Brian McLaren had this to say about Kyle Lake. Thought some of you might be interested.
Tired of being sad, happy I have a choice.
Making cookies and getting ready to trick or treat.
No matter how cruel it seems, life goes on.
My sister Sari goes to UBC (University Baptist Church) here in Waco. Some of you may have heard of it because it is home to the David Crowder Band. This morning in front of a packed Baylor Homecoming crowd, their preacher Kyle Lake baptized someone, reached for a microphone, and was electrocuted. He died minutes later on the way to the hospital. His wife Jenn was there. His 3 year old twin boys and 5 year old daughter were in the nursery. The church is in shock. The whole town is in shock. Please Pray for the Lake family, the UBC family and all who are hurting right now over this horrible accident.
UPDATE Midnight:
The saddness is so thick around here that it is just suffocating. This is a big weekend in Waco with Baylor Homecoming and Halloween..but all the excitment died today with Kyle Lake. It feels like a giant wet blanket has been thrown over the whole city and noone can move.
My sister went with her church family tonight to talk and hug and remember. She said it was awful and good all at the same time. They explained exactly what happened. Evidently Kyle grabbed a microphone, lost his footing, and fell back into the water. The water covered him past the waders to his shoulders. He was able to say "I need some help guys" but that was it.
Kyle had many, many friends. Some of his best ones are in the David Crowder Band who went "on with the show" and played to a sold out crowd in Fl tonight. They are jetting home in the morning. All are devistated as you can imagine... and their wives want them home. My sister is really close to several of these sweet young ladies.
II have never heard a bad word said about Kyle Lake or his family. They are salt of the earth kind of people. I have seen his kids at Mothers Day Out from time to time. I have run into his wife at HEB. Sari was pretty close to them. Now my heart aches for my sister and this family. It seems so unfair, so terrible. How do you recover from something like that? From what I hear, his family, though in total shock still, has publicly said that they know God will get them through even this. I don't envy their journey. There are no short cuts.
Sari said there was lots of news crews outside the church tonight. One reporter was heard to excitedly say he knew this would be a national story... Somehow that didn't make anyone feel better.
Tonight I will fall asleep praying for couple who watched their son die today, a 30 year old widow still so stunned, a five year old girl who wants her Daddy, and two rough and tumble boys who just don't get what is going on. Please join me.
Conversation on the way to school the other day.
K: Why do so many people have fish on the back of their cars, like that one? (gestures toward the fender of SUV in front of us)
M: That is a Christian fish and people put them on their cars to let us know they are Christians.
K:How do we know that fish is a Christian fish?
M: It has some Greek letters on it...err, well... (OK, so I do not know, though I am sure I should! ) I think it has to do with Jesus being a fisher of men but I'm not really sure.
K: So if you have a fish on your car like that one, it means you are a Christian?
M: Yes.... Well, it means the person who owns that car wants you to know they are Christians.
K: We don't have a fish on our car.
M: You don't have to have a fish on your car to be a Christian , but you can if you want.
K: (after thinking about it a minute or two) I don't want a fish on our car. If we put something Christian on our car I want it to be a cross. That way people won't wonder if we are Christians or if we just like fish.
Stumped by a 7 year old. Again.
A friend suggested I set up a photo blog. ANOTHER BLOG!!! Yikes! There are not enough hours in the day for another blog. I think this one will do! Here are our pictures from Trunk-or-Treat at church last night. It is always one of our favorite events. THANK YOU so much Jan and Dayna for doing this eveery year for our kids, our church, and our community!
Padme & Anikin
Padme & her double Queen Amadala
Twin Anikins and a Fairy
Anikin and his friend "Stephanie" from Lazy Town.
Happy almost Halloween!
Hate to cut the Halloween parade below short, but I have one of those stories I have to get down somewhere. This blog is my "gotta write that down" place.
Yesterday morning Rob and I were in our bathroom finishing getting ready for church. Rhett was in our room. Rob had just dressed him. We are having a little cool snap here,(PRAISE THE LORD!) so Rhett was finally getting to wear a long sleeve shirt. He was oh-so happy about it and was dancing around in his cool new long sleeve shirt.
