Christmas Debriefed

Hey! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas! I am so embarrassed to admit that I didn't send out any Christmas letters this year. I hope I can get out New Year's letters. All this activity! We, of course, had a huge dinner Christmas Eve and spent some time with some very close friends, watched It's a Wonderful Life (which I alway cry buckets even though I know what will happen) We were also blessed to go to a nursing home with our friends and the children played instruments and sang to the residents. We also led them in some Christmas carols. On Christmas we and (mostly) Grandparents blessed the kids, and we visited Dad and Jesse Evans, and went to the dollar theater. I love all of our traditions, but what really touched my heart was that nursing home. These people need us to go. Many are so lonely. I can only imagine what it must feel like to be all alone in there. Totally dependent. Trying to keep your dignity while you have no control of your body and/or mind,when once you were strong and a leader in your home and community. I met a lady named Helen who told me she is 98 years old. She was hoping to see her family. They only lived about 40 minutes away and hoped they could come and visit her. It was like my feet were concrete blocks and I didn't want to leave.

Bethlehem Star

I saw this program on tv, and there was a scientist who has studied the stars during the period of Jesus' birth and death, and found some amazing information. I think you will be amazed and find your faith strengthened in our great, sovereign God.

http://www.bethlehemstar.com/

Someone e-mailed this to me, and I thought it was great! Enjoy.

More Preparations

We finally put up our Christmas tree on Saturday. And, sad to say, our only countdown activity we've been consistent with is the paper chain. I took a picture of it today. I hope you are all doing well. I just started a new poll. I've decided to bake a ham this year instead of a turkey. I even considered some kind of beef dish, since ham is not that great for you, and we will be eating pork and sauerkraut on January 1st (I'll blog about that later!) Anyway, I am just curious what you all prepare for dinner on Christmas. I'll be finishing up my shopping for the meal, and since I'm baking a ham, this will hopefully distinguish this a bit from Thanksgiving. I've been tired of having duplicate meals for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I am considering switching to beef on Christmas and ham on Easter? I don't know. I never eat ham, but hopefully once per year won't hurt.

"I want to be a hobbit."

For some reason, Justin has said this to me a few times this week. I thought it was a little odd, seeing as he has never read or seen Lord of the Rings. Katherine, however, is reading it and must have told him a little about the story she is reading. "Mom, I want to be a hobbit." "Okay, son." (whatever!?) I had no idea what could possibly appeal to him. I thought that perhaps he wanted to go around barefoot everywhere, or grow lots of hair on his feet. What in the world is this boy wanting? Well, yesterday, it all became very clear! Around 10:00 a.m. I walked into the kitchen, and there were Katherine and Justin, eating two great big bowls of cereal. "Justin and Katherine," I exclaimed. "You've already eaten breakfast. What are you doing?" Justin just looked at me, and in a matter-of-fact tone said, "I want to be a hobbit!" Ding, ding, ding! Bingo! If you've never read Tolkien, let me enlighten you. The hobbits always had "second breakfast."

counting down....

