Just had to post this morning. Kids have been at school for about an hour now. I was on to balance the checkbook and needed to write about last night and today.
Last night we were setting out clothes and making sure we had everything ready and Nathan says, "You know mom, I really want to get up tomorrow and read my bible before I go to school. I want to be good at that." I told him I thought that was a great idea. That anytime I started my day off with reading God's word, it was a great day. I tucked him into bed and he wanted to go ahead and start reading. I told him he could while I took a shower, but when I was out, he needed to shut his light off and get some sleep because school was today. So I get a shower and come out to check on him and he is still reading out loud to himself. He says to me, "Mom, I really love reading my bible. Can I sleep with it?" I said I guess so, so he stuck it under his pillow. Then he smiled at me and said, "I am sleeping with a real sword.". I said, what sword, and he pulled his bible back out. He said, "Now, when Satan tries to mess up my sleep, I can bonk him on the head and tell him to go away. " I smiled and said, " As long as you don't accidentally bonk Daddy or me..." We laughed and he went to sleep. Hannah was out, already excited about the day. She was up first this morning, raring to go. She reminded me again that she was not going to miss me because Mrs. Kingery was so nice.
Then she and I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast and orange juice. We went and woke up the boys and enjoyed b-fast together and reading some of the bible before heading to get dressed.
I peeked in on Nathan in his room and he was sitting on his chair, with his little bible opened. I smiled at him and waved and went to put my clothes on. Coming back to make sure he was getting ready, he had turned on in his radio Phillips, Craig and Dean's praise album and was getting dressed and singing to God. It was the most amazing thing. It just reminded me that things are different in his heart and he really wants to be a witness to his friends. He on purpose put on a shirt that said, "Play hard, Pray hard.". I was really touched.
We did pictures at the house and at school, as it began to rain. I used my kodak and the barely remaining battery so I could blog those today.
WE took Hannah to her room and she hung up her backpack and set out her lunch and then started coloring at her desk. We did pictures of her in her room and then gave her hugs and told her we loved her. We headed downstairs to Nathan's room and all the 1st graders were waiting outside. WE saw one of Nathan's fellow classmates in the hall with his mom and he was crying. Nathan smiled and waved at him, but he was still sad. I leaned down to Nathan and said, "Maybe you could be Jesus to Zeke today. That might make him feel better." Nathan said, "I was just thinking that, mom. He could really use Jesus to make his heart happy." The bell rung and they all went inside. Nathan was the first one in and Ms. Milbourne, said, "well hi nathan." He went right to his desk and got his stuff out. Zeke chose to sit right next to him, so he smiled at us and we waved and took his picture and left.
I am so blessed with such wonderful kids and ones who are so thoughtful. I am so glad that God is with them and that they are aware of that. I will have to post again after they have had a chance to share what a good day they had. All I could think when i got home was, "God, I pray you show yourself to my kids and that Nathan has the best day, since he put so much of you into it this morning."
Ok, going to try to download the photos. Enjoy! Will write again soon!
Oh, one more thing I almost forgot. Chris got 2 phone calls here in the last 2 days. One from Glenwood springs, Colorado and Norman, Oklahoma. He has interviews with them tomorrow, so be praying for God to make it obvious to both parties whether this is his will.
ok, its been an hour and no picts. better luck next time, sorry!!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Monday, August 27, 2007
A big day for everyone
After a full weekend of baby shower, seeing cute little Rowdy Benedick and eating yummy zucchinni cake at Grandma's, we were home last night to get ready for open house at the kids school. We spent the morning digging in other areas to find my digital camera battery charger, but no luck. Found many other things that we forgot about. Anyways, so we had to run to the store so I could take pictures of their open house. We got there around 4. It was scalding hot and none of the schools are air conditioned, so we felt for the teachers. This was their first day back into the rooms, so they had been their all day. It seemed that most of them had gone home to clean up. We went in and walked the downstairs so that we could locate Nathan's new room. We saw that his friend Seth and Will were together in one room and that in the next room was his friend Caleb. His teacher's name is Ms. Milbourn. He has several of his previous classmates in their with him, so it will be interesting to see how it goes. Well, since the older kids open house didn't start till later, we went upstairs to see where Hannah was. The first room we came up on was Mrs. Houser, who is like the mom of all the kindergarten teachers. She was in the hall greeting every kid she saw. She asked Hannah if she was ready for school and asked her to check her wall to see if she was up there. Nope, but her friend Carson was, so we moved to the next room. Mrs. Sauvage, who was pretty new last year. Hannah's name wasn't on her tree, so we knew she had Mrs. Kingery, who was Nathan's teacher last year. She got super excited and nervous as we peeked in the room. Mrs. Kingery greeted her and showed her where her desk was and where her cubby was. She then asked Nathan about his summer and if he had seen his room yet. We filled out a couple of papers and grabbed our packet to take home and then went into the hall to drop off supplies. As we were leaving the room, Hannah said to me "Mom, don't worry. I won't even miss you. I just knew I would have Mrs. Kingery and I am glad." I gave her a hug and told her I was really glad too. She was really eager to get her stuff in her class box. I was proud of her and her excited spirit about it. I am so happy and ready for her first day. It is sad in a way, but so exciting in another. We then went downstairs to meet Nathan's teacher. She was in the room and had the kids do a little scavenger hunt to put their supplies away. Then he got to choose where he would sit in class. He chose a desk in the corner by the window at a group of three. He was the 2nd kid to arrive, so he didn't actually get to see his friends. I had the kids make a gift to take the teachers like I did last year. This year we painted little terra cotta pots and then put flowering block in it and made lolly pops into flowers with tissue paper and stuck them in it. Both of the teachers liked that. Anyways, it was great night. We went to Wendys for supper and got frosties since Chris has to close their first day of school.
