First day of school

The first day of school is always a highly anticipated time. It's when the kids get to see their friends again. It's when they get to be in new classrooms. It's when they get to meet new people and do new things. But the best part of the first day of school for my kids is getting to wear their new clothes. Yes, my kids think this is a big deal.

Last night before they went to bed, they all had their clothes laid out neatly in their rooms. They knew exactly what they were going to wear today and they were pretty excited about it. Check out their new threads!!!

Getting out the door today was the easiest it's ever been and probably the easiest it will ever be. Trey was insistent when we went to bed last night, that I get him up at 5:30....maybe as late as 5:45. He wanted to be up and ready this morning. I got him up at 6:00 and he let me know of his dissatisfaction with me that I'd gotten him up 'late.' Just you wait, 'enry 'iggins,' just you wait.....when it's impossible to get you out of bed here in a couple of days.

It's been a tradition for our family for me to take the kids to school on the first day and take their picture at their new desk. Julia, since her room was the first we came across, had hers taken first. I am reserving judgment about the teacher she was given. I have not been given the most positive feedback by those who've had this teacher before, so we're praying she has a good experience.

Josh was next. He is never too sure about school. Josh had a rough 3rd grade year and wasn't looking forward to today at all, but we believe that God gave him the perfect teacher and are praying that he has a good year.....at least enough of one to erase the bad memories from last year.

Trey's room is literally the furthest classroom from the front door and by the time we'd gotten there, he decided he did not want me taking his picture. He is now way too cool for that. So, you get a picture of him with Tymin.

And lastly....I am now officially a Middle School mom. Daniel was pretty pumped about today. He'll get his schedule this morning for the first time and hopefully he'll remember to bring it home so I can see it!! I'm dying to know what he's doing right now. God is good. He has given us two fantastic schools to send our kids to and teachers that love to teach. I'm looking forward to a great school year.

Adventures at Krystal

I am a priss and a snob. I know it. I claim it. I am a priss and a snob. I believe that the county I live in is better than anyone else's. I believe my kids schools are the best. I don't like getting my fingers messy when I eat. I don't like my hair messed up and I don't like my face being touched. It's just me.

Because of this, I have never eaten at Krystal. I have also never even had the desire to eat at Krystal. Krystal just seems so.............trashy. So............cheap. So..............I don't know......So........not me. Am I judging a book by its cover? You bet I am. But that's just me. Love me or hate me for it? Ok.....I am what I am. Saturday night, the Lord decided He would show me a thing or two about myself and being the willing participant that I am, I went along for the ride.

On the way home from White Water on Friday, we noticed that my right rear tire was beginning to go flat. No worries. I would just take the car to NTB on Saturday and get it taken care of. So, on Saturday as we were leaving the house, I noticed something very strange about the way the car drove. It was rocking so violently from side to side, it was as if I was running over something. And it kinda freaked me out. I got out of the car and sure enough.....the tire was completely flat now and it was just beginning to storm. So, we continued on our way to the NTB. It didn't take me long to learn that I wasn't able to drive more than 20 miles per hour without the car shimmying and shaking in an almost scary manner. And the fact that it was raining so hard it was almost a monsoon didn't help either. With hazard blinkers on, I prayed our way through the downpour to the NTB......probably a 7 + mile trip. We got 3/4 of the way there when I heard some strange goings-on from the tire area. I called back to Trey....."Look behind you and see if there are pieces of tire flying up from the car." Trey's response....."Yes, mommy. There is."

Fabulous. Had the tire not begun to shred I would have kept driving, but since I knew I was in danger of some serious rim damage, I pulled off Hwy. 85 into the nearest parking lot.

The Krystal parking lot.

We sat while the rain came down.....And the thunder pounded and the lightning struck. The lightning struck so closely there was no...and I mean NO wait for the thunder. There were more simultaneous flash/bams than I cared to count. And the Bradford Pear right next to where we were parked just decided it wanted to lay down right where it stood. The kids were scared. I was awed. God's glory and power were in full display at 4:00 yesterday afternoon. I got out of the car to assess the damage......if the tire wasn't too bad, I would consider making our way to the shop. We were so close I could almost see the building. But sure enough. It was bad. And the rain was coming down so hard and the wind was whipping so strongly, the umbrella was flipped inside out and I looked like I'd gone out without one to begin with. I went through my cell phone to see who I could call to come help. Mark was at a wedding. Tommy was in Macon. Joe B. didn't answer his phone.......Now what? Then it dawned on me.............

The little blue button. "Thank you for calling Onstar, Mrs. PV....How can I help you?" It was like a voice from Heaven. It was a beautiful thing. I told them my plight and they assured me they would send Roadside Assistance out to help us as soon as they could. A great sigh of relief washed over me and the kids. The storm continued, but the anxiety began to dwindle. Suddenly from the back of the car came a voice....."I'm hungry." "Well, guys we really can't go anywhere. We need to wait here until the tire gets changed and then we'll grab dinner." "But mom.....we can eat at Krystal."

Huh? Krystal? I don't think so. "C'mon, Mom....we're hungry." Feeling like I was in the twilight zone, I sent Daniel in to get some Krystals. Out he came with 5. And he only spent $4. I'm not sure what it is.....but something about spending $4 for 5 little burgers seems disturbing to me. The kids each took one. I did not. And the response was unanimous......."Mom, these are best burgers EVER." "Mom, I can't believe you've never taken us to Krystal before. These are awesome." "Mom, we need to add this to the 'Great Restaurant' list." Ok, now I draw the line.....Krystal? A restaurant? Puhleeaze!!! I went ahead and ate my little burger, too and I will admit it was better than I expected it to be. Next, the kids decided they were thirsty too and since we couldn't go anywhere we might as well go inside and eat for real. Now, I know I've gone off the deep end. We head inside. Everyone orders and we sit down with our food. On one wall is a sign that says, "Krystal Lovers Hall of Fame." Trey looks at me and says, "They need to add me to that list." What a goober. We finish eating and head back to the car. The call came in telling me that it would be at least another 30 minutes before Roadside Assistance would get to us. At the same time, a very large black pickup truck pulls up beside me. And out walks our angel. Brad. The man that built our house was driving by, saw the kids near the car and then realized what had happened. He got out and asked one question...."You want me to do it?" YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!

It was wonderful. I called OnStar back and cancelled our request for assistance. And within a few minutes Brad and his boys had our tire changed.

God showed His awesomeness once again....not only in the power of the storm, but in sending just the right person to help us as well as providing us with a good meal. It was a good couple of hours.

Now the kids are asking for Krystal for every meal.

Hmmmmm, let me think about that one...................No.

White Water

White Water is such a fun place to be. We've only been twice in the 8+ years we've lived here, but both times I've asked myself...."Why don't we come here more often?"

Oh yeah, cause it's expensive. But no mind....we went yesterday and a good time was had by all. It was sunny. It was hot. But the water was wonderful and the rides......pretty great. I must say, though, that the highlight was the Tornado. The line looked menacing, but in reality it wasn't. In fact, the park as whole was not as crowded as I was expecting, for the last 'official' day of summer. We had no trouble finding multiple chairs in a row to lay our towels and we waited no longer than 30 minutes start to finish for a ride.

We decided on a couple of rides that we would go boys on one and girls on another. The Tornado was one of these rides. The boys went first and we girls had a good laugh watching them try and get that huge 4-man tube up the stairs. They did well once they figured out how to work together. We girls were two groups behind the boys. This was our first time riding the Tornado and wow.....we'll be riding that again someday. It was great. I must say, when we went up into the funnel part of the ride, I was convinced we were going to flip, we went so high. But we didn't. We came down laughing and ready to head to the next thrill.

