Life with the Akin Clan

Our Great Sea Adventure

2011-08-01T19:20:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Carolyn is the best. Many of you who read this blog have had the chance to meet her because she comes to every single thing that every single one of my children are involved in. She never misses a thing. She did the same for me when I was a child. For her birthday we decided to take her to the Dallas World Aquarium. We knew she would love it but would never go by herself. We loaded up early Saturday morning and headed to Dallas for the day.

Posing with Aunt Carolyn

The Sloth

The Manatee

Leafy Seadragon

Just one of the beautiful aquariums

The incredible dancers we say

A flamingo, Abi's favorite

The Jaguar. I am amazed at how God made their spots so perfect

Aunt Carolyn "petting" a sea urchin

A shark swimming over our head in the shark tank.

An adorable penguin

After our fun at the aquarium (and thanking God we went early because the line was around the block when we left!) we headed to Cheesecake Factory! It was sooooo good! I cannot even describe how much our family loves this place and we were so excited to share it with Aunt Carolyn. She loved it! After lunch we went to the Container store (my new favorite store!) and to Barnes & Noble. We headed home after a great day! We crashed in front of the tv to watch "Harry Potter" (thanks Aunt Jessi and Laura!) then crashed in our beds.

Sunday was early service for us then to mom's for lunch. It was great to be at church. I just needed to feel the love of people of who love Eric and I. Lunch was delicious! After lunch, we headed home and did nothing for the rest of the day.

Today was filled with catching up on chores, a bit of school and other little things. Andrew has a friend spending the night and I am sure that Abi is in her room practicing her rendition of the musical "Cats." It's her new obsession.

I really miss my hubby and daughter but I know they are off doing wonderful things! Eric has 2 boys this week that are a handful so he could use the prayers. I haven't heard how Chels is doing with her girls so I am going to take that as a good sign! Tomorrow is a busy day so I am off to bed. I haven't slept good since Eric has left and I don't think I will until he is by my side again! But until then, we will lift each other up in prayer!

The rest of week one

2011-08-01T19:06:00.000-07:00

So I have done a horrible job at updating while Eric is gone. To be honest with you there have been some overwhelming issues that have occurred. If I had sat down to write each day, I would have cried. Today is the first day I have felt I could actually write so here we go!

First off, I would like to give a huge shout out to some great friends and family. I am not naming any names but you know who you are. You have listened to me cry, rage, blubber, gripe, and whine since last Monday and I cannot thank you enough. Thank you for liking me enough to listen but mostly for praying. Your prayers have gotten me (and Andrew and Abi) through each and every day. I couldn't have made it this for without you all. I love you all!

My kids has the chance to spend some time with their friends, C. & D. Wooden. Their mom went to China the two weeks before Eric and Chelsea so it was great to hear a bit more about where they are and what they are doing. The puppy in the picture is Porter, one of the puppies that used to live with us!

Abi spent the afternoon with her friend Sarah one day (and I even took my camera to get pictures and forgot! grr...!) so Caroline spent the afternoon with Andrew and I. They were supposed to help me make a pie but they ended up reading funny poems and telling scary stories. Here they are arm wrestling. I love the look on her face. Caroline is determine to beat every boy she meets. LOL

The Cornett kids and mom came and spent a day with us. We were going to go to the movies but we decided it was just easier to stay here. We had lunch, played games, drove to 3 different places to get snacks, and had a marshmellow war. I highly recommend this! It's easy to clean up and lots of fun. Grace just went around and ate them. LOL That was so funny! Speaking of Grace, her mommy shared with us that Grace invited Jesus to live in her heart! Welcome to the family Grace!

Stacey really enjoyed her chocolate dipped cone

I also was able to go out with some good friends Friday night. I wanted to take a picture but they threatened me when they saw the camera so no go on that.

We celebrated my stepmom's birthday one evening but I do not have pictures of that night either. :-( I made my first successful pie! I was so excited!

Eric and Chelsea are doing great by the way. Eric is ready to come home and Chels is geared up to go all of next summer. :-) Please continue to pray for them, along with the translators and orphans.

Day 3

2011-07-26T08:36:00.000-07:00

We woke up to a wonderful text from Chelsea telling us to get on Skype! We were able to talk to her for 30 minutes! Eric was tired and in bed. She told us about her little girls in her family group and her translators. It was great to see her. We ate a breakfast of biscuits and sausage then we got ready to go to the water park! They have a nice, affordable water park in their town that is just great. It's small but it has 2 slides, a lazy river, and a kids play area. We had a great time until someone decided to poop in the kids area and they needed to close it for 30 minutes. We decided to go ahead and leave. We stopped at Dairy Queen for some yummy treats then home to shower and pack. After a delicious dinner of pork loin, steamed veggies and zucchini, we got on the road. Eric texted me to get on skype but I couldn't because I was in Waco driving! We texted a bit which was so great. We listened to "Adventures in Odyssey" on the way home which is always nice. We made it home around 10 then headed to our beds. Well, my bed! LOL They are bunking in mom's room.

Day 2

2011-07-26T08:34:00.001-07:00

We woke up and enjoyed a wonderful breakfast of eggs, ham, and biscuits. We headed out the door for church. My sister and her husband attend a church with a traditional service which is unlike our contemporary service. I highly enjoyed singing the older hymns. We do sing them at our church but that's all we sang at their church. As an adult, I pay more attention to the words. "Trust and Obey" and "People Need the Lord" really spoke to me as I thought about where our family is at this moment in life. The kids went to their SS classes (So proud of them!) and I went to SS with Jessi and Franklin. I really enjoyed their teacher. He spoke on Romans 8. His main focus is that Jesus commands us to go to all nations and be His light. AMEN! I loved an analogy that he used with adoption and salvation. The kids you adopt may not feel part of your family for a while, but as the parents, you immediately love them. When we are not Christians or are new Christians we aren't quiet sure if we are comfortable with God and all He represents. But as we grow, we slowly understand more. He was a very gifted teacher.

After church we headed to my favorite restaurant, Jalisco's for some awesome Mexican food. We spend the rest of the day hanging out, eating yummy brownies and learning a new board game!

Fun Tu-tus! Abi made hers. Lewis wanted to twirl in it then take it off!

Day 1

2011-07-26T08:17:00.000-07:00

We awoke early at my sisters, which is what happens when she has 2 kids 2 and under. I did not sleep well because I was just restless. We got up and had some yummy pigs in a blanket. My sister and I headed out the door with her two little ones and Abi to go to Hobby Lobby. Andrew and Franklin headed to Harbor Freight to do "man things." We met up at a Mongolian Grill for lunch. It was the neatest thing! You filled your bowl with the food you want then they cook it in front of you. The kids really enjoyed that. Andrew and Uncle Franklin headed home to watch "The Last Airbender" while the rest of us headed to the mall quickly. We came home for the rest of the evening and just hung out. Aunt Jessi made her famous (according to my kids) spaghetti for dinner. Apparently there are free texting services and Facebook in Korea so we were able to chat with Eric and Chelsea. It was very interesting especially when Chelsea was served liquor instead of a sprite!

Hanging out with our cousins! I love the first picture!

Playing Phase 10 w/ Penny the Party Girl!

Day Zero

2011-07-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

I noticed that our good friend Daddy Lion posted each day for Mommy Lion while she was in China and I thought I should do the same for my husband and daughter. For those of you who do not know, Eric and Chelsea are in China working with orphans at a camp for 2 weeks.

We spend Friday morning lazying around and gathering last minute items for their trip. Eric's mom came to visit for a while then our neighbors joined us for prayer before we hit the road for DFW. We made a run through Chick Fil A's drive thru, mainly for sweet tea which was watery. :-( After some initial not knowing where to go and making wrong turns, Chelsea's handy dandy phone GPS got us to DFW. We dropped them off curbside, hugged and kissed, promised to pray and waved goodbye.

Andrew, Abi and I got back on the road and headed to my sisters house for the weekend. We stopped in Hillsboro to eat our traditional pizza dinner. It wasn't homemade but Pizza Hut came through with a good pizza. We anxiously awaited updates from the world travelers, especially since this was Chelsea's first time to fly. We arrived at my sisters around 8, visited awhile, then headed to bed. We tried to sleep but we still wanted to hear from dad and sis before they left the states. After having a little bit of a luggage problem, they were on their way across the ocean to Korea. We were all finally able to rest then.

Eric took Abi and Andrew both out for a night before he left. This is him and Abi. I could kick myself for not getting one of him and Andrew.

We had a group of people come over and cover Eric, Chelsea, and their trip in prayer before they left. What is amazing about this is that all the teens present, Chelsea excluded, are not Christians. How cool that they came to lift them up in prayer?! Seeds are even being planted here!

Preparing to leave

Bye! See you August 6th!

Updates--are you shocked?!

2011-07-12T14:52:00.000-07:00

I was recently reading a blog (ok, creeping a blog!) where the mom commented that she has only written about 30 posts this year. She wondered how many wonderful moments she didn't write down and will not be able to look back on with fondness. So I have decided I need to write down some major happenings in our life so that I have no regrets. Yes, I've been busy living but memories are great to look back on also. I have updated up to April! Can you believe it? Here are the ones I have done so far..Happy Reading!

China Preparations
High School Banquet
Field Days
Easter 2011-Meme & Pops
Easter 2011-Easter Morning

Easter 2011-Nini & Papa's
Chelsea's 17th Birthday
Eric's ??? Birthday
Spring Break 2011
Abi's 9th Birthday

China Preparations

2011-07-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

Eric and Chelsea leave for China in 9 1/2 days! We have been busy preparing for this unforgettable trip by having many fundraisers!

Our church held a bike-a-thon. While this did not contribute directly to Eric and Chelsea's trip, it was to help raise money to send the orphans to camp. They raised over $6,000!
We are so proud of our biker Andrew.

All the bikers getting ready!

We held a car wash at Brookshire's one Saturday in May. We had a lot of great help, including many teens and our friend Brad and his kids. They raised over $500 that day! Just thinking about the teens and their willingness to help still brings tears to my eyes!
How could you turn this cutie down?

Andrew working hard!

Brittany, Chelsea & Nicole

Brother and Sister from another mother!

Our Ninja Car Washers, Josh & Cole!

A Group of Helpers with a freshly washed car

Chelsea also put streaks of color in many people's hair to raise money. This is my friend Laura, remember her? The awesome field day coordinator, getting her hair done. My friends Kara, Christi, Brandy (also my sil) got their hair done and several of Chelsea's friends had theirs done also. It was fun to visit when people came to get their hair done!

High School Banquet 2011

2011-07-12T14:16:00.000-07:00

We, Eric, Chelsea and I, attended the High School Banquet in April. The theme was a Masquerade Ball. The committee did a great job! We enjoyed a delicious dinner then we were entertained by dancing. After that the kids (and some parents) headed back to our home for the after party. After playing a game, they finally loosened up and enjoyed themselves. ;-) Some of the girls spent the night and from what I heard, had a great time!

My handsome husband and my beautiful daughter! I'm such a proud mom! Chelsea wore her converse shoes and as a surprise, Eric and I went and bought some to wear that night. She was so excited!

Chelsea, her mom, and her "little" sister

Chelsea and her best friend in the world, David.

David, Schalon, Veronica, and Chelsea.

Chelsea's table: L-R: Philip R., Bryant N., Alexis G, David N., Chelsea, & Camilla H.

One of the other tables: L-R: Savannah G, Adam S., Brooklyn D, Kaylee E., Heidi K., and Mary H.

Dancing

Morgan S., Chelsea, & Madison S.

A Masked Man

The entire group-it's dark but it's the best one!