Rob and I were just chatting along when Rhett came in and asked Rob "Daddy, is this my 264 shirt?" Puzzled and thinking we had heard him wrong we both asked "Your what?" Still he asked, "Is this my 264 shirt?" He repeated the question two more times before I got it and died laughing. Rob was still in the dark so I said "Yeah Rhett it is, sing it." Rhett started gyrating all over the bathroom in the funky- disco-meets-break-dancing way that only he can, singing "I'm two sixty four my shirt, two sixty four my shirt, two sixty it huuurrrttts!"
Rob and I were laughing so hard we had tears! We were late to church. Apparently this song is on the "Far Far Away Idol" special feature at the end of the Shrek 2 DVD. Rhett loves "Far,Far Away Idol!"
So my four year old is "two sixty four his shirt!" "So sixty" in fact that my sides hurt from laughing and I can't stop smiling when I think about it. I pray he doesn't know what the real version means for at least another decade or so, but in the mean time we will have fun with this 260 thing! These are the days!
Here is why Halloween is one of favorite holidays. No, I'm not into witches and spooky, evil, scarey stuff. But I love fall weather, costumes, dressing up, trick or treating, pumpkins on porches and the like. For the seven day countdown to Halloween, here is a little Costume parade of our last 7 Halloweens!
1998 This was our first Halloween with our little pumpkin...or Strawberry in this case. Don't we look young!
1999 Kolby is 20 months old and would not get her picture made at Sears. She was totally terrified of photographers. My friend Kristi snapped this one at a Halloween party. 
2000 Our Hot Pink Leopard picture from whenshe was 2. (finally found it!)
2001 Dorthy is 3 Toto is 6 weeks old.
2002 Tink & Peter Pan.
2003 Ariel and Cpt Feather Sword
(I hope no one was eating when they happened to stop by here today!) Shamefully, I copied this picture from Matt Elliott's blog (no relation for those of you who still remember my maiden name.) From now on when I hear the word FANATIC, this is the picture that will pop up in my mind's eye. I will be gagging mind you, but still, this is the picture.
Have a Fan-tastic Friday!
I love my son. Yesterday we went to his 4 year check-up. Anyone who has had a four year old in the last ten years knows what that means...Immunizations! Rhett bravely sat in my lap while Nurse Marla gave him FOUR SHOTS, two in each arm. He whimpered and hid is face on my shoulder. At one point with tears pooling in his sweet blue eyes he looked up and pathetically said "I don't like shots Mommy." It broke my heart! But wonder of wonders, he never really cried. Nurse Marla and I both almost did though! Those last two shots were thick and really hurt! For her part Nurse Marla gave Rhett four suckers and bragged and bragged on how well he did. To ease my Mommy guilt and his pain we had lunch at Burger King and went to Target for 4 Hot Wheels cars. (They are on sale for 49 cents this week!)
Rhett's bravery also bought him an ice cream cone on the way home and a heap of praise from his Daddy, Aunt, grandparents and sister. Truth be told I would have bought him every toy in Toys-r-us at one point this morning if it would have lessened his pain. The hardest thing I have had to do as a mother is sit helplessly by when my kids were hurting. I would have gladly taken those four shots for Rhett yesterday if that would have worked. The bad news is the doctors office was out of flu shots for Rhett's age so we get to go back next week and get another SHOT!
On an entirely different note... I saw a sign yesterday that said "Just 10 weeks until Christmas." I 'm not a "packin' heat" kinda gal, but I suddenly had an overwhelming urge to blow the sign to smitherines! I can't explain the bah-hum-bug it brought out in me, but it turns my stomach to think about Christmas right now. Maybe it's because it isn't even Halloween yet and instead of the peace and joy of the season I can only picture a mile long list of more things to do? Hopefully by Thanksgiving I'll have the Grinch-itude whipped. In the mean tme, I can not be held responsible for what might happen to anyone who comes around me singing "Deck the Halls" and wearing red and green.
