day back. Emma has a larger load this year now that she is in first grade. I was a little concerned about that given that her attention span thinks she's still in preschool but she did a wonderful job. I worked up a schedule and went over it with her before we began. We stuck to the plan and even finished 30 minutes ahead of schedule. She was very ready to be finished for the day so she could get back to the "important" things.

Kara, on the other hand, would have sat all day doing her "school". She just keeps asking for more. Sometimes I wish there were two of me so that I could work with them both individually at the same time. Unfortunately, that isn't feasible, but she seems content with whatever I can muster up for her to work on. She will be so easy to teach when it comes time to really get down to the nitty gritty with her.

I didn't get pictures of the boys today. I should have taken one of Austin covered in mud when I picked him up from football practice...that was a sight to see. And maybe I should have taken one of Tyler hunkered over his anatomy books with his IPOD earphones in. Oh, the joys of home schooling. Anyway, here are a couple of the girls...the only ones that cooperate with me anymore.

Tea for Two

2008-08-13T21:50:00.011-05:00

Afternoon tea...I believe it has become a casualty of our super busy fast paced world. Several years ago, I had the opportunity to share tea with a close friend of mine on a few occasions but then we both adopted children, life got even busier, and then she moved away. I miss those times.

So, in the interest of passing the joys of tea time on to my two little ladies, the girls and I made a trip to the local toy store last week in search of a sturdy tea set for little hands. Most of the ones we found were either porcelain, which would never survive with our concrete floors, or cheap thin plastic that wouldn't last long around here either.

After searching the store and finding a few treasures on the clearance aisle (we'll save those for another post), we happened upon a nice sturdy tea set that I thought just might serve our purposes.

So...on Sunday afternoon I made the girls some tea sandwiches and filled their little tea pot up for them and they had a ball serving each other and enjoying one another's company.

I had intended to join them but was in the middle of baking cookies for our new neighbors and they had finished their "tea" before I finished the cookies. It was definitely my loss...but there is always next time and I am really looking forward to it.

Grace

2008-08-07T22:02:00.004-05:00

I had a hard time telling my little ones goodnight tonight. I had just watched the Chapman family on Larry King Live. My heart is so grieved over their loss of little Maria. I cannot imagine how they must feel and how they are dealing with it all. The scripture that keeps coming to mind over and over again is Hebrews 4:16.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

God gives a special mercy and grace to people when they need it. It is obvious that the Chapman family is being flooded with God's grace right now. Their grace is not mine to have because I don't need it at this time. Maybe that's why I have such a difficult time understanding how they can get up in the morning let alone open themselves up with such transparency to the whole world.

Steven Curtis Chapman's song "Miracle of the Moment" is a good reminder to live each moment to the fullest. Each breath we take here on earth is a gift and we never know when it might be the last. I want to do it right. I want to focus on the miracle of each moment I have here and make the most of it for God's glory.

For the Chapmans, I know that their prayer for this interview was that God would use it to draw others to Himself. That people would see and understand that the greatest hope we have in this life is to spend all eternity with the loving Father that created us.

I pray that God will allow the Chapmans to see the fruit that He will bring about as a result of their willingness to be honest and open in the midst of such tremendous grief. I pray that God will continue to sustain them with His great grace and bring healing and peace to them once again. They are forever changed but they cling to the One who never changes and who has promised to reunite them with Maria someday. He, Jesus Christ, is the One they hope in and He is the One I hope in. Without that hope, we have nothing.

5 Years Ago Today...

2008-08-04T00:01:00.009-05:00

...on a very hot afternoon...in the western/central part of China... Emma joined our family. It was 105 degrees with 95% humidity. Today's temperatures in northern Texas will make reminiscing easy.

This picture was taken just after Emma was handed to me at the orphanage. She reached up and ran her little hand down my cheek and stared at me as if to say "Hi Mama, where have you been all my life?" It was the sweetest moment and one that I will never forget.

Emma was sick with pneumonia when we got her. Thankfully, we had taken antibiotics with us and within a few days she was much better. This picture was taken just after our tour of the orphanage.

Jeremy was such a huge help to me on the trip. He and Emma took to each other right away and they still have an amazing relationship.

This was at the airport as we arrived back home two weeks later.

Daddy and Emma finally meet face to face.

Emma in 2004.

2005

2006

2007

2008 just prior to donating her hair to Locks of Love - do any of you remember Cousin It?

Our beautiful girl today!

Emma is very different from her shy little sister. She has never met a stranger in her life and loves to share her sunshine with others. She does everything with a level of intensity that rivals a nuclear reactor. She is one tough cookie. Our life with her has truly been an adventure and we look forward to the future with great expectation for what the Lord is going to do in and through her. Today we officially celebrate her "Gotcha" Day. I hope she knows how truly special she is to us.