The After Party!
Savannah encouraging her teammate Philip to chug that drink down!

Tackling the "obstacle course" Why is Josh looking at his nails?

Josh about to go and count chickens

James, David, Madison, Savannah, Kaylee, and Savannah getting ready to do their "jump shots"

The winners had put together the names of some of the kids that were there.

Field Days 2011

2011-07-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

My awesome friend Laura Hill put together an incredible Field Day for our home school group this year. It was held at McChorter (sp?) Park and the kids loved it! They were split into their own age groups and played some great games. Chelsea and some of her friends sold refreshments for her China trip and made a killing! My nephews and niece, along with Meme who had to drive them, came to watch. It was a great day and my kids are looking forward to next years!

Andrew's group-but you can hardly see him.

Abi's group

Abi playing a water game

Abi and her friend Anna Jo

Andrew playing tug-of-war

Abi jump roping

Our fans

Enjoy the snacks from Chelsea and her crew

What a cutie! Nathan eating a popcycle!

Abi and team playing tug of war

Easter 2011-Meme and Pops

2011-07-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

After we finished our festivities at our home, we headed to my mom's house. My brother and his family joined us along with my uncle. We had a wonderful lunch (It was sooo good!) and then on to the egg hunt. I get to participate in the hiding of the eggs here which is about as fun as finding them. We love to try and stump the kids! We hung out there for the rest of the day and just enjoyed family!

The younger ones playing Whack-A-Mole, my gift to them to keep at Meme's! ;-)

Jacob dying eggs.

Run Abi Run!

Chelsea helping Isabelle find eggs.

Nathan asking Meme for help

Andrew looks confused...

Easter 2011-Easter Morning

2011-07-12T13:47:00.000-07:00

We started the morning off the right way-with Jesus! I state this because we do not always do that. Sometimes our focus when we get up that morning is the eggs..not good. We participated in the Sunrise Service where Eric read a passage. He cracked us up when he stated it was 2nd Phillippians! LOL His mom joined us and then we all went to the brunch. After that we headed to the service which was wonderful then we did brunch again. LOL We love visiting with everyone and this was a great time to do this. After our 2nd brunch we headed home where we let the kids find their eggs and get their Easter baskets.

Easter 2011-Papa & Nini's

2011-07-12T13:27:00.000-07:00

Easter...my favorite time of the year. Easter is a celebration of my entire faith and beliefs. I love it...

We started the Easter weekend with a visit to my dad's house. My stepmom goes all out on the egg hunts mainly to frustrate my brother and I. ;-) She made the hunt an amazing race this year. The race focused on different aspects of the Easter Story and it was a lot of fun.

Chelsea's friend Shrimp showing off her new Bible. What a great Easter gift! She joined us for the festivities.

Getting ready for the race...discussing strategy. My partner was Shrimp, Abi and Christopher were partners and Chelsea and Andrew were partners.

Racing! Notice that Shrimp and I are not around...~sigh~

Chelsea working hard and it paid off for her. She was the winner of Amazing Race!

Papa's new golf cart! Uncle Christopher and Abi took the cart for a spin and Abi drove. They ended up crashing and hitting a tree pretty hard. We heard the crash but did not really think about it. Uncle Christopher came up to the house, bleeding but told us they were ok. Abi came shortly after and was shaken up and a bit beat up. It could have been much worse but Praise the Lord! They were ok! Moving vehicles at Papa's is not always a great idea...;-)

Chelsea's 17th Birthday

2011-07-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

Chelsea celebrated her 17th birthday on March 30th! She had a family party this year also. We had her requested enchilada dinner and then celebrated with cake after. 17 yrs. old! I cannot get over that. She is almost old enough to vote! Yikes! She is an amazing, Godly young woman and we are very proud of her!

Receiving her gift..I love all their faces in this picture!

Showing off the pink Red Ryder BB gun!-she also got a massage gift certificate to make it a bit more girly.

Love this one also..listening to Dad's instructions

Practicing

The cookie monster cakes!

Modeling her Hello Kitty towel

Money for a rainy day

Eric's ??? Birthday

2011-07-12T12:42:00.000-07:00

My incredible husband celebrated his unspecified number birthday on March 21st! The kids and I fixed him dinner and a pineapple upside down cake. The cake was promised to him last year and we finally made it for him. I feel horrible because he's so wonderful about always remembering the things that I want. The kids each made him a card with a promise of certain gifts or dates. Hmm...that reminds me...I need to see if they have acted upon that yet. I am so thankful for Eric. He is a wonderful husband, father, and best friend. I cannot imagine life without him!

Spring Break 2011

2011-07-12T12:18:00.000-07:00

Our Spring Break was a very busy week! I am horrible about trying to cram everything into that week because I want good memories. I hope my kids memories will not be of me rushing through every thing we do and not really enjoying it. I'm working on this!

My cousin and her family came down for 2 nights. We had a great time hanging out with them. Abi gets along great with Lilla and Andrew, Chelsea, and Ricky like to ride 4-wheelers. We sat around, ate, talked about old times, watched Amazing Race in the shortest amount of time ever, played wii, ate, and played Phase 10. Some wonderful memories were made and we can't wait to see them again!

Tate trying to ride Andrew's rip stick.

Ricky & Lilla

Andrew and Chels riding 4-wheelers. The 4-wheelers actually resulted in Chelsea flipping over completely and a trip to the ER to make sure her wrist was not broken.

After my cousins left, we went to visit my sister and her family. It was a short visit but a great one! We had a great time hanging around her house. Jessi and Chelsea made her bow for the HS banquet, I baby-sat, and we ate some great food.
Andrew and I hanging out in the hammock

Lewis playing in the rocks

Penny

Andrew and Lewis hanging out

Chelsea and Lewis playing with his monkey bubble machine we got him for his birthday.

All the kids on Uncle Franklin's tractor

For the last part of the week we went camping at Atlanta State Park with our friends the Morril's, Smith's and the Wooden's joined us on Saturday. Our neighbor and adopted son D also joined us. It was such a relaxing trip and also, sadly, the last one in our RV. We sold it soon after because it's honestly just a thing. But a thing with a bathroom! But still, a thing... *FOCUS* There is nothing better than sitting around a fire with friends.

The kids had a great time swimming. We found a little cove that worked great for swimming because it wasn't too deep and the adults had a place to sit and visit.

The moon was at its brightest in years and was very pretty.

Hanging around the campfire.

Abi's 9th Birthday!

2011-07-12T11:57:00.000-07:00

Abi's birthday was March 1st. She had a family party this year and her friend Arianna spent the night. I cannot believe that she is 9! She is growing up so much. Eric commented the other day that she holds such grown up conversations now. Our baby is not really a baby anymore but we are enjoying every minute of her!

We started the morning with a pancake breakfast at IHOP. It was free pancake day! This has become a tradition with the Hill's and my brother Christopher.

All the kids-minus Chelsea & my 2 nephews who were running late

Abi with her new purple bike!

The cake

Clowning around with Papa-Watch out Stacey!

I love Arianna's face!

This is pretty much the view we have of Chelsea most of the time ;-)

My nephew Jacob and I checking out the balloons.

A very successful 9th Birthday!

Help for Summer Missions

2011-02-25T08:57:00.001-08:00

First of all, let me say that my mom and sister are the BEST! I am posting what my sister is doing to help my husband and daughter go to China to help with Bring Me Hope. If you would like to see her work and order some bows, please contact me privately. Thank you. ~Aimee Akin

I will be making krocker bows (the curly ones) and will be donating all the money to help fund my niece and brother-in-law's misson trip to China this summer, they will be $5 postage paid, if you live near me discount for no postage. If you want one and would like to request a color let me know what you want.

Video

2011-02-18T16:34:00.000-08:00

This video is about a little girl waiting on a kidney transplant. The video explains it all. Make sure you click on "Ark-La-Tex Family waiting on a Miracle." You can look under "My favorite websites" to click on her caringbridge site. I encourage you to check out the other families I have listed and please, please, please pray for them and their families.

http://www.ksla.com/global/Category.asp?c=194397

Some homeschool funnies....

2011-02-11T07:20:00.000-08:00

I hope these make you smile as much as they make us smile. And question our schooling....

When eating pancakes for dinner one night last week, our oldest daughter commented that the pancakes didn't taste "normal" and questioned what kind they were. Our 11 yr. old son replied, "Jack Daniels." We all about spit out our food. He went to find the box and found out mom does not cook with liquor. She uses Hungry Jack. (where has he even heard of Jack Daniels?!)

That same night the same 11 yr. old was helping me with dishes. He very seriously asked me if I knew any child prostitutes. I very calmly said, "No, do you?" He replied that Mrs. Kara (Curfman) did and she had told them about it in art. (at ELO) I asked him to tell me what a child prostitute was. His answer? "Someone who does something good." I looked at him and said very straight faced, "That's a child prodigy, not prostitute."

One more...

Last night our almost 9 yr. old little girl decided to make a spaceship out of a box. She decorated it all up and named it. She put initials on the side of the box for the name. After seeing it, we told her that spaceship is one word. She didn't know that and had put A(bi's) S(pace) S(hip). There were no parenthesis on her box.

Their teacher should be fired....

Today was a good day...and a snow day!

2011-01-10T17:37:00.000-08:00

Yay! Snow! God opened His storehouses and blessed us with an abundance (well, an East Texas abundance!) of snow! We are still excited. My mother in law was visiting and we looked out and was amazed at the blessing from the sky! The kids instantly ran out and have been doing that for two days now.

Andrew & Abi outside when the snow first started.

A snowball fight with Taisha, George, D, Andrew, & Abi

Our beautiful neighbor Andrea. She is from Peru and this was her first time ever to see snow. She had her laptop outside showing her family. We were all able to tell them hello. It was really neat! Her husband is a coach/teacher at LHS and he came around the corner with an armload of snowballs, blasting them at the kids, while yelling, "We aren't in school today, baby!" My kids thought that was really cool!

Taisha and Abi made this beautiful snowman

D tried to shoot some baskets but as you can see it did not work.

Look at how deep it was!

D putting snow down Andrew's pants

An early morning excursion into the snow. (7:30) Abi & Andrew were excited to wake up and find Chelsea and her sisters here! They tried to fit some play time in before the Longview kids had to go to school.

Andrew getting ready to make snow ice cream! Yes, that is snow that he is holding. They did a great job on the ice cream. That counts as some school, right?

A snowball fight at the park! I gave them 4 minutes to make all the snowballs they could then they went after each other!
One last snowman at the park

For my husband, since he never dragged his lazy behind outside in this winter wonderland!

Chelsea, Taisha and D all decided not to go to school because apparently all the LHS students had a secret vote and skipping won. Chels did spend some part of her morning in the chiropractor office due to a late night fall down the stairs at her mom's apartment. We spent a lot of time outside, a lot of time inside warming up, we watched movies, read and marveled at the beauty of the snow during the day and night. Our God is awesome!

Happy New Years!!

2011-01-05T17:38:00.001-08:00

We were supposed to go camping for New Years but the weather report was iffy. We had the Cornett's over and enjoyed steaks, the kids had hamburgers and lots of other goodies. We just mainly sat around and talked but it was so relaxing. D and his cousin DeQualin joined us also.

All the kids hanging out.
Poor Grace. She was so tired. It's hard being a princess

D

Andrew, Jared, and DeQualin playing games

Abi & Caden. Go Caden. Yay.

Sissy parties way too hard.

Stacey and I took about 40 pictures trying to get a good one for a frame that we have. It needed a new picture badly.

Happy New Years!!

What am I doing?? I promise I only had grape juice!

