TAG, you're it!
Since Tracy tagged me I guess I have to spread good cheer and tag seven others so they can share seven random facts about themselves, so . . . . .here goes:

1. Elizabeth, my daughter-in-law at, Life is good.

2. Aunt Enid, my dear sweet auntie at, Texas Grandma.

3. Casey, my daughter-in-law at, Livin' Life and Lovin' it.

4. Julie, my sweet friend at, I love my life.

5. Vanessa, my blogger buddy at, Happiness is a Butterfly.

6. Sarah, my blogger buddy at, Sarah, short and Gaudy.

7. A blogger buddy I just met and fellow "arrows" friend, Six Arrows.
(I am truly sorry I don't know your first name)

There you have it, all seven! Now go, run, and blog away. . . .it's all about YOU!

My sweet blogging friend, Tracy, at My cup runneth over, tagged me this morning. I am not good at the game of TAG, but I'll try and do my very best. The rules state that you have to share 7 random things about yourself. Here goes:

1. I have absolutely NO artistic ability whatsoever! I can't even draw a good "stick person". I could never play the game "win, loose, or draw" because I just can't draw. I can in my mind but my hand doesn't cooperate!

2. I am a perfectionist. I like EVERYTHING put away, especially where it goes. All of our closets (even my kids) are organized by short sleeve/ long sleeve/dress shirts/pants, etc. You get the picture! every drawer in every room of my house is organized, I don't have ONE junk drawer. (just ask my husband/kids they have lots of stories to tell)

3. I keep my car SPOTLESS, inside and out. I wash it once a week, maybe twice if it gets REALLY dirty. I never leave trash/papers/cups/bottles in it, and after a road trip its the first thing I clean and organize (I even clean my kids cars too) Clutter drives me nutty!

This is getting really really hard. . . . .

4. I am super COMPETITIVE! Love Love Love sports but hate loosing! I won't play pick-up games, i.e. volleyball/ basketball,/softball because I don't like playing without rules. Gotta have the rules to win, can't make 'em up as you go!
I drive myself crazy at times.

5. I recently became a COFFEE-DRINKER (due to a certain little blonde-haired, blue-eyed doll we were blessed with that does not sleep AT ALL) Totally surprising myself because I never, ever thought I would LOVE drinking coffee. My favorite is French Vanilla Cappuccino's, which I only treat myself too on rare occasions.

I am almost there, WHEW. . . .

6. Den and I were HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEARTS, dating 5 years, before we married and we've been married for 30 years. He has been my best friend
since we were both 10 and 11; (you figure the math) and once, when we were at camp, someone asked him to tell his sister to get her feet off the pew! (we still laugh about that to this day!)

Drum roll please. . . . . last and final answer!

7. I LOVE super HARD WORK! I like to fall into bed at night totally exhausted from a hard day of work, what a great feeling it is. I always wished I lived on a farm and could shovel stalls, bale hay, just plain ordinary muscle-working hard work. I would rather dig holes than exercise or do aerobics!

Wonderful Weekend
Not only did we have great weather but we had a great
weekend, too. We decided to go hiking after church
yesterday. We have a favorite family spot we all love to
hike. We loaded up the suburban with kids, food and
drink and off we went. Our older boys, plus our adopted
son, Grant, met us there and we had just the best time of hiking,
laughter, and fun! I tried to post a slide-show but couldn't
get it just right, guess I was too tired. We hope to take
another weekend and head for another family fun spot
thats a bit closer to home. What a blessing it is
to have kids who are adventuresome and ready to go whenever
we ask. Don't ya' just love this "kodak moment"?

. . . .FIREPROOF. . .

Den and I just got home from seeing "Fireproof". What an amazing movie! If you haven't seen it yet please make some time and do so, you won't be disappointed and you will walk away with new perspective and a renewed sense of hope. I was so blessed by one phrase, "don't follow your heart, it will deceive you. . . ." because we had just talked about this exact issue in my womens Bible Study, which is a "woman's heart". How awesome that God confirmed some areas in my life through my Bible Study and this movie! I'm tellin' ya this week has been a week of just sweet sweet blessings; and I do know that God does bless me each and every day its just that most day's I choose not to see them because some "stuff" in my life overshadows them or I am too wrapped up in the "stuff" to even acknowledge them. I hope, from this day on, I choose to follow the 'heart of Christ', and not my own!

