Well, it will be a while!

I find it so amazing that I get surprized when God works things out in my situtations. I was a little worried about the whole interview last week and how I wasn't sure how that would all play out. I had a lot scheduled for today, and was supposed to hear about that middle school job. Chris and I had been praying like crazy about it.
This morning, I got a phone call to sub for a teacher who had to go to the hospital for emergency surgery. I was glad to fill in. It was a great day. I got to see and spend some time with Hannah at recess and meet her friend Tory. :-) I also got to eat lunch in the cafeteria with Nathaniel!! And the kids in my class were great!! I will be in there all week, as this teacher is not for sure when she will be able to return. The other 2nd grader teachers have been great at helping me out. I thought to myself as I sat in her classroom during planning period, "what were the chances of me getting a long-term sub job on the day I was supposed to hear about the other job? Especially for my first one." Only God knows and sees that. I felt so much more at home teaching 2nd grade math and language than I would ever in coordinating special ed kids tests. A huge peace fills me tonight as I am so thankful God hears us and is compassionate to our lives.

On that note, I am pretty sure with being a full time fill in this week along with trying to do all my other chores on the side in the evenings and preparing for my trip, I won't be on again until next week. We are headed to Jon and Mary's Friday after school. Planning on staying with them Friday night, and all saturday and saturday night, as Karen will be with her youth group at a concert. Then Sunday morning, we will head to Dodge to go to church and her church dinner and spend all Sunday and Monday with Karen until we have to head home. I am excited about it, since it has been over a year since we have been that way!! and we will get to celebrate Karen's birthday while we are out there!!!
Until I write again, hope everyone is going well and staying healthy!!

Since last time:-)

It is Sunday night and I write after a long week. As you know, it rained monday and tuesday, prohibitting us to get Ben's pen done. Well, after being cooped up all week, I tackled the last of the laundry on Wednesday so I could clean up the yard. That was what I did all day Thursday. I put up the corner post in Ben's new pen, which amazingly went in really well with the soft ground. I also stumbled on a new find for our hill full of shale. Apparently, it stinks for yard decor, but makes a great home for an indangered lizard, some kind of horned lizard. All the holes we thought were snake holes and the "snake" eggs we found when we planted the oak up there, were actually this horned lizard. Ben and I found one while putting in the corner post. I thought it was just a regular lizard, but when I noticed it looked more like a mini dinosaur, I got really excited. When Nathaniel got home, I showed him and we were really thrilled. you cant even catch one without the state of Oklahoma's permission. So, tomorrow, we are going to call the wildlife reserve, since we have now seen at least a dozen in working on the pen. I think with the amount of holes we have seen, our ugly hill is actually a nesting ground for them, so that is cool.

Friday I put in some more posts and then wrapped the fencing around it lightly so that Ben could get a feel for it. I actually think now it is a form of security for him. He is really liking being on the hill and the fence around him. I need Chris to help me get the rest of it put together, but he came home early Thursday sick and slept all day and through the night. He went to work friday morning and worked from 4am till 8pm. I guess the dept. manager was slacking on his job and there was this showdown and Chris had to stay to make sure the guy did his job. Saturday he was off, so he slept in. I went out and mowed the north part of the yard. with all the rain, it needed it. So, I had quite a work out. 1/2 acre of push mowing is quite the workout as well as cardio. Whew!! The kids did great, playing with Ben and helping him catch frogs while I mowed. We went that afternoon to bowl with our sunday school class. That was a lot of fun!! I am really glad that God has blessed us with those people in our lives. It was such a time of encouragement and everyone's kids were pretty much the same age. We came home and played horses and hot wheels and went to bed.
Today was church and we had another great time there. We talked to Bruce a little about Nathaniel's asking about baptism since like a year ago and with all the chaos, we have still yet to do it. Chris is supposed to call Bruce tomorrow and maybe we can go in to see him to talk this week. However, we have planned to head to Mary's and Karen's this weekend to see them and celebrate Karen's birthday!! Which speaking of birthdays, since Nathaniel hasn't hit the jackpot with a bunch of friends yet this year, we are talking about seeing if his cousins, Robert and David, want to come down and spend the night with him. They only live about an hour away and have never gotten to come to his birthday party. We thought maybe we could take the 3 of them lazer tagging or something, since most birthday parties here in norman are SUPER EXPENSIVE!!! Last year in st. joe, we had the bowling alleys "party pack". 10 guest, pizza, drinks and 2 hours of bowling for $20. Here, you get a Party coordinator along with all that stuff and the cheapest event, be it lazer tag, mini golfing, or bowling, is $150. I about choked. So we are talking maybe a trip to Cici's and one game of tag or something. I don't know. I feel so bad, but this state/city is crazy!!!! I miss Missouri!!!
Anyways. Today i spent the day after church checking in on Ben. somehow he has a puncture wound on his abdomen. I think he either laid on a hard stick or one of the yard tools Chris left laying in the yard. not sure, but it was oozing and he was acting like he wanted to snuggle. it was kind of sweet and with it being on his side, I was just hoping it wasnt in far enough to get an organ. I looked up online what to do and followed that proceedure. He seems to be feeling better tonight. Up to wrestling with an old shoe, which shows he is feeling better. :-)
Tomorrow I am hoping to finish up mowing the yard and the kitchen. Have some phone calls to make too as well as get things ready for this coming weekend. With Chris batching it for a few days, sometimes that can be an event all by itself, :-)
Love to all of you and hoping everyone is well!!