Oh bother! We are still crazy but so much fun! Everything is funnier with friends late at night!

Thanks for a great evening Cornett's! It was great spending it with you all!
May this year be full of service, honor, and love for our Savior!

Christmas...Part 3...Our family

2011-01-05T17:14:00.000-08:00

We went to my nanny's on Christmas Eve, (no pictures for some reason)dropped leftovers to my cousin Nick at the fire station then went to pick up Chelsea. Yes, Chelsea! She spent Christmas Eve night with us! We were so excited! This was the first time ever. I am sure it was very different for her considering for the last 16 years she has been with her mom but she handled it great. We loved having all 3 kids!

Opening their Christmas Eve gift which is always p.j's

Reading the "Legend of Saint Nicholas." We had just read the Christmas story as a family on Sunday at "home church."

After reading we took turns telling the true story of Christmas

Putting out Santa's cookies (aka..Sissy the dog's cookies. She eats them while we aren't looking)

The traditional under the tree picture. Love that there is three!

A picture of Sophie. The kids were made at us that we wouldn't let her in. She smelled and had been eating a squirrel all day. No thank you!

The loot. It looks so small. Eric and I talked about that and we agreed that even though it doesn't look like much, we are happy with them. We do three gifts each year. Plus, they already have everything!

Our Tree. I do miss getting up and doing my devotionals with this in front of me. So pretty.

First look at the gifts that were left out. I'm sorry for the blurryness. They were just so excited!
Chels with her new camo jacket

Abi with a basket full of art supplies

Andrew & a new ripstick

Opening the rest of the goods
A new model

A radio

A GPS for her car

Opening their together gift; a full volume of all of the Narnia books, "The Blind Side," a Jeremy Camp CD & a new card game

Enjoying their new gifts. Poor Chelsea still had a bit of her cold.

After getting dressed we headed to IHOP to meet my family along with Eric's mom. This is a tradition that has been going on for about 30 years. Eric's mom joined us when we got married. The kids went in their pj's and didn't change out of them all day. Chels headed to her mom's around noon and we lazed around and watched movies. We went to my dads that night (the kids still in their pj's) and ate leftovers and played games. It was a great Christmas day!

Happy (late) Birthday Jesus!

Christmas 2010..Part 2..Christmas with Families

2011-01-05T13:27:00.000-08:00

We had a great time celebrating Christmas with all of our families. We went to my mom's first and loved seeing everyone. With 5 kids 3 and under there was never a dull moment!

Playing Games

Abi enjoying Toy Story 3 with Jacob and Nathan (for the 3rd time)

Lewis

Jacob

Isabelle

Nathan

Penny-let's hear the awww!!! She is so precious!

Opening gifts

Abi got her robe!!

Next up was Christmas at my dad's. I think the first picture says it all.

Chelsea's new orange shoes

Andrew's new lego set

Next up was Christmas with Eric's family. Good looking cousins!

Finally...Christmas 2010 Part 1

2011-01-05T13:16:00.000-08:00

I will be honest...I have been busy enjoying my break so excuse the non-blogging. We had a great break, just relaxing and enjoying the down time. Christmas and New Years were very low key and that was wonderful. I spent a lot of time organizing all of our pictures and cleaning rooms. I love organization!

Here is some of what we did during December..

Making cookies for the nursing home

Singing at the nursing home with our homeschool co-op

A surprise party for Stacey's 35th (yikes! where has the time gone?!) birthday

Chelsea hosted a party and all the girls dressed up the guys. As girls! Lots of fun!

End of the semester projects

Christmas party with our friends. I think Debbie enjoyed her gift more than she let on. :-) This is a repeat for next year. We had a blast!

Looking at Christmas lights with cousins

Lots of Post

2010-12-05T14:21:00.000-08:00

Make sure you check both pages! I hope updated a lot! I hope I still have readers! Enjoy!

The Angels Are Singing..

2010-12-05T14:18:00.000-08:00

and so are we! This morning in the wee hours, around 1 a.m., Chelsea asked Christ to live in her heart! We are so excited! This is a wonderful day and one we hope she never forgets. If you think about it, give her a shout out! December 5th-Chelsea's forever spiritual birthday!

Just Because...

2010-12-05T14:11:00.000-08:00

Andrew before his 4-5-6 Redneck Christmas Party

Danielle & Abi getting ready to go in the Awana Christmas party.

Andrew while cleaning out his room.

Chelsea and her new car

The kids history projects. Andrew's was over Jed Smith and Abi's was over The Courage of Sarah Noble.

Father-Son Football Game

2010-12-05T14:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Andrew & Eric participated in his Father-Son Football game. This game marked the end of the season for flag football. Andrew has had a great time playing his first year. Coach Neibert is a great coach and is very patient. Andrew is looking forward to next year! This from the kid who threw a huge fit about playing! ;-) Btw, I have no idea who won. It looked like a pretty fair match up to me.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-05T13:52:00.000-08:00

I do not have a lot of pictures for this post because I was enjoying the day but this is mainly for Remy. We can show him some of the food we ate.

We went to my dads this year to celebrate Thanksgiving. My Uncle Mickey joined us along with our friends the Ayers and Christopher's friend Sean. Sean took our Christmas pictures which I hope to post soon. We had a fabulous time! We ate: turkey, dressing, squash casserole, cream corn, sweet potato casserole, twice baked potatoes, green bean casserole, baked apples, homemade macaroni & cheese, cauliflower casserole, and rolls. I think that was all the main foods. For dessert we had pumpkin cheesecake, sweet potato pie, pecan pie, chocolate chip pie, fruits and dips, cute little pilgrim hat cookies and pumpkin bread. YUMMY! They kids rode 4-wheelers, the men shots guns and watched football and the women enjoyed visiting and looking at the ads. It was a great Thanksgiving!

Crazy Kids

The leftovers:green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, mac & cheese, & baked apples. It was much prettier in the pans.

Awana Grand Prix

2010-12-05T13:47:00.000-08:00

Andrew and Abi participated in the Awana Grand Prix 2 weeks ago. Since they are older, their dad made them basically do the car themselves. They did a very good job for their first time flying solo. Neither one placed but they had a good time and that's what counts.

The first red car on the left is Andrew's and the sparkly one on the right is Abi's. Yes, they had to race each other. That's so hard for a mom and dad!

Their friend Caleb won for Best Design. We went to Casa Ole to celebrate with his family afterwards.

A Fall Party

2010-12-05T13:34:00.000-08:00

Chelsea had a party at her nini and papa's house during the Thanksgiving break. They rode four wheelers, ate pizza and lots of other junk food, made s'mores, danced, and laughed a lot. They took the boys home then enjoyed the hot tub and spent the night. They have all decided they now want to spend a week there in the summer. Papa has said he may charge a fee for "The Ledbetter Resort." ;-) What is so neat about these girls is that they have been friends for years. They love to spend time together!

Collin, Whitney, and Kelsey

Chelsea & Hailey

Luis

Enjoying s'mores

The beautiful fire Uncle Christopher made

The wonderful hosts

Daddy-Daughter Date

2010-12-05T13:25:00.000-08:00

Eric took the girls to Chick Fil A for a daddy daughter date in October. They had a great time together.

Fighting with the roses

Aren't they pretty?

Fall Field Trips

2010-12-05T13:12:00.000-08:00

We have been on 3 more wonderful field trips this year.

Abi went to Olive Garden about a month ago. We toured the kitchen, had a "waiter" race, and enjoyed some great spaghetti for lunch.

Andrew went to Bake Cupcakes the week after and made 2 cupcakes. They looked in the kitchen and made icing for the tops. They were very yummy and I recommend this place highly!

On Friday we went to a re-enactment in Gilmer with some friends. The kids enjoyed listening to the actors a lot. We hope to go back next year so we can hear more of them. I didn't take many pictures but here are all the kids.

Andrew's 11th Birthday

2010-12-05T11:39:00.000-08:00

Yes I am finally updating! I could not find the cord to upload pictures but Eric has saved the day. I will do most of the posts in pictures. First up...Andrew's birthday!

Andrew had his birthday party at Putt-Putt on his actual birthday. He had 8 friends come and his sister. ;-) The only adults there were the Hill's and wow, that was so different. It was quite and very calm. We didn't have to do anything but pay and show up. I liked that! The weather was beautiful and everyone had a great time.

His delicious cake from Golden Flake. Yum!

His handprint on the wall of fame!

Playing putt-putt & games inside

Laura askin' "Where'd that there ball go?" She does talk like that you know. She lives in that there country.

We missed you Jared!

We had his birthday dinner that night. We had homemade sloppy joes at his request. He received a Clue game that he has wanted forever but the dadgum thing didn't work right! We have received the correct pieces now but we still haven't played it because we honestly don't understand it.

We had his family party the next day where he of course did not receive near enough presents. *wink*
Love this smile....

Happy 11th Birthday Buddy!!! We love you and are so proud of the young man you are becoming.

Fall Festivals

2010-11-22T19:48:00.000-08:00

We went to two Fall Festivals this year. We went to one with my brother's family and our good friends the Hill's then also to our church's. Like I said, I did not get a good picture of Andrew so I am still dealing with mommy guilt. There is one of his face!

Gladewater Bible Church Fall Festival. We had a great time. This was their 2nd time for this and they are doing a great job. It was so neat to see so many adults dressed up. Andrew went home with his buddy Ethan afterward and had a good time also attending church there the next morning.
Eric and Isabelle the Cupcake

Nathan the Cook

Jacob the Rolling Pin with Isabelle

Farm Fair at our church. We had a wonderful time as always at Farm Fair. Andrew and I both entered desserts for the contests this year and both won! I was shocked I won because I made them just for the church to have extra desserts to share. This was Andrew's second year to win. He's on his way to becoming a chef!
The chef at our Farm Fair.

The cute W. kids, Nancy Drew and Batman.

Abi, aka Punky Brewster, and her friend Sarah.

See the black face?! That's Andrew! He was a member of the special ops!

Fairy Chelsea and her fairy friends!

Fall Activities-Preview 1

2010-11-09T14:47:00.000-08:00

Abi decided to do her pumpkin the Saturday night before Farm Fair. She free handed the entire thing and did it all by herself!

Chelsea and her boyfriend Luis came over the Friday before Halloween to carve their pumpkins. This was Luis' first time to carve and we think they both did pretty good! They also free handed it all!

Louisiana State Fair

2010-11-09T14:35:00.000-08:00

The Louisiana State Fair came to town and my kids noticed it! We passed it on the way to and from camping and they begged to go. I looked it up online and found the best deal. On Wed., Thurs. and Fri., they had free admission and parking and armbands for the rides were only $10. Wow! We joined up with our friends, the F. family and headed over on a Thursday. We had a great time! The kids loved all the rides. Andrew said this was the best place ever because of all the spinning rides. No thank you! We went and saw a silly little circus, saw some animals, and ate a yummy funnel cake. We plan on making this an annual tradition!

Camping at Lake Claiborne

2010-11-09T14:28:00.000-08:00

Right after we finished at the Graceful Ghost, we met Eric in Marshall and headed towards Lake Clairborne in Louisiana for a weekend of camping with my dad, stepmom and brother. This lake was wonderful! It, by far, is the greatest camping we have ever done at a state park. The facilities were in excellent condition. I wish my bathrooms were that clean at home! They had little small docks all along the camping areas which the kids spent a lot of time fishing on and just lying down looking at the sky. We rented a canoe and had a great time (yes, Stacey, I said great time!) going across the lake. We listened to the Rangers win on Friday night, read, played on the sandy beach, went on a hike, and just relaxed. This place is a definite repeat!

