Trying to make the best of it

My title describes how I feel at this juncture in our lives. It has been over a month since I wrote and so many different things have happened. Last week of January we had an ice storm which trapped us here for 4 days. It sleeted on a Monday night, and all day Tuesday. It looked like snow outside, but was shear ice. Pictures are of us enjoying the weather on Wednesday and Thursday.

The first week of February looked promising as Chris got a job at Sonic and he also got word from Lowes that the guy who terminated him was under investigation for several wrongful terminations and for him to be aware that he might be contacted. My sisters came down for the weekend, as they had generously bought us Brian Reagan tickets for Chris' birthday. They watched the kids and we went downtown for that. He was hilarious!! The guy that opened for him was awesome too!! It was a full 2 hours of laughing. My sisters got out of here near 10 and they went home in a storm that was pretty wild. That following Tuesday was a day full of several tornados in the area. It was either that night or Tuesday night that we ended up with pieces of our neighbors doghouse in our siding. Insurance will be out sometime to see how much it will cost to get that part of the house repaired.

Lets see, what else. The kids had Friday before valentines out and monday after, so I was off Friday and Chris was off Monday to hang out with them. We spent valentines night with our friends the Mills and the Tripps. We have also really enjoyed our Saturdays with Upwards basketball. Nathaniel is doing so well. This past Saturday was his last game. We were kind of sad. His awards ceremony is tomorrow night. If I knew how to upload videos on this, I would add a clip of him. When I get a chance, I will do that. I did include some pictures of him, though.

What else. Chris' job at sonic isn't making him happy due to the fact they are working him like 2 days a week for 2-3 hours. I am still working a ton at Mazzios. I have actually resorted myself to the fact that they are really good at working with me and I do a good job at what they have entrusted to me. I should rejoice in the blessing that God has given me.

There are days when I miss terribly our old life and when I got to be involved in the kids lives. I am so unsure of what the summer holds, as we really still need the income and obviously with me working 40 hours a week at minimum wage and Chris working at sonic for less than 15 hours a week, that just isn't going to cut it. Chris is still looking for other jobs, but we are sitting at month 6 of no job for him. It is so discouraging. We all are wishing we would have stayed in St. Joe.

The kids have spring break coming up in a few weeks and we aren't even sure what we are doing then. If Chris has a better job by then, which I doubt, then I will need to work to pay our bills. If he does, I would really like to go and see my grandma in Kansas. And the idea of taking college classes online is starting to overwhelm me. I can barely handle my life and schedule now, let alone add to it the responsiblity of classes. From what they are transfering in, I won't be done until May of 2012. I think I would rather work at Mazzios the rest of my life than go crazy doing that. I don't know..

Anyways, I hope everyone out there is doing well. We are barely hanging on. I had an interview with our church as a possible candidate for the church office position, but when they asked about childcare for the summer and I told them I really didn't know, I am pretty sure that put me out of the running for that. That's about it. Besides Spring break, march is pretty bleak, as well as April. In may, Hannah has her birthday as well as my sister graduation from Ft. Hays. Hopefully we will still get to go on our Hawaii trip for our 10th anniversary. I told my mom to go ahead and book it. We will pray for steady income and time off for that as we head over there and then stop in Oregon on our way home to spend some time with my brother and his family.

Well, I need to head to bed. It is after 10 and I have to get up at 5 to go to work tomorrow. Just wanted to update our blog. Until next time, all our love. Thanks to you who have been praying! We are so appreciative of it.

Well.......

Let me see, since I last wrote:
- Nathaniel has made a basket at one of his games (he got the ball and ran to the other teams basket and shot and missed, he got the rebound and his coach whispered, "the other basket", to which he ran down and made a shot. He was so proud.)
- Chris got a letter from DPS. They decided to go with someone else for those jobs. So, he is back to square one again. Really down hearted and that has caused him to go down with yet another sickness, head cold or something.
-My parents came to bring some good cheer. They wanted to refill our cabinets and buy us a months worth of groceries. They also wanted to just do something fun, but since Chris was still fighting off junk, we stayed here and played and watched movies and just hung out. It was a good time. As Nathaniel said, it was "encouraging", and he was thankful that "Papa likes to ride bikes.". Such a sweet time together. Thanks mom and dad!!
-I have decided to go back to school online at Ashford University and get my degree in Early Childhood Education. I will start soon. I need to finish up some financial aid stuff. I am excited. I want to be doing something that will better off kids, especially mine.
- I have re-learned how to drive a stick. I haven't driven one since I quit driving the farm truck when I was a junior and I was supposed to back the truck up to a hay wagon and killed it. Chris' truck's heater is still being a stinker, so he is taking the car with heat and I am driving the truck to work. So far, we aren't complete enemies, (me and the truck) so it works.
I think that is about it. Looking forward to warmer weather. I should say, consistent warm weather. We have 65-70 days that are followed with 28-32 . My poor bulbs don't know whether or not to come up. I am looking forward to seeing them. Hannah and I talked about how we miss the really pretty wild flowers that we were so happy to see when we moved here.
Hope you all are doing well. We are surviving!
Till next time...

Well, its been a week!