Happy "Gotcha" Day Emma! We love you so much!!!

Our Family

2008-07-31T12:50:00.017-05:00

While Jeremy was at home this week we took advantage of the opportunity to try to get some family pictures taken. It was 100 degrees outside and fairly humid but the kids were good sports and we ended up with some fairly good shots. You will probably see at least one of them again in the form of a Christmas card later this year.

While cooler temps would have been wonderful...you take what you can get!

Our Time Together

2008-07-30T22:33:00.005-05:00

Our time with Jeremy at home is quickly drawing to a close. The last few days we have spent some of our free time playing a game that our pastor and his wife taught us awhile back. It is called Take Two and you play with the tiles from a Scrabble game. We have always enjoyed playing games together as a family and this one is a current favorite.

Tonight we opted for a final game before hitting the sack. Keith won by just a few points over Jeremy but we all had fun.

I find myself not wanting to say goodnight because I know what the morning will bring. But instead of focusing on that, I will choose to be thankful for the time we have had together these last few days and what a blessing it has been. Hopefully it won't be too long before we can play some more Take Two with our whole family together.

A Full House

2008-07-28T21:43:00.005-05:00

The girls and I have returned home as have all of my boys. Jeremy is even home to spend a few days with us and I have to say that it is awesome to have all of my baby birds in the nest for awhile. Granted, not many of them look like babies anymore.

Today, after Tyler got off work, we went bowling. None of us bowled lights out but we had a great time anyway. Here are a few pictures I wanted to share.

Have you ever seen a sweeter pair of bowling shoes?

This is a great contraption that the bowling alley has to help little ones get the ball down the lane. Where were these things when we were young?

She's a natural.

Austin's turn

All arms and legs

These girls adore their big brother.

Alicia and Drew

Keith beat me both games...but not by much.

Unfortunately my camera battery died before I was ready to stop taking pictures but I'm sure that I'll have more to share over the next couple of days. Jeremy will be here until Thursday morning and we intend to make the most of our short time together.

Visiting Grandma and Papa

2008-07-22T00:02:00.012-05:00

With the 2 younger boys away at camp and Drew off visiting Jeremy, the girls and I decided to spend the week with Grandma and Papa.

My parents moved into a retirement complex last year. It has an awesome swimming pool and we have been making great use of it this week. It gets the girls out of the apartment and gives them an outlet for their abundant energy.

I thought I would share a few pics from our time so far.

Emma has taken to the water like a fish. Today, she removed the arm floaties and took off on her own. This child has no fear.

Kara was not originally very excited about the idea of the huge pool. But after maybe 10 minutes in it on the first day, she is the one constantly begging to go again. She doesn't like water in her face but she really loves to float around in it. Today she got brave enough to try floating on her back, which she really seems to like now.

Ths is a picture of what happens to the adults after an afternoon in the pool...notice the girls looking as fresh as ever!

We are all having a lot of fun and enjoying the rest and relaxation. We are looking forward to the rest of our week here. See you all soon!

Just Like Her Dad

2008-07-15T20:58:00.015-05:00

The boys all had their own plans tonight so Keith and I and the girls went out for dinner. We had a nice time and our evening was uneventful, which is how we like it when dining with the little ones.

The only glitch was when Kara's balloon got away from her and floated too high for any of us to reach it. She handled it with grace and Emma even offered to share hers with her sister. It was sweet.

As we finished up eating, Emma went back to coloring her kid's menu. There was a big blank page in it just begging for some color. She had commented earlier that she didn't know what to draw. I could see her really thinking about it for a long time.

Since she couldn't come up with anything on her own, she opted to copy what was on the preceding page. We were amazed at how well she did. I thought you might like to see the fruits of her labor. You can click on the pictures to get a closer look.

She must have gotten her drawing ability from her Dad because her Mom can't draw water from a well.

It was really fun to watch her working on this drawing. She was concentrating so hard. I wish I would have had my camera to capture the intensity on her face.

So... just what do cows like most in New York? Leave a comment with your best guess.

This is Commandment Five

2008-07-10T20:20:00.008-05:00

On Wednesday nights during the summer, Emma and Kara attend Patch the Pirate Club at church. This is Kara's first experience with being in a real classroom situation instead of being in the nursery. She is loving it.

Our pastor's wife is teaching the youngest group of kids (the Plebes), and they are learning the Ten Commandments. Kara has been able to tell us each week which commandment they learned. I have been amazed at what she remembers.

Tonight, she was going through the house singing the song they learned last night. Keith thought we should video it...so I did. It is so precious I have to share it with the rest of you.