It has been a few days and I thought I would write. I just got home from a job interview with the middle school at Bridge Creek. They are looking for a para to follow special ed students to and from class, as well as answer phones for an hour to relieve the secretaries and have my own homeroom. I think it went well. I am a little nervous about the possiblity but also realize that if this is what God wants for me, He has already equipped me for the job. It just seems a little overwhelming at the moment. I should know something before Monday.
Chris and i didn't get the pen done. It rained like 7 inches in one day, so needless to say, we spotted out where we want it and hope to get it in while the ground is still soft, but...
I got some hand sewing done and Chris and I watched a couple of movies. Felt really lazy, but you know when you set your mind on something big and then you dont' get to do it. It is really h hard to get motivated about anything else.
Thats about it. Kids are really enjoying school. Yesterday was their first day of homework. Super easy. I know they do a lot of review in the beginning, but I know the 2 of mine are looking to get past counting by 2's and what does the letter d say. For 1st and 2nd grade I am a little surprized, but with experiencing so many different school systems, I have to understand that every place does stuff differently. I guess with Nathaniel doing algebra at the end of his 1st grade year in Norman, going back to counting by 2's to 20 seems a little immature. Anyways, just be praying for all of us, as I await whether or not it is God's will that I get that job at the middle school, and for the kids to be patient as they wait to be challenged by their teachers.
And for Chris as he deals with the stress of completely redoing the seasonal department. Yes, heating and Christmas. Of course, at this point here, with all the rain and unseasonably cool temps, the heaters actually sound good. Last year, they set heaters when it was like 100 degrees outside.
Till next time!!!

A good weekend!

Well, we had a great weekend. Friday after school, we met Chris at Rib Crib and visited about the kids day. Nathaniel had a much better one. I have a feeling after today, when they share their 5 things about themselves that make them special, that he will be feeling more confident.
Hannah said that she and her new friend, Tory and her friend from church, Courtney, started a new club at recess. It is the horse lovers club and to be a part of it, you have to chase pretend mustangs and put them in your ranch by galloping around the playground. Chris joked that with their initials, it could be their "C.Ha.T" group. I told him we didn't want to encourage discriminating friends, but that the idea was cute.
Then the boys headed to see the star wars movie. Nathaniel really enjoyed it and of course Chris did. Hannah had our minds set on roller skating, until we pulled up and found out that it was High school nite and the only option was to skate from 7-2am. We opted out. While trying to figure out what we were going to do next, we went to Ross. I had yet to take her there. She tried on 3 dresses, one being a big pink one that spun really good when she twirled. We didn't buy it because she really wanted to go mini golfing, but as we wandered the store, she saw a yello one and said, "you know, since it is Ruthy's birthday tomorrow, we could come back and buy me the pink one and ruthy the yellow one and we could match." I told her that since the dresses were $15 a piece, I didn't think we could do that, but she could draw a picture of them in the dresses and send it to Ruthy and that would be nice.
We did end up buying some sparkly headbands, though, for a dollar.
Then we headed to Perfect swing and played 2 rounds of mini golf. It was a lot of fun. She said at one point as we were walking down the paths, "Mom, isn't this place wonderful!" I am so glad she is such a dreamer!!
Church was great yesterday. WE really love our sunday school class. We actually are going to go bowling this saturday. Chris has the weekend and we have debated many times what we are going to do, but as of yesterday, he knows there is a lot to finish here and he really wants that time with good Christian friends. So I think we are just going to stay home. His last weekend off we went to Dallas, so I think he just wants to do something around here.
After church the kids and I went to the newcastle city park. it had 2 sand volleyball courts, so we played in the sand a while and swang and went down the slides. It was a lot of fun. Then we came home and did some scavenger hunts. That was a blast. Then we finished up Nathaniels homework of filling a bag of 5 things that show special things about him.
They made it to school well today. Actually, they have tv's in their classrooms and when we walked in, they were all watching the super why's, which is one of the kids favorite PBS shows. I thought to myself, what motivation to go into the room.
Chris is off today and we had intended to build Ben a good pen, but with it raining right now, we are going to wait until it clears off a little. He is really needing a place to run at all times. He gets so bored and then when we let him off his chain, he goes crazy and doesn't listen when we call. WE are hoping with the wet ground it will make it easier to do the fence.
Thats about it. Aiming to get a lot done around here while the kids are gone and praying all is well in everyone elses world. Till next time!