It was really fun!!
Lets see, other than that, Friday was an eventful evening. We were getting ready to go to Jadyn Kindley's party and the kids were reading in the living room as I was making supper when I heard the sirens got off. Luckily we were playing music and the kids were so involved, that they didn't hear it. Chris was in the bathroom, so I snuck in there and whispered, "I think the sirens are going off, just to let you know." I turned on the tv and sure enough, tornado warnings for us and the county next to us. I interrupted the kids and told them they needed to go to my room. Nathan started to panic. I told him to let his faith in God be bigger than his fear of tornados. I had already put supper in the oven, so I kept checking it and we picnicked on our bed as we watched the weather. Once the storm crossed the river, the rotation died off, but there still was a large hook echo at the south part of town, so they kept watch on it for a while. When they gave the all clear, I called Dawn to see about the party. They actually had been in Target and had to take cover. So they were just getting home and if we still wanted to come over, they had all the party stuff and would do something. So Hannah and I went to the party while the guys had a talk and hung out. It was a sweet party. There were probably about 6-7 little girls there all wearing hula skirts and pretty floral lays. They played 2 games and made little seashell bracelets before opening gifts. Then they had some cupcakes with ladybugs and butterflies on them. After all that, they got their pictures taken and then went downstairs to watch Cinderella. It was really neat. Hannah had a good time and it was fun to just visit and spend time with Dawn and Brian Kindley. He is our youth minister at church and since I don't have any jr. High or high schoolers, I don't know him or Dawn very well except that I had Jadyn in my sunday school class.
We headed to Mom and Dad's after that and got their around 11pm. It was wild. Shower Saturday and went to church with Grandma. It was really neat. Since they live out in the country, they have one minister for 3 little towns, so their services are short and to the point so he can make it to the next town in time for services. Probably about 50 people. The kids stayed until the sermon and went downstairs, had a bible lesson, colored a coloring page and came back upstairs. His sermon was about fortified walls. He had been to Greece and talked about how amazing it was to see the walls around all the cities. That is was made for the cities protection, but that even in the greatest manmade creation will eventually crumble. That our wall is Christ and that he will never crumble. He read from Psalm 71 and gave a blessing to the church, and it was over. It was neat. I really enjoyed it!!
We got home yesterday afternoon and that is a full circle for my blog.
Lastly, Heidi and Mary tagged me and I don't totally know what that means, because I am pretty retarded when it comes to online stuff. I am pretty old fashioned.
So, here are 8 random things about me:
1. I can't leave a bag of 24 rolls of toilet paper uneven. I will pull out way too many rolls and try to find them homes in the bathroom so that the bag is flat and I can stack things on top of it in the closet.
2. When I put dishes away, I am pretty paranoid about things lining up. kind of goes with the whole toilet paper thing. I will rearrange cups for over 5 minutes getting them just right. Wierd, I know
3. I only listen to Contemporary Christian music. I haven't listened to anything secular, on purpose, (elevator music excluded), in probably about 10 years.
4. I would rather snail mail than anything else.
5. One of my most annoying traits and sadly my son does it too, is that I silently repeat things after I say them. (yes, tim, you hate that!:-) Chris says it is fun to watch.
6. I like to plan things at least 6 weeks in advance. Any shorter than that throws me in a panic.
7. I can't sleep without a blanket. Something about the weight of it. 110 heat index outside and I have to have a blanket at least over my waist or I feel naked.
8. I LOVE football!! I don't know what it is about the sport, but it is so much fun. I don't like nintendo games or computer games, but I will play Chris in NFL Blitz and really get into it and kick his butt. I have no idea what I am doing on the game with the buttons and stuff, but apparently my love for the sport flows and I always seem to intercept his passes and score twice as much as him and be clueless as to how I did it. Odd, huh?
Ok, hope you enjoyed those because coming up with all of them has really irritated Percy, our cat, of whose chair I am still sitting in and she is ready for bed. :-)
Lots of love to all of you and will post sometime next week after a full week has gone by. (1st day of school, preschool meeting, church and such)
It was really fun!!
Lets see, other than that, Friday was an eventful evening. We were getting ready to go to Jadyn Kindley's party and the kids were reading in the living room as I was making supper when I heard the sirens got off. Luckily we were playing music and the kids were so involved, that they didn't hear it. Chris was in the bathroom, so I snuck in there and whispered, "I think the sirens are going off, just to let you know." I turned on the tv and sure enough, tornado warnings for us and the county next to us. I interrupted the kids and told them they needed to go to my room. Nathan started to panic. I told him to let his faith in God be bigger than his fear of tornados. I had already put supper in the oven, so I kept checking it and we picnicked on our bed as we watched the weather. Once the storm crossed the river, the rotation died off, but there still was a large hook echo at the south part of town, so they kept watch on it for a while. When they gave the all clear, I called Dawn to see about the party. They actually had been in Target and had to take cover. So they were just getting home and if we still wanted to come over, they had all the party stuff and would do something. So Hannah and I went to the party while the guys had a talk and hung out. It was a sweet party. There were probably about 6-7 little girls there all wearing hula skirts and pretty floral lays. They played 2 games and made little seashell bracelets before opening gifts. Then they had some cupcakes with ladybugs and butterflies on them. After all that, they got their pictures taken and then went downstairs to watch Cinderella. It was really neat. Hannah had a good time and it was fun to just visit and spend time with Dawn and Brian Kindley. He is our youth minister at church and since I don't have any jr. High or high schoolers, I don't know him or Dawn very well except that I had Jadyn in my sunday school class.
