We wrapped up VBS a couple of weeks ago and had a great time.   Our theme this year was a Bible times marketplace and the kids loved it.  Rachel got an award for bringing the most friends in her class (Carson & Emory) and she looked like she had won an Oscar.  It’s too bad she doesn’t like any attention.  Ethan was so happy to have Jack & Jo there for a few nights, although he was pretty put out that another girl in his class got the award for bringing the most friends.  I told him we didn’t really need 2 of the same VeggieTales movies anyway. 

R, Josie, E, Jack

E’s class singing on stage

R’s class performing on stage

At the petting farm on the last night

 

Last week Ashley and I took the kids to the Fritz Park Petting Farm and then to the park for a picnic.  Rachel and Payton will be in the same class next year…I’m already praying for their teachers.

Two curly-headed girls

Sad that we were leaving

A couple of weeks ago Clay and I took the kids to the grand opening of the Lego store at Northpark.  We had a lot of fun shopping, watching a master builder build a Yoda out of Legos, eating dinner together, oh, and finding out that apparently there are cacti needles that have the specific milk protein in them that Ethan is allergic to…that was fun.  Robin - if you take Isaac to Northpark, DON’T let him touch the cacti by the Apple store…or make sure your purse is stocked with Benadryl.

On Saturday we loaded up the car and headed to Mosheim, Tx to celebrate the 60th birthdays of Doc & Mam (Cara’s parents).  It was a lot of fun seeing people I hadn’t seen since college graduation, and I was glad to be there to honor 2 awesome people. 

The honorees cutting the biggest cake I’ve ever seen

Clay and Will with their girls

Crazy kids

I’m sure everyone has wonderful college memories and great friends to go along with those memories.  However, I really feel like I am one of the most blessed people to have had the group of Christian friends I had in college.  I’m not sure what it was that brought us all so close together, but I was grateful for it then and I’m still grateful for it now.  A couple of weekends ago we had an Aggies for Christ class of 2000 girls reunion at a cabin on the lake and it was just what I needed.  There were only 11 of us able to come this year, but it was so wonderful and so relaxing and so rejuvenating.  We stayed up way too late, played in the lake, ate a lot, talked a lot, laughed a lot – you get the idea.  Here is a photo from Friday night (Jeni - totally stole this one from your blog) minus Kim and Martha who got there Saturday morning:

This past Monday was a lot of fun because Chris and Tonya were in “town” and came by with their 3 boys, and Erin came with her 3 kids.  The plan was to take the kids swimming, but a nice rainstorm changed the plans to playing here at the house.  All the kids had a great time, and the adults even had a chance to talk and catch up.  The visit was very special because it’s the last time I’ll see Chris & Tonya for a long time.   They leave in September to do mission work in Thailand for a few years.  If you’d like to hear more about their story and their team, visit their site – http://www.thefikesfive.com. 

I’m usually not sappy on my blog, but I’m just so thankful for good friends and good memories…and the opportunity to keep making memories with old friends.  I pulled out my college scrapbook and was reminded of great times, friends who have already left this earth, really ridiculous plans and decisions, great trips, and how God blessed us through it all.  I think we get so busy in our day-to-day activities that we don’t make time or don’t take time to nurture those friendships that made us who we are today.  We just keep reacting to our daily schedule and let the months…and years…slip on by thinking that we’ll get together “some day” without being proactive about it.  Karen – thank you for being proactive about planning our reunion.  Tonya – thank you for going out of your way to come and spend a day with us.  Erin – thank you for driving out of your way to come here, too. 

My friends have made the story of my life ~ Helen Keller

Clay, Rachel, Nana, Poppa and I spent Monday night watching Ethan at his first t-ball game…actually his first game of any kind. It was a little bit surreal realizing that we have a kid old enough to be playing organized sports, and there we were with our water bottles, camping chairs, glove, ball, etc. As I was getting him dressed for the game he told me that he didn’t want to play t-ball anymore because he didn’t know you had to wear pants AND tuck your shirt in…double whammy. After he scored his first run he said, “I love t-ball!” I had a lot of fun watching him experience something new, and Clay had a lot of fun out on the field reminding all of the boys which way to run…and when. One little boy on E’s team kept shouting to the batters, “Is it my turn yet?” If you’re needing some comic relief on a Monday night, just come on out to the t-ball fields.

Do you see anything “wrong” with this picture?!?

Lately the kids and I have been talking a lot about what they want to be when they grow up.  The conversation is often followed up with the song that goes:
Whatever I will be when I grow up
I’ll be a Christian first when I grow up
And if I am a (insert occupation here) when I grow up
I’ll be a Christian (insert occupation here) when I grow up

Ethan is all over this. A few days ago he told Rachel, “When I grow up I’m going to be a spaceman. No, a Christian spaceman!” To which his sister replied with all smiles, “When I grow up I be a ballerina; a REGULAR ballerina.”