1st day!

Well, the kids headed off for their first day at Bridge Creek yesterday and overall it went well. When we picked up Nathaniel, and asked him how it was, his comment was, "Well, not so good." Most of the kids in his classroom weren't so hip on being his friend. They were more interested in catching up with each other. He said he felt like he didn't make a single friend. Chris and I encouraged him that it would get better. A lot of those kids were just excited to see old friends and that I was sure that someone would see what a great kid he was and he would have lots of freinds before he knew it. I felt bad, though.

Hannah, on the other hand, had a great day. She made 4 new friends and said her teacher was great. "Ms. Lauirence read all kinds of stories and my new best friends are Tory and Mattie." She was really excited about going to school today. I am so thankful.

Today the boys are going to see the new Star wars movie and Hannah and I are going to go skating. Something to celebrate them doing a good job and being brave at starting a new school.

Here are some picts of their 1st day!! Enjoy!!

Tomorow is the big day!

Tomorrow is the kids first day! I am anxious and excited. Open house was a success! The kids have great new teachers and they are really ready for school. We spent today together just enjoying each other. Chris suggested taking the kids to Chuck E. Cheese, since we had never been there and he got a coupon from the paper!! We had a blast. Then we went fishing. It has been a wonderful last few days and we are all excited about tomorrow. Just wanted to post some of my favorite picts from the last few days. Will post more tomorrow!!

My new niece, Kairis Elysa!!

My little Oregonian niece arrived safely on August 8th, 2008 at 6:16pm. Her name is Kairis Elysa Thomas and she weighed in at 8lbs, 10oz. 21 inches long.

Isn't she just adorable?! From what I last heard, baby and mommy get to go home today!! Yeah!! I am so glad that she arrived safely and quickly, just as we have been praying for since we heard she had missed her due date!! What an awesome birthday to chose for yourself!!

Just wanted to post this since it has been a highlight for the end of our week!!

Our car and thoughts it triggered!

Since I last wrote, I took our car into an auto repair shop to see if they could figure out why our car won't hold air conditioning. With the average high this week being 105 and the kids going to school next week, it seemed like a good thing to do.
And while I sat in the waiting room as I saw them lift our lovely green beast up, I thought about what a sweet car it has been for us. When we got it back before Nathaniel was born, it was shiny, it smelled new, it felt cool because everything seemed so fresh and un-old. We had 2 kids we brought home from the hospital in it. It has endured 3 major moves with us, which included many trips to many places to see family and such. Overall, in the almost 10 years we have had it, it has done us really well. It even endured us using it as a single car and Chris scratching the front end of it on every parking spot, as well as the kids using it as a jungle gym. I thought of all the fun memories we have had in it as I sat there.
From its exterior now, it looks like a real winner. Covered in red Oklahoma dirt, with little dents and dings all over its body and an awesome green strap holding the trunk shut along with the squealing hubcap and lack of a/c, it is no question now that the new "fresh" has worn off and has been replaced by an old, mostly reliable car.
As I sat and waited some more, I was struck by the verses in 2 Corinthians 4:1-18, especially vs 16-18, which say, "Therefore, we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. ". I am like our car. When God gave me to my parents, I was fresh and new. As time and circumstances have passed, the new has worn off and what is left is a decaying old jar.
As it says there, our light and momentary stuggles achieve for us eternal glory that renews us everyday, so that we may focus on what's important, and that is Christ. That was an awesome thought for me, considering all the little bumps in the road we have gone through in just about every step we have taken in my adult life.
I am not sure what the future holds for our car. With a few repairs, maybe a couple 100 miles and more memories, but for now, she is going to remind me everyday that I drive her that underneath my flabby, overweight, 30 year old body is a heart that God loves and wishes to renew by His awesome glory everyday, if only I seek Him and allow Him to do so.
Just something I wanted to share.
On a side note, kids got enrolled in school well and we won't know teachers until next week when they have open house. Today we just stayed inside and did pretty much nothing, it was so hot. Tomorrow we are hoping to play in the swimming pool and outside for some fresh air before the heat hits. Friday Chris is off, so we are thinking of going to OKC and heading to the memorial gardens and eat at Krispy Kreme for b-fast!!
Hope all of you are well and doing fine. I just wanted to post that thought before I lost it. :-)
Living one day at a time and learning to continue to trust the great God that holds my heart!