In case you aren't up on your commandments, the 5th commandment is found in Exodus 20 verse 12. It says "Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee."

What Else Ya Gonna Do...

2008-07-09T17:33:00.005-05:00

...when it's 102...degrees that is!

We never got our big pool put up this year, but that hasn't stopped the girls from working on their tans. Kara can be in the sun one day and she is as dark as can be. Emma tans well also but it takes slightly longer and she doesn't get as dark.

Emma loves to be outside. This extreme Texas heat doesn't seem to bother her a bit. Kara loves to be outside too but she doesn't much care for these high temps. She is much more like her mother.

Today we made a card and some cookies for our new neighbors that moved in down the street. Considering all of the new houses on our street, we better get busy making some more cards.

Anyway, while the first batch of cookies was cooling on the stove, I escaped to the other room to check my email. When I came back to the kitchen what do you suppose I found...yep, you guessed it, fingerprints in the cookies. Ugh! Guess that batch will stay here. I really should know better than to leave something that tempting unattended in the first place.

So, what's a mom to do? We passed them out and ate the evidence. Didn't even get a picture of it. Oh well, there are plenty more where those came from. Ooo, were they yummy!!!!

In fact, I think I'll go have another one.

Brotherly Love

2008-07-08T21:10:00.004-05:00

As we finished dinner tonight the girls were begging to play Chutes and Ladders. While Keith and I cleaned up the dishes, Drew offered to play with the girls.

I will play just about anything with them but Chutes and Ladders is definitely not my favorite. That game can go on forever. You just think you're getting somewhere and you hit a chute and go back to the beginning. Come on, this is supposed to be a game for little kids. Have some mercy on the parents (and big brothers) already.

Anyway, Drew, being the great sport that he is, sat down to play with his sisters.

The first game went along fairly smoothly with the exception of Kara's occasional mix up in the counting of the squares (she still needs some help in this area). She ended up winning in what appeared to be near record time. Then I heard her ask the dreaded question..."Can we play again?" The look on Drew's face was hilarious as he responded "Can we double each roll?"

They did play a second game...even played it by the rules (no doubling of rolls). Kara won again and her smile went from ear to ear.

Thanks Drew for taking the time to make memories with your sisters and for loving them enough to play Chutes and Ladders. I'm quite sure you made their night.

3 Years Ago Today...

2008-07-06T00:01:00.011-05:00

...on a very hot afternoon...in the southern part of China...Kara joined our family.

She didn't have a clue what was going on and went into an emotional cocoon for those first few days. Her personality slowly emerged as we loved and cared for her.

This was her first meeting with Daddy. Kara had little interaction with men before joining our family so Daddy took a little getting used to, as did all of the boys in our house.

Kara is a precious gift from God and a delight to our souls. While still very shy, she has a smile that lights up a room and a giggle that just makes the rest of us grin.

She is a momma's girl and loves to snuggle. What more could I ask for?!

We are so blessed that God brought us together to be a family. Today we celebrate Kara's "Gotcha" day. It's a great reason to go out for some yummy Chinese food and spend some time just being together.

Happy "Gotcha" day Kara! We love you so much!!!!

Happy Independence Day!!!!

2008-07-04T13:28:00.009-05:00

Being a military family, we understand the sacrifices that have been made so that we can enjoy the freedom that we celebrate today. I just want to say "thank you" to those who have given the ultimate sacrifice and to their families who live with that daily.

Also, to those that are currently defending our nation and their families "thank you". We are so grateful for all of you.

And to my dear husband, who has spent the better part of his life serving our country, "thank you...I am so proud of you and I love you dearly".

Happy 4th of July! May God bless us every one!!!!

One Answer for Rising Gas Prices

2008-07-02T21:34:00.013-05:00

I just thought you all might like to see Keith's new ride. He looks pretty good on it, doesn't he?! I've been teasing him that since he's retiring from flying jets next year, he needs a new thrill in his life.

He went into this whole thing just looking for a way to save money on gas but he's like a little boy with a new toy, always looking for an excuse to go ride it. It really makes him giddy.

He's having so much fun that it kind of makes me feel bad for giving him so much grief about buying it to begin with.

The thing still scares me to death but I sure enjoy seeing that big ol' grin on his face when he comes home from work.

Well, I guess if gas prices keep rising we can always add a sidecar.

The Rest of the Story

2008-06-28T19:10:00.007-05:00

When I arrived at the hospital I was ushered out the side door and into a semi trailer that houses the mobile MRI unit. It's only at this location on Fridays. Okay, being locked inside the back of a semi doesn't do much for the claustrophobic feeling.

My escort (a woman) and I were met inside by the male technician that would do the actual MRI. He was very nice and quickly explained the procedure and asked if I was okay with everything. Um...I think so.