Graceful Ghost

2010-11-09T14:12:00.000-08:00

We had the opportunity to go on a steamboat named the Graceful Ghost a few weeks back. We were able to see the beautiful scenery of Caddo Lake. It was unbelievable. This is the only natural lake in this area and we loved seeing what God created. My mom also joined us for the day which was an added bonus! The tour guide was very informative and I learned a lot of things about the area I did not know.

Everything is better with friends!

Especially friends who are as goofy as we are.

The beautiful scenery

The highlight of the day..steering the steamboat!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-09T13:50:00.000-08:00

I, like many of my wonderful friends, wonder why, oh why, do I wait so long to post?! I know one reason I have waited this time is because I *this is SO horrible* didn't take a picture of Andrew on Halloween! Can you believe that? I know you are all saying, "Just have him dress up again" Not that easy. He has to paint his face black, all of it. Just please take my word that he looked great.

So let's start with our visit to the Pumpkin Patch back in yeah, way back at the beginning of October. We went with the Cornett's and had a wonderful time. It seems we never see them so all the times that we are together are just simply great! Stacey and I were able to sit and visit which is always nice. What is even better is that we have been friends for so long that silence is comfortable. That is true friendship!

First of picture of the "best buds." I wonder if Abs will have Caden as her "dude of honor" at her wedding?

Riding the train. I have this strange feeling that it's made for younger children. Hmmm....

Hay Jumping

Mandatory pictures that mom must take.

Tonight

2010-10-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

It was a great night!! God is good! Thanks to my small group for being here and how awesome that you were here to witness God's miracles! It was so nice to have a night of soups, desserts, and lots of friends over! Our God is good!

Friends

2010-10-14T13:52:00.001-07:00

I have awesome, awesome friends! Awesome!!! Thank you friends! Icee's are awesome, prayer time is awesome, and working out issues without problems is awesome! I am so blessed!!

Just Because....

2010-10-09T07:45:00.000-07:00

Mountain View, Arkansas:Beware...Long!

2010-10-08T20:37:00.000-07:00

First of all, can I say what a mighty God we serve?! I have been having a not so good time lately. Ok, let's call it what it is. I had a bit of a breakdown a little over two weeks ago. Some of it is health related, some just issues in life. Eric gave me permission to take a week off and try to figure out what we were going to do. This is where some pretty awesome friends stepped in. Sometimes you just need your friends to step in and "do" and I had some remarkable friends do that last week. I was in charge of a fairly big field trip that took place last Monday and Tuesday. I have been working on it since late July. It has been a bit stressful. It was not really any one's fault, just some miscommunication. My friend, Laura H., who witnessed some of the breakdown decided I needed to get out of town. She threw out several suggestions and one just seemed impossible. It was a 3 day homeschool camp in Mountain View, Arkansas. Here are some of the issues that went along with this: Eric would need at least a week off, we needed a place to stay on very short notice, we were not sure that the camp would take late enrollment, and the biggest of all for me: the big field trip would be on the first two days we would be gone. If you have known me for any amount of time you know this, I am a control freak. Leaving this field trip in someone else's hand was just not in the equation for me. But Eric and I sat down and talked and decided that we needed to do this for our family. So this is where my other 2 "do-er" friends come in. I called 2 wonderful women, Laura C. and Connie H., and asked them to head up the field trip. Without any questions, comments or complaints, they replied with an enthusiastic, "Yes!" I do not know if they will ever truly know the burden that they took off my shoulders. So one problem was solved. We called the RV camp that was recommended by Laura and they had an opening for all the days we wanted. We couldn't believe it. This park can have up to a 2 year waiting period and we got in on 4 days notice. Only God, people! The weather forecast for Longview was great so Eric felt comfortable taking off and just having emergency calls handled. And our awesome neighbor Debbie,another do-er, stepped right up and said she would handle the animals out our home while Sissy spent some one on one time with Pop at his house. So all problems solved!

Day 1- We left on Sunday after 1st service. The drive took about 6 hours. This was our first long trip with our RV and it went pretty well. I am sure we looked quite funny while trying to get into the Wendy's parking lot in Hope, Arkansas for lunch! After setting up we ate a delicious Mexican lasagna we had made at home. **Bragging moment on my son. Andrew's only school project during our off week was to prepare the menu for one week, along with the shopping. He stayed well within budget and didn't forget a thing!** We walked around the grounds that evening and enjoyed the weather.

Day 2-The first day of camp! We arrived at 8:30 only to find out it really started at 9. Oops! It was hysterical because Laura H. was inside with her boys but couldn't let us in! Guess you had to be there...We got the kids settled then went and sat with the Hill's in the restaurant while Steve ate breakfast for about an hour. So relaxing! After that, we went and vegged in the RV (did a lot of that!) then met the kids for lunch. After Eric and I ate a quick lunch of leftovers in the RV, we headed to the quaint little downtown. Oh, and a detour at Walmart for a few items. Can I just say this Wal-Mart was relaxing?! And some of you know my history with Wal-Mart! I enjoyed it! After getting the kids from camp, (which was only a 3 minute walk) we played games at our camp. We noticed a man doing some wood work across from us. (another note: every one in the park was well over 50! And they also were musical since we were in the bluegrass capital! They would form little bands all over the park. We loved it!) We walked over to see what he was doing and ended up getting involved in a 2 hour discussion. He demonstrated his work to us, even making us something for free. He showed us all his different types of wood. It's amazing to see what God has made! We bought several of his items for Christmas presents so no pictures! We ate a late dinner of shiny surprises (Thanks Stacey N.!) and went to bed.

Day 3-Day 2 of camp and we enjoyed the extra 30 minutes of sleep. Laura and Steve came to hang out at our RV for a bit then we all headed to the Folk Village to look around. Oh wow!! It was so not what I was expecting yet so what I needed. You must look it up to even know what I am talking about. It's a little village set in the Pioneer times with shops where people can demonstrate the crafts for you and you can buy them. We had a great time! We met the kids at 3:00 to work on our families living history which was part of camp. While working, we started talking to one of the women there. She mentioned that her nephew lived in Longview. Come to find out, his family is one of our best friends. Again, only God! We enjoyed talking to her and filling her in on his life because they haven't seen each other in a while. After finishing that up, we ran the kids through for a quick peek at the Village. Back to the RV for a dinner of burros from the crock pot.

Day 4-The last day of camp! The Hill's had to head out around noon because Steve needed to fly out for a funeral. We bid them goodbye after taking the kids to camp then Eric and I headed "home" to do "housework." Here is the difference in an RV park and camping: first of all, you have full sewer hook up. LOVE IT! Second of all, we had a laundry mat. We did some laundry, cleaned up the RV, started dinner, made some cookies and watched back to back episodes of "Dog, the Bounty Hunter." Another difference from camping, we had cable!! That is true vacation for us. ;-) After that we headed to Blanchard Springs to see the Springs. We enjoyed the ride with our windows down, letting the wind in while we drove up the mountain. The springs were beautiful! We took a few short hikes and then headed back because the kids had a program. They did great during their program of course and we loved seeing what they did all day. Andrew ended up making a close friend that he plans on keeping in touch with. His friend lives in Mt. View and both of his parents are potters in the Village. He also plays the mandolin in a band there. After that, back to the RV for a dinner of chili and some TV watching.

Day 5-we slept a bit later! Yay! We went to the Folk Village the entire day. The kids loved it! We learned so many great things. Abi made a doll, discovered she wanted to play the violin, and Andrew wants to do it all of course. We were exhausted that evening and just found whatever to eat while watching whatever.

Day 6-we packed up the camper and went to eat at the Village restaurant. It was sooo good. Abi asked if we could drive there every Christmas morning, as opposed to IHOP. ;-) We finished loading up and headed home. We stopped at a Cracker Barrel and enjoyed a good Southern meal then pulled back into Longview.

I cannot even put into words what a great time we had. The only thing that would have made it better would have been to have Chelsea there. (we made sure to talk almost every day) We loved it so much we even looked for land and scoped out the air conditioning competition. And the locals encouraged and helped us with this! Everyone was soo nice. They were very relaxed and just content. Their lifestyle was simple and wow, I learned a lot from them. I cannot tell you how many times I asked someone how long they have lived there, why did they move there and why did they stay. It was so interesting to hear their stories. God really worked on my heart this week. I only pray I will apply it. Keep praying for me. This is not always an easy battle. Thank you my "do-er" friends! I love you all!

If you made it this far, here is your reward: Pictures!

All the camp kids

Playing on the stilts during free time

Hanging out in the RV

Our View from the RV park

Eric trying the stilts

Watching and learning from the potter, Mr. John Perry

Hanging out at the kid program

Mrs. Mary, the camp instructor, with the kids

The kids program. They sang a bluegrass song about Arkansas that none of us can get out of our heads now!

Learning to throw a top. We never knew there was so much science to throwing a top. We spent more than an hour with this wonderful man who taught us so much science. He was incredibly patient with us and answered all of our questions.

Playing with the instruments at the instrument shop. Andrew wants to go back during their school week and make a guitar out of a gourd.

Hanging out at the old school house. They had so many interesting facts on the walls about schooling during those days. You should have seen the rules for the teachers and students. We actually brought a set home for our school room as a reminder.

Abi met this wonderful woman Tuesday and they made a date to make corn husk dolls. She was a gifted teacher and Abi had a lot of fun. She brought some back to make on her own.

The band on Thursday. Andrew's friends has black hair and in the middle. The young lady is also 11 and she is the head of the band! Can you believe that? These kids have all of the songs memorized and are amazing. We loved watching them.

Riding on the donkey powered carousel. They wanted to ride this over and over. It was actually from the 1800's. The man in charge taught us a lot about donkey's and now we all want one.

Doing household chores...from the 1800's! And loving it...

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Family Pics

Blanchard Springs..shh!!! Don't tell the kids!

Civil War Reenactment

2010-10-08T20:19:00.001-07:00

Recently my hometown hosted a Civil War Reenactment. It was actually on the street that I grew up on about a half a mile down. Nothing that exciting ever happened when we lived there! My dad and our neighbor D joined us. Instead of describing each picture, I will just leave you with a montage of them. It was very interesting, so interesting in fact that Andrew is trying to find out how to participate. Living history at it's best!

Camping With Friends

2010-10-08T20:13:00.000-07:00

We bought a camper about 3 weeks and have loved it. We took a weekend camping trip with some friends about 2 weeks ago up to Atlanta State Park. The weather was beautiful Friday afternoon and Sunday but Saturday, eh..well, at least we discovered where the leak was in the camper! ;-) We had a great time with our friends. This was one of the few times that our kids have actually got to swim while camping. When the rain stopped on Saturday, we enjoyed it even more! I was able to have a great conversation with my friend Caroline that helped me in SO many ways. We hardly ever get to hang out so it was a special treat to see her. We cannot wait to go with this group again, minus the rain.

Celebrating Jared's Birthday

Just hanging out, the very best part of camping.

Baby Penny

2010-10-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

I hope we still have readers on this blog! I finally got a new camera and I am just now learning how to download all the pictures. Thanks for being patient IF you are still reading this.

My sister Jessica and her husband Franklin welcomed their 2nd child, a daughter, Penny Nicole on September 21st! She is beautiful. She looks so much like my sister as a baby. Coming home and leaving her was so hard. I cannot wait to get my hands on her again. We enjoyed all the time we had with my nephew Lewis that day. He is such a good child. He is so obedient and so fun. He loves Abi and Andrew. He even learned to say Abi which meant both of them. This seems to be a trend in the nephews until the age of 3. ;-)

Baby Penny

The cousins finally getting a turn to hold her. They waited a very long time for this. The hospital did not have a nursery and they were also overcrowded. They could not go back until Jessi had been moved and that was not until 4:00 that afternoon. We arrived at 11:30. I have some pretty good kids!

