Come Again Another Day...

Revised with contact and service information on 5-30-07
Today was supposed to be the first real day of summer for me and the kids. With Kolby off at camp it's not really normal summer yet. But still, I was hoping for sunshine and the chance to get outside a bit. Rhett was able to go to his swim lessons, for which I am very grateful! But about an hour later the clouds got together and the sky opened up. It's raining...again.

However, today I think rain is more appropriate than the warm summer sun. Today is just a sad grey day. It started with the news of the tragic accident that involved the Brown/Bailey family in West Texas last night. (If you don't know what I am talking about go here or here or here.) My heart breaks for this family! I keep praying that Bailey will be recover fully from her injuries and that God will find some way to comfort this heartbroken family at the loss of their son! I can not imagine the depths of their grief. It hurts to even think about it.

Then just hours later, I learned that the father of a good friend passed away unexpectedly this morning. I am close to this family and have known this man and his wife since my time with their son (who married one of my roommates) at ACU. Over the last five or so years I have seen them several times a year at their grand children's birthday parties, recitals and various events. I even worked a non-profit event with this man and his wife every year for four years. He was too young to die. It was cancer. It came fast. Just four weeks ago this man was giving a speech in San Antonio and developed a pain in his back side, now he is gone. His wife had no idea at the beginning of May that she would be a widow before June. Again, my heart hurts for them and all I can think to do is pray that somehow God will steady and comfort them as only he can.

And I know that this man and the Brown's son are with the Father now. I know that should make me rejoice. I know that as a Christian that death is not the worst thing... it is our homecoming. But still. I can not get past the grief of those that are left behind long enough to celebrate. I wonder if that says something about my faith in God's perfect plan and timing? It helps me to know that even Jesus wept at his friends death. Surely he understands our grief.

Not too cheery a post today. I know. Sorry.

Grief is a part of life, and I guess even a part of faith. Faith in a loving God is all that gives me hope that as sad as this day has been, that someday the sun will rise and shine in the skies above and in each of the broken hearts I have mentioned here. On days like this I cling to the hope that through Christ the most broken of hearts can laugh again. Eventually. But not today. And that is OK.

Rain , Rain, Go away! Come again another day,
For today has seen all the "rain" it can stand.
Here's to the never ending hope that the sun will shine again!

Service information for Rob Gunn here.

Tob Brown Family Web Site here.

Memorial Day

Revised with Pictures on 5-29-07
Has it really been JUST a week since I last posted? I swear my family and I have fit two or three months into the last three weeks! Here is a partial list of what we have been up to since Mother's Day...

Mother's Day

~ Rhett's Preschool had the sweetest Mother Day Brunch and program for all the Mommies
~ I ended PTA by volunteering to chair a committee that would decide how to spend our remaining $10,000 by the time school was out. About 6 dozen e-mails, countless conversations and one big meeting later, we gave all the money to the library. Happy to have that behind me.
~ Rob's birthday

~ Girls Scouts
~ Kolby's Dance Recital ~ So fun and so involved!

~ Rob's Mom here for a short visit
~ Kolby's class had three field trips, a celebration day and a two game days in the last three weeks of school
~ Ella Kate took her first unassisted steps on the 21st and now is up to four steps before grabbing on to something or sitting down .

~ All three kids got haircuts at the same time. Ms Debbie is a saint!

~ Dentist appointments
~ Rhett threw a bat up in the air and caught it with his mouth and...
~ A week later Rhett lost his first tooth.

~ THE FORT (still not done because it won't stop raining!)
~ Rhett's end of the year school party.

Rhett on the first and the last day of school with Mrs. Henry.
~ 3rd Grade Awards Ceremony at Kolby's school (She got three!)

~ Teacher gifts and cards.
~ Our family end of school night out
~ Kolby's school got out Friday

Kolby with Mrs. Kup on the first and the last day of school.
~ Mama Sue's Luau birthday party Friday night
~ Kolby and I had a 14 hour "get ready for camp" shopping/packing marathon Saturday
~ Rob sick since Friday
~ Kolby left for church camp yesterday at 2PM, for 6 days, with out me! I never let her(or anyone) see me cry but I did take my time driving home from dropping her off! I pray she has fun, isn't homesick, and gets back with at least 75% of the stuff she took! (OK, I also hope she takes at least two showers while gone, brushes her teeth and combs her hair everyday and doesn't put wet clothes in her suit case but, I know chances of these are a little slim!)
Whew! I'm tired just thinking about it!

