Welcome baby Sophie!

I'm an AUNT! My brother and his wife, Jeni had their first child today.

Welcome Baby Sophie Christine 6lbs 6oz 19.25 inches

My brother is a pretty talented photographer in his spare time. Check out the blog and pictures on their website. . .http://www.mcmarra.com/

Congratulations guys! We love you!

Valuable Lesson

I learned a valuable lesson today.

Sometimes our instincts and natural reactions to things are WRONG. Sometimes the situation really needs to be processed by the brain before we react, but that doesn't always happen!

I was helping Lindsay to get her room ready for a visit from The Grandma's (My mother and Grandmother are coming to town for the birth of my brother's first child--Pretty exciting !!). Anyway, I was sorting through her versatile (and rather numerous) collection of bags. She has backpacks, duffle bags, shoulder bags, beach bags, purses (Large and small in a variety of colors!), etc. She has been deemed the "Bag Lady" for her knack for packing bags, upon bags, upon bags. We all know that if there is something missing in the house, it's in a bag Lindsay "packed" and stuck somewhere! And we won't even get into her love for packing for trips (months in advance!) She loves her bags!

So, I am emptying these bags of all their contents and trying to organize them in some way. I found out why Lindsay couldn't seem to find any socks or underwear when I unpacked a backpack FULL of clothes and also found out why all my spoons had disappeared when I unpacked a purse full of kitchen utensils and lunch snacks!

I worked my way through her collection of bags, one-by-one, sorting their contents to the appropriate places as I went. When I came to a small black purse I turned it upside-down and dumped it's contents into the floor. There was nothing really unusual in the pile that now lay on the carpet--crayons, hair clips, a few fake fingernails, candy wrappers, and such. BUT. There were several zippered pockets down the outside of the purse. As I opened them one by one my mind wandered to what else I needed to get done today.

I could feel something though the side of the purse, but it wasn't until the final zipper that I found where it was stored. The pocket was deep, but too small for my hand to fit in, so I reached in with three fingers. I wasn't really thinking about what could be in the pocket, but I noticed that whatever it was was cold and hard (not the "mushy" surprises that usually come with such explorations.) I managed to grip it with my fingers and pulled my hand back to reveal

AN EASTER EGG !




Not a plastic one. A REAL hard-boiled, colored and decorated EASTER EGG!

Now. I realize that it is almost the end of August. Quite frankly. I'm surspised the prize egg was still recognizable. So, before my mind could process what was happening I brought that egg to my nose and took a big whiff.

Don't ask me why I thought smelling the thing was a good idea. Don't ask me what I was expecting from the whole "experience". All I know is my natural reaction to finding an Easter egg in my daughters room in August was to smell it. VERY BAD CHOICE!

I'll be sure to let you know if I find any other interesting things in Lindsay's room. . . I haven't pulled every thing out from under the bed yet! You can bet I won't be SMELLING anything I find in there though!

My BABY is Growing Up!

Lindsay "graduated" from the preschool department at church this Sunday. She was so proud to walk across the front of the sanctuary in front of everyone in her cap and gown. She is excited about moving up and being downstairs with all the "big kids". I can't believe she is growing up so fast!

Church Luncheon

Just a few pictures from the luncheon after church. The food was great!

Lindsay takes pretty good pictures sometimes! Doesn't Grandma Helen look good! She is getting her color and her energy back.

I was trying to get a nice picture of Cynthia and Austin. . . Jon couldn't resist showing his food in the background!!!!!!!!

They are so loving when they aren't fighting with each other!

Austin is always so good with Lindsay. He has patience with her that he rarely shows his own little brother!
Matt can always make Stephanie smile!

Just GOOFING around

Obviously the NUT doesn't fall far from the TREE !!!!!

MY first day of school

Today was MY first day of school and Lindsay couldn't resist! She wanted to make sure everything was "fair" and someone took my picture too! (How sweet!) 2 more years and I'll be DONE! Well, at least I'll be an RN--I'll have to work a few years before I can continue my education.

Boating with Brian and Shannon

Brian and Shannon took us out on their boat today. I was beginning to wonder if we would ever be so privileged! We have been hearing about “the boat” for a really long time. . . I guess about as long as Brian has been hearing about the swiss steak!

Now that we have been out and enjoyed their company and the relaxation of the river they'll have to fight us off with sticks to keep us away! I figure we don't really need an invitation anymore. We'll just show up with a BIG pot of SWISS STEAK and our swimsuits!

Seriously, we all had a great time. The kids had tons of fun swimming and Lindsay even got brave enough to JUMP in once she knew she could trust her life jacket to keep her afloat. The girls enjoyed jumping in and floating around (even without the boyfriends!!!) And Garrett just thinks Brian is the COOLEST GUY he has ever met so he was in paradise. (We'll wait till he gets a little older to tell him what a dork Brian really is! :)

Who is Brain blowing a kiss to?

Oh. How relaxing. (Even though Lindsay wasn't quite ready to head home.)

I bet it took Brian HOURS to get all the fingerprints cleaned up!

She wanted to star in the movie Titanic. . .

Smile Kimbelry! Atleast we didn't catch you with your pants down!

Hey Brian and Shannon. . . Look down the dock before you cast-off the next time you take The Beach Boy out. You might see us coming, with the cooler and a big pot of swiss steak!

Are you ready for some Football ?

We try to support Austin's football team whenever we can. Kimberly's boyfriend , Josh and their friend Cody are also on the team. Maybe one day when they are rich and play for the NFL we will be able to get some free tickets?!?!?!?!?!