It has been a week and I survived. :-) Things at work have been super slow. The change of pace has actually been really nice. Getting stuff done and not having to rush around is a nice change to the frantic chaos of last week.
Chris had an interview with the department of highway patrol yesterday. He applied about a month and a half ago to be a communications officer or dispatcher. His Aunt Lisa told him about the opening. He went in and had to take a lie detector test and had to bring over 10 pages of paperwork with lots of background stuff with him. He was interviewed by a board of 5 officers and he was asked a lot of questions and information about what he observed in some things they presented him. They told him at the end that he would either get a phone call, which would be a "you start tomorrow", or a letter in about a week saying, "we didn't want you". So, we are waiting for the results of that.
On the same day, I recieved my evaluation and the possiblity of a raise. I just don't know what to do about all this. I feel a little confused as to what's next. If Chris gets the job, depending on what they want him to work, that will change my schedule possibly in regards to the kids. I havn't mentioned any of this to my managers because I dont know what to say. I have already been debating what to do for summer break. Surely Chris will be working by then. He needs to be for our livelihood. but I am not going to expect someone else to watch them everyday so I can go earn peon money. I know people do it every day, but the choice between my family and Mazzios comes more and more obvious and I feel torn.
Of course I would choose my family, but I would feel terrible leaving them without one of the few people they can trust to get things done for the day shift. I am pretty sure the store manager wants to move me up to day shift manager, but if I need to be there for my kids, I can't accept that. I don't know. It is confusing. Just keep praying that whatever God wants for our family he will make abundantly clear. I am not sure if some of this stuff is God opening a door or testing me in my faithfulness to what he has called me to. Lots of personal questions I have to answer for myself. Lot of soul searching.
We are looking forward to this coming summer. If we still get to, we are hoping to celebrate our 10th anniversary in hawaii and Oregon. I sure hope things work out for us to still get to do this. I would bawl if we get shafted again out of another wonderful trip because our lives have taken a turn for the unexpected. Chris already had his vacation approved at Lowes for the trip. We laugh about that he is rehireable in March for Lowes, so if the DHP doesn't work out, he can just go back to Chad and ask to work for him. :-)
Anyways, Kids got their grade cards today. both are making straight A's. Nathaniel is conducting a science experiment on himself about hot and cold air. Ask him about it the next time you talk to him. :-) Hannah has been working on her design your own horse that Aunt Lisa gave her for Christmas. She is enjoying that.
Oh, and one more thing. Thanks to my animal loving husband, we have a new member to our family. A friend for Ben. We had talked about getting another dog to keep him company for when we are gone. Chris found on freecycle, which he scans everyday, a lady who needed to get rid of a puppy or it would have to be put down. If you know any of the situations in our acquiring animals, it is a familiar story. He brought home this 9 wk old half pomeranian half collie black fur ball that Ben absolutely LOVES. Their sizes are so different, but they were meant to be together I think. Ben take his red blanket and drags it on the ground so "Snuggles" can catch it and then they run together. They sleep together and share food and water with no issues. Considering he hasn't been a part of our family for very long, he has fit in really quickly. The kids named him Snuggles because when you pick him up, he nuzzles in your ear. He is really sweet. Just as goofy as Ben, so they are good together. Now we really need a good pen for them to run in. They are both chained up most of the time with extended leashes but it is not the same. Maybe when it warms up and we have an income can we make them a real home. :-) I laugh about having my cousin come down with his fencing company and asking him to do it. :-) At least he wouldn't mess it up like we would.
Well, I need to go to bed. One more day of work before a weekend off. Ooh, which reminds me of one more story I didn't tell. Last Saturday was Nathaniel's first upwards basketball game. How wonderful and fun!! He loves it and it was so fun to watch all of them learning. They play 6 6-minute quarters, with a devotion after 3 quarters. All the kids get to play at least half of the game. They run in through a tunnel that has lights and fog. Their names are announced in the gym as they run out with their team. No scores are kept. The referees were really great at working with the kids last week. They would stop the game and help the kids learn where to run to and what to do. It was really neat. He plays again this saturday at 8. Most of his games are saturday mornings at 8. He will do this until the end of February, when they will have an awards ceremony to celebrate a good season. I am so thankful for it. It is a good bible based activity and Nathaniel loves playing and learning a new sport. I will have to post pictures when I can next.
Ok, I think I am caught up. Until next time, all our love!!

More...

As I sit here waiting for our hot water heater to repenish the warm water so I can soak in a warm bath. ( I have felt like trash the last 24 hours) I was on to catch up and realized I didn't get to mention that an anonomous person from our church had been extremely blessed this year and had asked Bruce for names of 3 families in our church who were hurting this holiday season. Our name was one listed, so we were supposed to give Duane, our associate minister, some interest the kids had and a list of our bills. We did and on December 23rd, Duane called and said that the people had brought by the church some gifts for us to put under the tree for the kids and if we could come by, that would be great. We got there and they had gotten Nathaniel a new bike, a speed racer track set, an air hog flyer , winter boots and gloves, and a $25 gift card to walmart. They had gotten Hannah a huge dry erase board, a huge coloring book, some snow boots and gloves, and an easy bake oven. They had also bought really neat paper and ribbons and gift tags. We put, "to hannah, from God; to nathaniel, from God." on all of them. They also gave us an envelope with $400 to help pay our utility bills. The kids were overwhelmed. We had Chris' family here that week also and I don't know what they thought of all of it. It has seemed easier, (so it feels) for them to just bypass the thought that we are surviving completely on the kindness of others and God's blessing through those people. I think they were overwhelmed with the generosity of our church and the people around us here. They were here when we had to leave to go and get all these things from the church. We were very thankful and still are. But with it being the beginning of another year and the holiday season over, we are facing the reality that we are still unsure of the future. WE are so grateful for all the kindness of others and I don't know how we would have made it through all of this without the kindness of strangers and others. We had our friends, the Mills family over last night to share in our plenty of food. We cooked off our ham and some veggies. They brought over some drinks and cookies. it was nice.
the kids and Chris have enjoyed the last few weeks just being together. I have been working extra hours at mazzios. so many, I am afraid that is why I was feeling ill all last night and all day today. Every ounce of my body was sore, and cramping. I got to thinking that I go in at 6:45 and have my vitamin water and either some toast or oatmeal, but the next chance I get to eat or have something to drink is when I get off. I have been the only cook in the back and this week, that has meant rolling dough, making dough, making all the food products, watching the buffet, cutting pizzas for orders and buffet, and watching the drive thru window. I haven't had time to stop and go get a drink. When I get off, i crash at home. Eat supper with my familty and maybe have one or two glasses of water. Otherwise, I am in bed by 9 and up to do it all over again. And this week, I have been staying until after 5. When I got off yesterday, I just left. There was a super rush right at 5 and the night crew was just getting there and weren't in the game to get in there and get the orders done. I had no energy left to help out. I just clocked out and left. I was worried I would fall over. I think most of my problem is that I am getting dehydrated and am working so long without a break to stop rushing around. I don't know how much long I can do this. It physically hurts. That is why I stayed home to rest. I slept all night and was up at 8 with the kids only to go back to bed around 9 and I slept until 4pm. I am still not feeling 100% so I am not going in tomorrow either. I am going to get a bath when I have hot water and am going to rest as much as I can the next few days. I know you all are praying. Continue to do so. This is so hard. We know God will get us through. The waiting for it is the worst. At least we have a wonderful church family and friends who are so wonderful to us.
Anyways, I am starting to feel weak again, so I am going to go and check on the water. I hope the new year will bring you all God's goodness and mercy!