Today we are not doing anything. at. all.

Catching some ZZZZs
In the last week I have averaged only 4 to 5 hours of sleep a night. That is just not cutting it, even for a night owl like me! Today is a day of rest. So far I have read the paper, checked the Internet a few times for weather reports for Kolby's camp, called a mom who drove up and back from camp last night, fed everyone leftovers, and been really lazy. I can't remember the last time I have been in my PJs this long! It's a good thing.

And speaking of good things, RAIN has always been a good thing in my book. As a life long Texan, I understand the need for rain. Many years of my life, maybe even the majority of years, have been lived during drought conditions. So I never thought I would say this, but I really hope it stops raining!

In our little part of Texas, we have had over 20 inches of rain in MAY alone! Our total rain fall for the year at this time usually averages 13 inches! AND we have at least a 40% to 60% chance of rain every day this week! There have been flash floods and and so far 6 people have drowned. The ground is saturated, the rivers and lakes are overflowing, and there is no good place left for the water to go. So the rain needs to stop.

But I want it to stop for some selfish reasons too... I have heard that there are awesome swimming areas at Kolby's camp. In fact, for many the swimming is the highlight. For the sake of my little first year camper, I hope the rain stops! Rhett also has swim lessons this week with his friend Paul and he is so excited! Today's lesson was cancelled due to rain. I would hate for Rhett to miss any more days as he already thinks life is unfair and that Kolby gets all the fun! (field trips, sleep overs, camp etc) So hopefully the sun will shine and we will dry out and get on with SUMMER!

I love SUMMER!

That's about it! I will add pictures to this as soon as I download the 200 or so I have on my camera! Hope you are all having a great Memorial Day!

late night blog .. The fort

It's 11:39pm and here I sit typing in the dark. Everyone is asleep. The dishwasher and dryer are both running and the shower is calling my name, but I wanted to stop in and catch up with blog world.

May is the new December around here. This week is chalk full of end of the year parties, presents, programs, games, meetings and appointments. Last week was just as crazy. How did the two longest months of my childhood, December and May, become the two shortest months of my motherhood? As a child I pined away waiting for Christmas holidays and then Summer break to finally arrive. Now I feel that I no more get the pictures from Christmas printed and it's time to get the swim suits out! I hate to sound like a broken record, but life is going by so fast!

One thing that has forced me to slow down a tiny bit is a back yard project that I took on a few weeks ago. Our fort/swing-set came with the houseand was built by the previous owners. It's one of those that you build with real treated lumber and a kit of instructions and accessories from Lowe's. When it was first built it was probably pretty impressive. I would guess it is between 7 to 9 years old now. We have done little to keep it up (aside of throwing some Thompson's water seal on it) since we moved in five years ago. Our lack of attention showed. Badly.

With a brand new set of little hands and feet to crawl and climb all over it, we decided the fort had to either be completely replaced or repaired completely. Being the cheap wad that I can be, I decided repairing was the way to go. I just couldn't spend $1200+ on a swing set. Rob has been quite busy ending his firast semester of grad school, (with a 4.0 no less!) taking on a new position at work, and catching up on all that softball he missed while he was in class. So I knew if I wanted it to happen before summer, it was up to me.

By the time I am finished I will have replaced boards, added new support beams, bricked the ever muddy sand box bottom, hauled almost 1000 pounds of new sand in, sanded splinters and old paint away, redesigned and rebuilt the back wall to be a climbing wall, replaced the faded tarp roof with a sure'nuff boards and siding solid roof, built a closing sand box cover, replaced the swings and polished the old rusted sliding poleto look silver and new. I hope to be through priming and painting the fort interior and have the new trap door/ bucket toy elevator installed by this weekend. It's been a lot of work. It's been hot. It's been dirty. I have sweat more than I have in years. I have used power tools, dangled off of ladders and hauled lumber in the van. Six trips to Lowe's in two weeks! And truthfully, I really have enjoyed it. When I was little I was quite the tom boy, and I dreamed of having a fort or club house like this. Maybe that is part of my motivation.