When I found out last week that I was to be face down for this scan I thought well they mash the daylights out of these things when they do a mammogram so I guess there gonna use my body weight to mash them for this scan. I shared my thoughts with Keith and he joked that maybe they would cut holes in the table.

When the technician opened the door inside the trailer that led to the MRI machine, I couldn't help but laugh out loud at what I saw. This picture is pretty accurate although the set up is backwards, thankfully, from what I experienced. You see, the one thing that they didn't tell me ahead of time is that you go into the machine feet first for this test.

That may sound like a minor detail but it isn't. Having your head a foot from the opening as opposed to 8 feet from it makes a huge difference. At least it did for me. I honestly think I could have hugged that man when he told me that I was going in feet first. What a relief.

I won't explain the ins and outs (pun intended) of this little addition to the MRI table. You can use your imaginations...it won't take much. Anyway, once I was undressed and all set up on the table, the tech came in and started an IV to use for the contrast solution that they inject halfway through the scan. The table was moved into the machine and the real fun began.

It was not nearly as bad as I was expecting but I was pretty uncomfortable before it was over. You can't move at all and my arms had to be up over my head the whole time. As I said yesterday, I am not a stomach sleeper and my neck and shoulders were killing me before it was done.

Thankfully, it's all over now and we just wait for the results...4 to 6 weeks is what they're telling me. I guess there aren't very many people qualified to read these things so they have to send them off to be read elsewhere. It will be interesting to hear what they have to say. I'm tired of hearing the radiologist tell me every year that my mammograms have a high margin of error because I have difficult ____________ well, you know.

So, there you have it. Thanks for all the prayers to get me through this thing. Sounds like it may have to become a semi regular occurence if the results turn out to be better than the mammos. I think I can live with that. I know one thing, I won't be nearly as concerned next time. Now watch, they'll stick me in head first next time just for kicks. :)

Speaking of Uncomfortable

2008-06-27T22:14:00.010-05:00

Today I had an MRI. My doctor ordered it over a month ago but it took awhile for us to get the insurance company to agree to pay for it. It was actually scheduled for last Friday but the technician that does them had a heart attack so they rescheduled it for today.

Why was I having this MRI you might ask. Well, it seems the docs can't read my mammograms because of an overabundance of cystic tissue so they thought the MRI might give them a better looksy at what is going on in there.

I have had two other MRIs done but they were done 15 and 13 years ago respectively. The first one was a brain scan and the second one was of my brain and spine.

Have you ever had an MRI? Have you ever seen one? Let me just say that I never knew I was claustro- phobic until I had the first one done. You lie down on a table that is barely wide enough for you and then they insert the table into an 8 foot long tube. The first MRI I had done, the table was only halfway into the tube when I made them take me out. I felt like I was being buried alive. It really freaked me out. After a little coaxing, I did eventually get through that one.

The second MRI was long. They do your spine in three sections so it was like having 4 MRIs all at once. I knew better what to expect but that might have been a bad thing. Thankfully I was given a little something to help me relax and all I really remember is singing Amazing Grace over and over again to myself during the whole thing.

Needless to say I wasn't really too excited about the thought of having another MRI. I was doing okay with the idea until last week when they called to reschedule. That got me thinking about it and I started to panic.

On Tuesday of this week I decided to call my doc to ask about the possibility of drugs to get through this "ordeal". His nurse was very sympathetic since she can't even get in an elevator due to her claustrophobia. I was relieved that she didn't laugh at me. She said that the doc would be happy to help except that he's on vacation all this week. Yea!

She recommended that I call the hospital where they do the MRI to get some more info. Here is what they told me: It takes about 2 hours - STRIKE ONE; You have to be completely in the tube - STRIKE TWO; and Oh, by the way, you are on your stomach the whole time - STRIKE THREE and I'm definitely OUT!!!!! As in running away. :)

Okay, I am not a stomach sleeper so that does not sound comfortable to me and the thought of being on my back 8 feet inside a tube for 2 hours was bad enough but you're going to stick me on my stomach and then shove me in. I don't think so!!!!!! Claustrophobia levels were definitely rising.

I called my doc on base and he agreed to prescribe a little helper. I picked up the two tiny little pills yesterday and was very skeptical that anything that small could do much for me (think the size of baby aspirin).

My husband and several of my friends have been praying for me to get through this thing. I woke up this morning intending to have Tyler take me to the hospital since they told me not to drive while taking that medicine. When it came time to take the stuff, I just decided not to. I didn't feel nervous and I thought I would just wait and see how things felt when I got there. I took them with me just in case.

I will admit that I had second thoughts about the time the table started to move but I'll save the rest of the story for tomorrow.