Christmas blessings

Well, since I last wrote, that saturday morning a friend of ours from church called and asked if we would be there a little while. We said yes, and she came by with a food/supply donation that the school had taken. Over 10 boxes of groceries, shampoo, toilet paper, and other basic supplies. We were overwhelmed. We headed up to the reunion a little late, but realing in the generosity of others. When arriving, we had a surprize. Noel had driven up just because and so we got to spend the afternoon visiting with relatives we had never met. We went to Grandma and Grandpa's after that so Noel, Clyde and Chris could replace the brakes on the car that were going out. And just in time, the weather turned ugly Monday. Temps were -4 when i headed to work so Chris kept them out of it. Forgotten to me, Chris' truck has no heat in it, so he didnt want to risk Nathaniel's asthma.(which Chris recieved money from my Grandma to help fix that asap!! Blessings!) then, tuesday, the ice came in and so everyone but me was home. by wednesday, nathaniel was throwing up and everyone was getting really tired of being stuck together, minus me, of course. All this time, I was working like a mad person at mazzios. Most of the people have either quit, or just didn't show up. A usual day this week was me, shirley, a manager, and a cut person. Maybe a cashier once in a while. it was crazy.
Anyways, nathaniel was feeling better thursday morning, which was good considering he was in a christmas play that morning, which I missed. Chris said he did well. since thursday was Chris birthday, he went to a friends house to play computer games while the kids were in school and i was at work. we hurried home to bake a cake and decorate. we then splurged and took him out to eat something other than ramen or rice and came home and passed out. Friday i was actually off, so I let Chris sleep in and took the kids to school. I did some cleaning around the house and enjoyed being here doing things. i got a call from the kids principal around noon asking if I could come into her office before heading to the kids party.
A little worried, i agreed. Chris went to blanchard to use some anonoymous donated money to take care of our car tags, which was another wonderful blessing. I headed to the school, Chris planning on meeting me there. I went into the office and the principal took me into her office and closed the door. she sat me down and said, "you know anyone here is family and your family is our family. We take care of family. And we know how hard it has been for you guys and we really wanted to help." She pulled out a card that basically was a reminder that Christmas is about Gods love and showing it to others. Inside were 3 gift cards. 2 to walmart and 1 to Target. She then said, "we heard you don't have health insurance and the kids weren't going to get gifts this year. there is over $500 in there. we hope it helps. We know you and we know that when God brings you back to your feet, you will pay it forward." I began to sob. A $20 gift card would have been more than enough, but 500 was overwhelming. Then she pulled out a bag and said that the kids teachers had instigated the whole donation and had gotten the kids gifts. Inside was a huge plush horse for Hannah and a container full of dinosaurs with play mat and nountains. I gave her a huge hug and cried somemore. After leaving the office, i ran into chris who was just arriving. He went into the office and gave her a hug and then when we went to the parties, we thanked the teachers.
Also this week, I recieved a card in the mail Wednesday from my sisters. they knew we were hard off and that i wouldn't be able to afford to even get Chris a birthday gift. The purchased tickets to Brian Reagan, Chris' favorite comedian, who is coming to OKC in february. they sent the tickets and said to give them to Chris on behalf of us. I was overwhelmed.
Overwhelmed is the only word for all of this. I am really having a hard time processing all that God is doing. There is no answer to why, but I am trusting in that he is working. I don't know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future. I appreciate the generosity of others and am looking forward to when we can reciprocate the favor. it is just so humbling to have everyone helping provide for our needs and even some of our wants. My parents and their help with the utility bills and the generosity of everyone will allow my measly paycheck to pay the mortgage and everything else is taken care of. I am just hoping that the love shown to us will carry us all through this season!! All our love to all of you who check this!! merry christmas!

Our update for the last 2 weeks!:-)

Well, as you may have guessed, the lack of updating is due to the fact that I have been so busy at work. I have been opening the store myself. I was given a key and a security code. I have been going in at 7 and starting all 3 batches of dough, then rolling out all the pizza shells and by 9 I am joined by Shirley, who sets up the front, and another person in the back to help set up prep for the lunch rush. Depending on who the manager is, Tony and Scott usually show up around 8:30 to set up the registers and take the money to the bank.
As for the rest of my family, they are doing alright. Chris is still looking for a job. He has been really good at helping around the house. When i get home, i am so sore and tired from all the stuff at work, it is nice to know that i don't have to worry about dishes and laundry and all that. I have helped him out, but he has been workiing really hard. He takes the kid to school in the morning and I pick them up. He had his christmas musical last weekend. it was titled "I'll be home for Christmas" It was a powerful program centered around Pearl harbor and how a christian family deals with the ups and downs of a spouse being over seas and not knowing of their return. Trusting in God and that His dreams are better than ours was kind of the theme.
My parents were down to go to the Oklahoma City train show at the state fair arena that weekend. They got to go to the Saturday evening program. it was nice for them to be able to go to his program.
We had a great time. At the train show, Nathaniel got to drive a few trains in an area they called switching control. The guy was really helpful and he had a good time. My dad had a great time seeing all the new scenery and getting new items and ideas.
Hannah had her first grade program the following Monday. Her program was super sweet. All the first graders walked in with jingle bells and they were all dressed up. They had their teachers out dressed like the chipmunks and sang with them for a few songs. Their principal came out dressed like "polar pup" too. they sang silent night and her good friend Courtney got to sing a special part. Hannah did a great job! We took her out for a special drink at sonic afterwards. That night was also Nathaniel's first night of Upwards basketball. Chris took him to that since it started at 6pm and Hannah had to be at her program at 6:30, for it to start at 7 and that was when Nathaniel's practice was over. He was really excited about practice. He is number 8 and he is on the team "Flash". His 2 coaches, chris said, were really encouraging and are really big into them learning their skills and the bible verses that go with their training program. it is really neat. I can't wait to go and see this coming monday night. They will practice every monday night at 6pm and his games will be all the month of January and february on saturday mornings at 8am. their games are a half an hour, with 6 minute quarters and a half time. Every child is guaranteed to play 2 quarters. he is really loving it.
Lets see, what else... We can't believe that this coming week is the kids last week of school and that Chris' birthday is this coming thursday. since we are struggling financially, we won't be able to do gifts for anyone, especially each other, so we are trying to come up with fun things we can do to with each other for gifts. Thanks to my parents, they brought about 4 or 5 gifts with them when they came, so the kids will have something to open on christmas day. I am off today, but there is a huge Crosswhite family reunion in Dover, and Grandma Crosswhite wanted us to come up. they would help out in anyway they could, as long as we would be there.
We are hoping that God will show himself faithful to us this holiday season. We are trying to rest in His presence, since we think back on the last year and wonder why all these things have happened. Chris loved his job at lowes and was on the way up, we bought a property we love, we have a church home we love, Nathaniel got baptized this year, and yet, here we are, barely able to pay our morgage and bills, were denied health insurance and food stamps, and aren't able to do hardly anything this holiday season. We know that God is in it all, so we appreciate your prayers more than anything at this time. Satan is definately on the prowl. We want this all to be about Christ, more than any time in our history for all those reasons. We hope you are having a good time and enjoying the time we remember God's greatest gift and hope you are staying warm and dry.
will hopefully write again before Christmas!! If not, have a great one!!