A Daddy's love

Cutey-Patooty Lewis

Kids n' Jesus

2010-09-12T19:53:00.000-07:00

Abi recently questioned if she was saved over a very busy family filled lunch. I did not have time to really address the issue right then so I asked her about it that night. Here is our conversation..

Mom: "Abi, do you know what "being saved" means?"
Abi: "Yes, so & so told me that she was saved when she choked on a piece of chicken and her sister saved her. I have never choked on chicken so I must not be saved."
Mom:(trying not to grin) "well, that is one way to use the word saved but when you are referring to it in the Biblical sense, you are referring to being saved from hell. It's the same as saying you are a Christian and you have invited Jesus into your heart."
Abi: "Oooooh! Well. I have already done that. I am saved".

While visiting with my 2 1/2 yr. old nephew, Nathan, during lunch today I asked him about his Bible story over "Noses."
Aunt Aimee: "Nathan, did you learn about "Noses" today?"
Nathan: "Yeah!" (very excited voice)
Aunt Aimee: "and did "Noses" see a burning bush?"
Nathan: "Yeah!" (still excited)
Aunt Aimee: "and Who was in the burning bush?"
Nathan: "A baby!"
Hey, at least he knows that the story of "Noses" is about a baby and a burning bush! That's more than most adults know!

Rocker Boys! or is it Boy Rockers?

2010-09-08T19:45:00.000-07:00

Andrew's new band!

Lost: Camera

2010-09-03T18:45:00.000-07:00

Hopefully the title will explain to you why I haven't been posting. I lost my camera about two weeks ago so without pictures I don't feel like posting. Remy has returned to France. :-( We all miss him very much. We have talked quiet a bit since he has left but it's just not the same. We have started school full force. Well, we have tried. My stepmom fell and broke her right leg and sprained her left ankle so she is wheelchair bound for now. She has had a great attitude about it all and it's been uplifting to see. It' been a so-so week for me. Good at times, bad at others. But no matter what the bad is, my God still reigns. Praise God!

And pray that I can find my camera!!! Or a cheap, new one!

From Remy's camera:

Remy

2010-08-13T20:05:00.000-07:00

We have a foreign exchange student from France staying with us for 3 weeks. It's crazy how God worked all this out. On Monday of last week I was talking to Eric and we decided to start praying about pursuing adoption on an older child and/or the foreign exchange student program. On Tuesday I wrapped up a Bible study with some friends (btw, LOVED IT you guys! Thanks for the invite!!) over the book of Ruth. We were asked to share what is something that touched us from this book. I shared that I was very impressed with how Ruth was at first a foreigner, did not claim "our" God, yet she embraced His ways immediately and is in the lineage of Jesus. This made a big impression on me. I shared what Eric and I started praying and one of the women asked me if we wanted a French student. I said to send me the info. The pastor of her church called the next day (Wednesday) at lunch, he came over at 1 and met Eric and we picked Remy up on Thursday night at 10:00. Our God is so good! Remy is a great kid. He has wonderful manners, he is extremely polite, very likeable and the best part, he puts up with all my 1,000 questions.

Some of the best questions I have heard people ask Remy:
1. Do you have computers in France?
2. Do you have cell phones in France?
3. Do you text in French?
4. Facebook is in French?
5. Do you have a Chick-Fil-A in France? (this is a big one from the teens)

Some things that Remy has found curious in the U.S.A:
1. We eat between meals-I tried to explain it's not all the time.
2. The coupon dispensers at Kroger
3. All the reading material he can get a hold of
4. Eric's guns and trying to get one into France. ~sigh~
5. The loudness of American's
6. How many people come to and from our house.
7. D-our neighbor

We have taken him to church, Sam's, Walmart, Lowe's, LeTourneau University, Chuck E Cheese, the mall, Double Dave's and bowling to meet other teens, had some boys over to play video games,to get blizzards and taught him to play Phase 10 and Apples to Apples. He has gone to a Rangers game, the JFK museum, shopping in Dallas, and is at a rodeo right now in Mesquite with his group. This has been a great experience for our family so far. We are already sad thinking about him leaving! Abi is planning on visiting him in France one day. ;-)

Here are some pictures of Remy. The captions will explain.

Learning how to play Phase 10 with our neighbors. D is in this picture, thankfully not playing his guitar and singing his Remy song. ;-)

Trying out Andrew's night vision goggles

Chuck E Cheese

Swimming during small group

Cowboy'ed up for the rodeo!

*Hey Laura C.-remind to blog about the kids camp. I forgot that! Happy?!

A letter to my children...and a lesson for us all...

2010-07-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

Gossip..it's an evil, evil word. We all participate in it. Us Southern gals like to follow it up with "bless their heart" as a way of saying we care about them and that's the only reason we are discussing it. Do not be fooled. We participate in it because it makes us feel better about ourselves. If so and so has that problem, then our lives can't be that bad. If everyone is talking about so and so then they are not focused on what you are doing. Not true. I have found that if you have a friend(s) that will participate in slander with you, then you can bet your house they are doing the same thing behind your back. And you know the worst part? You are probably doing the same thing behind theirs. It's a hateful cycle that just continues. We do it to build ourselves up. This is not good. Your character should speak for you; you should not have to speak for your character. You want to become a person that can be trusted. You want people to be able to confide in you (and we will get into the whole listening, not talking, thing with friends later) and to know that it will not go beyond that. Gossip and slander destroys families, friends, churches, even nations. So my children, I desire that you will learn this lesson early on and that it will not be a lesson learned because of something you have done. Learn from your parents. I tell you this because I am now realizing how much hurt and pain it can cause. I realize the guilt that comes with years of slander, not realizing, actually not wanting to admit, it's slander. You do not want to spend your life second guessing every conversation and then calling people because you owe them an apology. Talk words that are uplifting and of the Lord. (We will discuss good/bad flattery later) When speaking, picture every conversation as if it were with the Lord. Because it is. He is in everything and is sitting beside you all the time, even when we do not want to acknowledge Him. Choose friends who will encourage you not to discuss others. Choose friends who do not engage in this. It's hard. Remember to not be too hard on yourself when you do slip. Go to the person, humbly seek forgiveness and ask forgiveness from our Creator. And remember that lesson. May you learn and grow from every mistake.

I love you guys and I pray that as you grow taller and mature that you will grow and mature even more in our Christ Jesus.

"May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to You, O Lord, my Rock my Redeemer." Psalm 19:14

A Fun Day With Meme

2010-07-27T18:52:00.000-07:00

Meme recently took Andrew & Abi (and they graciously allowed their mom to go) for a day of fun in Shreveport. We went to Celebration um...something, I can't remember, but it was great fun! The kids played games, climbed a rock wall, slid down slides, and rode go-carts. This was Abi's first time in a go-cart and she liked it. Andrew was a perfect gentleman in racing his little sister. Abi scaled the entire rock wall in about 4 minutes and rang the bell. Andrew worked very hard but didn't quite make it. Like we told him, Abi has a lot less weight than he does. He tried hard and that's what counts. After that we went to Johnny's Pizza then on to the boardwalk to walk around. We bought some yummy cupcakes from a new bakery there. Wow! So good! It was such a fun day! Thanks meme!!

*I have pics but they will not upload for some odd reason! I will try again in the morning!

Abi

2010-07-27T18:49:00.000-07:00

Abi is such a sweetie! She is always leaving notes around the house for us, helping with dinner, and multiple other things. She had the chance to watch Phoebe, Aunt Brandy's dog, a couple of weeks ago and did a great job. Her amazing older brother was a big help also.

Some notes from Abi. These were actually taped to the door after I got home from Glory Babies one night.

Abi & Phoebe

Andrew's Mini Camp

2010-07-27T18:44:00.000-07:00

Abi's fun friend Katie held a mini-summer camp a couple of weeks ago at her house. While she did that, we did a few things with Andrew and his friends. We went and saw "How To Train Your Dragon" one day. It was great! I was amazed at how much I liked it.

The next day we had some friends over and they made slime. It was pretty...slimy. Our neighbor Tasha came over and joined in the fun also. I love her! The boys enjoyed making the slime. They then had root beer floats and chased each other with guns, knives, swords and any other weapon in this house. All fake of course. ;-)

2010-07-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

Our sweet friends, the D. family, moved to Florida at the beginning of the month. We are going to miss them so much! Andrew is very good friends with Ben, Sam wants to marry Abi, we loved having Rachel in SS, and little Katie has helped us save the day! They were the first family in church to invite us to their home. I know they are one of the main reasons we are there. Eric and I are committed to carry this on. It was fitting that they spent their last Sunday eating with us. We miss them already!!

4th of July

2010-07-27T18:28:00.000-07:00

Our 4th of July weekend was busy! My cousins Brandy and Adam came in along with Brandy's family. Abi had a great time playing with her cousin Lilla. We spent most of the weekend at my dad's. The kids had fun swimming and the big kids had fun playing with the big kids toys. We did fireworks with my cousins on Friday night because they had to leave on Saturday. My cousin Adam keeps me in stitches. He served in the military and served 3 tours in Iraq. He is not taking time off to travel. He has been a white water rafting guide in Alaska, gone to culinary school in California and is now living half the year in Portugal getting his scuba liscense. He has also been featured on MTV in a show about PTSD. He helped start an organization dedicated to helping soldiers dealing with PTSD. He's a pretty cool dude.

All the cousin kids

All the cousins

Brandy & I. I miss her!

Abi & Lilla

We went back out to my dad's on Sunday because they graciously opened their home to us and some more family and friends. We had hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans, and some yummy cookies and homemade ice cream. Eric and friends put on a great fireworks show that night. It was great fun!

2010-07-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

We have been bowling a lot this summer! The kids are loving it. One of the local bowling allies (ally's?) has a promotion called kids bowl free and when you sign your kids up, they can bowl 2 games a day free! I bought a pass for Eric & I for $24 and we can do the same. Pretty sweet deal! A lot of our friends have done the same so it's been fun!

Should I Worry....

2010-07-27T16:09:00.000-07:00

that my 8 yr. old daughter came home from camp without underwear on? She said they were wet so she decided not to wear them. ~sigh~ They are not wet like potty wet, they are wet like she swam in them. What's up with that? I will be packing her an extra pair tomorrow. My next question to her when she gets out of the shower is..How in the world did they get wet?

I will blog soon! I have lots of pictures and updates! Please keep praying for the Adams Family.

Lift this family to the Lord, please...

2010-07-15T19:57:00.000-07:00

I have a ton of updating to do but do not feel like dealing with it now. My heart is so heavy for this family. Please be praying for them. They are from Longview. The mom updates her blog at least twice a day.

Kid's Kollege

2010-07-03T18:35:00.000-07:00

All 3 of our kids went to Kid's Kollege this week. Chelsea taught the cheer & dance class while Andrew and Abi attended. Andrew took baking, magic and multi-media. Abi took art, cheer, and jewelry making.

Here is a video of Abi's cheer &dance. Here is her cartwheel. Have you ever wondered why it's called a cartwheel?
I also caught a video of my nephew, Jaxon, while he was outside conducting a science experiment. I hope you can hear what he is saying because if not, my "Oh Jaxon!" will not make any sense!

Father's Day

2010-07-03T18:33:00.000-07:00

The kids did a great job pampering their dad on Father's Day! They made him a plate with their picture on it, bought him some special syrup and prepared a great meal for him! They are blessed to have such a great dad! I love you honey and I am thankful that God blessed us with you!