We headed to Mom and Dad's after that and got their around 11pm. It was wild. Shower Saturday and went to church with Grandma. It was really neat. Since they live out in the country, they have one minister for 3 little towns, so their services are short and to the point so he can make it to the next town in time for services. Probably about 50 people. The kids stayed until the sermon and went downstairs, had a bible lesson, colored a coloring page and came back upstairs. His sermon was about fortified walls. He had been to Greece and talked about how amazing it was to see the walls around all the cities. That is was made for the cities protection, but that even in the greatest manmade creation will eventually crumble. That our wall is Christ and that he will never crumble. He read from Psalm 71 and gave a blessing to the church, and it was over. It was neat. I really enjoyed it!!
We got home yesterday afternoon and that is a full circle for my blog.
Lastly, Heidi and Mary tagged me and I don't totally know what that means, because I am pretty retarded when it comes to online stuff. I am pretty old fashioned.
So, here are 8 random things about me:
1. I can't leave a bag of 24 rolls of toilet paper uneven. I will pull out way too many rolls and try to find them homes in the bathroom so that the bag is flat and I can stack things on top of it in the closet.
2. When I put dishes away, I am pretty paranoid about things lining up. kind of goes with the whole toilet paper thing. I will rearrange cups for over 5 minutes getting them just right. Wierd, I know
3. I only listen to Contemporary Christian music. I haven't listened to anything secular, on purpose, (elevator music excluded), in probably about 10 years.
4. I would rather snail mail than anything else.
5. One of my most annoying traits and sadly my son does it too, is that I silently repeat things after I say them. (yes, tim, you hate that!:-) Chris says it is fun to watch.
6. I like to plan things at least 6 weeks in advance. Any shorter than that throws me in a panic.
7. I can't sleep without a blanket. Something about the weight of it. 110 heat index outside and I have to have a blanket at least over my waist or I feel naked.
8. I LOVE football!! I don't know what it is about the sport, but it is so much fun. I don't like nintendo games or computer games, but I will play Chris in NFL Blitz and really get into it and kick his butt. I have no idea what I am doing on the game with the buttons and stuff, but apparently my love for the sport flows and I always seem to intercept his passes and score twice as much as him and be clueless as to how I did it. Odd, huh?
Ok, hope you enjoyed those because coming up with all of them has really irritated Percy, our cat, of whose chair I am still sitting in and she is ready for bed. :-)
Lots of love to all of you and will post sometime next week after a full week has gone by. (1st day of school, preschool meeting, church and such)
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Exciting news!!
I just had to write tonight before I went to bed about an amazing evening at our house.
We have had a week where the kids had been really centered on them and their stuff. Anyways, we had run to the library today and then Hobby Lobby. I was tired of the attitude, so when we got home, we all sat down and talked about it.
I asked them what they would rather have, their room full of toys or me and they chose their rooms. I said that there was a problem when things were more important than people. Then I posed to them the scenario of what if. What if we had a fire and we could only take one thing out of the house. What would we pick. Nathan said puppy Crosswhite, and Hannah began to cry. I told them that everything in their room could be bought again at walmart. The only thing that wasn't replaceable was them. Hannah proceeded to say, well, if we had a fire, I could get a new bed. So I said, well, how about when Jesus comes back. When he calls to us and says come, he won't let us bring anything but ourselves and the people who love Him with. Then Nathan began to sob. So much so that he couldn't talk. When he finally was able to come to words, he said, "What about my friends? Do I get to take them with?" And then he began to sob again at the idea of leaving them behind. I was moved. I took him onto my lap and said that there was nothing wrong with crying about that. That we all should be moved to tears to think about people going to hell. I told him that was why it was so important that we shared Jesus with the people we care about. Then Hannah began to cry. When asked, she said, for nothing.
About this time, Nathan begins to sob again. I ask him why and he says, "Well, if people are that important, then God must be way more. Mom, I can't do anything without Him. I need Him in my heart for always. Can I ask Him for that?" I began to cry. I told him I couldn't do anything without God either and definately, he could ask. So he prayed, "Dear God, I can't do anything all by myself without you. I need you in my heart for always. Will you come and stay with me? In Jesus name, Amen." Then he looked up at me and said, "I felt Him come in. My heart got all warm inside of me." We hugged and I told him we needed to call dad. I also told him that when God knocks on your heart like that and you let Him in, the first thing he will ask is for you to get baptized. He asked why. I said it was like dying to yourself and God washes all of you clean so that whenever you sin, and you ask for forgiveness, he wipes it clean. I described it to him like a chalkboard. You can erase the drawings with an eraser, and it is clean, but when you wash it down with a rag, it is shiny. I told him that letting Jesus in and getting baptized was a little like that to his heart. He thought that was pretty cool.
After talking to Chris, they are going to talk more and we will decide what to do about getting baptized. I am so proud of him and so suprized and so full of wonder. How he came to those understandings I can't comprehend, but it sure gives me a lot to chew on as for me and my heart for the lost and all that.
As you looked at the title, I am sure you thought we got the job in Texas. Actually, Chris got a call from them and they said that he was the most qualified candidate and the best interview they had, but for some reason, their store manager wanted to go with someone else. He felt relief and told them that he had been praying about where God wanted him and he appreciated their time. They were really impressed with his response. so, on to the next interview!!