Speaking of grumpy Moms, apparently one stay at home Mom has had enough and gone on strike. I would love to join her but I can't imagine what the house would look like if we left all the claeaning to a 4 and 7 year old. Rob does his share and works two jobs. I really have no one to strike against. In fact, today I am staying home and cleaning my house. For two weeks I have said I was going to do this but things keep coming up so I am never home. Why does it seem the house is at it's worst when we are in what I call pit-stop mode? You would think the house would stay clean because we aren't here to mess it up. But instead, our coming in to refuel and heading out again has left the place in shambles. Finally it is time for some heavy duty mantainance. Yep, today's the day.
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And finally, I can't believe that the french horn guy from yesterday didn't get more comments. Seriously! If you missed it, take a minute to give it a gander. I started laughing out loud in the carpool line yesterday just thinking about it. Maybe I have a weird sense of humor. :)
Ta-ta blog world... I have a date with Mr. Clean!
If our church ever goes instrumental, I want to book this guy first! : ) If you have three minutes to kill, take a listen.
For some reason the hyperlink isn't working so just click on or cut and paste the following: www.naturalsoundstudio.com/mhs/maestro_music.wmv
I don't know what it is about this time a year but, we seem to be going 90 to nothing all the time! I looked up at the calendar last week and realized we have something every weekend until January. Not that I am complaining because yes, it is all optional. But I don't want to fall into one of those "too busy to live" coma that has me up early, running all day, and going to bed in the next day just to get by. It's very easy to fall into that this time a year and on into the holidays. How do you beat the "busy bug?" Just wondering....
Here are a few shots of all the things we did this weekend.
Rhett's soccer games...He scored 7 goals last night...not that we are keeping score or anything...but WOW rob and I were both a little shocked and awed... seven goals! (Forgive the proud mother hen thing as I'm just a rookie soccer mom!) I think I see many, many years of Saturdays at the soccer field ahead. 
The Hewitt Fire Department had a fun Fire Safety Week Open House with games and fire truck rides. Fireman Joe (the father of another 2nd grader at Kolby's school) was there and showed us all around. I think it is so neat when that the fire station does this every year.
The library at Kolby's school has a literary pumpkin painting contest each year. This is Kolby's "Princess and the Pea" entry. She and I worked long and hard on it and it turned out really cute IMHO. ( OK, I confess I wanted to throw it out the patio door when the eyes kept falling off and peach paint was tracked in the carpet!) It is fun to watch Kolby work on something and get so into it. She reminds me of someone... oh yeah, that chick I saw in the mirror this morning! :)
Happy Tuesday!
I was tagged by Elizabeth. This one took some time, but dusting off old memories is always fun. I have not thought about some of this stuff in years. Some things are still so embarrassing even 20 + years later! I sort of wish I could block out those gawky awkward Jr High days forever! :) Besides no one reads my blog Friday - Sunday so I think I am safe! Here we go...
First Memory:
Having x-rays done before my first kidney surgery...I was 2 1/2. The tech told me they were going to take a picture of my kidneys with a special camera. I asked if it would be color or black & white...Don't know why. My mother off-handedly remarked that for what we were paying they should have been in full color. Now I realize she was just being flippant, but then I thought she was serious and felt a real sense of injustice and cried and cried when they showed us the black and white pictures of my kidneys that looked like nothing I was expecting. Don't know why that stuck with me!
First Kiss: I still blush when I think about it...it was a little tragic. My first kiss was from a boy who will remain nameless (but you know who you are) who kissed me in the wardrobe room of the choir department during study hall in the Spring of 9th grade. (or was it 8th?) By the time I got to Algebra, I was still blushing, but he had gotten back with his old girlfriend during English. I was crushed and so upset that I went to the nurse's office with a lowgrade fever and went home for the rest of the day! In the end this creep of a guy blossomed into one of my good friends and was even in our wedding!
First Concert:I'm not sure which came first but I think it was either a George Strait concert in San Angelo or an Amy Grant concert in Abliene that I attended with my youth group.