Cousin Camp

2010-07-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

Our nephews, Zack & Jaxon, came to stay with us for 3 days last week. Our kids stayed with them first and had a blast then they joined us for a quick Akin Cousin Camp. We tried to jam a years day of fun into 2 days!

We got up early and took a bike ride on Friday. We also saw Toy Story 3 and loved it! My teenage nephew said it was "awesome." Nice. That night we ate pizza, messy cake and played Monopoly.

On Saturday we drove to Shreveport to enjoy a day of fun! We went to Gators and Friends first. Not the best idea that I have ever had. It was hot so we enjoyed it as much as we could.

After that we ate at Monjuni's. YUM! We then went to the boardwalk to find some fun. And fun we found in the form of Hamster Balls in the Water! They are not really called that but we aren't sure what they are really called. They LOVED it!

Here's a video showing them in there.
We also hung out at Bass Pro Shop and Abi and I went and did some shopping on our own.

We then went to see the Shreveport Captain's game and met our friends, the S. family. All the kids had a great time despite the very bad playing of the Captain's.

We are looking forward to Cousin Camp next year!

3 Days Without Kids?

2010-06-22T08:22:00.001-07:00

I know by just reading that some of you are foaming at the mouth. You would think that I would be too. But I am on Day 2 and it just feels..weird. I feel that my identity is my kids. Because they are older, I am always taking back and forth to places, cheering at swim meets, volunteering for homeschool activities. And when I am not doing that, I am at home enjoying them, teaching them, cooking for them, playing games with them and cleaning up after them. I could be cleaning up after them right now but why would I want to do that with my free time?! Ok, ok, I will admit that I cleaned Abi's room yesterday and even thought about painting it! But I talked myself out of it. And yes, I will be cleaning Andrew's room too! I'm a sucker.

What do I do what the rest of my time? All of my friends still have their kids, my husband is working crazy hours and just wants to relax when he comes home, my mom needs to work so she can go on vacation with my nanny and Aunt, (wish they would have taken it in these 3 days and I would have invited myself!!) my stepmom has crazy hours with my dad's job, so.... Last night Eric and I were sitting down watching a movie, eating chili cheese fries. I have no idea how to cook for 2. I started thinking, "Is this our life after kids?! How boring!" Eric was loving it. He had been out with people all day though. I wanted to go out, have dinner, shop, go to the movies, so on. I know Eric is tired so I will not push it. I had attended a meeting that day but once again, it was something my kids are involved in.

So what will I do when my kids leave? All I could think about last night was that my identity is wrapped up in my role in my family which is mom. While doing my devotional this morning, it hit me. My identity is wrapped up in Christ. I exist to serve Him. I started thinking again about when they leave...and felt ok. I will join the day Bible class that I have always wanted to join, I will visit my sister more and encourage her through those crazy years that she will be going through, I will have my brother's kids over more so he and his wife can enjoy being alone, I will hopefully travel with my sil who will enter empty nesting at the same time, I will enjoy lunches and traveling with my mom and stepmom, ( I love you mom but we are not traveling to casinos!) I will help my husband with his business, I will throw around the idea of a garden and then not do it, I will enjoy every single minute that my husband and I have together, I will travel to places with him that we have always wanted to visit, and I will continue to be a mom. Mom is not a job that ends at 18. But most of all, I will enjoy each and every moment and stage of life that God has blessed me with. I will serve my Jesus and follow the plan He has for my life. Isn't that what we are supposed to be doing every day of our life?

Swim Time Trials

2010-06-12T19:17:00.000-07:00

Today Andrew, Abi, Nini, and I drove to Lufkin for Andrew's first time trials. This will determine where he will swim for the rest of the summer during meets. It will also help him to have a better understanding of what times he needs to beat. We left early (6:00 a.m) and arrived to set up "camp." We were not sure what to expect because none of us have ever been to a swim meet. Andrew was extremely nervous for several reasons-1)This was his first meet 2) He had to swim without a shirt 3)He had to wear his swim cap and jammers. But he did great!! After the first heat that he did, he had a great time! He actually had fun! That is what we were hoping for.

His times were:
Free-Style: 19.71
Backstroke: 26.36
Breaststroke: 33.80

We were very proud of him! His next meet is this Saturday at LU-Solheim Center. If you are in town, you should come by and check it out. We love swim and all that it provides. The coaches work hard with the kids and encourage them in so many ways. The parents are great about offering encouragement to and helping us "newbies" out.

Andrew diving in for the Free-Style

Swimming the backstroke

Swimming the breaststroke

Hanging with friends while we waited for our events

Showing off our cool, matching swim t's

And the biggest surprise: My cousin Holli was there with her family along with my aunt! We were shocked to see each other! It's been a year since we have seen each other and just could not believe it. I miss her like crazy and wish that we saw each other more. Notice we are both representin' our kids!

Andrew & Abi with their swimming cousin Megan. She is only one year older than Abi and look at her height!

High Seas!

2010-06-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

Andrew and Abi attended our church VBS this past week. As always, they had fun! I do not think Andrew has ever had this much fun. He came home radiating the love of Christ on his face each day! Abi and I had a good talk about salvation and we were able to clear some things up. We now are in the praying process that her heart will be open to when the Lord knocks on it. ;-) Tomorrow they will sing one of the songs during worship hour. Here are some pictures from the week.

Aye Aye Cap'ain! They made these hats the first day and wore them each day after.

Hanging out with their groups.

Singing at the finale. Doesn't your heart just smile when you see kids praising Jesus?!

I have found my new job...

2010-06-11T19:00:00.000-07:00

I am going to be a chocolatier!

Game Night

2010-06-10T17:08:00.000-07:00

We had a game night Sunday night with our neighbors. We played Taboo and Phase 10 for many hours. It was so much fun! We ate junk food galore and laughed till our cheeks hurt! We are blessed with fun neighbors!

Playing Taboo

Phase 10

Abi's hat making the rounds on our other childrens head!

I love this kid!

2010-06-10T17:04:00.000-07:00

Headin' out to the rodeo with his buddy, Nehi!

Yes, I know he's 10 but my stars this kid is adorable! I want to pinch his cheeks and tell him how adorable he is!

Bring Me Hope Bike-A-Thon

2010-06-05T20:08:00.000-07:00

A good friend of Andrew's, another Andrew, put together a Bike-A-Thon to raise money to send Chinese orphans to camp for a week. His mom told him at the beginning of the school year to find a cause that he felt needed support and research it. He chose Bring Me Hope. Andrew's family adopted 2 beautiful children from China and another good friend of ours, the Poorman's, have recently adopted an adorable little girl from China also so this cause was near to (my) Andrew's heart. All the bikers raised pledges before it began. Andrew is a bit shy at times and wasn't sure how to approach people. He was very intent on trying to sell the $125 package because that would send one child to camp, the child would call you and some other great benefits. He was a bit discouraged after he realized people were not buying that package. But he rallied and did well. The bike-a-thon started at 9 a.m.

Here they are learning a bit more about the organization and the rules of the day.

On your mark, get set, go!

Abi and I stayed to cheer and encourage them all. He looks tired, doesn't he? This was on lap 20!

Tired after it was over but enjoying his starburst!

Overall, Andrew did a total of 32 laps which is 16 miles! At the end his dad promised a $100 bonus if he reached 30 and he did! The most laps were 49! What encouraged my heart the most in this, with Andrew, is that he knew there were prizes for the most money raised and most laps but he was not motivated by that. Not that this makes him a better person by any means! Normally that is all that motivates him! But he truly cared about making sure that these orphans have a chance to go to camp. He has heard the stories from our friends and where and how their children lived before they were blessed with their forever family. He wanted these children to feel loved and to have fun for this week.

And the best part overall?! They, these 8 bike riders!, raised enough to send 31 kids to camp! How great is our God?! How wonderful that (the other) Andrew answered God's calling to his heart for this ministry. His grandfather and brother will also be volunteering at one of the camps so they will in turn get to hear what a blessing the camp is.

The best friends are old friends....

2010-06-05T19:57:00.001-07:00

Abi had her bestest friend (she actually told us this a couple of weeks back) Caden spend the night the other night. Andrew went home with Jared, Caden's brother, and you can read about their adventures here. All of these kids have been friends since birth. At first they had no choice because their parents are friends but now they are friends by choice! Abi and Caden have such a great time together. They built a tent to sleep in, watched movies, ATE, (which happens to be both of their favorite pastimes!) baked brownies, sold the brownies, and most importantly, made sure that our chickens laid eggs. Caden is infacutated with our hens and made it his duty to see to it that they laid. He would proudly bring in an egg each time they did. At the end of the day, he washed the eggs and took a dozen home with him. Caden is an all around great kid. He is not afraid to ask questions and he makes sure to listen to the answer. He and Abi have a lot in common despite being a boy and a girl. They both love outside, the adore eating, they can both be stubborn, and they have great, caring hearts. Caden respects Abi and respects us. We pray that their friendship will continue and they will lift each other up in the faith, to encourage each other in the Word, and to have a friendship that pleases the Lord.

Posing with the delicious, homemade brownies they made. They went and sold these at Papa's work and made $2 each.

Displaying just some of the eggs they found. They each made a quarter for the amount they collected.

Let me tell ya 'bout my best friend....(look at those smiles! It's a "can you believe she is making us do this? We both stink!)

A license...and a bird whisperer?

2010-06-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

The day finally came that Chelsea has been waiting on for probably 5 years. She is now a licensed driver! Just typing that invokes fear in me a bit! She is a good driver but any parent out there that has experienced this knows how we feel. It's nice she has the independence but wow, it's scary! We are easing slowly into driving full time. She has taken the car once but she is also not with us for her two weeks right now. I am sure when she is here that the question of, "Mom, Dad, can I borrow the car?" will be heard often. Pray for us!

Proudly displaying her temporary license

The first day that she drove without an adult in the car. I made her call me when she arrived at both of her destinations and when she left them.

After we all greeted her in the driveway (we weren't actually waiting)we found a baby bird that had fallen out of it's nest.

Chelsea bravely (well, not really, more like she was coaxed by all of us) returned to the bird to it's nest without incident.

We thought of contacting the true bird whisperer, Laura Cleveland, but the situation was handled.

Sweetness

2010-05-29T19:43:00.000-07:00

3 of my nephews and my niece are sick right now. Lewis has a "kid virus" which makes him run fever and just not feel good. Nathan, Jacob, and Isabelle have ear infections and Nathan also has strep. Nathan had yet another seizure. Please pray this will stop. My 2 younger kids stayed the night with my parents last night along with Nathan and Isabelle, who were fine at the time. Andrew had a grand time helping with Isabelle and Nathan is infactuated with Abi. When we returned home this evening, this was on our answering machine. SWEETNESS! I have the best nephews (all 5 of them) nieces! (all 1 1/2/ of them!) Pray for their parents! Sick kids are sad and not always fun.

Dance Video's

2010-05-28T05:58:00.000-07:00

Abi's Dance Recital

Chelsea's Viewette Dance

Dance Recital

2010-05-24T12:41:00.000-07:00

Abi had her dance recital on Saturday night. She was a beautiful Indian!

Abi and one of her bff's Anna. Aren't they cute?

Field Day

2010-05-24T12:25:00.001-07:00

We had our 1st Annual Field Day on Friday. A friend graciously offered her home and field for our co-op to use. We enjoyed hula hoop and jump rope competitions, soccer ball kicking, running long jump, races and many other things. We also had sno-cones and lots of animals to play with. We had about 100 kids there! We all had a great time and did decide that holding this event in April would be much better! It was a wee bit hot.

Holding the cute kittens. Look at how hot they look and it had just started!