Let's Get "Un"comfortable

2008-06-26T19:42:00.004-05:00

Last week I blogged about empathy and taking the time to consider what the rest of the world is going through as we walk through this journey.

Today I came across an article by Andree Seu who writes for World Magazine. She talked about stepping out of her own comfort zone to minister to those she comes into contact with...even total strangers.

Reading her thoughts, which you can find here, I had to wonder how many people I pass by on any given day without another thought. People that are obviously hurting or in need. Or maybe people that have needs not so obvious. They may be people I know or they may be total strangers.

We are all needy in some respect. A smile, a kind word, or maybe a few minutes of our time can be such an encouragement to someone else and we just might be surprised what it does for us as well.

I have been struck lately by the suffering that is all around us. We won't have to look far to find someone that is hurting or lonely. Let's take a few minutes to step out of our own comfort zone and reach out to them. Every time we do, it will make it that much easier the next time.

You don't have to have all of the answers. Usually a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on go much further anyway. Then again, the best answer of all is the hope of Christ for the lost and the reassurance of that hope for the suffering believer.

So, will you offer an ear or a shoulder and get "un"comfortable with me?

Photo by Erin J. Pond (no kin)

17 Years Ago Today...

2008-06-19T14:11:00.007-05:00

Wow, time really does fly. 17 years ago at 7:19am New Mexico time, I gave birth to my 3rd son, Tyler. I cannot believe he is 17 already. He is 12 hours old in this picture.

Tyler was born in Alamogordo, New Mexico. We moved there when I was 8 months pregnant for Keith to attend Fighter Lead-In Training before going on to Luke AFB, AZ, for F-16 Training. Tyler was born a week early and we moved again when he was 2 weeks old. Needless to say, it was a crazy time in our lives. This picture was taken at 18 months while we were living in Arizona.

Shortly after that picture was taken, we moved to Hill AFB, Utah. Tyler had his first asthma attack there when he was three years old. Little did we know then that it was only the first of many more to come. This picture was taken around that time.

We started home schooling while we lived in Utah. We were part of a great home school community which gave us the opportunity to go on some really fun field trips and even to have professional "school" pictures taken every year. This is Tyler's 4 year old picture. The photographer that took pictures for our home school group was always great about including the younger kids too.

In 1996, we moved to Portales, New Mexico. Tyler continued to battle his asthma as it seemed to grow worse and worse. We struggled with the doctors there because it seemed like all they wanted to do was treat the attacks rather than trying to find something to prevent them in the first place. It was always frustrating and scary to watch Tyler struggling to breathe. This is Toothless Tyler when he was 7 years old.

Just before Tyler's 8th birthday we moved to Wichita Falls. The first year we lived here, he was on steroids 10 times in 12 months. It was agony for him and for us. A friend from church recommended asking our pediatrician about trying an inhaler that she had been given to treat her own lung issues. We were desperate as we had tried everything else we could think of. At that time, this drug was not generally given to children Tyler's age but his asthma was bad enough that the doctor agreed to try it.

Within 2 weeks, we saw a huge improvement. Over the next 2 years, Tyler only needed steroids once. The difference was amazing. We have praised God many times for leading us to that medication. This is Tyler in the 5th grade taken just a couple of months before he started the new medicine.

There were many nights that I sat up with Tyler, giving him breathing treatment after breathing treatment praying for God to heal him. I was so afraid that there would come a time when the steroids wouldn't work and Tyler would stop breathing. In those times, I learned to trust God. I didn't know what the future held, but I knew that God loved Tyler even more than I did and He had a plan for his future, even if it wasn't the same as mine. Here's Tyler at 13, finally a teenager.

Do I share all of this because Tyler's life has been defined by his asthma? Hardly! In fact, even though he still takes that "miracle" medicine to stave off the attacks, asthma almost seems like a distant memory in our house.

I share this because today, as Tyler stands on the threshold of adulthood, I'm one proud mom and I'm so thankful to God for all that He has brought us through. I believe that I learned more through Tyler's asthma than he did but sometimes that's how God works. He works through the hard times, the "why" questions, and the fear and trembling to teach us to lean on Him and to trust completely in Him because we can do nothing else.

I shared once with a friend that I was afraid to turn my kids over to God (as if we really have a choice anyway) because I was afraid that He would take them. She said maybe it's like Abraham with Isaac. God just wants you to be willing to obey and He will give them back to you. That spoke volumes to me. They are really His anyway, only on loan to us. How blessed we are to have them for the time that we do...and it goes much too quickly.

Tyler is an awesome kid. He is a super hard worker...just ask any of his coworkers at United. He is a great help at home. And he wants to help others. On top of all that, he loves the Lord.