Can you believe it is December already? We have about half our Christmas decorations up, and today is the official start of our Christmas countdown activities. First, we make a green and red paper chain with 25 numbered links, and the kids take turns removing a link each day. This eliminates the constant asking..."How many days until Christmas?" Just go look at the chain-- What number is on the bottom? We also have an advent calendar, and take out a little ornament to hang on a box, and read part of the Christmas story each day. These are our morning activities. Then, in the evening, we do the "Jesse Tree" I have a tiny table top tree. Each day, we hang an ornament. Today, I recall, we hang a miniature world. Then we have a devotional book that corresponds, and it basically has 25 lessons from Genesis through the New Testament that shows characteristics of Christ throughout the Bible until his birth. So the kids can see Jesus revealed prophetically in the O.T. and leading up to his birth. It is pretty cool. There is an additional devotional page for teens and adults, too. This is such a fun time of year. We probably won't get our tree for at least another week. I don't like needles everywhere!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! A dear friend of mine sent a link to http://www.scholastic.com/scholastic_thanksgiving/voyage/index.htm. There you can find an interactive site about the pilgrims, the Mayflower, the way of life for both them and the Wampanoag. It is really cool.
It is interesting that turkey, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce,(no sugar...) and some other things we consider traditional were probably not even served. Plus, the Wampanoag outnumbered the pilgrims 90-50! They traveled about a two days journey and the feasting lasted at least a week. Venison, and wild fowl, such as duck was served, as it was plentiful in that region back then.
So interesting. It makes me think about how we try to romanticize the past. Anyway, I personally have my turkey in the roaster along with carrots and onions. Karissa and I prepared the green bean casserole last night, so it is just getting popped in the oven. Katherine and I made the pumpkin pies, one of which is in the freezer to be used at Christmas. I will be making stuffing, homemade mashed potatoes and sweet potato casserole (with the marshmallows and nuts.) Of course cranberry sauce.
Do you have any traditional food that is a bit out of the norm for Thanksgiving? I think it would be fun to add the venison...

Freecycling Rocks!

I have joined a freecycling group, and it has been the neatest experience. It is an organization where you can post to give away, or a need you have, and people just give stuff away for free! We have been able to so far, give a way a desk, our birdcage (with birds), clothes, and a dresser. We have been the recipients of a large, red desk and an algae eater for our fishtank. So cool! What I really like is that I am giving my stuff to someone who I meet, who really has the needs, and I know right away it is being put to good use. There are freecycling groups all over the country. You can find one in your area at www.freecycle.org. I think you should check it out!
I didn't mean for this to be a commercial, but I am just so excited about it!

Random Thoughts

Am I a little insane for planning on home schooling all next week except Thursday and Friday? I always have this goal to be half way done with everything by Christmas break. BUT, in order to do that, I hardly ever get any days off. EVER!
How healthy is that?
Why did I spend $51 today on school pictures that I haven't even seen yet?
Why don't mothers ever get a day off? Only if we are sick. We can't even enjoy not feeling well because we watch everything fall apart around us, so do we EVER really recover?
I need to make an appointment to go to the eye doctor. NOW. I have to throw my contacts away immediately and my prescription expired.
My husband got me invited to a baby shower on Saturday. I don't even know the girl. I've never met her. She is the wife of a business associate of ours. In fact, we've invited them over for lunch, they've stood us up, and then never returned our calls. Now, I am going to her baby shower. I hope it isn't too awkward.
It is currently 10:46 P.M. and I am supposed to make some kind of "treat" for the kids' Thanksgiving parties tomorrow. I hope we can leave early enough that we can stop by the store on the way. How early do I need to wake up to make 3 batches of cookies? Or, could I just make one batch and count out just one cookie per child in each class?
Random thoughts like this pop in and out of my mind all day long? In and out. All day long. I can't escape them. If I try, they quickly find me. Read a book. Oops, I forgot to transfer the clothes from the washer to the dryer. Why is my son wearing his underwear on the outside of his pants? When did this child last bathe? Did I unplug the toaster?
Oh, how do we sort out this jumbled mind???