Well, going to bed. Couldn't sleep without letting you all know of Nathan's decision.
More later!!
We have had a week where the kids had been really centered on them and their stuff. Anyways, we had run to the library today and then Hobby Lobby. I was tired of the attitude, so when we got home, we all sat down and talked about it.
I asked them what they would rather have, their room full of toys or me and they chose their rooms. I said that there was a problem when things were more important than people. Then I posed to them the scenario of what if. What if we had a fire and we could only take one thing out of the house. What would we pick. Nathan said puppy Crosswhite, and Hannah began to cry. I told them that everything in their room could be bought again at walmart. The only thing that wasn't replaceable was them. Hannah proceeded to say, well, if we had a fire, I could get a new bed. So I said, well, how about when Jesus comes back. When he calls to us and says come, he won't let us bring anything but ourselves and the people who love Him with. Then Nathan began to sob. So much so that he couldn't talk. When he finally was able to come to words, he said, "What about my friends? Do I get to take them with?" And then he began to sob again at the idea of leaving them behind. I was moved. I took him onto my lap and said that there was nothing wrong with crying about that. That we all should be moved to tears to think about people going to hell. I told him that was why it was so important that we shared Jesus with the people we care about. Then Hannah began to cry. When asked, she said, for nothing.
About this time, Nathan begins to sob again. I ask him why and he says, "Well, if people are that important, then God must be way more. Mom, I can't do anything without Him. I need Him in my heart for always. Can I ask Him for that?" I began to cry. I told him I couldn't do anything without God either and definately, he could ask. So he prayed, "Dear God, I can't do anything all by myself without you. I need you in my heart for always. Will you come and stay with me? In Jesus name, Amen." Then he looked up at me and said, "I felt Him come in. My heart got all warm inside of me." We hugged and I told him we needed to call dad. I also told him that when God knocks on your heart like that and you let Him in, the first thing he will ask is for you to get baptized. He asked why. I said it was like dying to yourself and God washes all of you clean so that whenever you sin, and you ask for forgiveness, he wipes it clean. I described it to him like a chalkboard. You can erase the drawings with an eraser, and it is clean, but when you wash it down with a rag, it is shiny. I told him that letting Jesus in and getting baptized was a little like that to his heart. He thought that was pretty cool.
After talking to Chris, they are going to talk more and we will decide what to do about getting baptized. I am so proud of him and so suprized and so full of wonder. How he came to those understandings I can't comprehend, but it sure gives me a lot to chew on as for me and my heart for the lost and all that.
As you looked at the title, I am sure you thought we got the job in Texas. Actually, Chris got a call from them and they said that he was the most qualified candidate and the best interview they had, but for some reason, their store manager wanted to go with someone else. He felt relief and told them that he had been praying about where God wanted him and he appreciated their time. They were really impressed with his response. so, on to the next interview!!
Well, going to bed. Couldn't sleep without letting you all know of Nathan's decision.
More later!!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Another week down
Hi all! Well, Chris made it home safely from Springfield. We had a good day at the preschool. I did more preparations for my class come fall. I am really hoping to have the opportunity to teach at least one month this fall. I have gotten name cards and have plans in the works for at least the first month. We met Chris at Palmas for supper Thursday night and then I visited with my sister as Chris unloaded his suitcase and went to bed. Friday we went to Lowes to get Chris schedule and then went home just to hang out together. Chris just wanted to be at home. Saturday we got up and went to Sarah Armstrong's wedding shower. It was the neatest shower I have ever been to. They started it with prayer and then introduced all of Sarah's family and family to be. Then they went through the food line, which was breakfast casserole and banana-strawberry-pinapple slush. it was good. Then Sarah opened her gifts and after that, everyone at the shower circled around her and the two moms and prayed that God would be honored in the wedding and the marriage and the preparation for it. Then it was over. It was so full of God and honoring all the things of Him. It was cool.
Then we headed to Culvers to meet Chris for lunch and then headed home to grab the birthday gift and head to the pool party. It was a neat little party. Will was on Nathan's t-ball team last summer and in his kindergarten class last fall. They are originally from Oklahoma, so we have a lot to visit about too. Well, the 4 boys got into the water and were having a blast. One of the boys had his sister there, so Hannah was glad for that. Within the first 10 minutes of being in the water, Nathan decided to be daring enough to follow his friends down to the 6 ft area. Now mind you , I am scared to death of water and swimming pools where I can't touch the bottom. But I don't want my kids to fear the water. So their practice in it has been limited. Basically, Nathan doesn't know how to do anything but doggie paddle. Well, he got to a point where he couldn't swim and began to sink. It was the most horrifying moment I have ever experienced in my life. I ran to the edge of the pool and reached out for his hand. Luckily, he had doggie paddled enough to be withing reach. I have no idea what I would have done if he hadn't been. WE pulled him out and he was ok. Super shock of adrenaline, and wanting a lifejacket, he hopped back in to resume chasing his buddies. He had a great time the rest of the party. I told him I was proud of how brave he was because if it were me, I would have not wanted to get back in.
We went home to see Chris and tell him of our expereince. WE decided as a family we need to find a way to expose them to swimming more often. Anyway we do, it will be costly, but never as costly as a life of our child.
Sunday was church. We went to 9:30 service and then the kids and I went home while Chris went to work. We spend the afternoon feeling tired and playing a little. hannah really wanted to play farmer, but we didn't get to it.Also, the pool party got cancelled, so since we had promised the kids we would hit Dairy Queen, we went anyways. It was fun. We saw Sarah, the children's minster, and her husband, Adam there.