Fun Friday

Yesterday Victoria and I took

a little road trip to visit Ben and

go to lunch. Not only did we

enjoy beautiful weather but

a great time with Benjamin.

Just a little peek at his dorm room.

It blesses my heart how these older boys

of mine love on their younger siblings.

We met my parents for lunch

at TGIFridays. It's not very

often we get to enjoy their company

and it was a gift to see grandparents

loving on their grandchild!
Victoria, Grandma & Grandpa Kruizenga

I was chatting with Elizabeth, my daughter-in-law, on the
phone this morning and looked acorss the livingroom and
this is what I saw! Victoria at the computer, all big-girl like!
What a little stinker! She actually looked like she knew what
she was doing, even so far as to plug the headphones in
the right connection. As I quickly went to get my camera
I saw her moving the mouse and typing away on the keys
which I am sure she has seen on many occasions around here.
I handed Blake my camera and he quickly snapped her picture.
I"m sure she was thinking she was "BIG STUFF". She
tries to get at the computer on a regular basis but someone
always runs interference and removes her from it, but today
everyone was off playing or still sleeping and she took full
advantage of it sitting idle!

Thank you, Barney!
I just checked on my sweet little honey and she is sitting ever so quietly in the rocking chair watching BARNEY! Its been about 15 minutes and its working. Maybe now, when I am trying to get ready, make-up and hair, I can put on a Barney episode and she will be entranced! I won't have to play Houdini with one leg against one side of the vanity, one knee propped against the other side and one hand resting against the drawer, while I am trying to put on my make-up or blow-dry my hair. Just 15 minutes is all I need. . . . .not even the full 30 minutes! Maybe just maybe we have hit a milestone here!

Its so q-u-i-e-t!

Tonight, as I was fixing dinner, my daughter-in-law, Casey, sent me a text just to check in and see how my week was going. She mentioned that she might stop-over but then remembered we had church. I told her that I hadn't planned on going as I had too much homework (geez I feel like a high schooler with that lame comment) I told her it would be challenging trying to get it done with my sweet little adorable 19 month old running around, so she asked if she could come and get her. It's not like I wanted to get "rid" of Victoria but oh it would be nice to have a couple of hours of uninterrupted studying, so I readily agreed. It was but minutes and Casey was on our doorstep. Victoria was eating and when she heard Casey's voice she started saying, "Caa. . . Seee, over and over. It was so cute. Of course, Casey just ate it up and came into the kitchen all smiles. I got Victoria's carseat buckled in their car and off they went. A few minutes later Casey called, I thought maybe Tori was crying but instead, she just wanted to thank me for allowing her to enjoy Victoria. That totally touched my heart. I should be the one thanking her but instead she was thrilled to have her and thanked me. What a blessing this sweet daughter-in-law of mine is. She has a busy week herself with student teaching and yet she chooses to spend her evening with her little sister-in-law! I have to say that this week has been a week of sweet blessings!

PS. I even had time to blog/do laundry/unload dishwasher/and check email! I can't even remember the last time I have been in my house totally alone. EEk!! its kinda scarry!!!

An amazing post spoken from the heart http://ltb6.blogspot.com/

The girls showing some
"MSU Spirit" with their
Pom-pom's.
The song, "Me and My Shadow"
came to mind as I watched them
play together.

A new journey begins. . . .

