Fun Fun Fun. . . . . . .
So far we've had an awesome Labor Day Holiday. Yesterday, we did some much needed yard work and then enjoyed the comfort of a cool pool the rest of the afternoon. Today Den spoke during our worship hour at church and it was G-R-E-A-T! He definitely has the gift of speaking/teaching making "the Word" come to life and applicable to our lives. We had a great easy lunch and then Jacquie, Brennan and I enjoyed the hot sun and cool pool. Colson was at a pool party; Scottie surfed the net; Bry/Brett/Blake played XBOX 360 Tennis; Den and Victoria took naps; and Ben went back to school (with a huge basket of clean laundry).

This afternoon we took off for the campground for a potluck and dancing. We had a great time visiting with family. It was the first we have been able to get over there all summer. The kids always enjoy driving around on the golf karts and I enjoy all the chatter and laughter. What a tremendous thrill it was to see one particular couple tonight. This past year they had separated and are now, back together, working at making their marriage better. What an answer to prayer. I have been praying for them and their marriage and to see God work a miracle is totally awesome.

Tomorrow we are off to Nana & Papa's for a cookout and swimming. We all just LOVE going there. They live on 17 acres, have two huge ponds with rope swings, a 4-wheeler and outdoor fun. What a great place to top off the end to our summer and to ease into school the next day. They are an amazing couple who love the Lord and love touching the lives of others. They treat us as if we are family and love the noise and chaos our family brings to their home.

I must get myself in gear and get my two girls bathed and the kids in bed. Colson is spending the night with Branden and he was so excited. He has waited all summer for Scottie to have him over. He was thrilled to ride in Scottie's truck on the way home from the campground. I am sure it won't be long and he will be fast asleep after a long day of play.

Now I am off to get the rest of my day completed, bedtime, laundry and of course an hour of school. Oh well its all worth it, right?

OH yes, I am excited. . . . . .
The waiting, wondering and speculating is finally over. We have a great VP pick for
Senator McCain! What a great pair these two will make running. Thankfully, pro-life!
WHEW I was a bit worried. We can say this party has values, "family values"!

This is what my baby was doing

while I was attempting to do

a homework assignment

today!

(notice the small pink square to

the right of her elbow; a

femine protectant pad she

was trying to open with her

teeth!)

Lip gloss (in her hand) she was trying to eat!

I just LOVE this girl!

My freedom comes to an end. . .
Tomorrow I begin another semester
of school. I am excited and less
apprehensive this term. I still have to make the
trek down to school and validate my parking
pass and purchase my books (which are a total rip-off).
I got my grades for my 3 classes today.
Drum roll please. . . . .
A+, A-, A-, plus an A from my spring
class which rounds out my GPA
to a 3.9. Not too shabby!!! plus now
I am an official Sophomore, who knew
Ben and I would be in the same class
in college? LOL

Awesome Fun with Family!
(final GLake post)
We had a blast at the lake Sunday. Everyone
commented on how we should go back over
Labor Day weekend. The crowds were minimal
and we had a huge section of the beach to ourselves,
which made sand digging so much more fun! What
a joy it was to watch my kids, young and old, dig
in the sand, play with the little ones, goof around
and just hang-out! (No complaining, no whinning,
just great family fun!) The food was great too, something
about grilling somewhere else but home, and the
smell makes everything taste so much better!!

I am so blessed to have such a great bunch of kids.
I love watching them interact with each other;
joke around, play and enjoy each others company!

What a great end to our summer, however, we
may take a day-trip and go back this weekend!

"GLake" part III. . . .

Ben and Victoria enjoying

some sun together

Victoria loved everything!

and here she is. . . . .

Our little "Sand Model"

GLake, Part II. . . .

"dinner time"

Grilling out is much more

delicious when at the lake!

Blake trying to toss Bry

the water

Jacqueline, Blake and Colson

digging a canal to the lake

Brett is our "merman"

Den and Ben's sand "croc"

Fun in the "Sun"

We made it to GLake and

what a great time we had.

It was a bit overcast when we

first arrived but as the day

progressed the clouds broke-up

and we had beautiful SUN!

Brett and Victoria taking a walk
Victoria "LOVING" the sand
Brennan ready for FOOD!
Blake and Brennan water wrestling!
Colson (L), Jacqueline (m)and

Brennan (feet in the air) , just before

we packed it in to leave late

in the afternoon!