Establishing Thankfulness

I have been failing miserably at my goal of posting twice per week! Here it is, November 8th, and I am just starting this month. I was spurred on by my wonderful friends who posted comments, so here we go...
The topic today is an interesting one. I want to know what you all do to encourage thankfulness and generosity with your children. Paul was in church on Sunday and just decided he was going to go out and start passing out cheap sandwiches to homeless people randomly. He wants to take the whole family along. Well, immediately I had all kinds of sirens sounding in my mind. I think it would be good to maybe get involved with an organization rather than go out on our own. I am not against giving, and I think it is a great idea, I would just feel safer finding a system that is already in place and getting involved that way. Especially if our children are involved. Sometimes I think it would be impactful to just forgo the traditional altogether and go out and serve the community somehow. Isn't that what it is all about? Really, we are so thankful and so blessed, why not use the holidays as an opportunity to give back? Yet again, it is nice to remember to bless our family members as well. What kinds of activities/traditions do your families follow at Thanksgiving? Do you do anything with your kids in addition to the regular meal? We don't really have immediate family around, so we've tried to establish our own traditions, but I don't know how successful we've been at that. I want our children to grow up thinking of others, and being grateful for what they are blessed with, and NOT comparing themselves to others, which only leads to discontentment. We are supposed to be content in all things, giving thanks. It can get so stressful at times, going to the store at this time of year, and I am enveloped in reminders of all the preparations I am bound to make--the unspoken rules of the season. Yet, I am excited to spend the time, to establish those traditions, and to create those memories. How do we balance this out? I don't want the focus to be exclusively intrinsic, but also away from ourselves! If you do this, what is it you do? Do you stick to only one thing? How do you choose? Let's inspire each other!

Locks of Love

Today was Katherine's big day. She has been growing out her beautiful red hair for over a year so she could donate to Locks of Love, an organization that provides wigs for children with diseases that cause them to lose their hair. You can check them out at http://www.locksoflove.org/. I am so proud her for persevering, and I am glad that someone else will get to receive this blessing. Our hairdresser, Alayna, did a great job of helping us out! She is in the final picture with Katherine.

Reassurance

I've had fun going on with this theme of losing my mind! AND, for my dear friends Missy and Donna, thanks for the reassurance that I am not alone! So, is the problem hormonal or one of overstimulation? What do you think? I was once again very busy last week. Paul and I took a business trip to Houston and I am finally recovering. I do have a lot of headaches, and I know that has an effect on my ability to be productive, but then again the question is posed....is the problem physiological, or is it from outside influences? Which one is causing the other? Does the overstimulation of the daily life of a mother cause the overwhelming feeling and the memory loss, trouble concentrating, etc. OR is it that we feel overwhelmed and unable to keep up with life do to something physical that is a result of being 1. the age we are, and 2. having the experience of childbirth which forever changed us??????

Everything Checked Off My List!

We finished all of our school today with no glitches! That feels so good! Of course, I have about 30 more minutes worth of housework, but I may just put the clean sheets back on my bed and call it a day.

Oh, to find the time...

What is it about life that pulls us in so many different directions and keeps us from spending time wisely--- doing really nothing at all? Do you ever feel like you are just running in circles? Chasing your tails? (I know we really don't have tails) By the time the days are finished, and I finally get to steal a bit of time for myself, I am so drained mentally, physically and emotionally that I can hardly keep myself focused enough to fully complete a sentence...even in my thoughts! After the kids go to sleep, the prized time comes and instead of really doing something great with that time, I zone out. Sometimes just sitting...not even watching tv, or reading a book. I become a little concerned when I can't even pull from my extensive file of vocabulary from my last 38 years of life simple words such as blanket, spoon, ball, dog, or even my child's name!!!!!!! Does anyone else ever do this? This is so crazy. Here I am with my college degree! I'm an educator, by golly! Ugh! I so desire to rise above this STRONG pull to stop and zone out and use this time for more productive purposes! Even if it is reading a book! That would be so refreshing for me, but I find myself reading the same line over and over again because I don't remember if I've read it yet!!!! But, how do we overcome this? I know it is so important to have alone time with God first and then ourselves. How do people find time to do such wonderful things as scrapbook, paint a wall, redecorate, reorganize a closet, pantry, or anything else that is not standard daily home maintenance while home schooling, driving to co-ops, running a private music studio, volunteering at church? When do we evaluate each child's work? I feel like I am running on a treadmill...not moving forward or backward, just running everyday, but always in the same place! Oh, that just reminded me of something a good friend of mine told me with a similar analogy. She said homeschooling sometimes can feel like running of a treadmill, while holding something in hand...I think you could add while wearing 10 pound weights on each limb, with rainboots on your feet full of sand!!! The Bible says we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. I so need that. But, sometimes I think I need to go and find my mind first!