Life

Well, it has been a while. I now live at the Blanchard Mazzios. :-) No, seriously, I helped clean and set up before training the week before thanksgiving. It was a lot of fun. training went well. The kids went home with a friend from church who has a son and a daughter. Chris picked them up after work. They had a great time. I trained from 4-10 on Thursday, 7:45am-noon, and 4-10 on Friday, 7:45am-6:30pm on Saturday and 2-6 sunday. Lots to learn. much like Pizza hut was in high school, except that Mazzios has so much more on their menu and corporate office wants it to be a mix of pizza hut and olive garden, so that is fun.
Chris by the end of his first week was no longer working there. He has been working with Aunt lisa on the possiblity of working a govt. job. For right now he is at home, which he is enjoying, but is hard.
We went up to Kansas Tuesday morning to hang out with the family for Thanksgiving. We had a good time. Wednesday we went down to my grandmas to see her. She had me cut her hair and the kids helped her clean and Nathaniel helped her peel apples in a spiral. Chris went with Dad to the dairy farm to help him grind feed. He said it was really neat to see how that was done. He got to get a good visit in with Uncle John and Aunt Joy as well as Erin and Tryon. Karen and Mary arrived Wednesday night. Thursday we had turkey, noodles, rolls, green bean casserole, sweet potatos, mashed potatoes, and a sweet dessert, thanks to mary. It was chocolate galore!! We went outside to have a tire race and came in to eat some more. Jon was able to make it for a few hours and that was a lot of fun to be able to hang out with him for a while. We played some board games and then went to bed. Friday we got up and packed up the car to head to Grandmas for the big cousin thing. It was supposed to be come and go, but ended up everyone being together, which I was super thankful for. Kristen and Cory weren't able to make it as well as Yachal, but it was so good to see all the babies. Everyone's family was so precious. For me, to see everyone and how they are with their kids is such a blessing. I don't feel as alone anymore.
We left around 5, as Lorrie and her kiddos did as well. It was her birthday and she was meeting Yachal in town to go out for her birthday. Everyone was so much fun to visit with and watch. I wish it could have lasted longer, but....
We got home around 11:15 and put the kids to bed. I had to be at work this morning at 8am. The store manager is hoping to train me to be one of their shift leaders since I am the only one with pizza experience. We were hoping to get to some of that today, but with the Bedlam game, we were steady with business all day long. I headed up the make table area as well as some of the dough with the assistance of another worker named Mike and the store manager from Anadarko. It was good to get back into the swing of something I knew. Minus finding where things belonged and where to find stuff, it went pretty smoothly. I got home around 5. I need to go in for register and safe (the money) training tomorrow morning, so sadly I will have to miss church. This will be my last weekend to have to work, so that will be nice. On my availability, I put Monday- Friday 8-2 and they are going to honor that. They just want to complete the training proceedures before settling into a routine. Seemed today they are evaluating who works best together doing what also.
That is about it. I am doing a little housework tonight and then heading to bed. I am tired!!! I am sure I assisted with the making of over 100 pizzas today as well as at least 15 pastas and sandwiches and prepping 5 batches of dough. Hope everyone had a great thanksgiving and I will write again soon, when I have another break in my new schedule.
Please continue to pray as the kids are having to adjust to my working and we will be pushing it pretty tight as the Christmas season comes on. Kind of sad in moments when I think that this year we won't be able to do much. Takes me back to not understanding why God is allowing these things, but then I have to encourage myself with the verse that says, "These light and momentary troubles are achieving for me an eternal glory that far exceeds it all. So I should fix my eyes not on what is seen, for what is seen is temporary. What is unseen is eternal."

Chris' 1st day at the new job

Ok, so many of you want the scoop on how his first day went. Well, here it goes...
He was super nervous about the title "store manager" because he has never had that title before. And over a company that he is unfamiliar with made him even more nervous. I reminded him that God doesn't give us more than we can handle without Him and that God had fully equipped him for every good work. So, I sent him into OKC after prayer around 11:30. He was ok, but feeling a little overwhelmed.
In visiting with him tonight, he said the day was full. Full of trying to learn something foreign to him from a lady who was doing her best to show him all they did, all the while speaking in spanish, since the store he was at was mostly hispanic. He said the most stressful part was the fact that he had no idea what anyone was saying. "How can I learn when I don't know what they are talking about? "So, that is how it went. Right now he is taking a super hot bath and just vegging. Continue to pray for him. He has been so anxious to get into a job and do something and now that he has one, he is frustrated that he has no idea what is going on. Considering he is going from a multi-million dollar company to a small business, it is a hard transition for his mind to make.
Anyways....
I filled out paperwork for Mazzios Sunday afternoon and recieved my shirt, apron and visor. I will go in this week to help them clean up after the construction workers and attend my first orientation. I am excited. They seem to be really flexible and organized. There is a possiblity that I will be able to work the morning dough shift, considering I have pizza experience. If I do that, Chris will take the kids to school and I will work 7am-2pm and pick them up. We will see. They haven't gotten that far. Right now they are just trying to get the building built and ready for training and setting an opening date.
We are planning on heading to Kansas some time thanksgiving week. I am excited to see all my new baby cousins and their parents!! Finally the family has family!!!:-)
Until next time, thank you for all your prayers and we will keep you posted!

Ok......

Ok, here is where I update you on all the things that have happened in a week that has seemed like a month.
The mcdonalds thing fell through, which, oh well. I looked into preschool stuff, since that is all that is on my resume, and I need an associates in child developement to do any more with that. I can't sub for more than a week, a month unless I am a certified para. So..... I have an interview with Mazzios on thursday. if that turns out, awesome. if not, I think I am going to have to go back to school.

As for Mr. Chris Crosswhite, he was asked saturday to run the Your-tel store in Oklahoma City. He is excited but really nervous. He doesn't know much about phone service. I have reminded him that he knew hardly anything about mowers when he started at Lowes, so I was sure he would do great. He went in yesterday to do a background check and a drug test. If all that turns out well, which it should, then his first day will be the 17th. He will be working Monday through friday 9:30-6:30 and alternating saturdays 10-2. He is really excited about that.

I helped with our church's first ever children's clothes swap last friday and saturday with a friend of mine. It was a lot of fun. We had 7 full tables of girls size 4-5. we are planning on doing another one in the spring. Just in time for everyone to pull out their clothes to rotate and toss the small ones. It is nice to know that rather than go and invest a few hundred dollars in clothes that we as a church family can just trade with one another. And the best part is that you don't have to bring clothes to take them. We had such a blast. I really enjoyed it.
Yesterday I went in to resolve my situation with DHS in regards to the kids medical insurance and also to get us on food stamps. We should know something in 10 days.
That is about it. I am super behind on the house work and yet here i sit typing on my computer. :-)
Our only event coming up is a trip to Kansas for Thanksgiving. and a birthday party the weekend of the 22nd. I hope this finds all of you doing well.
I need to get some laundry done and vacuum, so until next time.....:-)

Correction

Ok, so went to orientation and found out that I didn't have the paperwork I needed, so they sent me home. I went to the store on hwy 9 and another manager forged all the paperwork so they could get me into the orientation tonight. I mentioned that I wasn't ok with their documents and that I was unable to attend tonights orientation because I had church commitments, to which they said either tonight's orientation or not at all. So, I am NOT employed with Mc. Donalds and am still looking as well as Chris.
I am contemplating just moving in with Mom and Dad and I can sub at USD 251 and we can help out at the farm in place of my dad. Seriously, that is a thought in my head, but it is not a plan in the works as of yet. We are waiting to hear from the Yourtel people. We are just praying that an answer will be obvious to us soon. This is wearing on our emotions, especially mine.
Thank you for your prayers and more to come soon!

Since last time...