So ... Thank you God for bringing Tyler this far. Thank you for the gift of his life and for the awesome young man that he is. Thank you for everything that you have brought him through and for his future that you hold in your hand. May you use him for your glory. In Jesus' name, Amen!

Happy 17th Birthday, Tyler!!! May God grant you many, many more. I love you! ~Mom

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-15T07:00:00.001-05:00

This day has taken on a new significance for me since Keith's dad died 5 1/2 years ago. Those things always help you see a little clearer. Isn't it sad that it takes something like the death of loved one to make you appreciate everyone else more.

I want my Dad to know how much I love him and how thankful I am for the fact that he has always been there for me. I knew when I was younger that he would do anything for me and I've never doubted that since. Happy Father's Day, Dad. I love you! Your gift is in the mail. :)

On a similar note, I'm so thankful for my husband and for the father that he is to our children. After being parents for 21 years now, we understand just how difficult it can be to be good parents and to raise our children in the training and admonition of the Lord. I think Keith has done a great job but he would argue with me. I think it's really commendable for a man to raise 6 children and still have his sanity. What do you think? ;)

All goofiness aside, I only know of one perfect Father and that is God. I praise Him today for adopting us into His family and loving us as His own.

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. ~ Galatians 4:4-7

Happy Father's Day to all the dads that might come across this blog. May God give you the wisdom and strength to raise your children to follow Him.

Empathy

2008-06-14T18:42:00.000-05:00

As some of you know the death of Steven Curtis Chapman's daughter Maria really got to me. I know that part of it is probably because they had so much to do with our own decision to adopt, part of it is having little ones from China, part of it is being a mom and trying to put myself in their shoes, and part of it is that every time I see pictures of Maria they make me think of Kara.

Over the last 14 years we have experienced the death of some people very close to us ... 3 very dear friends, my Granny, Keith's dad, and then his Grandpa. The morning after I would always wake up feeling like it was wrong for the sun to shine that day. It felt weird to be out and about and see that life, at least for other people, had not changed. Somehow it seemed like the world should stop and everyone should acknowledge the pain that we were feeling.

If you've never experienced that feeling, I pray that you never have to. But reality suggests that at some point you will know exactly what I mean. I can't imagine how people grieve without the hope of Christ.

I went to Steven Curtis Chapman's website the other day to read about Maria's memorial service and I came across a blog entry written by Kerry Hasenbalg. Kerry's husband, Scott, is the Executive Director of Shaohannah's Hope, the organization started by the Chapmans to help others with the financial hardships of the adoption process. The Hasenbalgs and the Chapmans are very close friends.

Kerry gave birth to a stillborn baby girl in January of this year so she is intimately acquainted with the grieving process and has spent a lot of time with the Chapmans in these early days of their own grief.

I hope you will take a minute or two to read what she wrote about being softened by suffering. You can find her blog entry here. It touched my heart and has really made me look at people differently when I am out and about these days. There is so much suffering in our world and we never know what's going on behind the masks that others wear to cover their own hurt and sorrow.

I share this with you in the hope that we will all show each other a little more compassion. When your smile is not returned by someone you encounter, instead of being offended, pray for them. It's easy to get our feathers ruffled but if we really knew what was going on in the lives of others I think we would be a much kinder people. At least, I hope so.

Please continue to pray for the Chapman family. The services are over and most people have gone back to their normal lives. The Chapmans' lives have been forever changed and their grief will be fresh for some time to come.

Milestones

2008-06-08T14:16:00.009-05:00

About a month ago Emma was in the bathroom brushing her teeth before bed. She made a strange face and said "Mom, it hurts back here" pointing behind her front bottom teeth.

"Let me see" I said as I peeked inside her mouth. "Well, no wonder it hurts, you have another tooth coming in right behind the baby tooth". Her first permanent tooth. The tooth was already through the skin and quite visible.

According to the dentist, this is a frequent occurrence and no cause for concern. In fact, he said that some kids end up with two rows of teeth before the baby ones start falling out. He said that once the baby tooth was out, her tongue would push the permanent tooth right into place.

At any rate, the baby tooth didn't really want to budge. The permanent tooth was wedged in so closely that I was skeptical as to whether or not it would ever wiggle.

Well, wiggle it did. Saturday night, a week ago, we were at the local Hastings bookstore listening to Drew's (our son) band play in the coffee shop. Some friends of ours were there and the girls were bouncing around and being goofy all over the place.

I left to take Kara to the bathroom and as I was coming out I ran into Keith and Emma. Emma had blood running down her lip. I figured she bumped into one of the other kids or something and bit her lip but it wasn't the lip at all. It was that little tooth. The thing was very loose and just wiggling like crazy. I'm still not sure what happened to cause it to get so loose so quickly.