First Crush: Aaron Mullins in the 4th grade. He went to our church and my elementary and was a year older than me. He stayed at his grandparents house just five doors down from us in the summers because his Mom worked. I bet I rode my bike by that house a 1000 times that summer hoping to "bump into Aaron!" Nothing ever came of it and I moved on to someone else by the end of the summer. Aaron's family moved to Longview, Texas a year or two later and I have no idea what ever became of him.
First Love:Again he (or they) shall remain nameless. I'm not sure if it is the guy from the first kiss nightmare story from above or a certain camo wearing, jeep driving, life-guarding, longhorn who broke my heart in High School. But I am happy to say I consider them both great friends now and... I know for a fact that both have been known to read this blog! :)
First lust: Depending on how far back we go, it is a three way tie between Donny Osmond, Dean Butler ( the guy who played Almonzo Wilder on Little House on the Prairie), and Peter Reckell (who plays Bo Brady on Days of our Lives.)
First thing you think in the morning: What is today and are we late for anything?
First book you remember loving: Read to me ~ Harriet Hedgehog. Read for myself ~ Little House on the Prairie and the whole series.
First pet: Tinkerbell and Frisky, brother and sister kittens we adopted from a brood of wild kittens that roamed my grandmother's back yard in Colorado City...it was a really big, big backyard!
First question you'll ask in Heaven: For the first time in my existance, I think I will be speechless!
First thing you think of when you hear the word vacation:Hotel room where someone else makes the bed!
First best friend: Sabra Blue, 2nd grade.
Last time you dressed up: Church last Sunday.
Last thing you ate: Blueberries and yogurt mixed with kashi lean smart cereal.
Last CD you bought: A 70's collection CD for a party.
Last time you cried:The other day when I drove by a my neighbor's house who lost her husband a few weeks ago and realized she was home alone for the first time since it happened...OK tearing up right now!
Last time you told someone you loved them:This morning when Rob and Kolby went to work/school and Rhett came in to snuggle with me!
Last really fun thing you did: Taking the kids to Kolby's school carnival last Saturday.
Last thing you watched on TV: ER and the news last night.
Last Halloween costume:Last year, Rob and I dressed up like shrubs with leaves and branches and all. Rob added a tie and sprayed a little grey in his hair. I added a scarf, pearls, and turned my hair under. Last we added a name tags that said George and Laura...We were George and Laura Bush! This year we will all be in Star Wars attire!
Last Concert attended:Amy Grant/Vince Gill in January.
OK so I am totally copying DJG today! (Sorry Donna!) But DJG got me thinking about those of you who visit my little patch of blog world. My super sleuth site meter** tells me that there some (rare) days when I have over 100 visits. Weird. 100 visits and my visits don't even count! The same site meter tells me the location of my visitors... Someone in Washington DC reads my blog everyday for about 3 minutes. I don't know anyone in Washington DC, or do I? I always wonder who you are. I am sure 95% of you don't comment, but I really am fascinated by all this and I want to know ...Who are you? How did you find me? Why do you read my blog? : )
Whoever you are, I appreciate you stopping by and sharing my journey. Happy Tuesday & Peace Out!
**Click on the little rainbow colored box at the bottom of my blog to find out more about this.
Another rambling Monday! This one very different in ways as Kolby is home in celebration of Columbus Day. Really?! Columbus Day? I think it is just Midway's excuse for a teacher workday. Most parents are going to mandatory 30 minute conferences with teachers today,but Mrs. M and I have already conferenced twice so I get to sit this one out.
We had a great weekend. The weather was perfect! I love days where it is sunny and the high is in the 70s! It seems we only get a few of those days a year in the late Fall and early Spring. This weekend we had two of them and I loved it! Friday night my Mom and I took dinner to my cousin as it was her first night home from the hospital. Baby Susannah is doing quite well, and despite the fact that I keep calling her Savannah, she seems to fit right in. So far she is a sweet laid-back baby!