Well, since I last wrote, I subbed for Ms. Colvin's 1st grade class, which was a lot of fun. The kids were great. The end of that week was the Book Character parties. I spent the 2 days I had before them getting ready. Hannah's class did Curious George. A dad came dressed as the man in the yellow hat. Nathaniel's class did Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett and they decorated sugar cookie babies. It was a lot of fun. We were also in on the planning of a surprize retirement party for Noel. Brent, Sarah, and their kids as well as us were going to meet in Gainesville, Tx to decorate a hotel room for Noel. Lorna was going to drag their trip out as long as she could to give us time to be ready. It was a fun time. He didn't know about it until Lorna started getting all kinds of texts from Brent and I about how we were progressing on getting there. We went out to eat at the Main street grill and then went back to the hotel for cake and to toast him with juice. Then all 11 of us went swimming. It as a lot of fun! We were home Saturday in time for the Texas vs Texas Tech game, as there were church commitments that kept us from celebrating the whole weekend. What a game!!
In coming home from Texas, we stopped at the Mc.Donalds on Hwy 9 so that Hannah could go to the bathroom. There were signs all over begging for help during the day, so I asked the lady for an application while I waited on Hannah. They didn't have one in english, but told me to take a 20 questionairre to see if I needed to bother. After doing that, the asst. manager visited with me and told me she would like to hire me, she just needed paperwork. So, sunday after church, I went to tri-city to their mc.donalds and picked up an app. I then ran it down to hwy 9. She scanned over it and handed me all my paperwork and said to be in OKC Wednesday morning to fill out final paperwork and attend orientation. They will have me work 8:30-2:00 whenever the kids are in school. She said they would work with whatever I needed.
So, starting tomorrow, I am employed at Mc.Donalds. Chris is still waiting. Trying not to be discouraged, as he has had many emails saying that companies are "going another route". Much more has gone on at Lowes, meaning he has gotten calls from the Oklahoma Business association and the ethics commision for Lowes. He is hoping for the best and trusting that God is challenging his faithfulness. He says, "God gives and He takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. I just want to be found faithful."
Kids are doing well. Our next day off is thanksgiving break, which will be here before we know it. Anyways, will post picts when I get more photo disks burnt and can upload the photos from my camera of Book character day and the trip to Gainesville!!
Till next time, all my love to all of you!!

My wonderful trip to Oregon!!!

What can I say? Spending 4 days with this sweetheart was such a wonderful blessing!!! Isn't she precious!!! Thank you to Tim and Heidi for sharing her with me!!!

Let's see, let me start at the beginning. Friday morning I finished making sure I had all the things I needed and we headed to the airport around 2pm. Kids were excited and sad at the same time. I was too. I have never done that and with circumstances being as they were, I was a little nervous. My flight left on time and I arrived in Phoenix 20 minutes early. It was 93 degrees when I arrived. I called Heidi to let her know I was there and checked in with my family. They had gone mini golfing and ate at Cici's to kick start the weekend with Dad.

I left Phoenix and arrived in Portland about 20 minutes early as well. Tim met me outside the airport and we headed back to his house. We were excited to see one another and he was glad not to get yelled at anymore by the mean old airport traffic director!! I was wide awake when we got there, so I visited with Heidi a little before we all headed to bed. I got the official tour and got to see little Kairis sleepin.I went to bed and found myself with a new bed partner, Emma.

I woke up Saturday at 6:15 Portland time because to my body, I had slept in enough. Got dressed and called the family, since I didn't detect that anyone was awake upstairs. They were on their way to Uncle Brent's. Tim and Heidi and Kairis came downstairs, unaware I had been up for over an hour, which was ok. We got ready to head to the beach and I got to see little girly get all dressed. She had such good smiles for her Aunt Angel.

We headed to the beach around 9:30. Tim and Heidi were trying to decide the whole way where to begin our beach adventure. We opted to go to Gearhardt to their favorite bakery, Pacific way. By the time we got there, Kairis would be ready for her bottle and we could have some brunch as well. And, by doing that, I wouldn't get to see the ocean quite yet. I had a marionberry scone, Tim had a raisin snail and Heidi had a lemon danish. We visited with some locals and had a nice time enjoying breakfast. Then we drove up the way to see the beach. We turned around and headed to Seaside, which is another beach town where my parents have a time share. We parked the car and decided we would walk the boardwalk. The beach there was neat because it was really kid friendly. Swing sets and such on the beach. I thought that was really cool. We walked around the town and stopped in at a local thrift shop and found some souvienir items for my family. We then decided to head to Canon beach to get our feet wet. This was the location for Haystack rock. When the tide is out, you can see sea life in the tide pools. However, we got there at tide in. Thats ok. We got our feet wet and took some picts before deciding the cold wind probably wasn't good for little girl. But, since our feet were dirty, they decided we would go back to Gearhardt to pick up some seashells before heading to one of their favorite restaurants, Mo's. At Gearhardt beach, Heidi stayed in the car with Kairis while Tim and I went to get sand and shells. It was so much fun!! We walked and talked and scared seagulls!! Heidi called us and wondered when we were coming back because she was getting hungry. :-) We went to Mo's to eat some real seafood and so I got to try clams, halibut, scallops and clam chowder. It was really good food!! We got Kairis ready for bed and then headed back to Portland. It was a really good day. The ocean was neat. A little overwhelming for someone who has never seen it. I didn't really know how to react. A whole new experience of one of God's amazing creations. Oh, meant to say too, we were at Mo's for sunset, which was gorgeous!!

Sunday, Tim and I had our morning coffee, so I could share with Hannah. We got ready and we went to second service so that we could go to church with Tim and Heidi's best friends, Joel and Lani. It was neat to be at their church. The pastor's sermon was from Romans 12 and 13, which was good to re-read. I read it to Chris when I got home. We went out to lunch with Joel and Lani after church. Tim and Heidi are so blessed to have such great friends. From all we talked about, they can be so open and honest and fun with each other and that is a blessing that doesn't happen to most people. We probably visited for a few hours before Joel had to go home to do some school work. Lani came back to Tim and Heidi's with us to just visit some more. We spent the rest of the afternoon just hanging out in their living room. I called the kids and they got to visit with Tim and Heidi as well. I got to feed Kairis and hang out with her that morning while they got their bags ready for church. We decided to go to evening church, which was called the "gathering". It was a lot more modern and the music was a little more "funk" than I am used to, but the message was awesome. About the adulterous woman and how many of us are the people with the rocks, ready to stone people; or some of us are the adulterous woman, whom Jesus is asking to "stop and sin no more." Tim and I talked about how the last time we were together in a similar setting, he was the one dropping something off at the foot of the cross. We stayed and ate some soup there as well as visited with people. We didn't get back to their house until close to 10/10:30. Kairis had been awake the whole time, so her schedule was a little bit off. Oh, and I forgot to tell that her new best friend is her thumb. It is so adorable!!!