I took her in the bathroom to clean it up and get a better look. When I saw how loose it was I said "That tooth probably needs to come out before bed tonight" thinking she might swallow it otherwise (this has happened in our house on several occasions). She reached inside her mouth, grabbed the tooth, yanked it right out and said "Here!" as she thrust it at me.

I was a bit dumbfounded. No trauma of the first lost tooth, no tears, seemingly no pain, not even a flinch. The permanent tooth was so far in already you almost couldn't even tell that she had lost a tooth. In fact, by the time I actually got around to taking her picture, the new tooth had already moved forward almost to where it should be.

So, there you have it. She has lost her first tooth. The dentist said that looking at her recent x-rays she should be losing the top two front teeth before long. It looks like she'll be singing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth" this year.

Milestones like this are a constant reminder of how quickly they grow up. I still remember when our oldest started to lose his baby teeth and that was 15 years ago. Yikes! Who knew we'd still be in the tooth losing phase this many years later. :) We are indeed richly blessed!

Little Chef

2008-06-07T18:59:00.015-05:00

21+ years ago, I spent 3 weeks in the hospital before my 1st son was born. It was a small hospital on a small Air Force base in Arizona. A lot of the time I was the only patient in the OB ward. Needless to say I got to know the nurses fairly well.

As you can imagine the hospital food was pretty bland. One night, one of the nurses brought dinner in for herself and the other staff. She was kind enough to sneak me some. Homemade Cashew Chicken...it was wonderful! A little spicy and tons of flavor. The next night, at my request, she brought me the recipe.

I have been making this recipe for 21 years now. I don't make it often because it requires a lot of prep time chopping chicken and vegetables but I've been in a bit of a cooking rut lately so out came the butcher knife.

For the last year or so, I have had a little sidekick in the kitchen. My youngest, Kara, is pretty much attached to me at the hip. She especially loves the kitchen and is always asking me if I will teach her how to make whatever I happen to making at the time when she gets older. I would love just about nothing more than to do just that.

Anyway, she has a little stool that she always pulls up next to me to watch or try to involve herself in whatever I'm doing. Today as I peeled the carrots over the trash can, she began to pick the peelings out of the trash. She asked for a plate and began to prepare her own dinner. Her dinner consisted of carrot peelings, green onion stalks, and the discarded ends of the celery.

She was so very proud of herself when her dinner was complete. I told her that it was too bad that we didn't have rabbits because they would love a dinner like that. She then decided that we should take the plate outside and leave it hoping that some little bunnies would happen along. We convinced her that her stuffed animals would enjoy it more.

Her future husband will be very blessed! I hope he likes rabbit food. :)

Health

2008-06-06T14:44:00.011-05:00

Some people keep a "blessings" list. At the end of every day they write down one thing that happened that day that they see as a blessing in their life. I've decided that this blog will serve as my "blessings" list.

I don't expect that everything I share on here will be happy but I know that no matter what happens God is still in control and therefore we are blessed.

Two weeks ago today my 18 year old son, Drew, came home from work with a bad stomachache. Throughout the afternoon it only got worse. By that evening, he was on the couch in pretty severe pain.

Almost eighteen years earlier Drew had undergone 2 major abdominal surgeries before he was even 12 months old. The doctors told us then that we would always have to watch for issues that might arise from the formation of scar tissue, or adhesions, which is very common with abdominal surgery. These adhesions can cause intestinal obstructions at any point in your life with little or no advance warning. Yea!

So, off to the ER Drew went. He got there about 10 pm that night and after several tests and a lot of waiting he was admitted to the hospital with the diagnosis of an intestinal obstruction. It wasn't my worst fear but not good news by any stretch.

The surgeon came in very early the next morning and explained to us that sometimes these things will work themselves out if the body is just given a chance to rest and any inflammation that is in there is reduced making the adhesions less of a factor. That would be the best case scenario.

If that didn't work within a couple of days, Drew was facing another surgery. The problem with that is that the body heals itself by forming scar tissue. Can you say "snowball effect"? Yuck! Not a good plan but maybe his only option.

I don't have many pictures of Drew from his time in the hospital as an infant. It was a difficult and scary time for me and I really didn't want to remember what he looked like then. I did take a picture of him before his first surgery so that he would know that he wasn't actually born with the scar that now makes him look like he was cut in half at some point.

You can tell in the picture how bloated his little tummy was. He spent most of the month that he was in the hospital with an NG tube running from his nose down to his tummy and with various IV tubes through which he was fed and medicated. He also spent a lot of that time on morphine so it really would not have made for pleasant pictures.