I just love this shot of the three

of them, they had so much

fun swimming and playing!

Happy Birthday, Daniel!

We love you and miss you

wish we could celebrate

with you!

IT'S SO HOT!!!!!
You don't realize just how much you miss something
until its gone, like central air. WOW! The humidity is
a killer today. The temp hit 91 and at 7:30 pm its down
to 90. I did see in the forecast for next week that the
nightly temps should be in the love 50's. Oh how we
can't wait! Thankfully we spent the afternoon cooling
off in the pool. What a blessing that is!

OOPS! I surely didn't mean to forget

these two guys! They both kept

us entertained this afternoon!

Brennan is quite the bowler,

I think his first 6 frames were

"0".

lol lol lol

"Bowl-arama"

Since the beach trip was postponed, we

decided to take the kids bowling. What

fun we had. They even had free bowling

(I feel like we are at Fort Sill now) for kids

17 and under(which meant that all the kids got to bowl free).

Everyone had a great time. Victoria would

clap and cheer each time she "slowly" rolled

her ball down the alley. Blake was

absolutely hilarious! He hurt his right hand

this week and had to use his left. His first

throw went out of his lane and into

the one next to us, with the bumper guards

and got caught! We laughed so hard!

The tech came and said, "don't do that

again!" Like he could if he tried. It was a

total accident! It was cute watching Colson

thoroughly enjoy himself. Brett has got

a wicked throw and did an amazing job

of bowling. What a fun day, inspite of not going

to the beach,

and thankfully it was nice and "cool" in

the bowling alley. It was hot, humid

and a dreary overcast day!

We are gonna head out to the beach on

Sunday!

(postponed until Sunday due to inclement weather! BUMMER)

And we're off. . . . . .
to the lake today that is. To say the kids are excited is an understatement. Colson woke up and came down with his swimsuit and rush guard on and the biggest smile ever. How cute! We did, however, think the trip was going to be postponed last night. In a previous post I mentioned about our suburban getting repaired. It's been away from us for 2 weeks and last night Den, once again, went to bring it home and turned right around and went back. He called me as he was heading back to our friends and said its still making the crazy "LOUD" noise. So. . . . .we have yet another part to fix to see if that is the cause of the noise. It was then I was thinking we would have to try and go to the lake next week, and how disappointed the kids would be. But. . . . Den drove home with the church van. Y EAH! PTL our church allows us to use the van whenever we have "car" issues. So we will be traveling to the beach today. Everything is pretty much ready and we even have hot/humid weather. At 6am it was 73 and the humidity was higher. UGH it made for some horrible sleeping last night, then throw in a 6 year old and it was barely tolerable, and to top it off my little princess decided to pick this night to sleep all night. Of course! Hopefully I will remember to take pictures. Sometimes I have good intentions, taking my camera, but forgetting to take it out of the case. Today, being Victoria's first time ever at the beach, and Colson's second I am going to make a big effort to take some pics.

Bryan is picking up Benjamin and will meet us there. Blake, however, isn't able to go as he has a tennis match all morning. After his match, Scottie is going to come and get him. I love it when the boys "hang-out" together. As they were growing up I had always hoped this would occur, but there were moments when I thought it would never happen, fighting, argueing, etc. What a blessing to see them call each other, help each other out, and spend time together.

(Side note here: The CSP have been calling Bry's references; he has heard from two of them both with glowing reports! He did say that he was pretty sure the ST was a Christian, which makes this even sweeter. I am so excited for him, of course its bittersweet, but what an adventure. He was going to be heading off the college for the semester and then off to CSPA in January, but decided to take all of his classes close to home. I am thankful. We will be able to enjoy his company before he heads off to the "purple mountains majesty")

It seems like no matter how old your kids are, your always concerned about them and their safety, especially when they live away. Tonight, while at church, Daniel called and told us that Elizabeth had gotten in a car accident and totalled her car. Someone ran a stop sign and she "t-boned" her. Of course, we were extremely concerned, immediately praying for her and her safety. We called Daniel later to see how she was and get more details. PTL she is ok, I am sure totally shook-up, but the car is destroyed. Sometimes its hard not to question why God allows things to happen, especially to the most undeserving ones, the ones who just can't seem to "catch a break", the ones who are trying with all they have to follow "His" lead. Yet a bright side to this scenario is that Elizabeth just finished 1/2 of her clinicals and she was driving an hour each way. In a week she will begin her second half just 5 minutes away. They can "make do" without a second car with her working so close to home, and hopefully they can get a bit of money for hers to either buy another one or puts towards one.