Today dawned cool but sunny, progressing into a gorgeous fall day. Many of the leaves have started to turn with trees already in full color. Oh so Beautiful! So perfectly FALL! We were blessed to have Scottie spend the night last night. What a fun-loving-full-of-life kid he is. Last night as I was putting together music for my blog he was in the study with me playing guitar hero, Bryan sauntered in, helping me with music, all three of us laughing over crazy songs we found. My how I've missed this son of mine! Today I dropped him off at the Army Recruiters. He is doing his testing for job placement and enlistment. As we were driving to the office I asked him about his test, if he was nervous, etc. He said that he hoped to score higher than his practice test. He mentioned that the overall average was, I believe, less than 50%. We chatted about options, pulling into the parking lot, we said our goodbyes. As I drove off I just asked God, specifially, to allow Branden to score 20 points higher and confirming, to him, that this was the journey HE wanted him on.

Tonight as I was reading and tucking Colson into bed, Scottie called. He was excited and wanted me to know that he had scored an 82%. I congratulated him and then asked him, as I couldn't exactly remember just what his practice score was, what his previous score was. He then told me, "62%". I was floored. I almost cried. . .God answered a mom's prayer for her son. . . He allowed Branden to score exactly 20 points higher. What a confirmation. Of course Branden was excited, getting Army Special Forces, training for the next 2 years, with a sign-on of 5 years.

What an awesome boost, to my spirit, to see God answer my prayer; not just half-way but totally. I shouldn't be amazed or shocked yet I was and still am. Most days I wonder if He truly hears me, and some days I wonder why He even bothers. I know my failures, my faults, my lack-of-walk with Him, yet when I least expect it He does something so fantastic, not only for me but for my entire family to see. I stand in AWE of Him and am most grateful that He still pursues me even when I fail to pursue Him.

Tomorrow we will have another son stepping into the life of an Army soldier. I am so proud of him, his warrior spirit, his convictions, his boldness, in joining the military; and the love, encouragment and support he shows to his dad and I. We will definitely feel the "ginormous" (his favorite word) hole he will be leaving in our family, yet no matter the distance we know his heart is still with us and a part of us. Yesterday, as he was enjoying some hugs from Victoria, he made the comment, through tears, "its these very moments I will miss the most".

As I was about to end this post this scripture came to my mind,
"Be strong. Take courage. . .Don't be intimidated. Don't give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He's right there with you. He won't let you down; he won't leave you." Deuteronomy 31:6

Big brothers are the BEST!

Scottie was playing Guitar Hero and Victoria
thought she should play too. Her playing
involves holding the guitar with one hand
and hugging Scottie with the other.
Isn't this just "too cute"?

What keeps you from having an effective relationship with God?

We were asked this at Bible Study. Here is a list we complied:

• sin
• busyness
• anger
• hurt
• not worthy enough (how could He love me and my baggage)
• poor time management
• jobs
• time constraints
• guilt
• bitterness
• broken relationships

Can you think of any more? Post something that keeps you from intimately knowing God. I see myself in most of the catagories, some more than others, each day. Completing my day falling, exhausted, into bed, accomplishing little, lots of guilt, and ending the chaos with a quick prayer that mostly goes unfinished because I crash in minutes or seconds. Any of you been there? My deepest desire is to serve God, to chase after Him with all the gusto this over (way over) 40 year old can, but then my run turns into a walk. . . a slow pace. . . nothing. I am digging. . .spinning. . going no where.

I am sure God has heard every excuse in the book from me on why I didn't spend time with Him. He doesn't want my excuses He wants me, He wants a relationship, He wants my heart. I am praying that I give Him my heart "every minute of it" today.

"The Pizza Dude"
Brett wanted me to take a shot of the
first pizza he made at his new job.
Of course, I got to try the first piece!
Delicious! quite a few of us love their
famous "BBQ Chicken Pizza" and
Brett did a great job on this one.
It didn't last long, nothing does around here!