Rodeo Time

This week was the annual Round Up for Autism, and we were once again blessed with tickets! Paul has worked there in some capacity for several years now, and we all look forward to this event! Before the rodeo starts there are pony rides and a petting zoo, and several other places to spend your money. The Mesquite rodeo is always lots of fun. We had box seats this year, and we met the family of one of the competitors. Here are some pictures!

Rangers' Game

Paul and Katherine were blessed with free tickets to go and watch the Rangers' game Saturday night. Katherine missed the Desperados' game (the Dallas arena football team) because she had that fever back in June. They had a wonderful time, even though they lost to Baltimore 11-9. Katherine took a gob of pictures, so I thought you may enjoy a few. Paul said they were sitting at first base about 3 rows back from the field. After the game, there were fireworks. Paul and Katherine both say these are the best fireworks they've ever seen, so Katherine took some pictures. It is hard to take good night pictures from a digital, but this is the best one.

Catching My Breath!

As you've read in my last post, the school year began! AND, as you can see, I haven't been posting my goal of twice per week. Hopefully, this will change! In addition to the regular routine of home schooling every day, I am teaching on Wednesdays (one class) and then a little more than half the day on Thursdays. AND, I did take on 12 private students for music lessons. Ten are piano students, one guitar, and the other a voice student. I am especially excited to have a young voice student, as that was my area of concentration when I majored in music. God has been so good to me. This enables our family to continue our lifestyle, and enhance the children's education, by providing the money for these other classes that I really can't teach at home. I think I wasn't prepared for how busy I was about to be, as we spent most of the summer isolated from the world due to sickness and then the car accident...that STILL isn't settled by the way. ( our car insurance company is suing the other car insurance company...)
It has also been a bit of an adjustment with Karissa in 7th grade. She is not ever done before 5:00. Her school work is much more demanding, but I am so proud of her as she is rising to the challenge. I think that this is good for her. She is taking more responsibility for her education. She writes her own schedule and then I help her with any problems she may have. I ALWAYS get her started with math, but she is pretty independent apart from that. I grade her work, and she is doing very well.
Katherine is resisting me a bit, which is a surprise because she is my voracious learner. The girl just instantly absorbs everything she studies. I wonder if I'm challenging her enough.
Justin is surprising me in how well he is reading! His creative/artistic side is blossoming, too, and it is so fun to watch him grow in his knowledge and skills.
Also, we've all become addicted to Roller Coaster Tycoon 2, a little computer game where you create your own theme park. It is such a good learning game, as you have to plan, problem solve, etc. I let them take turns playing when I'm giving lessons...if their reading and other assignments are complete.
Well, I am going to go and sit next to my hubby and enjoy the quiet for a while! Until next time..hopefully in a few days.....

Welcoming the School Year

We finally started our school year today. Yes. I know. It is Labor Day. My kids were begging me to start, and quite frankly, I was ready for them to be a little more productive with their time. Plus, Paul is gone working, so what else can I do?
It is turning out to be pretty busy. It is currently a little past 5:00 and Karissa is still working on her lessons, and we started around 8:30! I know. This is 7th grade. Get used to it! There is so much she needs to accomplish. She has on her list to do math, spelling, English(grammar and writing), vocabulary, science, and reading. Right after lunch I do more literature, Bible (once in a blue moon) and history/geography and whatever else extra that comes up during the school year. Katherine, who is in 5th grade, has math, spelling, English(grammar and writing), vocabulary, handwriting and reading. (and she does the same afternoon lessons with Karissa) Justin, our first grader, is learning to read, has math, handwriting, science, history/geography. In addition to all this, they attend SALT on Wednesday where Karissa takes band--saxophone (by me!) and an acting class. Katherine takes band--flute,tae kwon do (sp?), Human Body (science--book is called "Blood and Guts!"), and Art Exploration. Justin is taking A-Z Geography, Tae Kwon Do, and Fun Art. On Thursdays they all attend a school where they have Texas History, Spanish, Music and Art. Sooooo, they, especially the older girls, may have homework during the week. OH...the girls are also in dance on Thursday afternoons again. As you can see, this is going to be very busy and expensive. Anyone wishing to make donations and knows how to reach us, we will accept any amount offered:) !!!