But in general, I like projects. I like things with a beginning and an end. (though Rob might argue that I keep extending the ending point with all my "big fun fort" ideas!) I like the instant gratification of seeing how a coat of paint (or stain in this case) can make what was old and dingy look new and crisp. AND THE ANALOGIES! My mind has flirted with thousands of analogies and life lessons while sanding and painting. I think I could write a book. Maybe not a good book, but a book none the less. When I am working with my hands out in the quiet calm of the backyard, prayers just seem to flow so easily. Even though it is hard work, it is calming and I feel very steadied. And even though I come into the house very behind on things I could have been doing in here, I still feel very accomplished!

My kids are loving the new fort and sand box. They play in it every chance they get and moan when I say they have to stay out to let me finish up some work. A month ago I couldn't get them to play in it for ten minutes. Tonight Rhett asked if I could install lights in the sand box so that he can keep playing after dark.... Lights? ...hhhmmm... Maybe I could attach solar yard lights? Anyway, I have been playing in the fort and loving almost every minute of it! Hope my kids enjoy it half as much as I have!

Didn't intend to write so much on this. Guess I'll catch you up on the rest of life another day! Good night blog world!

Quick Blog

Hi!
Trying to wind down the year.
One and half more weeks of school.
Repairing, sanding and staining the wood fort and playset in the back yard.
It's hot!REALLY HOT!
Somethng almost every night.
Dance recital this week end.
Hope to catch up with all of you very soon!

Clones?

Not a day goes by that someone doesn't comment on how much my kids look alike. People either think EKG looks just like Kolby or Rhett or that they all look just alike. So I thought I would see just how much you think they look alike. Below are pictures of my kids when they are all between 8 and 10 months old. Can you tell who is who? I did play with the pictures a bit to age some but I know bows and outfits will give it away. But look at those little baby faces! Who can guess who is who?

Hello!

Revised w/ dining room picture...so you guys won't think I am a real slob, just an occasional one!
Here is a dining room picture to prove that I did actually clean it up!

Yes I have been digging out. Actually I have been Spring Cleaning, something I think I didn't do to well last year when I was prego with EK. In fact there are lots of things I let slide in the last year and I am now trying to get caught up. The back yard has taken lots of hours lately. The front yard is gong to take many more when i make my way out there. In the mean time here are some things we have done since I last blogged, which will partially explain why I haven't blogged.

Here is Kolby last week accepting her prizes for selling 50 cases of girls scout cookies this year. At 12 boxes per case that is a whole lot of cookies. Her troop had an incredible cookie season and even gathered enough donations to send over 1000 boxes of cookies to troops in Iraq. Gotta love Girl Scouts!

Saturday was Rhett's last soccer game. He and Rob (and Justin and Robby) had a great time playing with "Blue Force"this Spring. Summer T-Ball will start soon!


Finally bought EK a baby swing and she loves it! Her first five minutes in it she just laughed and laughed! Now it has a calming affect on her. She loves to swing and watch her siblings play! Rob and I have been trying to update and re-vamp our swing set/ fort which we inherited five years ago from the previous owners of our house. We were trying to decide whether to tear it down and start over or just try to repair and update it. After looking at the prices for new play structures, we decided to update! So far we have bricked the sandbox floor , added supports to everything, and poured over 800 pounds of sand into the sand box. If it will stop raining for a day or two , I plan to re-stain the entire structure and add a solid roof to the "fort". Too many trips to Lowe's these days! And that is just for the play fort! The rest of the yard will take many more trips I'm sure.

In other news, Miss Ella Bella is growing like a weed! She was 10 months old yesterday! She is pulling up on everything and can stand on her own for almost a minute. She will be walking in no time. Her personality is really shining through! She is happy, laid back and has a gazillion expressions. Her favorite expression as of late is a very cheesy, toothy, crinkle-nose grin. (as pictured above) EK makes me laugh about 2 dozen times a day with this! She also has a few little half words. She says her version of bye bye, da da, and says "quack quack" (again her version) for all animals and anything associated with bath time. She also has a wide array of grunts that we have come to know as hungry, thirsty, sleepy, mad, frustrated, and bored grunts. Doesn't sound too lady like, but still, she is communicating. She has started using tone and volume to communicate also. She has the sweetest little soft lovey voice and the strongest loud firm "I don't like this" voice. EK loves to watch Rhett and Kolby and still breaks a sweat trying to speed crawl across the house to keep up with them. She loves to look out the window and pound on it while"talking" to things she sees outside. She is a such a delight. It is going so very, very fast.