MOnday Chris was off, so we finished up school supplies and groceries. That pretty much took the whole day. Chris also had his first zone manager interview with Gun Barrell City, Texas. He should know something tomorrow. He also put in 15 other applications with other cities, some of which include: Moore, Ok; Jefferson City, Mo; Texarkana, Tx; Augusta, Maine; Lakewood, Co; and Surprize, Arizona. As you can see, we are trying to keep God's options open. There is one Chris would really like to have, but it won't post until November and that is Neosho, Mo. It would start the first of the year. But we are praying for God's will. The possiblity of here is looking thinner and thinner, so we have resigned to the understanding that our time here in St. Joe is limited. Chris spent the evening with Mike Kadra playing games and stuff. They had a blast.
Lets, see. Tuesday, I went in and met with Pete Smith. He has had to take on a lot with all the changes going on at the church. I had been holding a heart with disrespect for him that I had come to recognize and wanted to go in and apologize to him face to face. It was a really good visit and a lot of good things came from it. I went home to find Chris feeling ill. So we ate lunch and then the kids and I headed out to look for birthday party stuff for Nathan. We went to party america first and scored big. Hot wheels racing stuff on sale for 99 cents. So we got a huge banner that said "Welcome race fans" and a trophy candle, and checkered plates. Then we headed to Michaels to look at cake stuff. They were remodeling, so we didn't find much. We got home to spending the evening with Chris reading stories and making homemade pizza.
Today we got up and went to Kansas City with Amy and Abram. We got there around 11, so we headed to Fritz Railroad restaurant. Abram couldn't get over the coolness of the trains. He didn't want to go anywhere else. We then went up to the crayola store and drew pictures and jumped on the shapes on the floor. by then it was 12:45, and time to head to Kalidescope. We went in and made a bunch of stuff. To our surprize, Holly McDowell and all 3 of her kids were there with grandma. For those of you who don't know who Holly is, she was pregnant about 3 years ago with Ariana and her water broke at 16 weeks. Doctors told her to abort, but she felt in her heart not to. Araina came through it all and is such a sweet little 3 year old. Anyways, they were there, so I introduced Amy and Abram to them. Then they were on their way to go potty, so we spread out from there. After time was over there, we went to Union station to see the trains. They have a new spot there where you can play Thomas, so of course we needed to do that. By then, Amy was looking a little worn. She actually said that anytime she was holding Abram, she was starting to have contractions, so I tried to carry Abram as much as he would let me. We headed home about 3:15 and stopped in Platte City for drinks. Amy was kind enough to get everyone gummy worms and the adults chocolate. (She knew my secret downfall:-) )
She laid down when we got back and Brett was home to take care of Abram. We unloaded our stuff and got started on supper. Then we read a bunch of books and did baths and here I am after putting them to bed, catching up on our news. 'Tomorrow is the only day this week left to clean up and find my camera and battery charger before Monday, open house at Coleman. Friday is Jadyn Kindley's birthday, which has been the highlight of the the week for Hannah. She can't wait. Hannah and Jadyn were Christmas angels together last year. Since then, they have had a way of finding each other in a crowd at church and sticking like glue. It is fun. You should have seen Hannah when she got the invite. :-) !!
Anyways, we are going to her party Friday and then heading to Mom and Dad's after that for the baby shower this weekend for my cousin. We have to be home for Open house Monday afternoon and 1st day is Wednesday!!!
Can't believe it is here!!!
Well, that's it. I have laundry I need to fold so I can go to bed. Till next time, all our love and God's blessings.
Then we headed to Culvers to meet Chris for lunch and then headed home to grab the birthday gift and head to the pool party. It was a neat little party. Will was on Nathan's t-ball team last summer and in his kindergarten class last fall. They are originally from Oklahoma, so we have a lot to visit about too. Well, the 4 boys got into the water and were having a blast. One of the boys had his sister there, so Hannah was glad for that. Within the first 10 minutes of being in the water, Nathan decided to be daring enough to follow his friends down to the 6 ft area. Now mind you , I am scared to death of water and swimming pools where I can't touch the bottom. But I don't want my kids to fear the water. So their practice in it has been limited. Basically, Nathan doesn't know how to do anything but doggie paddle. Well, he got to a point where he couldn't swim and began to sink. It was the most horrifying moment I have ever experienced in my life. I ran to the edge of the pool and reached out for his hand. Luckily, he had doggie paddled enough to be withing reach. I have no idea what I would have done if he hadn't been. WE pulled him out and he was ok. Super shock of adrenaline, and wanting a lifejacket, he hopped back in to resume chasing his buddies. He had a great time the rest of the party. I told him I was proud of how brave he was because if it were me, I would have not wanted to get back in.
We went home to see Chris and tell him of our expereince. WE decided as a family we need to find a way to expose them to swimming more often. Anyway we do, it will be costly, but never as costly as a life of our child.
Sunday was church. We went to 9:30 service and then the kids and I went home while Chris went to work. We spend the afternoon feeling tired and playing a little. hannah really wanted to play farmer, but we didn't get to it.Also, the pool party got cancelled, so since we had promised the kids we would hit Dairy Queen, we went anyways. It was fun. We saw Sarah, the children's minster, and her husband, Adam there.