"Awe proceeds Faith"
This morning dawned cool but with beautiful sunshine. What a gift after a weekend of solid rain. As all mornings go it was busy but mixed with excitement, too. I started my Bible Study this morning. We are doing another Beth Moore study, "A Woman's Heart". I am so pumped. Thankfully Victoria went into her little class without many tears, (I couldn't have left her if she would have cried) and then I went on to my class. Alls I can say is WOW! our class is overflowing with women; women of all ages, from all walks of life. It's exciting. When I started going to Bible Study 4 years ago we had a small group, maybe 20 women, this morning we were over 50. As I was standing in line, to sign in, a young mom was behind me and introduced herself. We chatted for a few minutes when I learned she had recently moved here from Fort Knox. Yup! Thats right she is an army wife. Her husband is being deployed to Iraq in 2 weeks so she moved back home to be near family for the year he is gone. We were able to visit a few moments longer before class began and I learned a little of her history. She and Daniel (my son) graduated from the same Bible College, she knows some of our friends there as well. It was so exciting to have something in common with someone I had just met. I also found out we both will be attending the same MOPS group too! How awesome is God? I started this school year praying that God would expand my horizons, would bring moms across my path that I could bless and touch. I get goosebumps just thinking of how God has already begun His work. I can literally say that I am in "awe" of God and His faithfulness to me and my desires.

We've had a virtual down-pour of rain

today. It hasn't stopped since early

morning. Here is a small portion, of

the beauty, God is blessing us with this fall.

We're already experiencing

foliage color.

If you enlarge the picture

you can see it raining.

TGIF. . . .

It always seems like the week starts off rather slowly, but by Wednesday its over within an instant. Tennis matches, dance classes, school meetings, church activities, so much action that fill our evenings. Its nice to have a Friday night with no agenda. Den is off speaking at a youth pastors conference. The pizza dude, Brett, is working tonight. Bry is spending the night with Ben at college, Blake is off to the football game and spending the night with his friend; so that pretty much leaves me, Jacqueline, Colson and Victoria at home this evening. How very W-E-I-R-D! Our house is becoming increasingly quiet these days, and I am not liking it "one-single-bit!" Let me say that when they were all younger I never ever once gave thought to when they would leave, I was way too busy living life, but now we are "half-in and half-out" and its a huge adjustment, in many different ways, especially with the meals. When you get used to cooking for a small army its hard to scale back and more times, than I would like to admit, I throw food away. I used to do about 10 loads of laundry a day, now its down to about 5-6 depending when I choose to do bedding, sports clothing, etc. Sometimes, which is rare, I can get away without doing laundry a day or two a week, but that means I spend all day the next running up and down the stairs. I am a clothes-line fanatic and about half of our laundry gets hung on the line. I am not looking forward to colder weather, diminshing this activity greatly (nothing like the smell of fresh laundry from the great outdoors). With 5 bathrooms and 5 man-boys they still need to be cleaned pretty much each day, especially the ones on the main floor. Bleach and I are like "one" these days, and almost all the kids know when I have cleaned because the house smells like a swimming pool! Gotta love that smell! Along with those bathrooms come the never-ending use of toilet paper. We can go through a 12-pack double roll in a couple of days, but . . . . there are always napkins!!! TP is one item I refuse to skimp on. I used too, until one day, my little (then) 2nd grader (now 11th grader) came out of the bathroom exclaiming, "guys. . . have you tried this new toilet paper mom bought? W-O-W is it ever soft!" From that day forward I refused to buy anything less than the softest toilet paper sold. Seriously, a little guy noticing the softness of toilet paper, then it must have really been bad before! So we are definitely the "ultra-soft charmin" family now. Doesn't matter if its on sale, we have a coupon or not, I buy it. There are just some things in life you just can't do without!

Among all this rambling there was a point to my post and I had to re-read this to figure out just what it was. . . a definite "senior" moment here! Point being: we were in for a quiet weekend, however, Colson is sick (remember the kid that puked on him earlier in the week?) not with the flu, but with a runny nose and cough. Seems as though the sick boy came back to school the next day with a horrible cold. Not only is Colson not feeling at his best, now Victoria is sporting a bit "o the Irish" (a green nose) too. This morning Dave, Ben, Victoria and I drove up the to the outlet mall and topped the trip off with lunch. Victoria was not her usual sweet and smiling self, but a demon-child, crying and screaming. This is not the norm for her, so I knew something was up. . .now I have two sick kids. I have to grab any blessing that comes my way and am very thankful for the rain so we can spend the evening inside, maybe watch a movie and get some much needed rest! for them and me!