Friday night Rhett had his first sleep over with his little cousins Scarlett and Justin. I have never seen him more excited! From all I have heard, they had a great time. Thanks R & M for hosting! Rhett had a 9AM soccer game Saturday morning that he almost didn't want to leave Justin's house to go to, but a bag of doughnut holes and the promise of new soccer shirts pulled him away. The bluejays lost but still had fun. Rhett does not understand why he did not get to score a goal this time. Much to learn about sportmenship he has! (Yoda would be so proud of that last sentence!)
Kolby hosted her cousin Samantha for a sleep over at our house the same night. As usual the girls planned to do a months worth of activities in one night and pooped out around midnight! Sweet girls! Poor Sam woke up with a high fever which really put a damper on the girls plans. It was not fun to have to call my cousin to say her oldest had a fever the morning after she brought a new born home from the hospital...but such is life. Sam went to the doctor with her Dad and spent the day in bed at her Grandparents. From what I hear she staying away from the baby and feeling better.
Saturday afternoon was Kolby's school carnival. It was so much fun this year because the weather was perfect! We had a great time and the kids came back with arms full of prizes and candy. Rhett won a dozen cupcakes in the cake walk! One of my favorite memories is winning a cake in the cake walk at my school carnival when I was in first grade. I thought it was the greatest thing ever! A whole cake just for me! Kolby has won a cake the last two years and was very excited for her brother. Rhett carried those cupcakes around like they were made of gold. It was really cute.
I'm glad my kids are able to make some of the same great memories I made a child. I have been thinking a lot about the memories my kids will have of their childhood. It is so easy to get caught up in the schedules and worries of today. I have to stop myself from time to time and remember that these ARE the best of days. My kids are growing so fast. I hope and pray that Rob and I truly appreciate these times for what they are and seize every opportunity to make great memories with our kids. It's easy to loose that perspective.
Sunday it was the perfect weather again. After church and lunch the kids played in the yard with neighbors while Rob and I attacked the flower beds ! After three year of trying to keep a flower bed around one of the trees in our front yard, yesterday I gave up! Rob dug it all up. All the bulbs, all the mondo grass, and all the annuals and perennials that I have planted over the years have died mid-season and eventually been over taken by our ever spreading Bermuda grass. I ran to the closest nursery yesterday afternoon and bought $25 dollars worth of jasmine.
Yes, we planted the whole bed with ground crawling, hard to kill jasmine. If the Jasmine dies, I think we will pave over the whole yard!!!! We also transplanted a strange tree/bush that sprouted and grew five feet this summer in one of our side beds to the backyard. Still have no idea what kind of a tree/shrub this is but I hope it thrives as well in it's new home. There is probably a lesson in all of that. The plants I tried to bring in all died, but the one thing that sprouted all on it's own thrived.
I'm sure DJG could pull a great analogy out of that, but I have two little ones waiting for me to make their lunch so I will leave the analogies for another blog. Happy Monday everyone!
P.S. I detect the "ZOE afterglow" in so many of the blogs I read today! I am glad it was good for all of you! Despite my cries of being green with envy, I am truly glad so many in blog land were able to attend and I look forward to hearing about all you learned! NEXT YEAR!!!!
Miss Susannah!
Just a few weeks ago I was saying "It's a Boy!" but today my other cousin gave birth to her third beautiful baby girl! Little Susannah Jane arrived this morning weighing 8 pounds, 12 ounces and measuring 20.5 inches long. Mother and baby are doing great! My cousin didn't find out what she was having prior to this morning and we were all very anxious to meet this baby! She is so pretty ! So sweet!
I love babies...and it is a good thing because we have had 8 of them in less than 8 years on my side of the family! Welcome to the crew little one! We are all so glad you have finally arrived! 
Here are the other 7 greeting # 8!
Tonight was Rhett's first soccer game. In his team sport debut, our little rookie scored a goal! The Bluejays went on to sweep the Kangaroos 7-3, though we really don't keep score. It is so fun to watch the little mob follow the ball around the field. Occasionally the ball gets away and finds the goal! The kids are all 4 years old so their shin guards could double as knee pads and their soccer shorts look more like knickers! It is quite a sight! We all loved every minute of it! Rhett looked so cute out there...And his coach (pictured) is not only wonderful with the kids, he is HOT! :) Way to go Coach Rob!!