She woke up late Monday. Tim had gone to work, so it was girls day out. Since Kairis had slept in, our morning went pretty quick. I got dressed while Heidi fed her and then I played with Kairis while Heidi got ready to go to IKEA. The 30-45 minutes we spent together was so precious to me. We played golden sun on her play mat and then just chatted on the couch and she reclined on my knees. We made it to IKEA about noon. Heidi and I walked around admiring the creativity of the rooms and just talking heart to heart. It was so nice!! We ate lunch there and had swedish meatballs with raspberry sauce. It was really good!!! We went home to let Kairis have a really good nap and I wanted to finish the onesies I was working on for her. Heidi started a college class this week, so she needed to look at her syllabus. We just hung out at the house. She warmed up some chicken tortilla soup and made spaghetti for supper. Tim got home and we spent my last full evening there just visiting and reminisced of the past. We laughed so hard I think we all might have thought we were going to wet ourselves and stayed up way to late!! It was such an awesome time.

We woke up about 5:30 to head to the airport and for Tim to go to work. Hugs and thank yous were said and then it was off to a short day, thankfully for me. I left Portland around 7:30 and arrived in Salt Lake at 10am, mountain time. I arrived at Denver at noon, mountain time. I had a 2 hour layover which was nice. To just sit back and rest. We actually boarded the plane a little early, as a storm was on the way. However, we were stalled a half hour due to a wind burst that preceeded the storm. I made it home a little after 5 central time. We went home and I

gave the kids their sand and shells and souveniers.
Oh, and to all of you who have been there, in all the time I was there, I did not see Mt. Hood. I laugh that I will save that for next time. It was either night time, or it was covered up with clouds. Isn't that amusing?

They went to bed with the promise we would hang out after school the next day. Chris and I stayed up and talked heart to heart, which was good. The time apart on this one was good for both of us.

Wednesday, I took the kids to school and then headed to tri-city to print off my brag book!! I saw a sign for someone needing childcare help mon, wed, and fridays from 9am-noon. I applied and should hear something next week. It seems like perfect timing. I sub tomorrow, Monday and tuesday for 1st grade, so that works out great. I had intended to get a lot done around here before tomorrow, but today the jet lag caught up with me and I slept from 9:30 this morning to 1:40. I surprized myself. That's about it. Chris hasn't been answering the phone, as the issues at the Lowes continue to escalate. The corporate ethics line contacted him today asking for more statements. He just wants to keep his nose clean. He is doing good. Has panic attacks every once in a while. Just wants God to be glorified in all this and to be a good example to the kids as to what happens when Satan tries to get you down.

This weekend is our Sunday school classes harvest party and we are really looking forward to that. It was cool. Yesterday Bruce, our minister, called. I answered the phone and he quickly asked if we were all ok. He said we had been on his mind the last few days and he thought he would call. I told him about what was going on and he wanted to speak to Chris. It was neat that God had prompted his heart to reach out. I am just so thankful for our church and the people there!!

And there you have it. My updated life story with picts to enjoy. I hope you all are keeping warm and dry!! We love you all and appreciate your prayers, as this last week wouldn't have been as great as it was without them. Chris was distracted by it all and throughly enjoyed caring for the kids. It made him feel valuable, where as if I had been here, he might have had time to mope. They encouraged him in so many ways, he said, and I am so thankful for answered prayers!! So thank you!!

Please pray!!

I write with many different feelings in my heart. One, excitement, because I am heading tomorrow to Oregon to see my new niece and my brother and sister!! Two, shock, as Chris has been let go from Lowes due to some very unfair circumstances, which have crushed him personally. Three, fear, that Satan will attack him while I am gone; as he will have ample time alone. Four, sorrow and worry, as I am uncertain what the next chapter for our lives will hold. We thought that we had finally reached a happy ending to the chaos of our lives.
Five, confidence, because whatever God allows will always lead to His glorification.

Just seems like on the week when I am reveling in all the blessings; a son making a decision for Christ, a husband who is succeeding in his job and being allowed to perform amazing memories on behalf of the kingdom, a home that is a place where we can invite others over and actually have room for them; that we get the blow of insecurity, stress, grief.
If you would please just be lifting Chris up in prayer. That in this time of grief and loss, God will show himself faithful to Chris and that he will be strong enough to draw close to God in his weakness. That I will be able to enjoy my trip and that worry for my spouse won't ruin the time I was looking forward to. That the kids will be able to bless him as he spends this time with them and that they will be blessed in return.
That is all I can think of to update on. Our week other than this has been good. Monday i went to get groceries for my trip. Who knew the cracker aisle would be such a nightmare. tuesday I cleaned house and went to ladies bible study. Wednesday, I went on the 2nd grade field trip. It was wednesday afternoon when Chris was let go. He called, deeply hurt, and we went to bridge creeks fall break home game tonight to just do something that felt good. They won, 34-20.
Anyways, please pray. Thank you!!

Its official!!

I know many of you would want to see picts of the baptism and it went really well. Everything turned out so good and thanks to my sister, Karen, I have some photos of it. Of course, I LOVE our church and the people in it and they had been praying all week about issues that had come up from Satan to distract us from this big day.

Chris' parents, my parents, my grandma and my sister Karen were all here. It was such a good thing. Words can't say how it was to see Chris get to speak before the congregation and then baptize Nathaniel. We are truly blessed!!

Chris presented Nathaniel with a sword after the baptism, explaining that he had now entered the service of the Lord and he was a knight for God. He explained what Jedi knights stood for and what knights of old stood for. That a knight was, "an elite warrir sworn to uphold the values of faith, loyalty, courage and honor." Then he gave him the brown marble sword. He really liked it.

Mom and Dad gave him a BNSF hat, saying that since it was his favorite, it now could stand for something new. "Born new, saved forever." A full BNSF train is coming at a later date so that when he plays with it, he will remember that he is saved forever and is being renewed through Christ everyday. Noel and Lorna presented him with a new bible. One for when he gets older, but it has his baptism date in it, so that is really neat.

We came home after a great church day and had mashed potatoes and chicken noodles and a special chocolate cake in celebration of Nathaniel . It was such a good day.

I now get to prepare for my upcoming trip to Oregon to see my niece. I am so excited. The kids will get the weekend with their daddy, which they are thrilled about.

Chris is still having issues at work, so continue to pray for him. Other than that, just counting a lot of blessings in my life right now!!!

Thats about it. I am going to eat supper now, but I wanted to get picts up for those of you who would be looking for them. :-) All our love!!

What a week!!