As if life wasn't crazy or busy enough. . . . I have to report to jury duty tomorrow morning at 8:30am. I was so hoping that when I called in tonight they would excuse my class but "oh no" I must go. I am hopeful I will be excused early on. This sure messes with my day tomorrow and Friday. Maybe they will think I am too conservative for their views. We do live in a strictly "democratic" city. I need more hours in my day to get done what I have on my plate. For those of you old enough, "Calgon. . . .take me away. . . . "

Cell phones and toddlers. . . .
Today, as I was working on the computer, Victoria was sitting on the floor beside me. I was busily working when her sweet little voice caught my ear. Before I turned my head I started listening and this is what I heard, "MaMa, MaMa, yeah. . . . .OX. . . . . . .Da-wah (david). . . ." then I turned my head to look at her. She is sitting with her back to me, my phone cradled under her ear with her shoulder holding it there, chatting. At first I thought she was just pretend chatting but then I noticed my cell phone lit and I reached down and took it from her, asking her, "just who are you talking too missy?" I looked and there on the phone was my son, David. He said they had been having quite the conversation. We both laughed That little stinker had called him. I couldn't believe it. I was telling Den the story at dinner and he said that Dave had told him they chatted for about 10 minutes. How hilarious. A 19 month old calling her 27 year old brother. Dave was the last person I had talked too this morning and she must have just pushed the send button. What a HOOT! She is becoming quite the word-conesieur, and I love how she tries real hard to formulate a word or name when you say it. But am I ever glad she phoned her brother and not a stranger or worse yet 911!

New school year. . . new challenges.
Yesterday Colson's principal called, (whenever you get a call from the principal you tend to bite your nails!) and asked if we could bring a change of clothes for Colson. It seems that a little guy threw-up on him during reading time. Den took him a change of clothes. He found him sitting in the nurses office, helped him change and made sure he washed his hands. Den and I both commented on how frustrating this part of school-life is. The sickness! We always dread the "flu" because it can take several weeks to run through our family. One year it was an 8 week process. Last night we had a parents meeting for Colson's classroom. After the meeting his teacher stopped me and said she wanted me to know how impressed she was with him and how well he handle the whole situation that morning. She said it could have been a catastrophe, but instead he asked, quietly, if he could wash off his clothing. (I guess there are moments when having a large family and enduring lots of sickness is a blessing) I was touched by the way Colson didn't want to embarass his friend as was his teacher. I made sure when I got home that I told Colson what she said and he just smiled! What a blessing this little guy is to us and I pray each day he can be a blessing to his teacher and the kids in his class.

There are also challenges of a son with special needs. This has probably been one of the hardest issues that Den and I have faced in 30 years of marriage. (Most of our family and friends have no clue, not that we have wanted to keep his disabilites a secret, but mostly just to protect him) It's heart-breaking, humbling, frustrating and stressful, especially when dealing with special education and administration. Honestly, I don't think we could have made it through the past year had it not been for Christ's strength and power, and some pretty terrific friends. These friends know the in's and out's of SE and were able arm us with the material we needed. They put us in touch with individuals who walked us through the many steps of SE. To say we were overwhelmed is an understatement, yet it was through the help and encouragment of friends, in the public school system/outside the system, that kept us moving forward. We by no means "have arrived" we are still "in process" and each day we figure out one more small piece of the puzzle, its one more step in helping our son understand. Unfortunately most kids are labeled either LD (learning disabled) CI (Cognitive impaired) or EI (emotionally impaired), and the system wants them to fit into one of those 3 catagories. Here's where it gets frustrating, what if they don't? What if they are a little of each, or none of the above? Then there are issues/struggles/and meetings, and meetings and more meetings. Next week brings our first meeting of the school year. We have already been in touch with people, asking questions, seeking the counsel of a psychologist and a counselor, arming ourselves with even more material and wisdom to present in the "meeting". Making every effort to get all the help and support our son needs. It's an exhausting journey. My heart aches for families who have no clue where to go, the questions to ask, and are at the hands of their public school system. I am so thankful Den and I haven't had to walk this path alone. God has and continues to give us wisdom and guidance and when we feel like we have exhausted every avenue, He opens up another door and gives us encouragment.