Some picts and an update!

Well, in the midst of my sadness last time, I forgot to mention one excitement for the week. Hannah lost her first tooth. She was sure it was ready to come out, but was a little worried it would hurt. I assured her that it would be fine, so we "lasso"ed it and I let her hold the string. She asked if we could pray that it wouldn't hurt. So, we did. Then she refused to pull the string. I said, "you just give it a little tug like this." and didn't mean to pull the string, but I bumped it and the tooth just fell on the floor. She laughed and then called her daddy.

He got her an Ariel barbie doll, since she LOVES Ariel and you "just can't find her". She was glad. She is nervous about the next one because it is really close too. The permanent teeth are not coming in under these. They are coming in behind, so I am concerned. I would like to take her to the dentist, but I learned after posting my last blog that the kids had lost their insurance coverage over the summer and were mad at me for not knowing about it. I am still working on all that.

The kids get enrolled for school bright and early tomorrow. We need to be there at 8am to get their paperwork filed. I figure the sooner I get them in, the better chances they have for good classes and I am pretty sure they will need plenty of time to get Norman to cooperate when it comes to transfer papers.

On a high note, we got our insurance settlement check on Friday, same day as Dacia came over to play. She and the kids had a great time and it was nice to have her over. I am really enjoying my friendship with her and Misty and Josh!! They are such a God-send.

Anyways, we went shopping for mattresses yesterday and found a great deal on a box and pillowtop mattress for us, as well as great deals for the kids. So, as of tonight, everyone will sleep on REAL beds!!! Yeah!!

We even have a little leftover, so we are planning on replacing the vacuum, which sounds like an aircraft carrier firing up as well as stick some in savings. The beds were the biggy to replace. We thought it would be nice to let everyone sleep on real beds the week before school starts!!

We are also looking into fixing the ac in our car. it was out of freon at the beginning of the summer but we didn't have the $ to do anything with it. Mom and Dad recharged it as an anniversary gift, but it lost it's cool within about a week and a half. we just stuck with being warm, but this week the highs are in the 100+ with heat indexes reaching 115-120. We figured with the increase of running around in the car due to the kids and school, it was worth seeing what was actually wrong. There is a guy who will look at it tomorrow in Newcastle, so hopefully it will be something simple.

I think that is about it. My week has gotten better. The kids are adjusting better, as they realize that home is different. I did a visual to help them understand that we (Chris and I) aren't made of cash. i took our change jar, which is pretty much toll money for us if we ever need to go to town, and gave them a dollars worth of change. Then I charged them for living at the house and utilties and gas and food and in the end of their "paychecks", they only had like a dime or a nickel left. I told them that they could save it for something fun for next check or go ahead and spend it on something small. That worked. Nathaniel was like, "You can't buy anything for a nickel.". My response was, "Thats right. You have to save several nickels until you get enough to do something really good." And then I said, "And sometimes emergencies come up like the car doesn't work, or someone gets sick and then the "fun" money gets used up." The rest of the week they have started to get that. That Chris and I want to spend time with them, not all of the resources that we don't have. i hope that sticks in their minds for a few more years. :-)

Thats about it. I am tired and hot and trying to enjoy this last week that we have together. I thank you all for your input and prayers from last time. I just thought that most of the time I do activity updates, but hardly let the thoughts of my heart shine through. I thought what i was feeling was good to share. I am glad that it struck some of you too!! Good to know I am not alone in my humanity sometimes.:-)

Well, will wait for the rest of these picts to load!! Enjoy! (Ok, and apparently I can't remember how to make the pictures rotate on here, so I apologize!!)