And speaking of fast, Rob and I took Rhett to Kindergarten round-up last week! WOW! How did that happen? Rhett will be almost 6 when he starts kindergarten and still it seems to have gone too fast. I can't believe he and Kolby will go to school together next year. Rhett thinks he is ready to go now and was very disappointed that he couldn't go to school with Kolby the morning after round-up. After all, he is "registered to be a Kindergartner now!" I am so happy that Rhett is excited to go...but I still feel strong sentimental tugs on the heart strings when I think my baby boy is going to be in school, real school, in just a few months! Sometimes I wonder if global warming has caused the earth to rotate faster because time sure seems to be going by faster than I ever remember! Am I going to feel this way about time from now on? I wonder.

Lastly, it is hard to get a picture of EK these days unless she is strapped into a seat. She immediately tries to crawl and get the camera. But Sunday after church, sitting on her brothers skateboard was entertaining enough to distract her for one or two pics! I love church pictures!

Hope you are all having a great Spring! Summer is just around the corner!

IT IS FINISHED...

The PTA Scrapbook that is. All 78 pages of it. I turned it in today. Just 24 hours shy of the deadline.
YEAH!!! IT. IS. FINISHED. Did I mention the 78 pages? In 28 days?
SO now that that is done, I get to take care of all I have let slide while getting the scrapbook done. Laundry...endless loads of laundry. Vacuuming...I'm not sure what color our carpet is supposed to be. And I think there is a dining room underneath all that scrapbook stuff!
.
I'll be back in a few days after I dig out!

You are invited...

Though the world is a mean place, as we have all witnessed this week,
and Kolby is home with a stomach bug,
and Rhett and Ella Kate can't seem to stay away from her,
and the scrapbook deadline is breathing down my neck,
and the laundry pile resembles Everest,
and the list of things to do is a mile long,
and it is 11AM and I am still in my PJs...
It's a beautiful Spring day in Texas and I feel like having a tea party.

In blog world anyway.
Want to join me?

We will dine on a patio overlooking flower beds of blooming Iris, hydrangea and roses.
Three large hundred year oak trees form a triangular canopy over our patio and lazily stretch out towards the surrounding garden.
There is a mild breeze that keeps us pleasantly cool in the warm spring time sun.
I have set a large round table with a crisp white Belgium lace and linen cloth.
Folded matching napkins hold stems of my mothers sterling silver spoons and forks and are cinched with blade of long meadow grass and topped with the bright yellow head of a daffodil.
There is a beautifully vibrant arrangement of gorgeous spring flowers crowning a low round antique cut glass vase in the center of the table.
Two fat glass pitchers full of Springtime Lemonade and Sweet Iced Tea topped with circular slices of lemon and chucky ice cubes adorn the silver trey to the right of the flowers.
Beside the flower crested silverware, petite crystal cut out dinner plates sit at each place and beckon us to fill them full of the petite sandwiches and iced cookies that spill over the silver trays and crystal platters that dot the table.
We sip from crystal teacups that fit snugly on to their matching saucers.
We talk , laugh, and sigh as we enjoy the beauty of the day and joy of companionship.
Ahhhhh.
It's the perfect Spring Tea Party.
In blog world, anyway.

I'm bringing my Nana's Cucumber Sandwiches. (recipe in comments later) What are you going to bring?
I think the world would be a better place if we had more tea parties. Don't you agree?

A Tuesday

Today Kolby takes the Math TAKS. I'm not as anxious about this one as I was the Reading TAKS because Kolby has done fine in math with no problems. Still it was a red letter day for her. Now that this is over, third grade can hopefully get back to just being third grade, not "third grade preparing for the TAKS". Her class hasn't taken a field trip all year because they wait till the TAKS is over. The TAKS determines so much about the year for them. I pray everyone in her class passes!

Rhett was supposed to have a field trip today to visit a wild flower ranch, but since it is raining, I bet it was canceled. Rhett was sad that I couldn't go with his class but, Ella Kate had her nine month check-up this morning. We had rescheduled already so I wasn't going to back out again. Ella Kate is following in the steps of her siblings and staying true to the 75 percentile for height, weight and head circumference. Dr. K said all looked well and EK is progressing along fine. It was a sort of boring doctor visit.