It was a great victory for my favorite guys and so fun for Kolby and I to cheer them on. I look forward to many more Bluejay games! (11 to be exact) These are the days!
A bit of house cleaning.....
1. Three new blog buddies were added to the list of those I frequent last week. CHECK THEM OUT! A belated welcome to you Chris, Meredith and Lauren!
2. I am so green with envy reading about all of you planing to attend the ZOE conference this weekend! I may swear off of blogging until the conference is over! But I know you will have incredible things to share and God will be glorified. I want to hear all about it next week. I truly hope I am able to make it next year.
3. I have an addiction to confess. I am hooked on the Broccoli salad from the Wal-Mart Deli. It's a little embarrassing... and as my sister said "and from Wal-Mart of all places!" Yesterday I even tried to call and get the recipe, but the deli lady said it came in a prepackaged kit and she didn't know what was in it. AND no, they do not sell the kits. So if any of you have a recipe for a broccoli salad that has red cabbage, red onion, golden raisins, carrots, sunflower kernels and something else crunchy with a tangy slaw like dressing....Please save me hours experimenting in my kitchen and pass it on.
4. Matt Elliot had an excellent post yesterday concerning the Ashley Smith/Brian Nichols story that broke last week. Really, go read it here! Aren't we all glad God uses broken vessels as none of us are without our cracks and imperfections!
And finally, I just wanted to thank all of you who have asked about and prayed for us since I blogged about Kolby's reading disorder last spring and summer. I feel very happy, grateful, humbled and blessed to report that since May, Kolby's reading has improved by an entire grade level! I truly praise God for the wonderful people at Baylor who worked with her for 5 long weeks this summer at CAMP SUCCESS and for those who continue to work with Kolby every week!
My little girl has regained some of her confidence, wants to read, and is doing very well. We still have lots to work on... Apparently spelling is a hereditary issue. :) But all in all, I feel like God has answered our prayers in so many ways on so many different levels! He continues to bless us with incredible teachers, professors and administrators. There are many things wrong with our education system today, but there are also many, many things that are right! There are some incredibly gifted generous people out there giving their all to help children. Teachers are my favorite people!
If you are a teacher NEVER, EVER doubt the incredible impact you have on the lives of your students and their families. THANK YOU for all you do and the spirit of love in which you do it!
Blessing to you blog world!
Our weekend in 125 words ...
Magic China with the fam
Target
Sleep
Birthday party
soccer practice
Meet and shop for PTA
Work on more PTA
Shop for PTA more
Home
Walmart
K: SLUMBER Party
Will she make it?
R: I'm sleeping over at Mama K's !
Date?
YES!!!
Panera Bread
Walk the market center
Pirates of the Caribbean
Sleep
12:30 AM
please come get me!
TEARS
Homesick & embarrassed
Assurance and hugs
Tucked in bed
She sleeps
I don't
Nursery at church
Family invasion of Taco Bueno
You will take a nap!!!
Football
Open house with neighbors
Laundry
Work on PTA
Church family skate night
FLASHBACK
Rb & K tear it up
R Can I have a quarter?
Fazolli's with Sanders & Barnhills
Quiet kids table
Big talk grownups table
Baths
Bed
GREAT WEEKEND!
I love Mondays! Really I thought I would never say that, but it is true. Monday is the only day I don't HAVE to be anywhere in particular. No Baylor tutoring, no soccer, no church, no PTA, no lunch dates, no nothin'! Rob and Kolby have to go to work and school but Rhett and I are free to stick around the house in our PJ' s till noon if we want...and today that is what we want! Hope you have a great Monday!
PS I will not be at ZOE : ( but my friend will be. I told her to tell you guys "Hi" for me. So if someone named Laura from Waco Texas says "Hi" and acts like she knows who you are...you'll know who she is! Comprendo?
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