My boys had a couple of moments where they didn't want to wait in line......they wanted to head straight for the Atlanta Ocean. Why, I'm not sure. It's just a wave pool, but the adults and Julia won out and we waited in the lines we were in and then headed to the wave pool.

The one downside was the end......No, not because we had to leave. But because we couldn't. At 4:20, Chelsie began to round up the kiddoes from Little Squirt's Island. One by one they came out for a sip of Diet Coke and to hear that we were leaving. One by one....each boy was on board with what was going on. The girl.........not so much. For those of you who know Julia, you know she can be 'all that' and has a ton of personality, to say the least. For those that don't know her....well, there's no way I can describe her and give her any justice. She is a joy. A doll. A pain in the neck. Our sunshine. Our hormonal mess. A flake. A flirt. A tease. A perfect mix of her three brothers. A chip off the old block in her mother. The apple of her daddy's eye. The Queen Mother, as my father calls her. A diva. The only granddaughter for my parents. She loves to learn new things, but thinks she knows everything. A brat. And just plain wonderful.

When Julia was told it was time to go, she decided we would 'wait right out here' for us while we finished gathering up the boys. By the time, we made our way out of the Island, not 10 seconds later, she had taken off in the direction of Captain Kid's Cove. Daniel, being the oldest and because he can run faster than I can, was sent after her. We waited for a bit but they never showed. Chelsie and I decided I would head back to the chairs to gather the stuff and she would head over to gather Daniel and Julia. As I was finishing up folding the towels and gathering shirts and flipflops, up walks Chelsie......alone. Shaking her head, she tells me she couldn't find them. Most parents would probably flip their lids in fear. For some reason, with my kids, I'm not like that. They have shown themselves in so many situations to be able to handle different things and handle them well. They have been approached by kids at school to do the wrong thing and haven't. They don't talk to strangers. I've watched them ignore people who say HI to them because they don't know them. They have been trained in self-defense.

Does that mean I don't worry about them? Absolutely not. I am very careful with my kids. I just don't hover over them and watch their every move. So, when Chelsie said she couldn't find them.....I knew where Julia was. She wasn't lost or stolen. She was playing somewhere. We decided to go two different directions to the exit in hopes of coming across the two kids. We didn't find them right away. Neither of the adults found Julia........Josh did. And sure enough, I was right. She was in the Wave Pool.......living it up. Having a great time. Daniel was nowhere to be found. I made my way toward her and she saw me. We mothers have 'the look'.....you know the one. And she got it. And she hung her head knowing she was dead meat. She got a good scolding and I seriously considered spanking her right there, but figured there were way too many people who would take what was once considered good parenting, and twist it into abuse. She knew she was in trouble. She got the message. Now off to find Daniel.

Within 30 seconds he walked up. He told me he chased Julia toward Captain Kid's Cove but she got away via the Suwanee river. He had gone around again trying to find her, but couldn't. He's such a great big brother. He was as frustrated as I was as he knows his role as the oldest.

This took 30 minutes. 30 minutes. I had promised Chelsie we would have her back to my house between 5 and 5:30, so she could head to a commitment she had and so Noah could go to his Open House with his teacher. Now, none of this would happen, which did not make me happy. Chelsie and Noah were OK with it. I was not.

But all in all, it was a good day. We ate dinner on the way home, so no cooking for me last night, which is always a blessing. Today, we're cleaning and cleaning and cleaning and doing some laundry and going and finishing up getting what the kids need for school. It'll be a long and busy day. But I ain't complaining. I've got my human babies.....and my feline babies. Just missin' the husband, but he'll be home in 5 weeks.

What a Thursday

This has been a day!! First, we had guests last night. Yep, that's right. Four active children just wasn't enough for me. I thought I'd add a couple more. And it was great!

Aubrey and Parker spent the night last night just to make things a bit easier on Cantini and Red Ranger. Hopefully they used their time wisely last night........

Anyway, I digress. The kids had a blast watching Parent Trap again and playing with the Star Wars toys that Aubrey brought over.

When we designed the house, we put the Master Bedroom on the Main level on one end and the main living area of the basement at the opposite end. Genius, I know. So, the children were in the basement, and I was in my blissfully, silent bedroom.....not hearing a thing. I did have to re-accompany a couple of kids back downstairs, but other than that....once they fell asleep, they stayed asleep.

Today was Meet the Teacher Day at the schools. Allycat's younger daughter came over to sit with the kids for the hour that Daniel and I headed to his new Middle School. And much to my surprise...it was exactly as they said it would be. Meeting the Teachers. No schedules. No locker assignments. No nothing. It was as simple as finding Daniel's name on the big board, paying the $35 in fees they need and walking to his homeroom to meet his teacher. That was it.

I found myself a little disappointed as I was hoping to 'show him the ropes' so to speak about middle school life. You know...checking his schedule against all his friends so they can see if they have any of the same classes, changing classes for each subject, finding his locker and learning how to open the combination, how to stack the textbooks in the locker in the same order as the classes so they're easier to transfer to the bookbag......That kind of stuff. But no. All we did was meet teachers. Funny how it's called Meet the Teacher Day. Craziness.

We came home for lunch and got ready to take Aubrey and Parker back to their mommy and head to the younger kids Meet the Teacher time at their school. We've done that for the last four years, so nothing was a surprise there. They all seem excited about their teachers and are looking forward to Monday.

Joshua had the first football practice he could actually attend tonight and it went really well. It appears they are going to put him on defense as he spent the whole time blocking and tackling. He is loving it, thankfully.

And finally, to close this most exciting and news-worthy post.....I present you Limerick.
First, who could not love this face. (I think he is posing in honor of 'di-dan's' Sweet Kitty)

But second....this picture was taken just after he decided he wanted to rub his face against my toothbrush, and then chew on it.

Goofy kitty.....

And if I wasn't enough of a psycho....I'm taking my kids to White Water tomorrow. But I'm not going alone....One of my most favorite teenagers is coming along and probably bringing her younger brother. It'll be good.

But even if the whole day turns out not so great tomorrow....one good thing will come out of it. Compared to some of the 'physiques' stuffed inside bathing suits and bikini's at that place.....I'm Bo Derek. I know I can hold my head high and stick my 4-kid poochie out there for all to see, because there are thousands of other women who look far worse than I........

At White Water.....I'm a '10'

No doubt about it.

I just can't do it......I refuse

I'm stamping my foot in complete and utter disregard to the advice given to me today.

Last Thursday or Friday, I noticed I was having some congestion issues. Because I have always had overactive sinuses, I didn't really think too much about it until Sunday when it seemed to get worse.......then Monday, worse yet....Tuesday...... today. Concern washed over me. What is up with my throat and my chest?

Holy Canoli.............NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! It can't be. I refuse to believe it. I won't. NO!

But, yet, it's true. According to the doctor......I am, in her words, 'highly allergic' to my new kittens, and a cat allergy is, in her opinion, 'very difficult to treat.' Then she gave me her recommendation and like I said.....there is no way I am going to do what she recommends. She actually had the audacity to tell me that I need to consider getting rid of the kittens before the children get too attached. Children, shmildren. I'm the one that's attached, dangit.