As I drove home just now in the rain, I was mentally clicking down my list of things to do this week. It's a typical week. Baby shower on Saturday, soccer practice but no game, take a meal to a friend, take a salad to school, a dentist appointment, a field trip, a well check, dance, girls scouts, Rhett has a play date, gotta get that PTA scrapbook done, laundry, get shoes for the baby, take stuff back to Wal-mart... nothing to spectacular or out of the ordinary.... just typical Mom stuff.

Then it hit me how blessed I am to be having this week. This typical ole week. With my three healthy, and for the most part, happy kids, my hard working, loving husband, my messy, but comfortable house, my big family all healthy and near. I didn't do anything special or great to deserve these blessings. I know things can change in the blink of an eye, but right now I'm so thankful to be living this typical week in my life. It feels warm, secure and happy to have this type of week, though outwardly it probably appears boring, typical or mundane.

Perhaps I am feeling especially blessed because of the people at Virginia Tech whose lives are so far from ordinary this week. There was a time in my life when I would have felt a little guilty for being happy and secure in my life while tragedy has struck some one else so hard. If some horrible thing like what happened yesterday happened, I would have submerged myself in the tragedy and thought of little else. But over time God has taught me that for me there is a better way to handle such things. He has shown me time and again that everyone will have good and bad times. Every person on this planet will have splendidly good and terribly horrible times, times of great joy and great sorrow. It's not a matter of if, just a matter of when. The key for me is to appreciate the time I am in and really live it for all it is worth. I have to celebrate the good times and be so grateful for them because we are not assured of what lies ahead. I am only assured of who is in control. And HE commands my appreciation in all things.

And yes! I mourn for all those who were killed and hurt yesterday at Virgina Tech. How can anyone not? It is such an awful, awful tragedy. It hurts just to think about it! But I've come to think that I don't have to stay glued to the TV listening to every gory detail to honor those struck by this tragedy. Maybe the best thing I can do to honor those who hurt and grieve is to really and properly appreciate the blessing I have as I pray for them. Honoring the fallen should make me better, more loving and thankful.

So I haven't watched much about the shooting. I didn't even let my kids, especially Kolby, see that it happened last night. Today after her TAKS test, and after the authorities know a bit more about what happened and why, I will probably tell Kolby and Rhett what happened. They may already know about it. They may have questions.We may talk about it for a while. Then I'm hoping together we will pray for all those who are hurting because of this. And in that same prayer we will thank God for all our blessings and vow to do our best for HIM every day that we are blessed to be alive. Then, with a deeper appreciation in our hearts, I hope we talk about our day, get homework done, laugh,, eat dinner, do laundry, read and play with the baby. Just typical Tuesday night stuff.

I hope you to are in a place in life where you can celebrate all God has given you and thank him for the blessings of this wonderfully typical Tuesday, while praying earnestly for those going through such darkness.

Happy Tuesday!

Bluebonnets Take 2

Beth Moore prayed like me...

Thanks so much to my blog buddy Tracy who sent me to Beth Moore's blog today. If you want to read all Beth Moore said hop over to see Tracy or go to the Living Proof Ministries blog. I'm not a Beth Moore groupie, but I totally admire her. After reading her thoughts this morning , I admire her even more. This is an excerpt from her post about being a young mother.

Last night at Bible study I taught on being a mom and my mind has been swimming with memories of my girls when they were little bitty. As God would have it, a few weeks ago I happened on an old prayer journal from 1982 when Amanda was barely three and Melissa was a newborn. Those of you in the throes will not be surprised to hear that it was filled with unsophisticated requests for things like more sleep, for Melissa to adjust better to the church nursery, for financial help as I got to stay home with the girls, for Amanda not to catch Melissa's cold, for Keith and I to get along better, for him to want to go to church, for him to stop cussing (I hope you're smiling because I am), for him to...and for him to...and for him to...and for him to...and for us to get to go to a marriage conference, for me to apply what I was learning in my first Dr. Dobson book, for me to have a better disposition (I must have used the word ten times that I could find), and for me to make minutes for my quiet time because "my day goes so much better when I do." Sound familiar?