Look at these 2 cuties! They loved all the animals!

Girl Cousins have to stick together!

Trying to blow the biggest bubble

Andrew jumped 6 ft.!

Look at that girl jump!

Hula Hoops and Jump Ropes

The 3 legged race

A Struggle..yet another chapter in 9 years of grief

2010-05-18T20:28:00.000-07:00

Most of you know that we lost our little girl Hannah at 22 weeks of pregnancy. Many wonderful blessings have some our way since this time and we have learned many things. It's been 9 years since we told Hannah good-bye on Earth. You think that you have been through all the grief when something else happens. I have been in a funk all day. It's guilt. I was thinking about something earlier this morning and the thought popped in my head, "When I was pregnant with Hannah..." and I stopped. It just sounded odd. For those who did not know us then and do not know about her, they wonder who the heck Hannah is. Out of kindness, they normally do not ask. But it has never sounded odd to me because she is my baby, she existed and I was pregnant for 22 wonderful weeks with her. But today...today it felt weird. I cannot explain it. It's like for a moment, I wanted those 5 months to be gone. Not because they were bad but because...I don't have her. I do not have my "living" proof that she existed. And this sounds so very horrible..but there are days I just want to move on. Isn't that horrible? This is my daughter. My flesh and blood who I love with my whole heart and I want to forget? Because it's easier? I get tired of explaining, of the sad looks, of it all. I either want her here or I just want it gone. I know that can't happen. I need to look at the blessings that have come out. I know those things..yet I struggle. I write this because I know there are others out there who have lost a baby. Have you ever felt this?

I will probably be fired from Glory Babies now!!

Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?

2010-05-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

We had lunch with some friends on Sunday. They have a daughter and son (with some more thrown in between!) that are the same age difference as my brother Phillip and I. I watched them a lot during our time together. It was like turning back time and seeing Phillip and I. The little brother would lift his arms for his big sister and she basically did everything for him that a mom does. I remember those days so well! It seems like yesterday. I also felt some sadness because I remember leaving home around 18 (I came back for a short while) and he was only 9. He still had 9 years left at home and those are some pretty big years for kids. And let's face it, I was pretty self absorbed during those years. So when I look at him now I can't believe that he is married with 3 kids. I am tempted to ask him sometimes if he caught any bears while bear hunting in the woods. ;-) I started thinking back over the years though and had to smile. I remembered: bear hunts, his cute little prayer "Thank you for the food, thank you for the God.",(should have been a clue to the teen years, huh, Mom?!) only eating macaroni and cheese, talks of aliens falling through our roof, sneaking out when he was around 9 by climbing out of his window and I was convinced that someone had kidnapped him, taking my bf in HS a rose because she was cute, t-ball games, when my friend died in 10th grade he wondered why I was sad because "she is in Heaven with Jesus and that is the happiest place of all." I remember dating a guy and when we broke up I made him promise to keep in touch with Phillip because Phlip really liked him. I called him up one day because Phillip wanted him to come play and I even offered to leave. This "boy" informed me that he did not have time for that. I had never been so livid!! That was the last of that boy for good. So I do sit here at times and wonder, "O little brother, where art thou?!" When did you grow up? When did you get to be so much taller than me? It's crazy. But I am so blessed to be able to see the wonderful, amazing dad that he is. His kids are incredibly blessed to have him. He is a fun dad and would do anything for them. I remember thinking what a great dad he would be when I would watch him with my kids. He is a great uncle and truly tries to have a relationship with his nieces and nephews. He adores his wife and truly loves her. So Phlip, this one is for you! You will always be my "little" brother and I love you!! Thanks for the memories!

Swagger Wagon

2010-05-18T06:11:00.001-07:00

Ain't no shame in ownin' a swagger wagon!
Click here!

Some Homeschool Funnies..Maybe

2010-05-12T18:18:00.000-07:00

Tonight we played Family Trivia Pursuit. We asked our daughter Abi, who is 8, the question: "Who in history is known as "Honest Abe?" Now mind you, we have read at least 4 books about this man and have studied the Civil War. Her answers? Abi (What?!) and George Washington. This was after the hint that Abe was in his name. We asked our son Andrew, who is 10, what memorial in Washington D.C. has famous words from the Gettysburg Address inscribed on it. We told him many hints such as, "He was the 16th President" and "He walked in your favorite movie Night at the Museum!" We also talked in detail about what a memorial was. He answer? Mt. Vernon. ~sigh~

As the game was nearing an end, mainly because I wanted to break down in tears, we asked Abi what time it was. She looked at our clock and declared it was 8:80.

I may fire myself.

Linna, are you sure you want my advice on home schooling?

A Tribute to the Moms & those who make us moms

2010-05-09T20:25:00.001-07:00

To My Mom:
Mom-You are incredible. That word sums it up for me. You were a young, teenage mom who chose life. Thank you. You worked hard and gave up so much for me-a prom, a hs diploma, (but you did earn it later!) nights out with your friends. Instead, you were at home with a baby. I now have a child that is the age that you were when you had me. I cannot even imagine her as a mom. I have tears as I think of how you chose to grow up quickly and to do all that you had to do to take care of us. You have taught me selfless love. You loved your former in-laws and family after the fact. You never badmouthed them. You showed love throughout every situation. You taught me how to be a mom. You stayed home as soon as the Lord allowed you to be able and you did it all; the cooking, cleaning, class parties, sewing, everything. I hear even today my adult friends comment on how they do not want the same relationship with their teens that they had with moms during that time. I say the opposite. I pray that my children and I are as close as we were. I love all the talks we had while you were in the bathtub. You were cornered! ;-) I now treasure the same with my teen. I always knew you had my back. You trusted me and loved me throughout it all. Most importantly, you showed the love of Christ in your life, your talk and your actions. There is so much more I wish to share, but the words fail me right now. Thank you, mom, for being you. Thank you for loving me and raising me as Christ called you to do. Thank you for being my parent and not my best friend during the teen years. Thank you for being my friend now. Thank you for all the encouragment, support, tears, smiles, and laughs. I love you.

To my stepmom:
You were one of the ones who had a choice in being a mom! You fell in love with a man and chose to love his daughter. I thank you for that. You have worked so hard over the years to make sure that dad and I had a good relationship. You were a buffer that was badly needed during the teen years! Never did I think that I would be in the same shoes one day. Thank you for being an influence that I can copy and follow. Thank you for loving me as your own. Thank you for getting along with my mom, knowing when to step out and for always caring about my moms feelings. Thank you for taking me to church when I was younger and for inviting me to BSF when I became older. Thank you for choosing to love me. My dad is a better person because of you. So am I. God blessed us both greatly when He brought you into our lives.

To my Mother in law:
Thank you for raising my husband. He is a precious gift from the Lord and I have you to thank for so many of his wonderful attributes. Thank you for teaching him the Word of the Lord, how to respect me, how to love me, and how to love our children. I am forever grateful for the gift in which you bestowed upon me: Eric. I am blessed to have you as a mother in law. I pray we continue to grow our friendship in the many years to come.

To my kids:
Without you, I am not mom! Thank you for my precious title: MOM. Hearing that word brings so many emotions. I will never forget the first time that I saw each of you: Chelsea-your dad picked me up for our (first) date (because I had to meet you and be approved by you!) date and I remember connecting with your beautiful blue eyes in the back seat. I was captivated. Andrew-They held you up and declared you a boy! Your dad and I looked at you in amazement as you looked at us and stuck out your tongue. Your blue eyes and dimple stole my heart. Hannah-the last moment that I saw you move was precious. They turned on the sonogram and I saw you stick your sweet bottom in the air and tuck your hands under your cheek. You returned to Heaven shortly after that. When I held your body, minus the soul, I felt it. You were beautiful on the outside, but the most important part, your soul, was already in Heaven. I saw that day what a soul really is and I am thankful that our souls will one day be reunited. Abi-They tried to pry my eyes open before putting you in a speeding ambulance for Shreveport. I remember thinking you were awfully little. 5 days later I met you. I was right. You were small. But so very beautiful. You amazed me with your fiesty little attitude of survival! I thank all four of you for the gift of being your mom.

To my friends and family members who are moms:
Thank you for riding this roller coaster with me. There are ups and downs we have not expected. You have held me in the bad times, praying for me, and crying with me. You have rejoiced with me in the good times, praising our Lord for how He answers. You have shown me how to be a better mom through your examples. I am thankful for my circle of moms.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

IT'S A....

2010-05-05T07:13:00.000-07:00

GIRL!!! Well, we think. LOL My sister and her hubby are 70% sure it's a girl! Her name will be Penelope, Penny for short. I am now picturing a younger version of the Penny on Lost. How cool would it be if she had an accent like Penny?! Get to work on that Jessi! ;-)

Oppression

2010-05-03T17:59:00.000-07:00

Have you felt oppressed? Like life is just being sucked out of you?! My last two weeks has been like that. No worries, I still see goodness and I still see My God who is on the throne. I am just emotionally drained and feel like I am battling the enemy with all my might. Some things are were brought on by me, some not. But they are still battles that I must fight with my King. Pray that I will fight against the enemy and not with him. Pray I will stand firm with My Lord!

Some great things to share:
-Our kids have been amazing. Simply amazing. On our anniversary they cooked an entire lunch for us on their own. We are blessed. Then the next night they cooked again. They have all been so helpful and so very loving. One day last week, I walked into the schoolroom with tears streaming down my face and asked the kids to handle their schoolwork. They gladly did and loved me for the day. Chelsea has been a joy. I am enjoying having a "near" woman in our home.

-God still shows me His love even when I goof. He also disciplines but I am grateful.

-Our neighbor Tasha was over one evening. I offered her something to eat. She refused saying she was fat and that morning she weighed 141. I replied that I weighed 148 so that's not bad. Her reply? "Dang! I must be getting fat!" Thanks T~!

-Joy, a young woman that I adore, commented to her mom that I am skinny. That word has never been used to describe me. Awesomeness!

-We enjoyed our last lunch with Kenzie and Justin our college students. It was great to hear we are on the "A" list for their wedding!

-Chelsea's best friend is a great friend. She cried the other night when she heard of Hannah. That is true friendship. I am so thankful she and Chelsea have each other.

-Chelsea wrote a paper for school in favor of homeschooling. hello! cool!

I would share pictures but I do not believe I have any. If you could, please lift up the Manly family. The young mother, Elizabeth, age 24, returned home to Jesus this morning. She had cancer and it attacked her quickly. They delivered her 28 week old baby, Megan, last Friday. Megan seems to be doing well. The Manly's also have 3 other children under the age of 5. They have the assurance that Elizabeth is with Our Lord but I am sure their hearts are aching. I do not know them but several of my friends are friends with them.

"Refrain from anger and turn away from wrath;
do not fret-it leads only to evil."
Psalms 37:8

God is soo good!

2010-04-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

Our God is so awesome! Today 4 friends, my mom and kids had a garage sale. Praise the Lord that the rain held off until the moment (and it was the exact moment almost!) we started loading up. My 2 younger kids made enough money to pay for one of their summer camps. Thank you to all who helped them with this! I made enough to pay for Chelsea's test tomorrow, Andrew's swim order, (swim cap, swim shirt, and swim jammers) my room in Arlington for the book fair next weekend, the ad for the sale, Six Flags on Thursday, and a bit extra for curriculum. Thank you Jesus! It was a wonderful day spent with friends, my mom and an added bonus...I got to see 3 of my nephews and my niece!

Thank you

2010-04-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

Thank God for sisters, moms and friends. I love you all.

Special People

2010-04-27T12:11:00.001-07:00

Well, if you are reading this, then you are special! Yes we have gone private!! There are many reasons for it but I feel it's best to protect my family. So there ya have it!