It was SO hot. Robby found a new use for the cardboard cup holder we used to carry Polar Pops. Someone should probably tell him how silly he looks!

Trenton and Cynthia tried to hide from the sunbeams under the umbrella. I guess when a UK fan gets hot enough she'll us a BIG red and black UofL umbrella in public!

Some things never change. (I remember going to football games just to talk and hang out :)

SOCCER

All four of the kids are playing soccer this year. They had the "try-outs" to assign teams this morning. I remembered the camera for Lindsays (the first one of the day) but I didn't get pictures of anyone else. I know this will be one of those things that gets brought up later. . . You know, "She's the baby. She always gets her way. She never has to help do anything. You always take her picture. ETC. ETC. ETC."

Anyway. She is raring to go. I love this age with sports. They try so hard, but they don't yet have the coordination. It should be a very interesting season!

First Day of School

Garrett and Lindsay waiting for the bus for the first day of school. They were all smiles despite being extremely tired. It's so nice to have atleast 2 kids who are still excited about school!


Yes. That thing is attached to her head!!!!!




Cynthia's picture is actaully from after school. Her bus comes at 6:13AM!!! She is gradually getting over her fear of high school and getting excited about her new freedoms. She also really likes the fact that the dress code is more relaxed than it was in middle school. Her favorite thing is getting to wear red shirts! No she hasn't seen the light--she is still a Kentucky fan. But now she doesn't have to worry about her sister wearing her shirts to school (Kimberly can only wear blue or white!) That will save a bunch of early morning fights with girls trying to choke each other to see the tag in their shirt!







I didn't forget about Kimberly. She wouldn't let me take her picture! ! ! !

Sleepyhead

Well, yesterday was the first day of school for the kids. This is always a hard week for everyone. Getting adjusted to bedtime and homework always take a toll on the kids and their attitudes. This year is no different.

No one wants to go to bed at night and that leads to no one wanting to get up in the morning! Last nights bedtime routine went a little smoother, but there was still a lot of whining going on. Nevertheless, everyone was in bed and asleep by 10.

I was sitting on the couch watching the end of Super Nanny when a droopy-eyed Cynthia stumbled down the stairs from her bedroom. She looked confused and her half-opened eyes revealed how exhausted she was. With her head leaning to the side, mouth opened, arms hanging limp at her sides and her feet slowly dragging across the floor as she walked she resembled something off of an old horror film. She plopped down on the couch next to me and moaned.

Now, I was expecting her to tell me that her sister was waking her up or her stomach hurt or she had a headache. I could tell she had been asleep and it was obvious that she still would be if not for some type of intrusion. So, I looked over at her and asked “What’s wrong?” She only groaned. . . So I asked again. This time she leaned forward and looked at me. With the most pitiful sounding voice she said “I’m not ready to get up.” I didn’t respond. “Mom. I don’t think I can go to school today. I am TOO tired.” I started to laugh, realizing that she had no idea what time it was.

I sent her back to bed, but not before she promised to go to bed earlier from now on!

True Happiness

Well, we have been home for a week now and we are almost back in our “normal” routine. The trip was amazing and full of blessings; but by the end of the week everyone was exhausted and ready to be home. I am so glad we were able to take the whole family this year. It is an experience none of us will soon forget! It’s true. . . There is a place for EVERYONE to serve on a mission trip.

I plan to share many stories and more pictures from our trip over the next several days, but for now I want to share a conversation I had with Garrett on Wednesday, midway through our week of service. . . .

Everyone had been working very hard. It was hot (not as bad as last year—definitely an answered prayer!!) and the boys (Garrett, Timmy and Jeremy) had been assigned a tedious task. They were to paint the fence that lines the parking lot of the church. James had pressure washed it, and was there to help and provide adult supervision.

Now, these boys had been living together (with Rob) at the church since Saturday night. They all got along great and had found some pretty creative ways to have fun during free time. But when it was time to get a job done, they went right to it!

Of course, there were breaks. Water breaks. Bathroom breaks. Joke telling breaks. Goof-off breaks. But the job was getting done. About midway down the fence, Garrett decided to take an “extended” break. He walked around and talked; trying to blend in and not be noticed. But, Dad noticed.

Rob and Garrett had one of those nice father-son conversations. You know, only one person talking. The other looks at the ground and shrugs their shoulders a lot. In the end both were frustrated and neither was focused on the task they were trying to accomplish.

Now I don’t claim to have all the answers, not by far! But I knew Garrett needed some help getting back on track. So, I took him over to the grass and tried to get him talking. We talked about how hot it was and how tired his little arms were. He mentioned the length of the fence and that the job would “never get finished!” He was ready to throw in the towel (or paint brush) and call it quits. So I started talking about the church we were there to help. I tried to explain how much all of our work means to the people and how God smiles when he sees us giving of ourselves to help others. We looked around at the fence and the windows that Rob was scraping, caulking and painting. We talked about all the cleaning everyone had done inside the church and all the work that was going on at the parsonage. Suddenly it was like something lit up in Garrett’s face. His excitement returned and he smiled as he talked about all that had been accomplished already.

As I was silently thanking God for giving me the words to say to my son and showing him the purpose of his hard work Garrett interrupted my thoughts. He was trying to express his understanding of what it means to help others, but what warmed my soul was the way he ended his explanation. He said, “Mom. I have been working really hard and I am tired. But I know I am helping someone else. . . and maybe more people will want to come to this church because it looks nice. I am working hard for God. . . and it makes my heart happy.”

As I walked away with tears filling my eyes, Garrett went back to painting with the other boys.