Ok I have to stop here and say WOW! For the first time ever I think Beth Moore's prayers and mine sound a lot alike. Beth Moore. Spiritual Giant and author of a gazillion "deep thought" bible studies. Yeah, that Beth Moore.When her kids were little she prayed for financial help, more sleep, kids not to get sick, to get along better with her husband and FOR HIM TO.... If I kept a prayer journal I would think somehow Beth Moore got her hands on it. But I don't keep a prayer journal, so maybe my unsophisticated prayers aren't so unique to me! If Beth Moore's prayers once sounded like mine, there is hope for me yet! But there is more. She went on to say this...

Even before I found the journal, I'd begun reliving so many of those experiences as I watched Amanda with her young family. One of the things I enjoy so much as I relive those priceless and challenging days in my memory is Amanda telling me all about her fellow mom-friends and the babies they share. Second only to seeing pictures of Jackson in his Easter outfit, I died to see pictures of Ella and Ava, his best girl buddies who were born within days of him. The pictures did not disappoint. I hang on every word Amanda says as she tells me about this mom and this baby, that mom and that baby. I can't overemphasize how rich my fellow moms made my parenting experience. Particularly one: my best friend, Johnnie. She had two boys and I had two girls and we dragged those four kids to every McDonalds in Houston just so we could finish a sentence. We taught Mother's Day Out together because we were both broke. We home-made family Christmas gifts because we didn't have the money to buy them. (We spent what money we had on our babies.) I hate arts and crafts to this day and still have burns from glue guns. That's not all. I'd decide I'd had it with Keith and I'd leave him in the morning sometimes, go to her house with my unsuspecting girls, drink a cup of coffee, get in a better mood, and be back home by the time he got off work. He'd walk in the door, ask about my day, and I'd say under my breath, "I left you today. That's how my day was." Hee hee. Somehow I'd feel some satisfaction with that, repent, then fall in love with him all over again. It was his looks.

When we lived in Fort Worth and Kolby was a baby, I had several great mom friends like this. We did everything together. Then we had our second babies, and it got harder, and then most of us moved to other towns. I still miss them! I love my friends and family here, but I miss those first mommy days and mommy friends. I didn't realize at the time how much God had blessed me with those friends. Now, I am very aware at how rich I was to have so many good christian young mommy friends. They taught me so much about being a mom, a wife and a christian, and how to do all three simultaneously. When I see young first time Moms now I pray that they too are blessed with other first time Mom friends. But Beth's lesson to me today goes on...

My point is, Moms, you've got to have you a support group of other moms. Many who are peers. Others who are just ahead of you. They will be used of God to get you through everything from the mundane to the morose. As I told my class last night, our ancient female ancestors walked to wells and rivers together to get water. Our great grandmothers quilted and canned together. We, instead, are imprisoned in our minivans driving breakneck speed, thinking a few maniacal minutes on a cell phone can replace a regular play-date where believing moms can take some time to laugh and share. I don't think it's a luxury. It's a necessity for mental (and often spiritual!) health!

Because, you see,...*No day full of dirty diapers has overtaken you but such as is common to moms.*No tantrum has overtaken you but such as is common to moms.*No "but, Mom, everybody is going!"
has overtaken you but such as is common to moms.*No "You hate me!" has overtaken you but such as is common to moms.*No child's first love has overtaken you but such as is common to moms.*No child's first broken heart has overtaken you but such as is common to moms.*No broken curfew has overtaken you but such as is to moms.*No goodbye has overtaken you but such as is common to moms.

And in reading that I realized, how much I still need my friends. I'll be honest, I haven't been the best friend. In the last few years being a good friend hasn't even been on my radar. Survival. Taking care of the kids. Attempting to keep up with the kids and occasionally the house. Being involved in Kolby's school and doing what she needed for her reading issues. Stretching dollars to meet the kids ever changing and growing needs and most of their wants. making great memories with them and cherishing every little stage. That has been my focus. Rob has focused on trying to better our finances, so I could stay home and focus on the kids. Which is all good. But is not all that is good. I not only have not been a good friend to others, I have not been a very good friend to myself.

For the last few months I feel God has been working on me. He has been reminding me of who I am aside from my family. Through Sari working all the old auto shows I used to work, I have been forced down memory lane to visit my single self and remember the goals, drive and abilities I had back then. Now at that time in my life I just wanted to find "the one," get married and have a family. AND I AM SO HAPPY I DID! But looking back I really like that girl who could fly all over the country and talk gear shift ratios and torque with Porsche fanatics, the girl who roller bladed with girl friends several times a week, the girl who took a week off to help her aunt decorate for a big Christmas party, the girl who owned a paint ball gun and played in a league, and the girl who not only taught Kindergarten at church on Wednesday nights, but took the whole class out of town for a field trip one weekend. I am that girl, but I at times she seems like a total stranger.