Lunar Eclipse

Early Tuesday morning we got up and watched the lunar eclipse! Here are a couple of photos. It got really fun when people began waking up in our neighborhood and walking/driving by. I don't think they knew there was such a cool event going on! The top photo was actually taken from the sidewalk in front of our house.

Radio Star!

While we were driving to the Primerica office this morning for training, we were listening to a local radio station that plays a fun weekly radio program, "The Coconut Hut Radio Show" for kids. The host announced a contest for the kids to call in with an answer to a trivia question. He asked who in the Bible went to the top of a mountain without hiking, and what did he use to get there? The girls talked it through, and they decided on an answer. Karissa called in, and she was the first one to call in with the correct answer. SO, she got to stay on the line and give her answer on the radio program! She won an autographed CD and a book. Have you figured out the answer yet? It was Noah, and he used....an ark!

Short Summer

I can't believe that our summer "break" is almost over. We have really had one heck of a summer. It started with swimming lessons and VBS the first two weeks of June, and then all the fevers started. We basically spent 6 weeks of our summer stuck in the house. We could only get out for short jaunts to the store. Paul would stay home with the sicko while I would work in the nursery at church Sunday mornings. (unless it was me!) Then, Paul got into a car accident on August 1st. An eighteen wheeler made a right hand turn from the left lane. Paul was right beside him and was dragged into the parking lot! Paul is okay, but this happened right before we left on our trip. His car won't be ready until August 27th, so here we are with only one vehicle between us, and guess who is mostly housebound!!! He will get his car next week, just in time for us to start all the meetings for our co-op and Sonshine Club next week. School is about to begin, and I haven't even bought my books yet! Fortunately, I have some curriculum here I've accumulated over the years I can use with Katherine and Justin. Karissa always needs all new. So, here we are again. I am trying to look at the bright side. I've had loads of time to get my house in order (so why isn't it perfect?) and we've had a lot of time together. We've definitely had a slower pace of life, and have gotten all rested up and healthy to begin the school year. It just seems that we didn't really have a summer. Where did it go? I want my summer back!!!!

Fun in Atlanta

The name of this font is called "Georgia"--fitting, isn't it? Paul and I traveled to Georgia August 2nd through the 5th to enjoy ourselves at our company's annual convention. We had an amazing time. Well, not counting the overnight bus rides there and back. I was just starting to feel awake Saturday night and it was time to come home. Only to "sleep" on the bus all night again. Why do we take that bus???

Anyway, it was all worth it once we arrived there early Friday morning, after eating breakfast at IHOP around 5 a.m., we arrived at the Georgia Dome near 8 a.m. (long breakfast...) in time for our first break out session. We had then 3 more meetings in the dome and heard from some amazing leaders in our company. It was very encouraging and confirming to be there and be reminded why we are doing what we are doing. It was definitely worth trying to weave our way around nearly 60,000 people! My pictures just can't reproduce the experience.

We also took time out to enjoy a bit of Atlanta's nostalgic diner "The Varsity". They are famous for their chili dogs and orange drinks and many other things. The place is gigantic, popular, loud and busy. Paul and I enjoyed chili dogs and onion rings. I was smart enough to get the orange drink (it is like a dreamsickle in drink form) and had to be very firm with Paul and remind him that if he wanted one, he should have gotten his own!