From Beauty to Beast

2010-04-26T18:04:00.000-07:00

Well at least in the eye.;-) Abi was poked in the eye the other night when leaving the Viewette Review. I am such a good mom and told her she would be just fine and to keep walking.

Ain't it purty?

Speaking of the Viewette Review..here is Chelsea the night of her Saturday performance. She did very well! She was not fond of the outfit and lollipop but we thought she was adorable. ;-) She has decided not to try out for Viewettes because there is too much girl drama. She is considering taking from Ms. Tena, where Abi takes, just so she can enjoy dancing.

Eric is not feeling well so I took the kids for a short little drive this evening. They actually ended up driving me!

Chelsea is very close to getting her lisence. She can hardly stand it!

Andrew was prepared!

I let Andrew drive around a parking lot. He apparently thought we were on a ride at Six Flags and did very quick circles around it. He didn't last long behind the wheel.

Chelsea and Abi preparing for Andrew's ride.

Abi took some spins with Chelsea.

After the driving, the kids played at the park for a minute.

And last but not least...My Anniversary present from my hubby!

Yesterday was our 12th anniversary. We stayed home from church and had home church with the kids. I love that because it sparks great discussion. The kids all helped make us lunch. Chelsea prepared steaks, Andrew made twice baked potatoes, and Abi baked cookies. It was fabulous! We had a great anniversary and it was wonderful to spend it with the kids!

*Note-please ignore how raggity my children look. They are all recovering (some still suffering a bit) from colds. Today was a down day. We picked Chels up at lunch so she could come home and rest mainly because TAKS is tomorrow. Dumb TAKS.

Prom!

2010-04-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

Chelsea went to the Spring Hill Prom last weekend. She looked beautiful! She had a great time.

Chelsea and her date Eric. She is standing on the fireplace.

A normal picture.

Chelsea and her daddy.

Abi & Chelsea (Andrew was on a canoe trip with his pop)

Me & Chelsea

Happy 50th Mom!

2010-04-15T18:08:00.000-07:00

Today is my mom's 50th Birthday! My sister and her son came down (across?) to surprise her! We spent the evening over there and it was wonderful.

In other news..I took Chelsea to get her nails and toes done for prom Saturday. We are staying strict to the Dave Ramsey envelope system. I had $38 in the personal care envelope and $3 in my wallet. I had gone to Target before that armed with a $5 off coupon for an ottoman praying that the ottomans were clearance at $4.98. They were $9.98 but I knew I needed to save the money for her nails. So right before we went in, I prayed it would be $37. The total was $38 and I was able to leave her the $3 tip! God is good! Now I just have to spend the allotted amount on groceries tomorrow!

Dallas World Aquarium

2010-04-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

We went to the Dallas World Aquarium on Friday with our homeschool group. We had 90 people there! It went very well considering how many people we had to coordinate. God is good and blessed us in so many ways on this trip. Andrew studied Sea Creatures of the 5th Day in Science this year and I actually helped teach the class. This field trip was a great way to finish our ELO year. We had a fun time seeing God's creations! I loved the manatee and penguins!

And the last thing..Abi attended Big Girl/Little Girl after we arrived home. She had a great time with her "Big Girl" Kaylee!

Candy Fling & ELO projects

2010-04-10T19:20:00.000-07:00

We attended the 2nd annual Candy Fling at the Cleveland's home. You take Easter candy and just fling it and then the kids find it. It's great because the kids can see what they are getting. We had fun staying and having lunch with friends. It was a much needed afternoon!

The kids finished up ELO for this year. Andrew and some friends made a robot in their inventors class out of materials from home.

Abi made this beautiful jar in her class.

We have had a great year in ELO. We are happy and sad that it has ended. It will help to have the "extra" day to school but we will miss seeing our friends each week.

Easter with Meme & Pop

2010-04-10T19:12:00.001-07:00

We had Easter lunch at Meme & Pop's house. My Aunt Glenda came down because her kids were busy. It was great to see her. It's probably been over a year. My brother and his family were there along with my Uncle Michael and Grandma Pat. We had a wonderful lunch; ham, potatoes, broccoli casserole, homemade rolls, and so much more. It was sooo good!!

The cousin's then got ready to hunt Easter eggs. Since there is such an age difference between the kids, we hid the younger kids eggs first and my kids helped.

My dad, Aunt Glenda & Uncle Michael

Baby Belle

Counting the loot

We had a great time! The kids received some of my favorites! YAY!

Easter Morning

2010-04-10T19:03:00.000-07:00

We started the morning by reading the from the gospel of Matthew about the resurrection of Christ. The kids then found their eggs that were hidden in different parts of the house.

They got all dressed up and I think they clean up pretty nice!

We enjoyed a great worship service. Our neighbor Debbie attended with us. We then went to the brunch and had some great breakfast munchies.

I love Easter! I love celebrating that My God is so BIG! I love that His promises are real and that He continues to live!

Easter at Nini & Papa's

2010-04-10T18:53:00.000-07:00

We had Easter with Nini and Papa the Saturday night before Easter. (Easter Eve?) We had an Easter egg hunt and I told them I would be participating this year. The prize eggs contain numbers which then lead to gift cards! Andrew found 5! I asked (told) him to give me one ( I found none) and he also gave one to Chelsea's friend, Shrimp, because she did not get one. We have enjoyed some great gift cards! Chuck E Cheese, Applebee's, Justice, & Chick Fil A. After the Easter egg hunt we had a fish fry and enjoyed just being together. The kids sprayed their dad with silly string and thought that was great. We also enjoyed a cookie monster for dessert. Lots of fun!

Getting ready to egg hunt.

The race is on!

That one is hidden well!

Chelsea and Shrimp riding 4 wheelers

Chelsea's Birthday & Toby Mac Concert

2010-04-10T18:44:00.000-07:00

You will have to take my word for it that Chelsea's 16th birthday was great and so was the Toby Mac concert. One of my children accidiently erased all the pictures. I was heartbroken but it was a good lesson about how you can be upset with someone and still love them.

For Chelsea's friend party we did a version of the "Amazing Race." It was so much fun! There were 3 girls on each team. My friend Allison helped me and drove another car. The girls went around town doing different things. The girls in my car had a blast and Ali assured me the girls in her car were just giddy. The girls hung out for the evening and left at different times. One spent the night and left very early. I think it was a success!

We had her family party on the Monday after. She received some great gifts. We had friends over also as a bit of a surprise so she enjoyed that. I will get a picture of her with the jewelry box that Eric and I bought her. It was handcrafted in Peru.

The Toby Mac & Skillet concert was amazing!! I surprised Andrew and Abi with tickets. Our seats were in the stands but were right in the middle so they were pretty good. They were even better when Toby Mac came and sang in the stage in the audience! It was a blast!! We danced all night long. I am not sure if the adults had more fun of the kids! I can't wait until he comes closer so we can take Chelsea and her friend.

Who would you be?

2010-04-04T14:57:00.001-07:00

Do you ever wonder how you would have reacted had you been around when Jesus was crucified? Would you have been Peter who said, "I will never deny You!" Yet, does, not once but twice. Or would you be John, who stood at His feet while He hung on the cross? And not only would you be there but you would be given the honor of caring for our Lord's mother. Would you be Mary Magdalene who went to prepare His body and then cling to Him once you realized He had risen? Or would you be Thomas who would need to see the proof that He was Jesus?

I have given so much though to this over the years. I tend to be like Peter. I am a hothead, I say I will not do something but when put over the coals, I give in. I rush in, as Peter did at the tomb, without thinking sometimes. I tend to have a side at times that would be like John and want to be there, still loving the entire time. I can also be like Mary and want to cling to Him. And Mr. Doubtful himself, well, I have been there many times, asking "WHY?" "Do you really love me?!" "Where are you?"

Or would I be in the crowd? The crowd that bowed down and praised Him, shouting, "Hosanna!" then hours later yelled, "Crucify Him!"

But when you think about it, don't we do that every day?

Praise God that He died on the cross for my sins, knowing that every day I would shout His praises then turn and crucify Him later with my thoughts, actions and words.

HE HAS RISEN! And because He has, I have the absolute assurance that I will bow at the feet of my Master, my Creator, My King of Kings, My Lord of Lords, the Alpha Omega, the Perfect One, the Lamb and the Lion.

Rejoice Fellow Christians! This is the day that defines our Faith, and our faith shall define us.

HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY!

2010-03-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

Eric had yet another birthday. LOL He is not a birthday person. Not sure why. I love them. I am like a kid. Eric, not so much. He requested a nice, quiet day and he got it. His mom and sister's family took us all to lunch which was very nice. After that we came home and just vegged. I had bought him a pie but it was not a flavor he liked so we ate a cookie monster while we watched "Extreme Home Makeover." A very nice day overall. The big news of course was the:

SNOW! His mom told us that it has never snowed on his birthday before.
Next up...Chelsea's birthday!

What a day, what a day..

2010-03-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a rundown of my day:
-I wake up to the news (at 5:30) that the health care reform has passed. Why does this surprise me?! Let me tell you, Mr. Obama, this is one small business owner that is not happy with it!
-my two youngest kids have been bickering for days. You know when you watch the movies with the kids in the background screaming, "No, it's mine", "He's touching me!" and all that lovely stuff? Well, those are my youngest right now. In the grocery store, they kept running each other into the shelves with the buggies. Had I beat them in the store, I think the cops would have thanked me. The kids made it out alive. I think everyone applauded when we left. I would have rather taken my 1 yr. old and 2 yr. old nephews.
-I served Chelsea's boyfriend raw meat for dinner. Did I mention that his beloved Brittney Spaniel died and he was here for comfort?
-During reading time, my son likes to play with my hair. Today he exclaimed, "Oh my! Are those bugs in your hair? What are those white flakes?!" Yes, Andrew, I have a very dry scalp that produces flakes. Thank you for noticing. He then proceeds to tell me that he must "pick them out." So while reading out the Revolutionary War and how the colonists dealt with lice, my son proceeded to "pick out" my dry scalp. Yes, I bought head and shoulders at the store. My future cosmetologist daughter reassured me that people with very thick hair have very dry scalps. God love her.
-I made a huge mistake on my budget. I realized it while talking with a friend on the phone. This is my friend whose husband does not have a job. Then I started crying. Hello, they do not even have a budget! Hey friend, I am good now. I am just going to keep spending money like it's there. Sound good? Thanks for offering to buy all my extra food.
-Another friend called while I was crying and bless her, she just let me cry and encouraged me. Then I asked her what she really needed. She hem-hawed around and finally said she has wanted me to send an email to some people about finding her a housekeeper. Our Lord has such a great sense of humor. I think I will tell her that she must pay in advance for the housekeeper and then give the housekeeper my address.
-Abi has a hacking cough that sounds like she has been smoking for years. But yet, I still made her read to me even though she was gasping for breath. Can anyone say teacher of the year?
-Eric and Chelsea went dress shopping. I received a text from Eric that said, "OMG" They were gone a total of 30 minutes and came home empty handed. I don't think it went well.
*All in all, I am one blessed woman. Praise the Lord that we have money to even have a budget, that I have friends who love and encourage me, a son who worries that his mom has bugs, meat to (somewhat) cook, a dr. that will help Abi if she needs it, a teenager that reassures, a husband who provides, a grocery store that is wonderful to shop in, and a country where I can still voice that I disagree with the governments decisions without fearing for my life. May we find laughter in all we do....it's the only way I can truly lose weight!

-I will post Eric's birthday pictures tomorrow! And the last(?) snow of the season!