They're my babies. How can I give them up? She asked me if they could become outside cats. No. I'm not comfortable with that, especially since there only 4 months old. Is there a way to enclose them in a porch or carport? No, my house is wide open.

So, that's my quandary. She gave me Nasonex and Allavert to get me through the crisis, but then said again to consider giving them up.

Blasphemy!!!

My life as a mother of six

I have always wondered how Mike and Carol Brady did it. 6 kids. Having six children was never even on the radar for me and Joe. We always knew we wanted four and God, thankfully, gave us what we asked for.

But this week, I have the opportunity to see what being a mom of 6 would look like, as I have the privilege of watching over Cantini's and Red Ranger's boys, ages 5 and 3.

Today was Day One. On the 'Great Day' Scale....this one ranks right up there near the top. A Great Day.

When my kids went to bed last night, they asked me to wake them up early this morning, so they could be up when Aubrey and Parker arrive. They didn't want to miss a thing. They were so excited to be able to entertain and be entertained by two younger boys.

There are many benefits of having children so close together. They grow up together....like and do a lot of the same things...have a lot of the same friends. But one thing I saw in my kids as God continued to add to our family is that they make great older siblings. They love playing with kids younger than they are. They love babies. They love little kids. They even enjoy working in the nursery on nights when it's my turn. So being excited about hanging out with these two boys comes very naturally to my bunch.

They played Prince (Aubrey) and Princess (Julia), Knight (Parker) and Guard (Daniel), they played Spy Kids and the played like they were in Narnia. They played air hockey, pool, Perfection and ran through the sprinkler in the front yard. They played with our kittens for two straight hours.....and the kittens played right back.....so much that a 4 hour nap was in order for the babies afterward, much to the chagrin of some cutie kids.

They ate cereal for breakfast and grilled cheese for lunch and had Oreo's with peanut butter (my kids) for snack.....in honor of Hallie Parker and Annie James of Parent Trap, one of our all-time favorite movies.

And when it came time for the boys to go home....there was hate and discontent all around. Ok, not really, but it was hard breaking them away from each other. They had a great time today.

And later, my boys declared Aubrey and Parker as officially 'cool.' It was, without a doubt.......

........A Great Day.

It's official

Not only am I the quintessential karate mom......the cat charmer......and the consummate baseball fan.....I am now a 'football mom.'

It's official, Josh has been drafted by our hometown team.....The Cowboys. We're very excited as the Tuna is a great coach and there are few better than T.O. at wide receiver, despite his antics. While Josh's position is yet to be defined, we're confident he'll be lined up next to Roy Williams or DeMarcus Ware ready to take down Michael Vick or even Reggie Bush as they attempt to gain yardage on this outstanding defense.

We got word tonight that all new footballs have been purchased as well as new uniforms......no used equipment for my Cowboy!!!

Needless to say, we are ecstatic. He was a little disappointed as he was hoping to be drafted by the Eagles. Playing alongside Donovan McNabb has always been a dream of his. Now he'll just have to look forward to bringing him down on Monday Night Football on ESPN this fall.

The team has its first practice on Tuesday night. Rest assured I will have my face paint on and my "That's my boy!" sign raised high in the air for all to see.

I've also decided it might be best to hire a bodyguard. Josh might need a respite from all of the screaming fans wanting his autograph.

'Nuff said

I can't say enough how thrilled I am with our kittens. Yes, I know we just got them. Yes, I know they're still kittens and one day will become cats, but this has been a great week of getting to know our new babies. They seem to really enjoy being part of our family and our family enjoys having them part of us. They are sweet, cuddly, lovable, precious, curious, ornery and just plain wonderful.

Julia and Tymin....He's is the perfect cat for our family because he lets her carry him around like a baby!!

Josh and Oliver. He is the most nervous of the kittens,
but he loves to be held and he loves to eat!!


Limerick...the most entertaining and the most ornery
of the kittens. He is full of vim and vigor, for sure.

The babies think the fireplace is a great place to explore.
It's a good thing I turned the pilot light off last week.

Promises, Promises

I knew resigning from my position at the church was a God-ordained decision. What I didn't know was how quickly it would become so obvious.

Just like it is with most families, my kids keep me pretty busy. Alot of it, I will admit, is my own doing. I chose to put them in karate when Joe was on Active Duty the first time. I wanted them to have a positive male role model in their lives and honestly, Mr. Adam is more of a positive influence than I could have ever hoped for. He encourages the children. He believes in them. He lives and works so my kids, and all of the kids he teaches, will succeed. I chose to have the kids take piano lessons. For some it's a joy and something to look forward to. For others, it wasn't their thing and that's OK. I wanted them all to experience it for a time.

One thing we haven't gotten involved in is organized sports. Because karate can take 3-4 of our nights each week, I didn't see how we could add something else. Especially since we're at church on Wednesday and Thursday nights. But the kids have always asked. Trey has wanted to play baseball. Daniel soccer. Josh football. We told the children that once karate was completed........once they earn their black belt, they can begin the next sport. Daniel and Trey earned their belt in May. Josh will be testing for his in November and should pass.

If there is one thing that my children expect, it's for us to keep our word. If we make a promise, we need to keep it. And promising to sign them up for their favorite sport was no different. Joshua's football 'career' began this week. He's had tryouts every night and it's evident by watching the boys practice who has been playing for a year or two and who is a first-timer. But that hasn't stopped Josh from jumping right in and doing what he's asked to do. And he has had a ball. Every night this week, he has made the same comment to me, "Mom, thank you for signing me up for football."

He has melted my heart with his gratitude.

We will sign Trey up for baseball at the end of August. I will be real curious how practice days and times jive with what we are already involved in. I have already come to the conclusion that I may have to give up my role with Celebrate Recovery. It's an awesome ministry, but not one I can give enough to and still be and do what my kids need.

We will get a phone call on Saturday from Josh's new football coach. There are 3 teams that will be drafting players this weekend and we'll find out then which team Josh is on. It is a beautiful thing to see true joy in my child. And I thank my God that He prompted me, reminded me, smacked me around, so I would understand that my ministry is my family. This has been an awesome summer and one I wouldn't trade for anything.

Introduction

We have had Bumper for 5 or 6 years. I can't remember how long it's been. He's been a part of our family since he was a puppy and we think he's pretty special. He does stay outside most of the time, but is allowed to come in to eat, sleep and hang for a bit. Then he's ushered back outside. He's a sweetheart. Has never hurt anyone and usually is even a little skeptical of people he doesn't know. We rarely hear him bark and growling......forget about it. It just doesn't happen. He's a stuffed animal inside the body of a Black Lab.

Harmless. To say the least.

Tonight, I decided I would introduce Bumper to his new housemates. I grabbed Limerick. Julia had Tymin. Oliver has decided he doesn't like venturing too far outside of Joe's office and was under the desk. I let Bumper in.

Whenever Bumper comes into the house, he's little jumpy. After all, he loves his human housemates and is happy to see us. He wants some lovin' and some food, then some time to either lay on the couch watching TV with Julia or lazying around my bedroom waiting for bedtime.

Tonight was no different. When Bumper came in the house, he did his usual tailwagging, circle-running, bouncing up in the air stunt that he's done for years. Did I mention he is harmless?