BUSY!

Now that we are all well, we have been running around like crazy! Justin actually ended up getting sick on Monday with the evil bacterial infection, but his pediatrician put him on meds right away and he is back to normal, yippee! Now, it is a game of "catch-up" around the house and planning for the new school year. I am setting up a private music studio to teach lessons from my home this year. I'm very excited about it, and I will only take 10 students max, so as not to take away from my own children who also need an education! I would like to start no later than September 1st. Did I mention that the A.C. isn't working in the van? It is now getting hot here in Texas, and driving around in a van without a.c. is no fun. We take bottles of ice water with us wherever we go. Well, speaking of going, I must be off. Karissa spent the night at a friend's house, I must be going to pick her up!

Look at what made Paul late to work...

There was a huge gas explosion in Dallas this morning. This link will probably only work today, but here it is: http://www.myfoxdfw.com/myfox
It will explain what happened. I am just glad that he didn't leave for work 15 minutes earlier!

Dollar Day at the Dallas Zoo!

On Tuesday, the Dallas Zoo had dollar admission all day long. SO, my friend Kim and her two kids, and our family (minus Paul) packed up the kids and drove to the zoo! Well, I guess everyone in the DFW area saw that small add in the Friday paper and did the same thing. They had traffic cops diverting the cars (actually, mostly minivans) about a mile or so out of the way to come into the zoo. Then, the parking lot was very full. There were tons and tons of people. Not exactly a relaxing day at the zoo. BUT, all that aside, we had a good time. Justin had no memories of ever being at the zoo, so it was time to make a memory for him. It was fun to watch him say "I didn't realize that camels were so big!" The girls also had a good time, as they got to spend the day with one of their long time best friends! One of the coolest exhibits was the aviary in the children's section of the zoo! The birds were so comfortable with people that they often would land on us and hang out a while! We even heard and saw a kookaburra! So cool! I was able to get some awesome pictures of the kids holding the birds!

Paul's turn...

Oh, you'll never guess what for????? Yep, that's right...Paul is now sick with the evil invading microorganism that has been robbing us of our summer! He awakened with 101.5 temperature. I immediately called the doctor...since Karissa had her fever for 9 days, Katherine 10 days, me 7 days, and Justin just one or 2. The cool thing is that he got into the doctor right away. Since we have previous experience with this illness, we could accurately explain all the symptoms, what was coming, and what successfully treated our girls. The doctor immediately prescribed an antibiotic. Paul said "It's cheap, right?" and the doc said, "No, it's quite expensive, but wait here, I have some samples." He returned with the correct amount for his full course in samples, so we didn't have to pay for any medicine! God is so good! Hopefully, Paul won't be sick as long as we were, since he was able to start at 9 this morning.

Smiles!

Whenever I was really sick earlier this week, Justin decided I needed a show to cheer me up. He came into my bedroom dressed in his Lightnin' McQueen stuff you see here, and said, "Mom, do you want to see a show?" Of course, I did! So, here are a few pictures of his show. Notice he is wearing matching slippers. I'm surprised he didn't wear his race car driver pj's.

On another funny note, as you all know, when one has the flu, one sleeps a lot. One day, Justin rushed into my room, said "Phew!" He then ran out to the living room and announced to his sisters, "No, she didn't pass away!"

Karissa's turn

Well, I am without a fever for the first time since Saturday! Yippee! However, Karissa has been sick since Wednesday, and she feels awful today! Folks, I think this is the flu! Isn't it great that you can't catch it from us over the internet??? Keep praying for us. Our family could really use your prayers for healing in MANY areas of our lives.

My turn...

Well, now it's my turn to be sick. I've had a fever since yesterday, and feel like I was hit by a truck. This is why I am not writing much. I was kind of "off" the last few days, now I know why. Everyone, take your vitamins and get plenty of sleep. This is what I am doing!