Its definitely a challenge to let go of your children, the ones at home and the ones away. As a parent, a mom, you always want the best for them and want to protect them, yet God uses lots of different things to draw us closer, to keep us looking up and to make sure we are fully relying on Him. Is it easy, absolutely not, but its the only way. I have to keep reminding myself of that when I say "goodbye" that God is sovereign, His ways are not mine but they are for our best.

We love you, Elizabeth, and are so thankful you are ok. You touch our lives in so many ways and have blessed us by the love you show to Daniel, his siblings and to Dad and I. May God become more and more alive in your life, and know that somehow you will be able to use this circumstance to touch someone else.

"COLORADO"

Here are a few pictures of the boys from their

trip to Colorado, mainly the Boulder area.

What a great time for brothers to spend

together and to enjoy such awesome

breathtaking beauty!

Branden and his "guns"
Bryan setting out for a hike
(these are just a couple of the

hundreds of pictures they took,

there are so many awesome ones,

and I will post more later)

School has "officially" started. . . .

Ben is off to college. Here are a few

pictures just before he left. Of course,

he had to get a tight hug from Victoria.

He caught a ride with his buddy, Carter,

and they totally packed out his car.

We will be bringing a few things on Friday,

for him, on our way to the Lake.

We sure are gonna miss this kid and,

thankfully, he isn't "that far" away!

We love you, Son! and will

be praying for you!

Today Benjamin heads off to college.

I can't believe he will be in

his second year already.

I sure will miss this kid

and all the crazy stuff he

does and the laughter he

brings into our family!

Thankfully, he will only be

an hour away, and

hopefully we can hook-up

for some lunch dates!

Schools out for summer. . .

Exams are over! HIP HIP HOORAH! Whew. . . .I did it and it

feels so good to be done, its actually a huge relief! My younger kids have

been counting the days. . . .which made me a bit sad that I spent so much time

with classes this summer. I am not going to take summer classes again.

They squeeze 3 1/2 months of work into 7 weeks and you almost go crazy

trying to get it all done. It has been fun, however, and I've really enjoyed

getting out and meeting new people, even people my kids ages. For so

long I have felt somewhat like a "recluse" and have truly had to push

myself to take this step, it was a bit scarry, even intimidating, yet I've

actually taken pleasure in "cracking the books" once again.

We have two weeks until school begins for the kids. I cannot

believe how fast the summer has gone. We did get a taste of

fall for a few days with much cooler temperatures, but today

was absolutely beautiful; 87 degrees, almost clear blue skies

and a bit of a breeze. The kids were in and out of the pool all

day, playing until they got warm, swimming, then back

on the tramp or just running around. I enjoy listening to

their giggles and their chatter. They sure were tired tonight

when I tucked them into bed, Colson could hardly keep his eyes

open during prayer. I think he was asleep before I shut off

his light.

We hope to take a trek to the lake later this week for a day

of sun and sand. Colson loves the lake and Victoria has

never been so it should be exciting to see if she enjoys it.

We did get our suburban back Friday night only to take

it back to our friend the next morning. Still a few repairs

yet to be fixed and from the sounds of it we should be

getting it back tomorrow night. I can hardly wait, how

crazy, huh? Its just been so long dealing with things

not working that it will be like we are getting a new

vehicle. I am so EXCITED!

Bryan and Branden came home from Colorado

yesterday. It's so good to have them home, the

kids really missed them. They had a great time

and took some awesome pictures, but with that

scenery how can you get a bad one? Bry

will hear back from the CSP in October and

will make the trek out again, in November, for

a physical and then will more than likely start

the academy in January! How exciting for him

and what an adventure. Kids today have so many

more opportunities than Den or I had and we

are excited and thrilled for Bryan.

We continue to seek God for direction in our lives,

we will be making some major changes soon, I am

excited but a bit apprehensive too. Change is good,

it keeps you from being stagnent, yet it can be

a little scarry especially for my little ones. Den and I,

once again, had a great time of prayer together

yesterday at a local park. I am so thankful for this

man, the way he loves us and takes care of us,

and for continually seeking God. I also love the

fact that when we pray I can be "real" and he

doesn't judge me or correct me! He just

encourages! What a great husband! I still

can't believe we have been together for 30 years!