MOnday Chris was off, so we finished up school supplies and groceries. That pretty much took the whole day. Chris also had his first zone manager interview with Gun Barrell City, Texas. He should know something tomorrow. He also put in 15 other applications with other cities, some of which include: Moore, Ok; Jefferson City, Mo; Texarkana, Tx; Augusta, Maine; Lakewood, Co; and Surprize, Arizona. As you can see, we are trying to keep God's options open. There is one Chris would really like to have, but it won't post until November and that is Neosho, Mo. It would start the first of the year. But we are praying for God's will. The possiblity of here is looking thinner and thinner, so we have resigned to the understanding that our time here in St. Joe is limited. Chris spent the evening with Mike Kadra playing games and stuff. They had a blast.
Lets, see. Tuesday, I went in and met with Pete Smith. He has had to take on a lot with all the changes going on at the church. I had been holding a heart with disrespect for him that I had come to recognize and wanted to go in and apologize to him face to face. It was a really good visit and a lot of good things came from it. I went home to find Chris feeling ill. So we ate lunch and then the kids and I headed out to look for birthday party stuff for Nathan. We went to party america first and scored big. Hot wheels racing stuff on sale for 99 cents. So we got a huge banner that said "Welcome race fans" and a trophy candle, and checkered plates. Then we headed to Michaels to look at cake stuff. They were remodeling, so we didn't find much. We got home to spending the evening with Chris reading stories and making homemade pizza.
Today we got up and went to Kansas City with Amy and Abram. We got there around 11, so we headed to Fritz Railroad restaurant. Abram couldn't get over the coolness of the trains. He didn't want to go anywhere else. We then went up to the crayola store and drew pictures and jumped on the shapes on the floor. by then it was 12:45, and time to head to Kalidescope. We went in and made a bunch of stuff. To our surprize, Holly McDowell and all 3 of her kids were there with grandma. For those of you who don't know who Holly is, she was pregnant about 3 years ago with Ariana and her water broke at 16 weeks. Doctors told her to abort, but she felt in her heart not to. Araina came through it all and is such a sweet little 3 year old. Anyways, they were there, so I introduced Amy and Abram to them. Then they were on their way to go potty, so we spread out from there. After time was over there, we went to Union station to see the trains. They have a new spot there where you can play Thomas, so of course we needed to do that. By then, Amy was looking a little worn. She actually said that anytime she was holding Abram, she was starting to have contractions, so I tried to carry Abram as much as he would let me. We headed home about 3:15 and stopped in Platte City for drinks. Amy was kind enough to get everyone gummy worms and the adults chocolate. (She knew my secret downfall:-) )
She laid down when we got back and Brett was home to take care of Abram. We unloaded our stuff and got started on supper. Then we read a bunch of books and did baths and here I am after putting them to bed, catching up on our news. 'Tomorrow is the only day this week left to clean up and find my camera and battery charger before Monday, open house at Coleman. Friday is Jadyn Kindley's birthday, which has been the highlight of the the week for Hannah. She can't wait. Hannah and Jadyn were Christmas angels together last year. Since then, they have had a way of finding each other in a crowd at church and sticking like glue. It is fun. You should have seen Hannah when she got the invite. :-) !!
Anyways, we are going to her party Friday and then heading to Mom and Dad's after that for the baby shower this weekend for my cousin. We have to be home for Open house Monday afternoon and 1st day is Wednesday!!!
Can't believe it is here!!!
Well, that's it. I have laundry I need to fold so I can go to bed. Till next time, all our love and God's blessings.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
A week without Dad
Hello all! I am writing on one of the only nights I either haven't gone to bed early or am not in one of the 2 kids beds.
No one has slept much since Chris is in Springfield. He left Sunday afternoon, after lunch with Mike and Amber. He made it ok. He had his final at 7am Monday morning. We got a phone call at noon to hear that he passed it, a 90%. The rest of the week as been workshops on everything from retaliation to rules of reimbursement. He has connected with many of the guys there and they all have tried to eat out together every evening. One of the managers, Justin, from Weston, is going to travel with Chris home tomorrow. They figured since they were going the same direction, they would look out for one another. It has been a good week for him and he is feeling a lot more at peace with all of this. He should be home sometime tomorrow, depending on when they let out and stuff.
As for us, Monday, we did a school schedule here at the house. Tuesday we helped at the preschool, and today we spent most of our time with Amy and Abram. We all are going to go to Kalidescope next week. It was a REALLY good day. We went to the library and she got a library card. Abram checked out dinosaur books and a dinosaur movie. We found out one thing that was sad. Our favorite library man, Gary, passed away. It just won't be the same there. Everyone seemed a little down. The library both here in town and in Savannah will be closed in the afternoon so that staff can go to the funeral.
Tomorrow we will be at the preschool again. Friday is spending the day with Chris and Saturday involves a bridal shower in the morning and a birthday party in the afternoon. Sunday is the church pool party in Savannah, so that is what our weekend looks like.
Next week is prepping the kids school bags and heading to Kansas for a baby shower before school starts the following week.
Hope that all is well and that you all are ready for a fun fall!
Till next time....
No one has slept much since Chris is in Springfield. He left Sunday afternoon, after lunch with Mike and Amber. He made it ok. He had his final at 7am Monday morning. We got a phone call at noon to hear that he passed it, a 90%. The rest of the week as been workshops on everything from retaliation to rules of reimbursement. He has connected with many of the guys there and they all have tried to eat out together every evening. One of the managers, Justin, from Weston, is going to travel with Chris home tomorrow. They figured since they were going the same direction, they would look out for one another. It has been a good week for him and he is feeling a lot more at peace with all of this. He should be home sometime tomorrow, depending on when they let out and stuff.