Dr. Appointment

I finally broke down and took Katherine to the doctor today. Her fever never went away, and she woke up with 99.6 today, so off we went. Dr. Sheng said she is developing an ear infection and gave her some stronger cough medicine. So, I still don't know what the original problem was, but at least we are on the road to recovery! BTW, isn't it awesome how Sam's Club has $4 generic prescriptions?????

Fever Update

The last time I wrote to you, Katherine's fever spiked up to 102.6 by bedtime. Today is day 7 and her temperature was still up today, averaging around 100 degrees all day. She went to bed with 100.1, but I had given her ibuprofen for a little headache. She is coughing a bit, but she is slowly improving each day. She missed the entire week of dance camp, so I consoled her by letting her trade in one of her gameboy games at Gamestop today for a new one. Dogs 2. She loves it. It kept her on the couch, and that's all that matters. It's a weird little cold she has, because she wants to go outside and play. If she still has the temp. on Monday, I may break down and take her to the Dr. She is just not really acting sick. Just a little cough, and NOW, a LOW GRADE fever. If it were remaining high, I would have taken her in to the doc much sooner. So, keep praying for her. She seems to be steadily improving!

Fever

Katherine has had a fever since Sunday. The sad thing about this is that she is supposed to be participating in dance camp this week! She is so upset about this, but her fever is staying between 101 and 103. I think we are finally on the mend, though, because I have not yet had to medicated her. Her temp. is currently 102.1, so I will soon, if it gets any higher. I haven't had to medicate her since last night. This is huge progress. So, say a little prayer for my Katherine so she can recover quickly!

My little fish!

My kiddos graduated from their swim lessons yesterday! I am so proud of them! Karissa was moved ahead, and is ready for the "shark" class, which is the most advanced one they offer. Katherine, who was the star student in her class, is ready for "fish", which is more advanced. Finally, Justin, who was in the beginner class (polliwogs) is ready for the next level. He surprised me the most, as he was jumping in 12 ft deep water, and swimming several yards on his own. Hooray for the YMCA! The only glitch was that they received coupons for a free jr. dip cone at Baskin Robbins, which we promptly visited after lessons for a reward, only to be alerted to the fact that the coupons expired in Sept. 2006. They boy there would not honor the coupons, so we came home and had ice cream instead!

Relief!

Our air conditioning is finally back on! This spring, our a.c. never worked, and lately it had been getting up to 92 degrees in our house! Well, it is finally fixed. They finished last night, and it was down to 85 by 10 p.m. Paul and the kids were swimming and came back home and were so excited. It was surprising to find out that it was 85 and felt COOL! This morning it is 80 degrees in here, and we are all in heaven! I am so excited and energized! I am actually getting housework done. Yippee! We were blessed by borrowing a couple of fans, and even have a room-sized unit in our bedroom. We all slept there every night along with 4 fans. Now we all sleep in our own rooms again. Now, to return the fans...

It's official!

Well, it looks like this dog has adopted us. We had 3 families who were interested in this dog, and then, one by one, they all didn't work out. I told Paul I would try again, and he said, "No, we need to keep her now." Ginger is such a sweet dog! She moped around depressed for about a week and a half, but now, she is better. She has finally started chasing our terrified cats, but they asked for it the first several days just walking along hissing at her. So, now, we are officially dog owners! Any words of advice for helping cats and dogs to handle the trauma of being thrown together would be greatly appreciated!!!

Storm Brewing

I was chatting with a neighbor on the phone today, and she said "Go in your backyard, look to the right, then left!" I did, and this is what I saw. These were all taken from my backyard in about a 15 minute span of time. We watched the thunderstorm develop right over our neighborhood. It was so fascinating, and what made it so beautiful was that it was at sunset, so we had this beautiful red sky underneath the clouds! Our backyard faces east. ( No, mom, it wasn't a tornadic storm! ) AND, am I the only one who sees a face in the third picture????