Den is transitioning out of "traditional church ministry" into other areas that will benefit him, his gifts and his talents. Its been a process for sure, and I can honestly say its touches me to see him excited and pursueing his "dreams" and "passions". I am not sure where this will take our family but am ready for the journey.

As a wife, mom and a woman I am trying to walk the path God has placed before me with wisdom and grace. I take many "rabbit-trails" throughout the day, but my heart drives me back. I want nothing more than to (an army phrase) "be all I can be" in my role as wife and mom. Its a daunting task, somedays a grueling one (with a non-sleeping toddler) yet its the life God has called me too. In my heart of hearts I desire an active prayer life, one that seeks God's face above my own desires. It easy to get caught-up in the day to day activties and busyness of my family, forgetting about the real purpose. I am praying that God allows me to take a step in His direction each day and throughout my day I am able to love, encourage and care for those He places along the way.

New year! new challenges! Renewed purpose!

"Rockin" with Victoria

Colson, Jacqueline and Victoria
after church

Now. . . .

the real work begins.

See my sweet hubby

crouched down on the

other side? This is where

his "he man" muscle

will come in handy.

(I think I like that little word)

look very closely and you

will see all the hits from

that handy dandy yellow ax.

I never would have thought it

would penetrate that

pool so easily!

Swing Mama Swing

(not a golf club, not a bat,

not a swing. . . but

our handy dandy yellow ax)

I have to say that was

alot of F-U-N!

Redneck version of a

"Spray Park"

I was a little jealous of Amanda

and all the trips she made this

summer with the boys to the

spray park, so we decided

to make our own!!!

With the help of our handy

dandy yellow ax!

Colson even used a shovel
Brennan attempting to ax

a hole!

Ready. . . .Set. . . .GO!

Victoria on her little scotter,

(a great little toy left by her

nephew Walker)

She has her paccie, her sippie cup

her helmet and her scooter.

What more could a girl want?

My "BRAVE" little souls!

The water was C-O-L-D!

Colson is like a fish and

could care less about the cold

water. He had a ball.

Jacqueline was a little less

"adventurous" to swim

but swim she did!

Here are a few pictures of the

boys trying to chop the wood.

Truthfully they were good

sports about the work~

Brett chopping away
Blake carrying the wood to the field
Brett the conquerer!

Today dawned beautiful, sunny and a 72! Den left for the office to do some work and I decided it would be a perfect morning to tear down our swimming pool. Of course I enlisted our boys to help with the work, much to their dismay!! We started on the frame around the pool. Blake decided to take an ax to it while Brennan and I shoveled rock. After many hits to the wood with an ax I said to Blake text Scottie and have him bring over the chainsaw. Brett came out and wanted to take his hand at the ax. David called in the midst of everything and I asked to borrow his chainsaw and some straps. Of course he wanted to know why and laughed when I told him. We got off the phone and I no sooner went back to shoveling when he called again laughing! He had talked to his dad and told him I was tearing down the pool and was gonna use a chainsaw and hook the pool to the trailer hitch with straps and tear it down. OH MY GOSH! He then told me that his dad said that he needed to get off the phone now and get home! I bet Den thought we were gonna be rednecks and tear down the pool with the suburban. Actually he was pretty much right. I wanted in the worst way to do that and see the pool totally collapse and GUSH! You know haven't you seen it on "Funny Home Videos". It always looks like so much fun!. We let Jacqueline and Colson swim one last time and the the real tear-down began. It was a process, with hornets nests, spiders and webs (I sure thought of you, Amanda) and lots of creepy crawly bugs. Colson delighted to find a huge earth worm, and wanted me to pick it up. NOPE not gonna do that I loathe worms. Victoria just wandered around watching everything play out and calling for the dog, "Tega". She was so cute she is really starting to formulate alot more words even a few 2-syllable words. We all have huge blisters on our hands from shoveling and ax wielding.
It was fun taking an ax to the lower side of the pool and watch all the water pour out. I so wanted to really make a huge hole but Den wouldn't let me. Bummer! It was fun hitting it though, I think I might like to try my hand at chopping some wood sometime. I'm crazy I know, but I LOVE extreme hard work. Feels so good! Anyways the pool is almost completely drained and then we have to roll up the frame, etc. It sure will seem weird not to have that in our yard. The end of an era of pool fun!