Unfortunately, I forgot to tell Tymin. The first meeting did not go well. Tymin came just short of having a coronary in Julia's arms. Limerick didn't seem to be too terribly concerned. Tymin........Yikes!! He jumped out of Julia's arms, taking some skin with him and began arching his back and hissing and trying to 'beat up' Bumper. Bumper just stood there trying to check Tymin out, but Tymin was having none of it. He freaked again. Julia meanwhile, began crying and clutching her arm. I yelled for Josh to grab Bumper and put him back outside. Julia continued crying. The boys weren't exactly sure what to do. Limerick just let me hold him. Tymin then hid under one of my chairs and waited til the calm came.

Oliver turned out to be wisest of all the cats as he stayed right where he was.....in the office.

Once things got quiet, I went to fish Tymin out from under the chair and thankfully, he seemed fine. Not knowing too much about cats, I really expected him to be totally ticked off at me, but he didn't seem to be. He let me pick him up and love on him.

Julia on the other hand has decided that Tymin is no longer her favorite cat. I tried explaining that Tymin wasn't picking on Julia, he was just doing what comes naturally......defending himself in a situation that he deemed dangerous.

I do not want Bumper to be relegated to outside life hereto and forevermore. But if the cats won't be comfortable in the house with him, I guess I don't have a choice. If anyone has any wisdom for me, I'd sure appreciate it. The cats lived with a dog at the foster home.....a lab mix who seemed to be as jumpy as Bumper, so it's not that it's a dog. Maybe they just have to get used to Bumper.

Hopefully, time will tell.

Too adorable.....not to.

I have always been fond of animals. Growing up we always had dogs and even a cat way back in the day. We had Sam, the cat; Jofis, the weiner dog, (yes, his name was Jofis, because I couldn't pronounce Joseph); Lady, the dog; another Lady, the dog; Hardhat and Bandit, both dogs; and later, Nicholas, the cat; Petey, the dog (he didn't last long); and currently, my parents have Wiggles and Waggles, the dogs on a very short leash. (I sure hope I'm not forgetting anyone).

Now, we have Bumper. Our black lab. He is probably one of the sweetest dogs around. Last week, a couple of my blogger buddies began talking about cats and how therapeutic and wonderful they are. So when 'Glasses of Grace' AKA 'di-dan' encouraged me to "Go For It!" and contact rescuecats.org.....I did.

Honestly, I didn't have any intention of adopting a kitten. Knowing I already had four two-footed children and one four-footed child, I didn't think I could handle anymore feet underfoot or mouths to feed, for that matter.

But as the song goes, "Just one look and it felt so right." I was hooked immediately. I sent Joe the link and knowing he is a 'cat guy' I figured there would be little argument. Sure enough, he said to go for it. But that we couldn't get just one. Kittens need a buddy.

So, I called the number of a lady in the area who is a 'foster mom' to abandoned or otherwise homeless kittens and cats and she invited us right over to check out her babies.

Needless to say, it didn't take long to figure out that kittens in our house would be a good thing. Meet Limerick and Oliver. Two tabbies that love to play. When we got them home tonight they explored and sniffed and did all those things that animals do in their new space, but very soon after they were wrestling and playing.














Limerick











Oliver





Tymin, our Russian blue mix, was content to just sleep in the chair.




So, there you have it. We are now cat owners. I wonder what Bumper will have to say about this.

Just us girls.....No more

My babies are back!!! The parents were told that the campers would be returning this afternoon at 3:30 and sure enough....at 3:27 the Motorcoach pulls up. Very impressive!!

Josh was the first to find me as he got off the bus. Then Trey. Then Daniel.

There are many benefits to my children going off to camp. Of course, the opportunity to get closer to God through Praise and Worship and take part in activities that they wouldn't normally get to be involved in......the opportunity to 'get away' for a bit, both for the kids and for me......but most of all, one of the greatest benefits of my kids going off to camp is the hugs they give when they see me for the first time in four days.

Awesome! And Trey was still hugging me when we got home. He wrapped his little arms around my waist, laid his head back, looked me in the eyes and just kept talking about his trip.....never letting go of me. It was so nice. And when I bent down to kiss him....he just smiled. He loves his mama.

The kids went down the zip-line and the rock slide and went swimming in the pool. They enjoyed Bible Study and Praise and Worship. The theme this week was Kids under Construction....and they were taught how God is the Master Designer of their lives. They said they learned a lot and can't wait until they get to go back next year.

I was told that the food at the Camp was WAY better than mine.....( yeah, whatever ) and the hayride was long and bumpy, but really cool.

There is, however, one downside to camp. Yep, the laundry and lemme tell ya....there was some 'funky' laundry in those suitcases. All three boys were sent with plastic bags to put the wet and/or dirty clothes in. Daniel did a great job of using the bag for its intended purpose. Trey just slightly less so. Josh......well, let's just say only one thing was in the bag. Everything else.....and I mean everything else....still very wet towels, dirty clothes and underwear was in the suitcase with the things he didn't wear. And the smell was enough to knock your socks off.

I didn't even bother to separate the laundry.....there were red towels and shirts with whites alongside jeans and shorts and bathing suits. I just stuffed as much into the washer as I could, and the tennis shoes went right into the trash can. Gross!!!

But I'm not complaining......

It's good to have my babies home.

Just a'tillin'

Day 2 of the House Reclamation Project has been underway for awhile now....I've finally gotten to a point of a break and thought I'd sit down for a lurking and blogging session.

So, how are all my blogger buddies doin' today?

Julia and I are good. We woke up at a fairly decent time this morning, made coffee (yes, she drinks it, too) and took most of the trash to the curb for the CLM folks to cart away. I realized, though, that I still had a laundry basket full of old toys that were garbage, too, but the big can was full, so it'll have to wait til next week. I'll just have to hide the evidence before the boys get home on Thursday, 'cause if I don't there will be a rummage session as soon as I turn my back.

Josh's room is mostly finished as is Daniel's room. Another 30 minutes and the upstairs should be completely put back together. Cleaning it will come Friday when the boys are here. After we worked on the upstairs this morning, Julia declared it was time to go to the pool. No argument from me as I enjoy every opportunity to add some freckles to my skin. We made lunch and headed that way only to find a sign on the gate.

"Pool closed due to contamination."

Ok......what the heck? Haven't ya heard of a swim diaper? And they say it takes 24 hours for a pool to be declared 'safe.' Having never owned a pool, I don't know if this is true or not. My gut tells me this is a bit of overkill, but whatever.

Back to the house we go, much to the chagrin of my daughter. It took her a good 30 minutes to get over her irritation about not getting to go swimming. We ate our lunch and I decided that since I couldn't work on my tan the old fashioned way, I would do it a little unconventionally........by tilling my flower garden.

I hate weeding. I just don't do it. I'd rather use my Bolens tiller three or four times every summer to chew up the weeds then get down on my hands and knees three of four times every week and hand pull or 'weed-popper' them out. So, I went into the garage, grabbed the tiller and took it up to the 'triangle' where we have most of our flowers. Hydrangeas, roses, zinnias. It's a rather large area and it takes a good 20 minutes or so to get all of the weeds tilled up. I noticed, though, that the tiller was out of gas. Fabulous. Thankfully, there was a full gas can in the garage that already had been mixed with the oil ready for my use. My husband is so good to me. Even when he's away, he's still taking care of me.

Thanks, honey.

Tilling is actually very good exercise. Working my biceps and my quads. Feel the burn, baby. Feel the burn.

Off to do more laundry.....the one downside to the type of 'cleaning' I'm doing. It's amazing all the clothes I'm finding in some very odd places.

I now understand.....

......why some animal mothers eat their young.

I knew going in that the project known as Joshua's room would be daunting at best. But I didn't expect what I actually encountered......a disaster of epic proportions.