HOPE

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."
The longer I live this life, the more I realize the importance of remaining hopeful in all things. If we allow ourselves to lose Hope, then there is really nothing else to push us on. For some reason, God made us to need Hope--the attitude that things will indeed get better. Our lives will indeed improve. Without it, we lose our motivation. Hope is a necessary ingredient to a successful, happy life. HOPE. "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."

You know you're kids are growing up when...

• As a punishment, you find yourself taking away things like ipods and gameboys.
• contacts
• When your child goes to shower, you remind them to lather, rinse and REPEAT....please!
• You've finally broken down and bought real anti-perspirant (with aluminum and all)and told them to stop using that junky stuff from the natural food co-op.
• Your child is rolling her eyes at you.
• You find yourself saying..."Don't roll your eyes at me!" Because..that does NOT intimidate me!
• They are always trying to find a reason to stay at home alone when it is time for the family to go somewhere....and make their "needs" known as we are going out the door!
• People ask you if your child babysits.
• Their jokes are actually pretty funny.
• You feel comfortable doing yardwork with them inside.
• You feel comfortable with them doing yardwork.
• When they help with the housework, they actually do a pretty decent job.
• You start realizing that you have less time left with them than you've already invested.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

It has been raining here so much that I am having to keep my children from going in the back yard. It is too muddy! Even Ginger has "pawpainted" all over our back patio. It looks like it is going to downpoor again! Here in Texas, we are recovering from a drought, but now it is overkill with the rain! I am glad that there isn't any tornadic weather. The kids' swim clinic is today at 6:15. If it rains we have to reschedule. I don't like changes to my schedule. Do any of you rely as heavily on your calendars as I do? I cannot think straight without it!
On the bright side, our children are getting in tons of reading hours, and the girls just earned us 4 tickets to go see the Dallas Desperados--our local arena football team. If we all read to Justin 8 more hours in the next 4 1/2 days, then we will have two more tickets! Well, I guess I better go and read to my son. It's thundering outside!

OOPSES and WET DOG SMELL

OOPS! I created a post yesterday and went on and on about how my son smells like a wet dog, but I accidentally created a second blog, and have to fix it. Hopefully this will post to the correct page!
Well, yes, it's true. Justin smells like a wet dog. Our neighbors' dog, Ginger, came to live in our back yard on Thursday. Unfortunately for her, it has been raining quite a bit since then, and she is mostly wet or damp. It dried out long enough on Saturday to give her a bath and her flee medicine. Justin just loves this dog and follows her around the yard all day. On Saturday, he smelled so strongly of wet dog that I could smell him from 5 feet away. He bathed. But, shortly after he awakened Sunday morning, he was in the yard, and smelling of wet dog again. He went to church smelling like a wet dog. Last night, he went to bed. No bath. Wet dog. Today is sheets day, so I just didn't bathe him last night. The mystery of it is this: the girls are playing with the dog, too, but they don't even have a faint smell of wet dog on them! What is it with boys and smells? Are they odor sponges?

Welcome!

I am finally trying my hand at blogging! Hopefully this will help you all to keep updated on our crazy family and all the things that are going on! My girls are very much into dance, as you see them standing there holding their awards with Paul. Karissa is just finishing up 6th grade, Katherine-4th, and Justin-kindergarten. Justin just finished soccer. His team was in 2nd place in his league.
This year has been very challenging for us, but God has been faithful through it all. Justin is finally finished with kindergarten! Yippee! The girls are almost done. We hope to be finished with school by this Friday. There gets to be a point in the school year when you just have to say, "This is just not working anymore. We are all tired and ready for a break." My perfectionism screams at me to get all the way to the very last page in the book, but hey, if we get to within the last 5, then that is good. The last 5-10 lessons are all review anyway, and we can use those for those few boring days in the summer to keep our minds sharp. That's okay, right? After 7 years of this, you'd think I'd get to that point!