Well, it has been a good week! I'll start with where I left off. Monday we went to the dentist and Nathaniel had good report. He was in the chair for less than 10 minutes, it seems. As for Hannah, she has had this one front tooth that was chipped and developed a little bump in front of it. It never bothered her, but the dentist said it was an infection that might affect her new tooth, so they removed it. She didn't cry or anything and now she has this cute little lisp. I will post pictures when I get our computer a little more under control. Apparently I have so many pictures on here that the memory is full. :-) So I will be burning cd's like a maniac this month along with the other things going on!!
Tuesday I went into town to get kids their winter clothes and groceries. I found all kind of good deals and came home with a whole lot of great warm shirts and pants for the kids. I even got winter coats for everyone and came in under $100!!! Wednesday my friend Megan came over and we studying the integrity of God's word. It was nice to visit with her. Then Awana was that night and that was a blast too!!! Thursday and Friday I subbed for 3rd grade. Wow!! It was so much fun. Made me seriously think about finishing off my degree and becoming a teacher. :-)Friday night we went to the Bridge creek home football game. What an awesome game!! I LOVE FOOTBALL!! It was one of those games where one team was up, and then the other team was up. Lots of interceptions and fumbles and 80 yard runs and 40 yard field goal kicks. In the end, in the last 2 minutes, we won!!! We played washington, which is the number 1 team in our district, so.....:-)
Saturday the kids and I went into town to go by the bank and drop off my sub check and we played at the park all afternoon!! We came home with a papa murphys pizza and watched a movie!!
Then to finish off with yesterday. Our church had a ministry fair and so sunday school classes were cancelled so that everyone could go and look at the booths. the kids came with us to church and it was an interesting service. Hannah was sitting by me and making me NUTS!!!! She was continually rubbing on me like a cat and she even spilled grape juice on me during communion. Everytime I tried to sing out to the Lord, she did something to distract me and I was getting pretty annoyed!! Meanwhile, on the other end of the Crosswhite family, God was moving in Nathaniel and Chris' heart. Chris said he couldn't sing because the sound of Nathaniel truly raising his voice in praise to God made him cry. Nathaniel was asking him, when can I go down. God wants me to go down. So, at the end of the service, he and Chris went forward, saying that he wants to get baptized. We are planning that for this coming Sunday.
I didn't really fully get to hear what happened till I was tucking him in last night and I apologized for my attitude and Hannah's rudeness. He said, "well, thats ok mom. it was wierd coming home because usually home feels like home, but today, I just wanted to go back to church and feel that again. do you know what I mean? that feeling in church was the goodest feeling i have ever felt. wouldn't it be cool mom, if we could have church every day, not just on sundays.". I smiled. He knows what it was like to be at the feet of God. Yesterday for the first time, he was in the throne room of God and understood. I replied, "buddy, that is what every christian thinks. It is hard to go back to the real world, but God wants us to go out and let people know that the best feeling you will ever have is being in his family and experiencing his presence. It is your job to show that to the other 2nd graders. it is daddy's job to show that to people in norman at lowes. But the great thing we can look forward to is that heaven will be a big great church service that will never end. " He smiled and was really glad about that and said, "well, then I want a really springy pair of shoes so I can go their now. " We smiled and I tucked him in and thanked God that Chris was able to experience that with Nathaniel. All the other things that God has done in his heart, Chris has been at work.
So, next sunday, at 10:45ish, Chris will baptize Nathaniel. The church records special events like that, so we will have a copy, if anyone wants one.!!
Anyways, this week is looking to be that I will clean up the house for whoever is coming this weekend for our big event. Nathaniel wants to play Upward basketball, so that signup is tonight at first baptist church. Tomorrow my friend Megan will be back. Wednesday is Awana. Thursday Chris is off so we are headed in to visit with Bruce and help out at the church. Friday is Hannah's field trip and sunday is the baptism.
I am so thankful that God moves. And in the life of my son is a true blessing. He is special and for him to be going through this is just really amazing!!

Crazy!!

That is the best word to describe the last 10 days!!
Last Thursday was the kids parent teacher conference. It went really well. Hannah is doing awesome! Nathaniel is reading at a 3rd grade level and making all A's. Friday they were off from school, so we played here all day. That afternoon we went into Norman to spend the rest of Nathaniel's birthday money. He found his beloved HO scale BNSF engine at a new hobby shop there. It is run by 2 vietnam vets. They are really nice. He got a free ball hat and all from that. Saturday Chris was off. His parents had decided not to come, so we went to the State fair for the day. It was fun!! We saw Clydesdale horses, a llama show, spaghetti cake, dogs catching frisbees, and rode the space needle and the octopus. After doing all of that, we went to our Tim Hawkins show. He was hilarious. We got his new cd and then headed home. Sunday we went to church and then our friend Jenn had her first book written and was having a party for it. We went and spent the rest of the day there. It was so good to see them.
Monday the kids had their annual checkup. All went well until word came that they needed their Hep A shot, thanks to Oklahoma law and Nathaniel was up for his first tetnus. Since that was unexpected and it took so much longer than we thought, we took them out to eat at Cici's. They spent the rest of the day out of school, since we didnt get out of norman until pushing 2pm and they get out of school at 2:30ish. I had planned to do way more than nothing all day. So I wanted to start Tuesday off right. I spent the morning in the parking lot of Woodland hills reading my bible and just spending time with God. I didn't want to get distracted by all the work. then I got back and began to get started when some Jehovah witnesses came by. They were nice and considering I had read all morning, I let them in and just visited with them. They had a little book they left, which I went through, but by doing that, Satan took over me mentally. I struggled with what do I believe and why. Some of their stuff had valid points that I had never asked myself. I just believe it because that is what I have always heard was right. Along with that, Chris was having a hard day with people and so by the end of the day I was beat up. I went to bed feeling defeated. I was scheduled to sub Wednesday for 4th and 5th grade special ed kids. I was so worried about it, due to the day before. They were great!! And Chris got a visit from the district manager and said he was the best in the district at what he did. the rest of the day, other zone managers from zone 1 were there taking pictures and all, telling Chris that Collard had said that if they didn't have their zones looking like his by the end of the week, it was their jobs. He then proceeded to tell Chris that he thought he should be promoted and grilled Joe, Chris' boss, as to why he hadn't promoted Chris sooner. Chris has to choose between Sales manager and Administration manager. The decision has to be made by tomorrow. He is nervous, because he has to do something or Collard will be disappointed at his lack of attempt to acknowledge his wanting to be promoted. Sales takes him to district-wide control of pricing and sales. Administration leads him down the path to getting his own store, or working in human resources, which is what he really wants to do. He wants to make the right decision, so...
With that all falling Wednesday, along with church that evening, it voided the horrible day before. I was also able to book my flight to Oregon for the 17th of October and I am so thrilled about that!!!! Thursday I was able to get some things done around the house and visit with Heidi about my upcoming trip. I also baked a lot of apple goodies for the kids Johnny appleseed day. Homemade apple butter and apple bread and carmel apple crisp.
Friday I visited with my grandma, who fell a few weeks ago, and volunteered to work the kids book fair. We went to town that afternoon to get some bulbs for my front porch area.
Yesterday we worked in the yard with the flower garden and the kids just got to be kids and played all day. We got ice cream to finish the day off!! It was great. Today we went to church and then went to a Wildlife expo in Oklahoma city and got to ride in a kayak. Nathaniel went in one on his own and LOVED it. Hannah rode with her daddy. We also got to fish in their pond, and Nathaniel was the grand champion in the Buffalo chip throwing contest. Yes, he threw buffalo poop into a basket and was the best at it!! He won a little board game about identifying the states. It was a fun day. We came home to play in the yard and get ready for bed. I am on here because it has been way too long and I have another busy week ahead.
Tomorrow I really need to get caught up with laundry and do some dusting. The kids have their annual dentist appointment tomorrow afternoon and then we are headed into town to help our friends Clay and Jenn move into their new house. Tuesday I need to finish the flowers in the yard and Wednesay is church and I am volunteering again in the book fair. Thursday is free and Friday Chris has off, so we are going to paint his shed and go to the Bridge Creek home football game.
Anyways, just thought I would catch everyone up with what was going down here. hope it finds all well and enjoying the fall weather.
I need to think about heading to bed. Love to you all and praying that you all see God in all things!! Thanks for your prayers and for keeping up with us. Feel free to comment whenever you want. It is encouraging when there are notes in my email that you are in touch with us all.:-)
Till next time!!