I am truly the epitome of.....If I don't actually see it, it must not exist. Of course, this doesn't apply to my faith or my relationship with Jesus. With my kids and their rooms......absolutely, it does. I walked in to Josh's room and began tackling the 2 plastic bins against the wall. One was supposed to be full of nothing but Duplo legos. The other, with random toys and stuffed animals and probably a sock or two. What I got instead was legos, plastic letters and numbers, 3 belts, 5 socks, one zip-off leg to a pair of pants, a quarter, a dime, a pack of Blue Ice, 23 stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes, a pair of shoes, 7 books, 4 unsharpened pencils, 3 brand new crayons, 2 empty Coke cans, a Butterfinger wrapper, a pen, a marker, a SpiderMan mask, a bicycle helmet and a table knife. It was truly the PV"s version of Shock and Awe.

The only thing missing was the partridge in the pear tree.

By the time Julia and I were finished, we had all the duplos in one bucket, the stuffed animals in the middle of the bedroom floor, the books on the book shelves in Daniel's room, the clothes in the hamper and just about everything else in the trash can. I started to sift through the bigger of the two buckets to see if anything was salvagable, but when I realized there were crumbs of some sort coating the bottom, I decided it wasn't worth the time. I did keep the Thomas the Tank Engine stuff as well as any Hot Wheels cars, but everything else was deemed trash-worthy.

Good thing tomorrow is trash day.

Just us girls.....

Just me and Julia. No brothers. No boys. Just us.

And Oh what plans we have this week. Today the boys headed off to camp until Thursday, leaving Julia and me to fend for ourselves here in the ATL. We could hardly contain our glee as we made our way back to the house to begin Project #1: Tackling Julia's room.

I told the children last week that when the boys came home from camp they were going to find a new look to their bedrooms. No, we weren't going to move furniture.....I'd already been told by the boys that was not an option. But we were going to go through the plastic buckets of 'who knows what' and clean them out. Old McDonald's happy meal toys. Old broken toys. Books that are for younger children.

So, today, Julia decided she wanted to do her room first. Works for me. We began with the plastic bin at the end of the bed she doesn't normally sleep in (she has two beds in her room) and we found all kinds of stuff that did not need to be taking up space. Then we decided that we did want to move the furniture in her room, moving her two beds away from the walls so they are easier to make....and easier to clean underneath.

We ended our time.....2 hours later.....with the mini-book shelf that contained books I didn't even know we had and books I'd forgotten we had. Several were given the heave-ho. The rest were neatly lined up in order of type.....(Dr. Suess's together. Disney books together. Little Golden Books together.) Can you say Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?

We decided to reward ourselves with a trip to the pool for some fun in the sun. And in a little bit, we're, or I should say, I will take on the project known as Joshua's room. Now, that's a job that will surely only be completed when I reward myself with a bowl of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream.

Off to cook beanie-weenies for dinner.

Up to here....

I wish I had a dime for every time I've told my kids...."I've had it up to here with _________" because I would be a very rich woman if I did. I love my kids immensely, but Wow...can they spin me up. Tomorrow is Josh's birthday and because he and his brothers are off to camp in the morning, we celebrated his birthday today. I told him he could open his presents at the restaurant.....AFTER we ate lunch. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I said that, but I said it and I thought it best that I stick with it. Or not!!!

Josh is my negotiator. He'll come up with every reasonable option OTHER than the one I've presented and he, almost always, presents a very strong case in his favor. He didn't like the fact that I was making him wait until after lunch to open his presents. He wanted to do it in the car on the way to church at 7:30 in the morning.....Nope.....then he asked if he could open them in the car on the way to Olive Garden. Nope. After we eat. "But that's not fair!" Um....Ok. After lunch. By the time we finished our 'discussion' he had me down to opening his presents after we ordered our drinks. Fine. I said. Good grief.

I think the rest of the children were more excited than Josh was to open his presents as they all know.....what one kid gets, they all get to play with. It was a nice lunch and he seemed excited about his presents, including his Ipod with his name and favorite Bible verse on the back. Luke 2:52. Not the verse I would have chosen, but he likes it because it reminds him that if Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, then he can too.

After an afternoon of three of the children interrupting my snooze to tell me something someone else had done, we began getting ready for church.....and the boo-birds, otherwise known as my children, came out in full force. I wish I knew why my kids react with disdain when I say we're heading to 'night' church. I don't understand it. They know we go to church. It's nothing new. This is something I am really seeking God's help with, because I'm stumped by it.

While I was on the platform with the Praise Team, Joshua fell asleep. He's been doing that lately, which does cause me a little concern as he was out cold, which is not like him. As I sat down before the offertory, the other three kids piled on me. By the time the Pastor began his message, they were all wanting to lay down and go to sleep. I lost count at how many times I told them to sit up....at how many times I snapped my fingers for Daniel to be still.....at how many times I told Julia to stop crying....that I'd HAD IT!!! "But there's nothing to do" she replies. In all my smartness, I look at her and say, "Try sitting back and listening to the Pastor."

Poor Richard and Beth and Tommy and Michelle. I'm sure their worship was disrupted by this 'precious' daughter of mine and her busy-body big brothers. All I know is....the Pastor was talking about faith...different levels of faith. I heard parts of it....I'm sure it was awesome. I wish I could have heard the whole thing.

After church we headed to Moe's. We hadn't been in awhile and it was too late to do any cooking at home. Oh, by the way...they've done away with the punch card....What is up with THAT? Anyway, after dinner, we were piling back in the car and Josh looks at me and says......

"I don't wanna go to night church."

"Huh? .....Uh, Josh. We've already been to night church. You slept through the whole thing."

"Oh"

What a goofball.

Funny how my kids trying my patience seems to coincide with this new book I have on the Power of a Praying Parent.

Dad-gum devil. He is NOT going to win this battle. He's messing with the wrong mama!!!

Just another Saturday

I love Saturdays. It's a day for nothing....or something..... or a lot of somethings. That's what I love about it.....

Today, we chose a variety of things to do and I wasn't even going to post about it, cause I didn't think anyone would be that interested..... until I read some of my friends 'happenings' today and thought....well, maybe someone will get a smile out of my day. At the very least, Joe and our parents will.

As I've posted before, our kids have been taking karate for almost four years and because of the amount of time it takes out of our week, the children haven't been able to participate in any other organized sports....until now. And today was 'sign-up day' for the first child in line. That first child is Joshua....the third son in the order of the PV's. And he chose football. A strapping young man, he looks fine in his new ensemble. A black mesh jersey with '62' emblazoned in white on the front. The pants are equally fine in polyester black with a daring red stripe down the leg. The helmet, in stark white, has shown signs of past use with gouges and scrape marks throughout.

Isn't he adorable? Oh wait. Football players are not adorable. They are tough. Rugged. Mean. But take a look into those eyes.....isn't he precious?

Our #3 son turns 9 on Monday, then heads off to camp with his two older brothers until Thursday. One of the karate instructors asked me today how I was going to do watching my boy play football......Easy. If I can watch my two older boys take part in one of the most brutal sparring exercises, where kids are crying and noses are bleeding from being punched, in order to earn their black belt....(the Circle of Doom)....I can watch anything. Team tryouts are the 24th....Draft day is the 29th. I wonder if he needs to wear a suit and tie for the cameras.....? You think they'll call ahead of time to tell us he's been picked? I wonder how much the signing bonus is??????????