While pondering these thoughts of reconciling my former and present self, as God would have it, a few weeks ago I was blessed to see an old friend who I haven't seen face to face in twelve years. Unbeknownst to my friend (except that I tell him from time to time) in the twenty plus years that we have known each other God has used him to teach me more than one life lesson. This time was no different.

While I was super happy and proud to introduce him to Rob and the kids, I felt like I have become such a Mom that I'm not sure he could even recognize me. And I'm not just talking looks. I sometimes find it hard to think of much to talk about outside my kids. In talking with him and remembering the good old days, I felt sorta flat. Like I wasn't the bubbly me I used to be. I doubt he noticed or thought much of it. We had a great visit. But that visit from the past caused me to take a long look in the mirror... and I'm not at all satisfied with what I see.

In the great inspirational movie The Lion King (I loved it way before I had a husband and kids) there is a scene where Simba faces the spirit of his father after fleeing the pride lands for the safer, more lazy, bug eating life of the rain forest. In the deep booming voice of James Earl Jones, Mufasa says to Simba "You are more than what you have allowed yourself to become." That statement has been booming in my head for the last few weeks. (Sometimes in the deep voice of James Earl Jones! Do you think God and James Earl Jones could sound alike? :)

And I am working on it. I can't wrap all this up and tell you the conclusion because I don't have one. It's a work in progress. There is a lesson here, but I am still learning it.

So why write this novel length post? Why tell you all this? Because Beth Moore used to pray unsophisticated prayers. Her sharing that gives me hope and makes me feel like maybe all these things I struggle with are not unique to me. Maybe most struggles in life are universal and by sharing them we help each other. Maybe this post will help someone in their journey. Or maybe in 20 years Kolby can look back on this and learn from her Mommy's experiences. I don't know. But it feels good to share and get things out.

I also share because in reading that last paragraph I quoted from Beth Moore, I realized that over the last few years my blog friends have filled a need I have for Christian friends. So it's not face to face sharing. Blog world is no substitute the real world nor are blog friends a substitute for face to face friends. But still, we share our thoughts, our struggles, our experiences, and our love for God. We share and inspire and question and sympathize and laugh and give "blugs". That is what friends do. In a time when I haven't been that great of a friend, God has blessed me with some great friends via blog world. And I am so happy to be sharing this journey with you. So thanks for that. God is just amazing in the way he fills needs before I know I have them.

WELL... Blog break over now. Back to it!
Hope you have a blessed and happy Thursday!

Still scrapbooking....

In case you missed me saying this last week... I am the Historian for PTA. All year I have thought it was a pretty cushy job. But then there is this little matter of a PTA Scrapbook that is due for Competition at the end of the month. I should have been working on it all year long. Anyone want to guess when I started on it? Yeah. So, I now remember why I love to scrapbook (creative, memory recording, artsy thing to do) and why I haven't scrap booked in five years ( kids, life, takes up the whole dining room {which is reserved for laundry folding most days} and darn it, you have to keep up with so much stuff!) I was hoping this would inspire me to get past Rhett being born in his baby book and to start Ella Kate's, but so far...it's not happening.
Here are some EKG pictures. Seriously how did she get to be 9 months old already?????


The last one seems to grow the fastest! NO FAIR!!!

This is one of my favorite EK expressions, crinkled nose and all!

Toodle-ooo! If you need me in the next three weeks, I will be in the dining room scrap booking.

Not your typical Bluebonnet pictures...

Yes, it is snowing here today. So I had to take our first ever snow and blue bonnet pictures!

























Blue eyes in the blue bonnets.



















Ella Kate was a bit overwhelmed with her first snow and first blue bonnets the day before her first Easter.



























Kolby and Rhett loved it!



























Blue bonnets on ice!



























Not your typical day before Easter in Texas pictures... Our house today.


















Pond near by.


















Hope it doesn't keep the Easter bunny away!



























Ella Kate loved the snow...from indoors!



























Happy Easter from snow covered Texas!