A few new pictures and a story. The first one is the one I wanted to post last time.

Then, the rest are from our "Mole hunt". We were out watering our trees and plants and Ben went nuts on a mound in our yard. He dug for over an hour. Chris said he was pretty sure it was a mole. Quite entertained by himself, we had a hard time distracting him. Even water didn't work, so that was a shock! (If you know Ben at all, you know his biggest motivation is the thought of getting shot with a hose!)

Rest of our week so far has been starting a new bible study with the ladies I have been a part of. A study by Beth Moore called "Stepping up". Hannah spiked a fever that night and so she was home yesterday with me. Am hoping she is better. Not sure what it was. She went up to 101.9, which is underarm, so add a degree. YIKES!! It was normal by yesterday morning, but I kept her home to rest.

Parent teacher conferences are tonight at 7 and then we are going to just do nothing all Friday!! Saturday is our Tim Hawkins concert that we bought tickets to a few months ago. We are excited about that. And then we are planning on going to the state fair together on Sunday afternoon. Noel and Lorna might be here this weekend, but I haven't heard for sure. They got a lot of rain and damage last weekend with hurricane Ike.

Thats about it. Hope this finds you all well and praising God for all his many blessings!!

birthday weekend!

This past weekend, what do I say?...

Well, considering we had no idea what we were doing, which is super abnormal for me, we were assured of one thing. That was Mom and Dad coming down. We went to the homecoming football game friday night, which was a lot of fun. Bridge Creek won 13-6. Mom and Dad arrived about 30 mins after we got home, so the kids were still up!! Everyone crashed for the night and then the following morning we got up and did a scavenger hunt for his gifts. He got new bike tires, a remote control Charger, 2 lego ships, and a huge blow up millenium falcon. (Thanks Tim and Heidi! He loves it!! see attached picts)

Hannah wanted to make him some cinnamon rolls for his birthday and thanks to my sister Karen, I had just the right recipe. She worked really hard at decorating too! After opening all his gifts and building his lego things, we decided to take a trip into town to purchase some HO scale stuff with the money that Grandma and Papa were giving him. He came home with a tank car, a hopper, a BNSF caboose, a goat boxcar and a red flat car. We then called Sarah Crosswhite, because David really wanted to see Nathaniel on his birthday, since we had invited them. They didn't end up having a crosscountry meet, so we met them in Edmond to do something. Ended up raining so we went to Quail springs mall and wandered around. It had cosmic golf, so we all played that. Nathaniel said it was a great birthday because lots of people he really loved were there.

Sunday after church we stayed here and Nathaniel and Papa built the cars he had bought and then played with all his goodies. We played some games too and just hung out. It was a good weekend!

Today I subbed for Mrs. Kelly, which was a LONG day!! I was grateful to be able to go home and enjoy my kiddos. They have a short week this week as parent teacher conferences are thursday night and friday they are off. Chris and I are off tomorrow so we are going to get some major grocery shopping done as well as set in stone a budget. Wahoo!! Hope everyone is doing well and managing to adjust to the fall like temps!!! I am loving it!!

Enjoy the picts!

A good one I wanted to post won't load up, so be looking for it next time. It is Nathaniel choosing to sleep in the falcon the last 2 nights. He looks so sweet!

Strange coincidence

I was surprized today with a strange coincidence. I was subbing this afternoon for a 3rd grade teacher and saw a woman at the homecoming pep assembly that seemed familiar. In thinking about it, I knew she was a mother of a little girl I had taught when I co-taught 3yr olds at Antioch. Mrs. Sparks. Her daughter, Emily, was the most notorious 3 year old. On open house, she ran away from Ms. Linda and I and was consistently testing our patience. I remember one time her parents offered her a kitten if she was good for an entire week. She was and got the kitten.
Anyways, I went up to her and asked if her name was Ms. Sparks. She recognized me immediately and said, "Emily still carries a picture of you and her in her wallet. She is in 7th grade now." I was shocked. She turned 13 today. That means it was 10 years ago that I made an impression on a little girl who is now becoming a woman. After the assembly, she approached me(Emily) and with an awkward and shy smile, she gave me a hug. I was so touched. We visited for a while and then I had to go back with the 3rd graders. After school, I introduced her to my kids and them to her. It was such a neat experience. Just another reminder that God always sees the future and that somehow 10 years ago, I made enough of an impression in loving Emily the way she was that she has carried a picture of me in her wallet all these years. Wow!! Wow!!
Overwhelmed is an understatement for how I feel. But knowing that I was able to help her grow up in some way and that I will be able to reconnect with her is cool. And, she still has the kitten. Her name is crackers and she has a thing for cats. imagine that!
Mom and Dad are headed this way for Nathaniel's birthday tomorrow. Chris and I are repairing his bike and Hannah is replacing his remote control car. I made him a root beer cake today and I have no idea what tomorrow holds. His friend joey's mom was in a car accident Tuesday night and they are struggling with all of that plus their other commitments. He probably wont' be able to come over. I guess we will figure it all out tomorrow!!
We are headed to Bridge Creek's homecoming football game tonight. We went to their parade last night, as Hannah was in the parade. It was fun. Looking forward to staying for the whole game this time! We play the wildcats, so I will have to be careful not to accidently say, "go wildcats," even though it is in the blood. :-)
Will write again soon!!

Change of plans

Just a note. We won't be having the baptism this sunday. Nathaniel went to church with us and said it wasn't the right time, so we will wait. And we got phone calls from all his party invites and none of them can come either, so we are trying to quickly come up with another alternative for the weekend. Probably still go to homecoming. Bless his heart, at least my mom and dad are planning on coming.
I am trying to get a bunch of stuff done here today so that I won't have to worry about it tomorrow or wednesday. thursday and friday I will need to think about getting groceries and presents, since we are waiting on payday to do all of that.
Just wanted to post a short addendum about the baptism being on hold. Anyone is welcome to come to the birthday activities, whatever those will be, and we will keep you posted on the upcoming baptism.
Till later, all our love!!