After registering Josh for football, we headed to the karate studio....(I told you we were there all the time....), then Julia and I took the boys to a birthday party. All three of them.

Now it was just me and Julia. What to do. What to do.

It just so happened that I had two BOG's in my purse, so the first order of business was a Chick-fil-A lunch date with my daughter. Then it was off to the Nail Salon......to get our toes done.

Julia decided she wanted the pink polish with a flower on it. I was just going to stick with my neutral copper color, but then decided I wanted a flower, too. Why should she have all the fun?

It's my first pedicure this summer, so I'm feeling pretty good about my feet, even though I have THE longest toes known to mankind....

After pampering our feet, we headed to Fantastic Sam's to get Julia's hair trimmed up then made our way back to the house to get ready to go to the pool. We were at the pool for all of 40 minutes when it began to thunder. So, back to the house we go. We got the boys at 5 and pretty much didn't do much after that. No one wanted any dinner either, so I got off easy there too. I did make some Bean with Bacon soup that was quickly consumed by Josh and Trey. So much for not being hungry.

Now they're all in bed and I'm watching the Red Sox win against the A's. My Phillies won today, so that's both good (because they won) and bad (because if they lose, they might actually fire the manager and sell off some players for good, young talent).

Tomorrow we get to go to church, and I always look forward to that. I love my church. I love singing in the Choir and I love seeing my friends in the halls and in Sunday School.

Oh, and Tracey....If Gary and Zack are ever back up here during the baseball season, let me know. I can get 2nd row Braves tickets....Right between Chipper Jones and whoever is playing left field. Very nice.

But, I digress........

Like I said, it was just another Saturday.

Praying for my kids

As a mom, I do everything I can to take the best care of my kids, but I must confess....the one area I wish I was better at is interceding for them to my Father. Fervently praying over them. Covering them completely in prayer every day.

I pray over my children every night as they are lying in bed waiting for their kisses goodnight. I pray for them in different ways.....Keep them safe. Protect them Father. Thank you for them, Father. But I haven't covered every aspect of their lives in prayer.

I bought a lot of little books today....one of which is Stormie's Power of A Praying Parent. But it's not the book itself, it's just the prayers from the book. 60 of them. In this neat little compact book.

The first one knocked my socks off.

Lord, I submit myself to You. I realize that parenting a child in the way You would have me to is beyond my human abilities. I know I need You to help me. I want to partner with You and partake of Your gifts of wisdom, discernment, revelation, and guidance. I also need Your strength and patience, along with a generous portion of Your love flowing through me.

Teach me how to love the way You love. Where I need to be healed, delivered, changed, matured, or made whole, I invite You to do that in me. Help me to walk in righteousness and integrity before You.

Teach me Your ways, enable me to obey Your commandments and do only what is pleasing in Your sight.

"The righteous man walks in his integrity; his children are blessed after him." Proverbs 20:7

What an awesome way to begin a fervent prayer life over my children.

It's the little things.....

I am so excited!!! Why, you ask....Well, since Joe's birthday is the 22nd, it's time to renew our license plates. But, I decided today that I would try for a personalized plate instead of the 'Support Education' tag we've been sporting for the last two years. I'm not exactly sure what spurred this on, but the idea stuck in my head, so I decided to go for it.

I got to the tag office and told the gal what I wanted to do. She handed me a form to fill out, which I did and handed it back to her. She made a few keystrokes and informed me that "Yes" my combination of letters was available and my new personalized tag would be mailed to me in 30 days or so.

Sweet!!! I'm not sure why, but I got so excited. She then informed me that I would have to turn my Education tag back in and place a temporary tag, which she would give me, in the back window. No problem.

As I was walking out to the car, after writing a larger check than I had planned, I realized I did not have a screw driver to take my now invalid license plate off my truck. Now what? I thought about asking the nice man that was making his way into the tag office, but then decided against it. I had 3 of the 4 kids with me and I had other places I needed to go.

So, feeling like a common criminal, we pulled out of the parking lot and headed to the Pavilion to finish our errand-running, all the while wondering if said Tax Commission clerk was putting out an APB for my truck and its now invalid license plate. Wouldn't that be something to blog about?????

Single Wife arrested for driving with stolen license plate. Story at 11.

I figured if I was pulled over for a moving violation I could come up with some sob story about my husband being overseas and that all the stress that being home alone with 4 kids brings on had just become overwhelming....and that I just plain forgot about taking the tag off the car. "And officer....do you have a screwdriver, by the way?"

I decided that observing all posted speed limit signs would serve me well.

So, now I have a temporary tag where my Support Education tag used to be. And for those of you wondering what my personalized tag will say????? You'll just have to wait until it comes in. And to save you some agony.....It's really not all that exciting......it won't mean a thing to anyone but me.

I picked it because it describes me really nicely.

Oh...and I almost forgot....I am MacGyver after all. The floating tube that is attached to the plug is long enough to be taped to the arm that leads to the handle. Problem FIXED! WooHoo!!!!!

MacGyver..........I am not.

You remember that guy????? You know, MacGyver. The guy that could take chicken wire, duct tape and a piece of gum and make a lightbulb shine brighter than the headlamps on my car? You know.......that guy? Besides being really good looking....he was rather handy and I must say, I could use that handiness right about now.

On Tuesday....that was two days ago.....I was doing what most people do several times a day. I was using the bathroom. As I turned to flush the toilet, something different happened. The toilet didn't flush. Hmmmm. Odd, I thought to myself, and tried the handle again. Again, nothing. So, knowing that behind all that porcelain were the 'brains' to this wonder of technology, I lifted the lid to the tank and lo and behold............the problem.

The rubber tubing that links the arm of the toilet handle to the plug at the bottom of the tank had come loose, or so I thought. I reached in to grab the loose tubing only to realize it didn't come loose....it had broken completely. And the piece that is attached to the plug was not long enough for me to try to re-attach it to the arm. Great.......now what was I going to do????

After mulling my options.....wondering if I could pull a MacGyver and try and fix it......I realized the only thing I could do was stick my hand into the water and manually unplug the tank, so the toilet would flush. Did I mention that was two days ago?

Where's MacGyver when you need him?

I guess a trip to Home Depot is on the horizon for me.

On another note, we had a great night at Recovery tonight. Two of the people that I had spoken to this week came for the first time. One for the Recovery program. One for Divorce Care. God is good. The lesson tonight was on completing our daily inventory.....where we list the things that happened today....both our successes and our failures, using the Fruit of the Spirit as our guide.

"Did I show love to others today?" "Did I act in an unloving way toward anyone?"
"Did others see in me the joy of having a personal relationship with the Lord?"
"How was my peace? Did something happen today to cause me to lose it?"
"Was I patient?" "What caused me to lose my patience?"
"Would anyone say I was kind/good?"
"How was my faithfulness?" "Did I keep my word with everyone?"
"How was my gentleness and self-control?" "Did I lose my temper?"

Some of these questions are really hard to answer, but I've learned that the only way to truly find peace......the only way to truly turn everything over to the care of God is to admit when I'm wrong....and PROMPTLY admit it. Ask forgiveness from those I've hurt and do everything I can, with God's help, to not make those mistakes again. On my own, I'll never make it. None of us will, but Praise the Lord, I don't have to walk that road alone. My Lord walks right along side me every step of the way, carrying me when I need Him to.....loving me the whole time.

He truly is my peace. He is my joy. He is my comfort. He is my salvation.

Call unto Me.....