This week has been a pretty busy one around here – fun, but busy. I was gone for the weekend, came back Sunday for VBS, and then my cousin’s 2 kids – Carson & Emory – stayed with us from Sunday – Wednesday while their parents were out of town. The kids and I have been talking about their visit for a while now and it did not disappoint. I’m not sure if E&R’s favorite things were having someone play with them all hours of the day, or the fact that they had someone else sleeping in their room with them every night (Emory was such a trooper to sleep on the floor so Rachel could have her bed). The kids just moved here about 6 months ago, and lived in Idaho before that so we really haven’t ever been able to spend much time with them. I do remember the first time we met them in November of 2004:

I really had fun getting to know them – and learning more about what kids are like at 10 and 12.  Sunday night we went to VBS and kicked the week off right:

Monday morning we headed to the park and pool with some friends:

Most of the afternoons were spent with the girls playing dress-up or kitchen, and the boys playing video games:

On Tuesday we went to the American Airlines Aviation Museum and were all very impressed.  Ethan was so excited that he really wants to go back and do it all over again.

After our kids went to bed Tuesday night Clay and I jammed with C&E on Rock Band.  Then Wednesday rolled around and we went to the dollar movie at Studio Movie Grill and had a great time.

We were all sad to see them go Wednesday afternoon, but are hoping to get up in their neck of the woods soon to hang out.  Carson & Emory – thank you for all of your help around here and thank you for being such good examples for my kids.  We love you!

Last weekend my little nephew, Levi, spent a few days with my parents.  Friday morning the kids and I headed over there to hang out with him for a while.  It was so much fun because my kids are usually occupied with Addi & Libby when Levi is around, so it was fun to see them interact with him.  Looking forward to him being a little older so he and Ethan can start tormenting all the girls together. 

And this one is for the people who wondered if Rachel’s hair would stay curly after her haircut:

July 14, 2008

Friday night sno cones and fireworks

July 4th parade

I was able to get some good video from the parade, but don’t want to take the time to upload them right now, so this one picture will have to suffice

July 4th picnic and concert by the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra at the Botanic Gardens

July 5th around 3:45 a.m. in the emergency room for croup


Stinker keeps asking me if we can go back so that he can ask to keep his cool space clothes (this was the first time we’ve been that he’s had to wear a gown and it had planets and rockets on it)

I like to think that most 4 year old boys are as equally entertained by bathroom humor as my son is (if not, please let me stay in my naive state where everything still makes sense).  Tuesday night’s after-dinner antics hit all all-time low around here.  This is how I found my children after clearing the table:

I’m not sure why I asked, but Ethan said he was waiting for all the beans he ate for dinner to give him some good toots. 

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Last night at church was just one of those nights.  I love going to church on Wednesday nights because it’s just the refresher I need to get through the rest of the week.  I’ve said this many times before, but the kids have the most amazing Bible classes, and I really enjoy going to the ladies class.  Well, I didn’t even make it to class last night.  We got there and I dropped the kids off in their classes, took Rachel to the bathroom, ran into Ethan’s teacher who asked me for a snack for Ethan since he couldn’t have the snack provided, and then ran to the bathroom myself before heading to class.  I get in there and realize that there is water running out of the stall next to me.  Upon inspection it was the pipe behind the toilet that was leaking and quickly soaking the floor.  So, I go and interrupt one of the adult classes to get one of the men to go in and turn that toilet off.  Then I cleaned up the floor in there and made some out of order signs.  It was too late to go to class at this point so I head to workroom to finish a quick project.  Ethan’s teacher came in asking if I had found anything for Ethan so I dug through my purse to thankfully find a Special K snack that I had put in there a couple of days earlier (I’m still telling myself it was just a couple of days earlier).  The bell rings and I take the kids into the auditorium for a devotional and remembered that Clay was leading singing so he wouldn’t be sitting with us.  Devotional ends and Clay is off to a very long meeting.  Kids go down the hall to play and I spend a few minutes talking about very important things like jewelry.  Ethan runs into the foyer loudly announcing, “Rachel pooped on the floor!”  Before I had time to respond Rachel walks into the foyer – where everyone is standing – with her panties around her ankles and her legs covered in poop…excuse me, diarrhea.  I just stood there looking at her for a minute and wondered if I could make a mad dash for the exit before anyone realized.  No such luck.  Ethan dutifully led me to the scene of the crime and there was diarrhea all over the bathroom floor.  She can go to the bathroom by herself, so my best guess is that she got in there and lost control while she was getting her panties down.  I’ll save you the more disgusting details, but just know that they included cleaning out fingernails, half a box of wipes and some clorox.  She couldn’t stop crying because she had to walk out in a diaper and a hairbow, and the crying resulted in her tripping over her own feet and banging her head into the wall.  All that really matters is that we did finally make it home and today has been a better day.