With hindsight being what it is, I do wish I had one or two pictures from that month because they really would be a testimony to God's healing hand. This picture was taken the day before he was released to go home. He was sitting on a couch in the playroom at the hospital watching Daddy and Jeremy (his big brother) play Nintendo. He looks small and pale to me but it was a huge improvement over the previous few weeks.

I've learned over the years, thanks to my husband, to take pictures of everything. (There is another long story that goes along with that. :) ) Even things that are unpleasant at the time can serve as reminders to us of all the things that God has brought us through. So this time I took a few pictures.

Keith said that when he walked into the hospital the morning after Drew was admitted and saw him laying there with yet another NG tube, it nearly brought him to his knees. Drew is much bigger than he was 18 years ago but it is amazing how quickly those years fall away when you are looking at your child laying in a hospital bed.

I write all of this today because as Drew left for work this morning I was overwhelmed with thankfulness to God for seeing him through another illness and without any more surgery. While I pray that Drew will not have to go through this again, the possibility remains. I do know that our God is the Great Physician and I am so grateful for the peace that that knowledge brings during these times.

The weekend that Drew was hospitalized, 3 other children from our church also spent time at the hospital for various maladies. I'm happy to report that all of them, plus one more hospitalized since then, are at home and well on their way to full recoveries. As parents, it's always hard to watch your children suffer in whatever form that may take. But God loves them even more than we do and because of that...we are all blessed!

Critters

2008-06-05T14:59:00.008-05:00

Both of my girls love critters of all kinds. They would love to have a dog but I keep telling them that we have too many children to have animals. ;) So far, that has worked.

A new home is being built on the lot next to us. One of the bricklayers that has been working on the house this last week has the cutest little puppy that he brings to work with him everyday.
We were out front one evening enjoying the nice weather when the puppy decided to come and play. The girls had a great time and so did the puppy. It's the first time I've seen Kara actually play with a dog without being afraid. Then again, it's the first time she has been around one that wasn't bigger than she is.

Keith has taught the girls that bugs are okay, too. It is obvious that they trust him completely. :) The other day there was a commotion on the back patio while they were out there playing. I went to check it out only to find them fighting over who got to hold the mostly dead cricket that they had found.

Kara was the current pallbearer. The cricket was lying in her tiny little palm and she was gently caressing it with the index finger of her other hand.

Yuck!!!!!!! I do not like bugs and this sight just grossed me out. Not to mention that the exterminator had been here earlier that day which is why the cricket was dying in the first place. After a short lecture on bugs and poison and a thorough washing of the hands, I'm happy to report that I have no pictures to share with you of this example of the girls' love for critters.

The front patio that we had built last fall has become a favorite hangout for Keith and I in the evenings after dinner. The girls love it when we go out there because they get to come too.

Emma asked one night at dinner "Are you guys going to have a vacationship tonight?" We are not sure where the word came from but that is her term for our time on the front patio. We are more than happy to oblige and now we "vacationship" often.

During a recent "vacationship", Emma got sent inside early. Those who know her well won't even have to wonder why. :) Kara was sitting on Keith's lap when a bird on the roof caught her eye. She is fascinated with all critters but birds seem to hold a special attraction for her. I happened to catch this shot of the two of them as she got Daddy involved in her birdwatching activities.

I thought this picture was great of the two of them. It thrills my heart to see their relationship growing. Kara is still painfully shy with most men but she has finally decided that Daddy is a good guy. I put her to bed one night last week when Keith wasn't home and just before I turned out the light she said "Tell Daddy I love him". Need I say more?

We are so blessed!

Faith

2008-06-04T22:22:00.006-05:00

I was out running some errands with the girls this afternoon when I caught a short blurb on the radio. I didn't get the woman's name but she was speaking for a ministry called "The Proverbs 31 Woman".

She mentioned that several years ago God had made it abundantly clear to her and her husband that they were to adopt two little boys from Africa. She said that people have asked her if she ever regretted their decision to do just that.

Her answer is always "no". She said that even though some days are really difficult and it is often stressful and tiring to raise 5 active children it has taught her to live by faith. She asked this question "How can I be a woman of faith if I am living a life that requires no faith?"

I feel like I'm walking in this woman's shoes. I could replace her in this story if you added one more child. It has been 7 years now since we submitted to God's working in our hearts to add to our family through adoption.

I have never once regretted the decision to follow His leading. I will admit, though, to sometimes wanting to ask God "why" some things have happened the way that they have.

Maybe today I got my answer. Maybe, if I could really ask God "why?" He would tell me that it was to teach me to live by faith...to trust Him...to stop relying on myself and let Him be in the driver's seat. Sometimes life is hard...sometimes it's really hard...but He is always faithful.

Thank you Lord for teaching me to live by faith and thank you for each and every one of my precious children.

I am a blessed mother indeed!