Jeremiah 33:3---"Call unto Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

Jeremiah 31:3--"I have loved you with an everlasting love."

As I sit here pondering these two verses, the only thing I can do is give thanks to my God for His love....for His tender mercies....for His amazing Grace that envelopes me every day of my life.

My heart is a little heavy tonight.........

"Call unto Me......"

Today is Wednesday....the day that I am up at the church all day. I taught music today for the majority of the kids that were there, but unfortunately had to miss two classes. When I went upstairs with my music cart and instruments, two of the classes were not in their rooms. Thinking that they were either on the playground or at another activity, I made my way back to the office to finish another project I was working on and waited until it was time to head out for lunch. I found out later that one of the teachers was not happy with me that I didn't come. Apparently we had our times mixed up. To me, it was not a big deal, but finding out that a teacher was not to pleased with me, disturbed me.

I am human, after all, and will and do make mistakes...unfortunately, more often than I'd prefer. But praise be to God for His unconditional love.......

"I have loved you with an everlasting love." I rest in this comfort.

Tomorrow night is Celebrate Recovery night. One of the most emotionally draining nights of the week. I serve as the Ministry Leader and spend a great deal of time throughout the week 'selling' the ministry to those that call needing more information about it. I also put together the Worship sets and power point slides and I prep the lesson. It is a big responsibility and one that I wish, sometimes, belonged to someone else. But every time I start to think like that, I get a phone call from someone wanting to know more about the ministry and telling me that they would like to come this Thursday evening.

So many in our world today are hurting. So many people just need to hear that someone loves them. So many people need to know that Jesus cares so much about them and loves them so much that He was willing to die for them. It is our responsibility to give them the very same Hope that carries us each day. Just like Newsong sings, "We wear His Name." The Name of Jesus. The Name that is above every name.

In working the steps of Celebrate Recovery, I have come to realize, yet again, that only Christ can fill the emptiness I may feel at times. Only Christ can bring a peace that passes all understanding. Only Christ can give me the hope I need to get up every morning. Only Christ can carry the load I try to bear on my own. Only Christ.

As for the reason behind the heaviness in my heart.....Well, I know that I can cast all my care on Him, for He cares for me. I know that my God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in Glory. I know that God has a plan for me....a plan for a hope and a future.

I know I can call unto Him and He will answer me.

It's in the drink!!!!!

It's the Monday night of All-Star Week......One of our favorite nights of the year. It's the night that we all sit in my room, piled up on our couch and the floor, and watch the Home Run Derby.....and we are having a blast.

We're into the second round now and one of my kids favorites, David Ortiz or 'Big Papi' as he's known in the baseball world, is up to bat. And every time he hits a home run my boys yell out...."It's in the drink!" (That would be the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.)

PNC Park is right on the river and if a ball is hit hard enough to right field it will land in the River and the kids are loving it.

It's 10:00 pm. Julia has fallen asleep on our bed....Daniel and Joshua are in and out with watching the Derby (when David Ortiz and Ryan Howard hit) and playing with their Pokemon cards......and Trey? Well, Trey is sitting here on the couch with me and hasn't moved since the Derby began. At times, he's even reached over and grabbed my hand to hold it. We've snuggled. We've tried to shush the other kids so we can hear the TV as well as see it. We've had a great night of mother/son time....just chilling and watching the Home Run Derby.

Tomorrow night is the All-Star Game and because of a meeting I have, we won't be able to watch it together. But rest assured, we'll be rooting the National League with all the vim and vigor we can muster. GO PHILLIES!!!! And even though my Phils are stinkin' up the joint this season, they have three players on the National League All-Star squad. Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Tom Gordon. So, all is not lost on this season.

It's a most wonderful time of the year.

Train up a child.....

This verse has been part of my life since I was a little girl. It has, as has the entire Word of God, shown itself as precious to me many times since I became a mom to these four, precious children. I was reminded of this wonderful verse again today.

I think I can safely say.....I lived a sheltered life as a child. My parents took us to church every time the doors were opened. We went to camp. We were part of Awana. We even went to a Christian school. I didn't see my first movie until I was 11 years old and living in Oklahoma. And dancing......forget about it. Being 'in the world, but not of it' was the mantra of the church I grew up in as well as I the college I eventually attended. I don't recall hearing a lot of foul language as a young child and I certainly wasn't placed in any situations where I had to choose right from wrong or even stand up for what I believed in. If you think about it.....I had it pretty easy.

These days, times are a lot tougher than they were when I was growing up. My children are in public school and have been since day one. But even if we could afford to put them in Christian school.....I'm not sure we would. They are being challenged every day. And every day God is teaching them how to love the world without loving the behavior of the world. Every day, God is teaching me how to raise them in the love of admonition of Him.....that my children are safe in His hands....that He will never leave them or forsake them.

"Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6.

Joe and I have tried to teach our children what is right and what is wrong. Some things they've listened to and understood.....Others, they haven't. We've told them to use kind words and a kind tone of voice when speaking to others. We've told them that other people need to see Jesus in them....in their words and in their actions. We've spoken to them about smoking, drugs and drinking. About saving their bodies for the person God has designed for them. We've encouraged them to stand up for what is right. To have confidence in what they believe in. Today, Trey had the chance to stand up for what is right. And he did the right thing.

While walking toward where I was standing, the boys were accompanied by another boy on their way out of Sunday School. I do not know if this boy is a church member, but I do know who he is. This boy began sharing an inappropriate joke, that included a cuss word, with my boys. All three of my boys decided the best thing to do was ignore him, but apparently this boy wasn't to be ignored and continued trying to tell the joke, again using language that shouldn't come out of the mouth of any child. And this was in my church!

Trey then looked at him and said, "You shouldn't be cussing." Yes!!! This boy apparently didn't like being admonished as he gave Trey a little shove and stalked off gruffly.

I told Trey later how proud I was of him and of all of my boys. First, for trying not to participate in an off-color joke, but then for standing up for what is right.

Train up a child.

I know there will be times when my children fall and succumb to sin. I would be naive to believe they wouldn't, but today, my boys didn't allow the temptation of the devil to get the best of them. They took what Joe and I have been teaching them and applied it perfectly.....and on the grand-scale of victories, this could probably be considered a small one. But how we handle ourselves with the small things will determine how we handle ourselves with the big things.

Who knows what my kids will be confronted with tomorrow.

As for today......I give God the victory!!!!

Coolness defined..........

It's cool to be a kid.....

And my kids are the coolest. Yesterday they decided to build a fort in Trey's room using their comforters. Today, they decided they would move their creation into Daniel's room as it is bigger than Trey's. They have had more fun climbing in and out of their 'mansions,' as they are calling them. It's been really nice to have them playing so well together....working together to create something and laughing hysterically at their role plays. They have also decided they are going to sleep that way tonight. Of course, I'm not holding my breath knowing it's not likely that much sleep is going to take place, but I'll let them have their fun until they disrupt my sleep....then they'd better watch out....;-)

I can't complain about the mess they've made knowing they're having so much fun. Tomorrow, they've been warned, is clean-up day.

It's Friday and tonight was the third night in a row that I got to cook dinner and it was wonderful. I really enjoy cooking for my family, but unfortunately have allowed myself to fall into the trap of running through Taco Bell or Chick-fil-A after karate classes because it is easier. Of course, there's no mess to clean up, but it keeps us from sitting down as a family...chatting...laughing....and just being silly. Last night, Joshua declared he would rather eat dirt than eat his broccoli (of course, he ate it anyway)...and tonight all of them declared that my Phillies stink.