SURPRISE. . . . SURPRISE. . . .SURPRISE

Den and I were invited to go out to dinner with Dave

and Casey late this afternoon. They were even so gracious

to come and pick us up. We weren't sure where we

were going just knew that it was going to be Mexican fare.

Boy were we WRONG! As we were driving to our "so called

destination" Dave got a phone call (supposedly) from the

apartment manager of the complex they live in. She wanted

him to stop by the office to pick up a check. So we swung in

and he got out and said, "lets all go in. . . . ." and you guessed

it, "SURPRISE!" Family and friends greeted us for an

anniversary party. What fun to see our friends from near and

far and my parents. What a sweet thing for my sweet daughter-

in-law Casey to do for us. That girl has the world's biggest

heart and giving spirit! Den and I were so blessed and touched

by her thoughtfulness and kindness. We had a great time and

some friends even came by the house and stayed for a few hours.

The kids swam and we laughed and chatted. What a great evening!

Thanks again, Casey! You outdid yourself! We love you!

End of a Season. . . . .

Tonight was the final night for our church

softball team. At dinner Den asked if I wanted

to come and watch. I really wanted too but

I have been up with Victoria since 2:30am

and was tired. After he left the kids and I

decided to surprise him and show-up. It was

the first time all season he had asked me

to come and I just knew that I should.

Here he is at play, I couldn't help but

get a shot of him playing. He is such a

handsome guy!

I especially loved all the tender smiles

he gave me throughout the remainder

of the game.

Victoria loves to play with Colson's toy pistol!
Finally warm enough for the kids to swim
Our little "gymnast"

August 12th, 1978

Happy 30th Anniversary,

Den!

I love you so much and am so

thankful you chose me to be your

wife! What an adventure we have

had over the years and I look

forward to many more!

You have totally blessed me by your

love; your walk with

God and the truth of Him you hold as a

standard in our lives.

Thank you for your commitment to me

and our family and for

being a Godly husband and father!

I can't imagine my life without you.

I am excited to see all God will do

for us, now, and in the years to come!

I love you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

DAVID

Victoria "helping" David blow out his candles! She got all shy/bashful when we sang to him!
Jacqueline is our resident card maker.

Anytime there is a birthday she always

makes one of her special cards!

David was teasing her as he read it out loud

and you can see she was all smiles.

Tomorrow, August 12th, is actually his

birthdate, but it worked out to celebrate

this evening.

Isn't he handsome? He has been letting his hair

grow for exactly one year and decided to

totally cut it off this morning. Victoria did

not recognize him when he walked through the

door this evening. It was so cute!

He looks good with long hair but I honestly believe

that his short hair shows off his handsome features.

"SUMMER" EVENING

CHURCH PICNIC

Victoria absolutely loves corn-on-the cob,

and a family at church absolutely grows

the very best peaches-n-cream!

It was cooked on the spot and it

was delicious!My friend, Vanita, her little puppy Cooper,

and Jacqueline Colson and Scottie playing a cell phone game!
I am not sure exactly who loves who more?

Scottie adores Victoria as much as she

adores him!

Inspite of nasty rain and cool "summer" temps, 61 degrees,

we had a great picnic. I honestly don't think it matters

what the weather, because when you are with this

group of people you have a great time!

We are so blessed to be a part of this awesome church!!

no big news to speak of. . . . .
Another end to a great summer week. The humidity finally cleared around here and we have had some great sleeping weather. I love having the windows open with a nice breeze blowing in. It won't be long and we will have to close up the house for winter! UGH! Our Suburban has been in the "fix-it" shop all week and I am so anxious to get it back. It will be such a blessing to have air again, plus alot of minor problems are getting fixed as well. Den has done an amazing job of locating parts for our friend to use. He was even able to locate an almost new bumper for the back too! (on the eve of Thanksgiving Brett was rear-ended and the bumper got squished) I am so excited to finally have a normal one back on. I must say, inspite of the horrendous gas prices, I do enjoy driving the suburban, however, I have thoroughly loved driving our church van all week. I love sitting high and ruling the road!!! But gosh, it seems like every time I go out it needs gas. Today I was coming down our street and ran out of gas. I was so thankful I could coast into the driveway, and was even more thankful that it was here and not far away. WHEW that was a close one. $10 doesn't go too far in a "gas hog".

