Daily laugh!

Ok, so this should all give you a good laugh today...which is good for your health!

Thank you for your service

Today is Memorial Day and it means more to me than it has in a long time. Having a family member who has been to Iraq twice, and friends who are about to send their child into service has brought me new perspective. So I say thank you to all of you! God has blessed us with freedoms most of this world cannot even imagine. I am thankful for our freedoms...all of them. And while this country is in the midst of political confusion my Lord is in control; He is the leader of my life, my family, my country. I am proud to be an American and a child of God...please continue to bless this country Lord.

Random thoughts, heavy heart

Well, it is Fri, the begining of the long weekend. We had this great camping trip planned with friends and the kids were excited, but God has other plans. We decided camping on the snow was not the smartest of ideas we have had.

Jacob offically finished his kindergarten year yesterday. As I dropped him off I was more emotional than I thought I would be...maybe it is the PMS. I gave him a big hug, kissed his cheek and told him I was so proud of him. He ran off with a big smile. It is still hard to accept reality at these moments and see that he is growing into a boy. When I picked him up in the afternoon he proudly annouced that he was now a first grader! He even wanted to write a note to his teacher after we got home telling her thank you and that he had fun in her class...such a sweet heart, and the tears came again.

In addition, my heart has been heavy with the news of Nathan's Uncle Stetson and his health. He is having a risky surgery this morning and will miss his "daughter" Theresa's high school gradution. He is strong and positive during all this, an amazing truth of his faith. I can not help but ache about the news from the Steven Curtis Chapman family and their loss. We of course do not know them personally, but we love his music and have been ministered by it time and time again. I pray for their son, I can not even imagine the pain.

And finally, several close friends and family have children graudating this week.. My three cousins who were in our wedding all are graduating...talk about feeling older! And with so many friends seeing their kids take the next step I am especially touched by the Crimmins family as they are sending their oldest to Westpoint. Michael has grown up before our eyes and what an amazing young man he is. I know his family is so proud of him and he is going to do amazing things in his life.

Praise the Lord for this wonderful rain. A chance to wash clean all the dirt physically and spiritually. Thank you for the cooler temps and freshness your rain has brought. Amen!

Grasshopper Hunting

Grasshoppers are everywhere! Shane taught Jacob how to catch one tonight and he did it! He was very proud of himself as his smile reflects.

Future Mountain Climber? You be the judge...

So, interesting to watch how far a child may go if you let them. We were putting somethings in the attic last night and Nathan kept trying to climb up, so when we were done Shane wanted to see how high he would go. As you can see he was on his way to the top. We were of course supervising and he was never in any danger. This kid is a climber though...and the bathroom pics tell another story of today. He did this all on his own and how could I resist but to take a few shots. What are we in for?

Mother's Day Blessings

Year after year I am blessed more and more. The kids are getting older where they are actually taking ownership and joy in blessing me. Jacob made me a beaded bracelet in school and was so proud to give it to me. Samantha wrote her own name in my card, and annouced that Daddy got me a new bike as I was coming down the stairs. (Bless her...she can't keep secrets, she just gets to excited!) I was loved on and hugged all day, and most importantly we relaxed as a family. I could not have asked for a more perfect day!

Date Night

Well, it happened again. We were given an opportunity to go to another Dbacks game...so this time I took a date. Jacob and I sat on the first base side, about 8 rows up from the visitors dug out. WOW! The seats and view was amazing! He had such a good time. Of course we won a great game and we even saw Stephen Drew hit a homerun! He asked way more questions about the game than he ever has before, and I was happy to share what knowledge I have. Who knows maybe I will end up with another baseball fanatic in the family!

Wet and Wild, emphasis on the wild!

So to the kids it must be summer when we get in the car and it is "sooooo hot"! They have been asking to go swimming and Shane and I, being the responsible parents we are, have been telling them the water is too cold. Well, on Sat. we decided to let them figure that out on their own. The pool was a brisk 67 degrees...yikes! They jumped in, played for about 10 minutes and then were ice cold, frozen in place, statues. They did ask to go again on Sun but we weren't home...I guess it was just a matter of time. Remember the days when we too didn't care about the temp and just had fun? Ahhhhh...sweet times!

Girls Night at the Dbacks Game

Thanks to wonderful friends I had an opportunity to go to the Dbacks game on Tues. night. Those of you that know me well know that I love baseball...maybe even obsessed! So, I called my sister in law, also another huge baseball fan, and we took baby Sydnee to her first game. We could barely contain our excitment on the way there...we are crazy for baseball! Anyway, it was an amazing time. Sydnee did great and smiled at all the other fans around us. Conner Jackson hit a home run, and the new guy brought up from Triple A pitched amazing. (His family was there to see him for the first time in the majors and we saw how excited and proud they were!) Even though they lost it was a great game and time together as girls...we may have to make it a yearly tradition!