It's what I live for.....the opportunity for my kids to complain about having to eat their vegetables and to tell me that I root for a terrible ballclub.

And just for the fun of it.........here's an updated picture of me. Julia took it of me this afternoon. I think she did a good job!

Our day at the zoo

I thought I'd post some pics from our day at the zoo. My brother and his son were in town too, so the kids had a chance to hang with their cousin and uncle as well as their grandparents. It was great. Julia has decided that Rob only needs to be called 'Uncle,' instead of the more standard 'Uncle Robbie.'

My parents, my brother Rob ('Uncle'), his son Ethan (in the orange) and my kiddoes.

Joshua, Trey, Julia, Cousin Ethan and Daniel

King Kong....(no, not really, but the kids got a kick out of the gorillas....)

.....so much that they wanted their picture taken with the life-size models. (I know it's hard to tell which is which, but my kids and Ethan are the blonde 'animals')

Josh thought the Explorakeet expo, where you can feed the birds and have them 'hang' all over you, was pretty neat.......

Trey..............not so much.

Hanging out with my family is definitely tops on my list. Too bad Joe couldn't be with us........He would have enjoyed this time with the kids. But he'll be home soon......two months to be exact.

But who's counting?

Back in the saddle again.........

After spending a few days in Oklahoma with my parents, we're home. We had a wonderful time, as usual, hanging out, going to the zoo and eating really good Mexican food. (One of my favorites things to do!) The Mexican food at Chelino's is so good that my children actually agree to eat there. In fact, my oldest even said........."That place we always go to....downtown? I love that place." I've never heard a sweeter thing come from Daniel........There may be hope for my kids after all. On Sunday, the 2nd, our church held our annual Celebrate America program featuring the Choir, Orchestra, Drama and children's choir and I had the privilege of having a part in it. The Ensemble that I sing with was given the lead in the song Find us Faithful.....the words of which are my prayer all of the time. "Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful. May the fire of our devotion light their way. May the footprints that we leave lead them to believe and the lives we live inspire them to obey." When I look into the eyes of my children, I realize that I have a tremendous responsibility, not only to raise them to become responsible, level-headed and honest adults, but in the love and admonition of the Lord. I am to prepare them, not only for being parents themselves, but for passing along, to their children, the Faith that I so dearly hold on to. I am to raise them, not only to discern right from wrong, but to stand up for the cause of Christ and to reach those around them for Jesus. What an awesome, God-sized responsibility!! I was privileged to have been raised in a Christian home. My parents took my brothers and me to church every Sunday morning, every Sunday night and every Wednesday night. We rarely missed. My parents spent a great deal of time passing the faith along to us....just as their parents did to them......and now I am charged with the same task with my kids. I don't want to be the generation that broke the cycle of loving, fearing and knowing Jesus. And I can sit here now and say....all four of my kids have accepted Jesus as their Savior and have been baptized. Praise the Lord. Does that mean they don't argue, fuss and fight? Of course not. Does that mean my daughter doesn't use a whole lot of sass when addressing me? Nope. It doesn't. But as a parent, our jobs are never 'done.' We don't ever reach the pinnacle of parenting. There is always work to be done. Exhausting? Yes. But Praise God for "I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." Thank the Lord for "My God shall supply all my need according to His riches in glory." Hallelujah for "My grace is sufficient for thee....."

Being a mother is truly the most difficult 'job' in the world. But I dare you to show me anything that brings greater joy, greater blessing and greater honor. It's not possible.

What a privilege it is to be called Mom by my children.

What a honor it is be called Child by my Heavenly Father!

Sometimes 'No" actually means 'No!'

It amazes me that my children can push and push until they get the answer they want. I pray I'm not alone on this one.

Tonight Trey really pushed. And I didn't give in.

Every night at dinner, we go over the 'plan' for the evening and the next morning. We do this so there are no surprises....no "I didn't know" responses....no opportunities for children to 'pull a fast one' and attempt to change my thinking to match their desires.

Tonight was no different. I gave them the plan. Once dinner was finished and cleaned up, they were to take showers/baths, clean their ears and be ready for bed by 8:00...8:30 at the latest. I told them from the get-go there would be no ice cream. That tonight, I wanted dinner cleaned up and have the kitchen stay cleaned up. No more messes. Of course, Trey balked. He wanted ice cream. I told him....Not tonight.

I also told them that because of the day we were going to have on Sunday, that all four children were to sleep in their own rooms.....No bunking together as they have done almost every night this summer.

The Lord blessed us with four beautiful children. When we got married, we talked about how many kids we wanted. Joe is one of two....I am one of three. So, we decided it was either one child.....or four. We decided we would try for four...and pray that God would grant us our desires. He did. We also talked of having our kids close together as Joe is 10 years older than I. So, we did. Daniel and Trey are 11 months apart and act more like twins than just siblings. When Trey was born, he adapted right to Daniel's schedule. He ate when Dan ate....slept when Dan slept and was awake when Dan was awake. And ever since the two have been close to inseparable.

Joshua came along 19 months after Trey and decided he was not going to be thrown into the same mold as his older brothers. He began to be his own person and do his own thing. He continues this nine years later. Joshua is rarely swayed by anyone....he sticks to his guns and is unrelenting when he believes he is right.

Julia came into the world 17 months after Joshua.....5 days before Daniel, her oldest brother, turned four years old. For those 5 days, I had four children under the age of four. We were so excited. God had granted us the desires of our heart.....three boys and a girl.

Because of the closeness in age, they do a lot of things together....they have a lot of the same friends....they keep each other entertained almost all day. So their sleeping together in Daniel's room is just an extension of their days. Problem is, they end up monkeying around a lot before actually falling asleep.

Sunday, July 2, is God and Country Day at our church. It is also 10 Commandments Sunday. In the evening our Choir and Orchestra as well as some members of the children's choir will be presenting our annual Celebrate America performance. We will present the program twice. In the morning, the children will be singing along with the Choir in both morning services. This makes for a very long day for a lot of us, including and probably especially, the children.

Hence, the decision for the children to sleep in their own rooms....in their own beds.

And Trey pushed. I lost count around time number 14 that he mentioned he wanted to sleep with Daniel. I told him all 14 times....'No.' He then pushed again about the ice cream. Again, I said, 'No.' He then proceeded to clarify with me that I was telling him 'no' to ice cream for no reason. Pretty much. I didn't have to have a reason to say no to ice cream. The fact is...I said No. I meant it.

Then he went back to his desire to sleep with Daniel. Again, I said No. By this time, my patience is slowly being whittled away by this precious little boy whom I love dearly. And it is at that moment that I ponder the fact that I can get so frustrated with the people I love the most. Why is that?

I then decided that what Trey needed was a firm talking to....and I'm sure the level of my voice rose just a bit. I made him keenly aware that I am the mother....he is the child and that when I say 'No,' sometimes I really do mean 'No.'

By the time Trey was ushered to bed, he was crying. I asked him what was wrong and he said he didn't know.....but that he doesn't like his room and that it gives him the creeps. As someone who loves being in her room, I cannot understand this concept, but I tell him I love him...kiss him goodnight and close the door.

I sit here now in the quiet of my home....praising God that He gave me four kids who are not wall-flowers....four kids who stand up for what they believe....four kids who have valid opinions and are confident enough in their thinking to let it be known.....four kids who are precious in God's sight....

And oh so precious to this mother.