As for us, Monday, we did a school schedule here at the house. Tuesday we helped at the preschool, and today we spent most of our time with Amy and Abram. We all are going to go to Kalidescope next week. It was a REALLY good day. We went to the library and she got a library card. Abram checked out dinosaur books and a dinosaur movie. We found out one thing that was sad. Our favorite library man, Gary, passed away. It just won't be the same there. Everyone seemed a little down. The library both here in town and in Savannah will be closed in the afternoon so that staff can go to the funeral.
Tomorrow we will be at the preschool again. Friday is spending the day with Chris and Saturday involves a bridal shower in the morning and a birthday party in the afternoon. Sunday is the church pool party in Savannah, so that is what our weekend looks like.
Next week is prepping the kids school bags and heading to Kansas for a baby shower before school starts the following week.
Hope that all is well and that you all are ready for a fun fall!
Till next time....
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Camping, friends and church stuff
Hi! Well, this week has been one that i have thought several times about logging on and blogging and here I am late to get it done.
Last Friday we all got up and got our stuff together to go camping and headed out after eating lunch at sonic. We stayed at a place east of st. joe called camp pony express. it was really neat. We got there around 3 and checked into the office so we knew where on the grounds to set up our tent. We stayed in Cozy corners, which had a tree swing made of rope and a log. the kids loved that. It had a picnic table and a fire pit. We set up the tent and put our sleeping bags in the tent and set out our coolers from the back of the truck. then of course the first thing to do was to check out the 2 ponds on the place. We fixed up the fishing poles and headed to the ponds. Hannah caught one on her own and was so excited. A little bluegill. After Hannah's first fish, she was done. Nathan caught probably close to 10. He was addicted to it like his dad.
Since Hannah and I were done, we headed back up to the office/guest house. We checked it out. It had a bathroom with a shower and a rec room and a mini store. And our favorite, a big porch swing. We walked back to our tent and sat down and had a really good visit. When the boys got back, we cooked hot dogs and ate chips. Then we whipped our some smores. To Chris and i's surprise, the kids didn't like them. so we ended up eating them all, at least the ones we had made. Nathan wanted an apple instead, and Hannah just wanted the marshmellows. It was funny.
then the kids swang and we just sat and talked for a while. We walked up to see their petting zoo too. they had llamas, sheep, a ram, and a couple of zebu. the kids really liked that. The boys went fishing again after it got dark and hannah and i started up a huge camp fire. We went to bed after the boys got back. when we woke up, we ate granola bars and juice and packed everythiing up. chris wanted to go fishing again. the kids wanted to play on their playground. So we did that and then headed up to the showers. Chris fished for a couple more hours while we swang and visited with the lady in charge.
We headed home and Chris cleaned up. We then went to the mall. They were having their tax free weekend so we got chris a new pair of work boots, which he really needed. We probably saved at least $30.
Sunday Chris had to start inventory at 5am so the kids and I decided to go to the 8am service. They were tired still but awake, so we went, but left at the end of Rodney's sermon. We missed the announcement of a church meeting for "Staff changes". We got home and everyone rested. then we got a phone call from our friends Mike and Amber telling us about the meeting. So, after chris got off work, we went out to dinner with them and then went to the church meeting. Pretty much, it boiled down to that the elders had let go of two staff members and that Rodney would be on sabbatical for 8 weeks in Colorado at a counseling center. Everyone seemed a little surprised. it will be interesting to see how things will go. Pretty much by the end of the meeting, everyone there had decided that the congregation as a whole had become lazy and that now was the time to step up and be what God has asked of us. A week has gone by, so it will be interesting to see what the atmosphere will be like tomorrow. I know for a fact that there are a few families who have left the church due to everything.
On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday we were at home doing our school schedule. thursday we were at the preschool and yesterday Chris was off, so he and Nathan started building a model car. Hannah and I played horses and painted our nails. It has been a nice week. We found out yesterday that families aren't going to be allowed to go to Springfield next week, so instead, we will be working at the preschool Tuesday and Thursday. Chris will be at training until thursday night, so we will know more about everything when he comes home.
anyways, so that is it. today Chris and hannah are going to spend some time today together since he spent the day with nathan yesterday. He will leave after church tomorrow, so he wanted to get some time in with each of them.
i would post pictures of our camping trip like I wanted so much, but the battery burnt out, so we were out of luck. I was really sad about it, but since the trip turned out to be such good time for all of us. Definately something we will do often!!
Ok, till next week, have a good one and keep loving the Lord.
Last Friday we all got up and got our stuff together to go camping and headed out after eating lunch at sonic. We stayed at a place east of st. joe called camp pony express. it was really neat. We got there around 3 and checked into the office so we knew where on the grounds to set up our tent. We stayed in Cozy corners, which had a tree swing made of rope and a log. the kids loved that. It had a picnic table and a fire pit. We set up the tent and put our sleeping bags in the tent and set out our coolers from the back of the truck. then of course the first thing to do was to check out the 2 ponds on the place. We fixed up the fishing poles and headed to the ponds. Hannah caught one on her own and was so excited. A little bluegill. After Hannah's first fish, she was done. Nathan caught probably close to 10. He was addicted to it like his dad.