"EXERCISE"

Since Pilates ended I have

been anxious to get to the YMCA.

With the beautiful weather

I decided to

spend the time outside instead.

This morning, when Jacqueline

and Colson got on the bus,

Victoria and I took off for a

bike ride. I thought I would

see if I could beat the kids

bus to school and then

watch them get off. I made it

to the corner just as their bus

was letting the kids off. What

a great peaceful morning and

I was even able to spend it

talking with God and praying

over my family!

As I was on my way home I

passed a group of women walking

and they all made the comment,

"AWH. . .", I then turned around

and looked and found Victoria fast

asleep!

Here are a few shots of her,

still sleeping, when I got home.

FIRSTS!

This family had alot of "firsts" yesterday:

• First day of school
• First day Colson went to elementary
• First day of Brett's senior year
• First day of Casey's student teaching
• First day of Elizabeth's clinicals
• First day I talked to "almost" all of my children

All these were BIG DEALS to our family. I checked in with Casey

to see how her day went. Thankfully her school has air so she

didn't feel the effects of the heat. However, she did mention that

she was FREEZING all day! I tried to call Elizabeth but was not

able to reach her. Hopefully I will get a chance to chat with her

tonight. What a joy it is to be a part of my families lives, even those

who no longer live within our walls. I enjoyed spending some time

with Branden yesterday, which is a rarity. That kid has go-I-tis.

Benjamin calls me every day from school. Yesterday he and

Bryan were ichatting and he wanted to chat with Colson and

Jacqueline to see how their days went. I love it that the

kids still like to know "whats happenin" here. To cap off the

evening I was able to chat with our grandsons, Wilson

and Walker, and their "ever-so-excited mama", Amanda.

It was a great day by a mom's standards. I feel so blessed

to have this family! Oh! I need to mention that I

talked to Daniel and David. I didn't want them to think

I had forgotten! "NOPE sure didn't!!!!" that about

covers everyone but my oldest son, Brad who

is deployed to Africa (he will be home for some R&R, with his

family the end of the month).

First day down. . . . .
We made it through the first day. WHEW! The kids,
young and old, came home exhausted. It was HOT,
let me say a SCORCHER today, 92 degrees, barely
tolerable. Poor Colson, he was so excited to go to
school, getting up at 6:15, but when I picked him
and Jacqueline up at 12 he was sweaty, extremely
itchy and unhappy. He told me that he DOES NOT
want to ever go back there again! My heart
broke for my little guy. With his eczema the heat reeks
havoc on his skin and he itches non-stop. (This summer his
skin has been the best its been in 3 years with only a few areas of breakout)
He also had a few sad stories to tell about his day, mind
you he was only there for 1/2 day, which didn't help
the situation either. We have, in my opinion, way too
many kids, 1st graders, for any teacher to be able to teach.
They have jammed in one classroom 32 kids. I nearly cried
during parent open-house when I counted all the kids in
the classroom. How crazy is that? We are taking
one-day-at-a-time for the next week, watching and waiting
to see just how it will all work out.

Everyone else seemed fine with their day. Jacqueline loves
her class and her teacher is one special lady. PTL Brett, Blake
and Brennan said it was a typical day.