We are headed out to the campground tonight for some good country dancin!. We all love to go and this will be the first we have been able to get there all summer. We have such fun and the kids enjoy tooling around in the golf karts too!

I am in the countdown phase of school and am so excited to see it come to an end. However, I have thoroughly enjoyed my Pilates class and have meet some great people through it. Of course, I am the oldest student! There are two other moms taking it along with me and I have become fast friends with one, a mom of 4, who is in her last year of college. We have good laughs over our baby bellies! I hoping to take this class again in the fall, at least I am registered, just trying to find someone to watch Victoria for 2 hours, 2 days a week.

Brett and Blake start their fall workouts on Monday. Brett is playing soccer and Blake tennis. Brennan is going to run cross-country but that won't start until the first week of school. Its definitely going to be an amazing schedule to try and keep and I know Den and I will have to part ways for some of the games.

This morning we had our monthly ladies breakfast at church. Its always such a pleasure to spend time with other women, we have great laughs, and a great time of sharing and prayer. What a gift!

Tomorrow we have our summer church picnic late in the afternoon. We have such a fun time, great food, great fellowship and lots of fun games for everyone to enjoy. We are so thankful for this church and the love and encouragment they continue to show not only to us but to anyone. They love to serve others; isn't that what we are supposed to do? sometimes we get caught up in "us" and our own issues and forget that its when we serve we are served!

Enjoy your weekend. . . . . .they go way too fast!

An awesome find!

Yesterday Jacqueline and I did a little school shopping. On our way to our "favorite" department store we stopped at a few garage sales. As I walked up the drive I noticed a slew of backpacks for sale. I scanned the lot and saw a pretty pink "Jansport" but never said a word because I knew my darling daughter had her heart set on the pretty trendy polka-dot one (remember a previous post about this?). She soon followed behind and saw the backpacks and spotted the Jansport. She then says, "mom, look at this awesome backpack, isn't it cute?" Of course, I was elated that she had found it all by herself without any nudging from me. I told her to ask the lady how much and she then proceeds to tell me, "Mom, its only $3 can we buy it?" Can we buy it? I was thrilled that my sweet little girl would want a, lesser than trendy pretty pink, used pack over the trendy new polka-dot one! Completely touched by her decision, I had to take a hard look at myself because sometimes, I am less than thrilled with something because I had my heart set on something bigger or better. She sure showed up her mom yesterday, for sure, by her sweet spirit!

Colson and his "new dew"

He has been wanting me to shave

his head. He kept saying,

"I know I'm gonna look like Scottie!"

actually Jacqueline said he

looked like Walker!

Whoever he looks like he is "adorable"

August. . . can you believe it?

WHEW. . . . lots going on here in our household. . . kids getting ready for soccer/x-country/tennis practices, heading back to college and school and Bryan heading out to Colorado (further testing for the State Police Academy). He is going to be staying with friends at a DUDE RANCH. How cool is that? What an exciting adventure for this kid. The rest of us, well, we are excited too. Lots of change in store for us, and we are getting ready, planning and pursueing.

Only two more weeks of summer school left! HIP HIP HOORAH! It has been challenging yet self-fulling to head back to college. I am enjoying my summer classes, yet anxious for them to end to have some downtime with the Den and the kids. Already the fall semester is looming and what a bummer that I start a week before my kiddos head back to school. Brett has been an enormous help this summer babysitting two days a week. He has done a fine job of keeping the house running smoothly and taking care of Victoria. It sure makes it easier to leave knowing that the kids are in capable hands. I am blessed to have such a group of guys that are willing to pitch in and help with anything! They are gonna make some fine husbands and daddys some day!!! I am a little bummed at Bry, however, because we were supposed to take a Sociology course together this fall and now his path has changed. . . . so I had to rework my fall semester schedule. Just kidding, what fun it would have been to be in class with my son! Makes me smile to think of it!

It sure will be different for us this fall with Ben off to college and Bry off to Colorado. People always ask how many kids we have left at home and I still have to count! Its always easy to say we have 12 kids but I have to work hard at remembering how many are still here. Crazy. Its like when someone wants to know a birth year of a child who is smack in the middle of the pack and I have to go through the first 5, 6 or whatever to figure it out!

Well I seem to be rambling and there is still chores to be done, baths to be taken, laundry to start (always) and school work to be completed, and of course, enjoying the pool and the sun!