Since Hannah and I were done, we headed back up to the office/guest house. We checked it out. It had a bathroom with a shower and a rec room and a mini store. And our favorite, a big porch swing. We walked back to our tent and sat down and had a really good visit. When the boys got back, we cooked hot dogs and ate chips. Then we whipped our some smores. To Chris and i's surprise, the kids didn't like them. so we ended up eating them all, at least the ones we had made. Nathan wanted an apple instead, and Hannah just wanted the marshmellows. It was funny.
then the kids swang and we just sat and talked for a while. We walked up to see their petting zoo too. they had llamas, sheep, a ram, and a couple of zebu. the kids really liked that. The boys went fishing again after it got dark and hannah and i started up a huge camp fire. We went to bed after the boys got back. when we woke up, we ate granola bars and juice and packed everythiing up. chris wanted to go fishing again. the kids wanted to play on their playground. So we did that and then headed up to the showers. Chris fished for a couple more hours while we swang and visited with the lady in charge.
We headed home and Chris cleaned up. We then went to the mall. They were having their tax free weekend so we got chris a new pair of work boots, which he really needed. We probably saved at least $30.
Sunday Chris had to start inventory at 5am so the kids and I decided to go to the 8am service. They were tired still but awake, so we went, but left at the end of Rodney's sermon. We missed the announcement of a church meeting for "Staff changes". We got home and everyone rested. then we got a phone call from our friends Mike and Amber telling us about the meeting. So, after chris got off work, we went out to dinner with them and then went to the church meeting. Pretty much, it boiled down to that the elders had let go of two staff members and that Rodney would be on sabbatical for 8 weeks in Colorado at a counseling center. Everyone seemed a little surprised. it will be interesting to see how things will go. Pretty much by the end of the meeting, everyone there had decided that the congregation as a whole had become lazy and that now was the time to step up and be what God has asked of us. A week has gone by, so it will be interesting to see what the atmosphere will be like tomorrow. I know for a fact that there are a few families who have left the church due to everything.
On Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday we were at home doing our school schedule. thursday we were at the preschool and yesterday Chris was off, so he and Nathan started building a model car. Hannah and I played horses and painted our nails. It has been a nice week. We found out yesterday that families aren't going to be allowed to go to Springfield next week, so instead, we will be working at the preschool Tuesday and Thursday. Chris will be at training until thursday night, so we will know more about everything when he comes home.
anyways, so that is it. today Chris and hannah are going to spend some time today together since he spent the day with nathan yesterday. He will leave after church tomorrow, so he wanted to get some time in with each of them.
i would post pictures of our camping trip like I wanted so much, but the battery burnt out, so we were out of luck. I was really sad about it, but since the trip turned out to be such good time for all of us. Definately something we will do often!!
Ok, till next week, have a good one and keep loving the Lord.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Just Pictures
I am going to start posting from the beginning of the trip until the end. Enjoy!!
(by the way, all of you who regularly post pictures, you either have fast connections, have a lot of time to do this, or are masters at the computer. to you I say, "we're not worthy... we're not worthy" :-)
Pictures of us at Lorries:
#1- Nathan, Rowdy, and Hannah hanging out on the couch.
#2- Everyone getting in some good reading.
#7- All the kids at Victoria park by the caboose.
#8- Reading with Aunt Mary
(by the way, all of you who regularly post pictures, you either have fast connections, have a lot of time to do this, or are masters at the computer. to you I say, "we're not worthy... we're not worthy" :-)
Pictures of us at Lorries:
#1- Nathan, Rowdy, and Hannah hanging out on the couch.
#2- Everyone getting in some good reading.
Pictures at Mary's:
#1- Everyone on the teeter-totters at Victoria park on the first night.
#2-Nathan, Harley, Hannah, and Hailey on the swings at Victoria park.
#3-Hannah and Hailey in the backyard.
#4- Hannah and Hailey in the guest closet, or should I say, "secret house".
#5- The "boys" playing legos in the living room.
#6- The nightly sleepover with all 4 kiddos!
#7- All the kids at Victoria park by the caboose.
#8- Reading with Aunt Mary
ok, here are some picts
Imagine this. I am on the laptop, and attempting to post some pictures. So, while i am downloading those, I will tell you about our week. We had a good weekend. We did start our school schedule Monday, and even went to Krug park to play. Tuesday, Chris was off and spend the day with the kids while I subbed for the office at the preschool. And it just dawned on me that I am a day early!!! yahoo!!
today we did school and the kids actually got so into doing things, that we went over time by 40 minutes. tomorrow we are helping at the preschool again. Friday we are planniing on going camping at Camp Pony Express. It looks really cool.
When I get all these pictures downloaded, i will make sure to make room for pictures of our camping trip. it is the first time I have been camping since my brother and i did at chase county lake, and the first time Chris has gone since boy scouts, so we are anxious. the kids are pumped!!
ok, here are some from the our trip. enjoy!!
Karen and Hannah at the Boot Hill gift shop being Daniel Boone.
Ok, now, since I have figured this out. I am posting it and will do another one of just pictures and labels. :-)
today we did school and the kids actually got so into doing things, that we went over time by 40 minutes. tomorrow we are helping at the preschool again. Friday we are planniing on going camping at Camp Pony Express. It looks really cool.
When I get all these pictures downloaded, i will make sure to make room for pictures of our camping trip. it is the first time I have been camping since my brother and i did at chase county lake, and the first time Chris has gone since boy scouts, so we are anxious. the kids are pumped!!
ok, here are some from the our trip. enjoy!!
Karen and Hannah at the Boot Hill gift shop being Daniel Boone.
Karen and Nathan being stage coach robbers.
The stagecoach with "real" horses!!
Everyone at the free zoo.
Ok, now, since I have figured this out. I am posting it and will do another one of just pictures and labels. :-)
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