Blake had a tennis match after school. I had to drag myself,
literally, out of the pool and put on clothes to go. It was so
unbelievably hot. I don't even know how these kids could
continue, then I see in the distance the football team running
laps with all their gear on. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDIN".
Can you say, heat stroke? I had sweat running down my face,
my back, my legs. It was fun, however, visiting with friends.
I think I must have talked to 1/2 dozen people before I finally
was able to make it to Blakes court, watching him play and
win his match! What a relief it was to crawl into the car and
turn on the air conditioning. AHHHHHHHHH.

Den had dinner ready when we got home and then we all made
our way out to the pool and played for an hour. Thankfully its
full of chlorine so no baths!! WOO HOO!
I tucked Colson into bed at 7:30, read him a story, prayed with
him, then he says, "mom please lay with me, I need you to hug me.
I just love you so much!" Be still my heart. What a sweetie.
Of course, he was exhausted. I layed for a while and then
went in and spent a few minutes with Jacqueline.

I am just praying that tomorrow goes better for Colson
and that the temperature isn't quite so hot! Of course,
my dear sweet husband has a perfect solution to Colson's
problem. . . . . .

My sweet baby. . . . .

I guess the first day of school is tough on everyone, including Victoria. I was

blogging and turned to check on her and this is how I found her......sound asleep!

This will be a tough transition for her without any siblings home.

1st day without kids

Victoria and me!

...whatever will we do with

ourselves? go to the gym,

Bible Study, school,

bike riding, shopping???

lots to choose from but

nothing beats having

my kids home with me!!!!

1st day of school

Jacqueline and Colson

waiting to enter school
Colson at his desk
Jacqueline and her "awesome" teacher

I made it without many tears this

year. I have to say it was a bit

hard but I did it!

I sure am going to miss these

two kids. My how the house

will be ever so quiet!

1st day of school

Brett, Blake and Brennan

I always love taking these

first day of school photos

because I enjoy seeing how

much the kids have grown from

year to year. This was Blake's

year for growth and he

now towers over Brett.

They touched my heart so this

morning as they were leaving

allowing me an extra long

hug and giving me kisses!

"I just love these kids"

Start of School "Eve"
Another new school year begins tomorrow. As always, I get a bit teary-eyed to even think about it, but I know the kids are ready. As I prayed with Colson and Jacqueline tonight I prayed that each of us would show His love to those we meet, that they both would be a blessing to their teachers and that God would give them each a very special friend. Previously I mentioned about wanting to switch the kids to another elementary but felt God wanted us to "stay put" where we are. I am also praying that God would use me to be a light to the women I come in contact with as well and that I, too would be a blessing.

Everything is ready for tomorrow. . . the backpacks have been packed with supplies for a couple of weeks; clothing was laid out this morning; the wipe-off board loaded with the weeks activities; and bus numbers distributed. Usually we take the older kids and pick them up but this year, with the rising gas prices andVictoria's nap-time falling at the time school lets out, we decided they could ride the bus home. Of course we were met with excitement! NOT the boys weren't happy about it, yet it may only be a few times a week when Den starts subbing.

On a lighter note. . . . .

We had a FANTASTIC day today at our friends. The weather was
GORGEOUS. The kids had a blast rope swinging into the pond, kayaking,
fishing for turtles, frogs, fish, and paddle-boating (which was my ultimate favorite,
and I spent most of the afternoon with different kids, and even a couple of times with Den, paddling around the pond).
We had great food and fellowship. When Branden arrived he was able to get
the 4-wheeler running and off the kids went, crazily driving the trails. Bryan took Colson for a ride and when they got back Colson came running up and said, "that was sure freaky. . . .but I loved it." Bryan even took Victoria for a ride and she thought she was hot-stuff. Of course, forgetful me, the camera was left home in the drawer. I guess these kodak moments will just have to be etched into our memoires. We came home sun-tired but happy.

A Jacqueline-ism. . . .

(our friends have a floating gazebo and the kids had a blast pushing themselves around the pond with a big pole) Jacqueline and I were out on the paddle boat and she decided that she wanted to get off so she says to me, "mom will you paddle me over to the CASINO. . . .?" I just started laughing and she said, "what are you laughing at?" and I said, "honey, its a gazebo, not a casino!"
How adorable!