Overwhelmed with God's Goodness -- Part 1

I have had 2 things in the last few days that have overwhelmed me with how much God loves me and how good He is. First, I'll share what happened yesterday:

We got home and I thought Jaxon was better. . . let me just say that I've slept about 12 hours in the last 4 days. Aaron's out of town, which doesn't make things any better. Anyway, Monday morning at 6:15, I texted Aaron and told him to get out of bed and pray for Jaxon because I was at the point I couldn't take it anymore. I had been up since 2 am with him. He wasn't breathing very good and his nose was all nasty green. Within a few minutes, I felt a peace and all was ok, although Jaxon didn't seem different.

I went ahead and went to my meetings at the church and left Jaxon with Katianne. I needed a break, even if it was just 10 minutes. I told her that she could call me at any point and I would come home. I called about 20 minutes after I left and she said he was running around playing.

Anyway, at my meeting I was telling Brandon & Ira that this just had to stop. It was ridiculous and I had had enough. They prayed for me and Brandon said he saw God's mouth on mine breathing life into me. I literally felt it in my stomach.

Ira had prayed for Jaxon the day before and he said he knew it didn't break, but he didn't feel like he had the authority over it which was weird. He said he felt like it had to be someone like Aaron's grandpa or dad to pray for it to be broken. I told him that the asthma runs on my side of the family. He said, "Then, it's your dad that needs to pray to break this thing."

That breath of God's air was replaced with the largest knot I've ever felt in my stomach. I just looked at Ira and said, "Do you know what that means? Do you know what that will require?"

I just sat there trying to figure out how that was going to go down. They continued to pray for me and I did start to feel refreshed.

Next meeting, we were just sitting around talking and I realized that my dad was at home on his lunch break. I worked myself into a frenzy and the room started spinning. I really thought I was going to pass out just from the thought of calling my dad and asking him to pray for Jaxon. Finally, I just grabbed my phone and went to my office. Here's how the conversation went:

Dad: Hello.

Me: Hey, what's going on at your house today?

Dad: Oh nothing. Just eating lunch. How is the weather down there?

Me: Ridiculously hot for December.

Dad: Well, it's not that hot up here, but it's not snowing anymore. (pause)

Me: Dad, I'm calling because Jaxon's not doing very good. He is having a hard time breathing
and I'm giving treatments, but they don't work for long. I was praying this morning and I felt
like I was supposed to call you and ask you to pray for him to be healed. (at this point, I literally felt like I was going to throw up -- lucky for me, I didn't)

Dad: Ok, I can do that.

Me: Well, you know we stayed at Sally's (my sister's house) and she has all of those deer heads on the wall and the cat and the dog and I don't know if that triggered it or what, but we thought a couple of times on the way home we were going to have to take him to the hospital. We got home and he was fine, but he's not sleeping. I don't know what the heck is going on. I think he was probably allergic to something in her house.

Dad: Well, you know those pet allergens have to leave too.

Me: Yeah, you're right. Anyway, I need to get back in my meeting, but I just wanted to call and ask you to pray for him.

Dad: Ok, I'll do it.

Me: Thanks dad.

Dad: You're welcome. Bye.

OH MY GOODNESS!! For those of you who don't know, my dad has been mad at God for the last almost 11 years for not healing his leg from an accident at work. He left the church and hasn't been back. We don't talk about church or God or children's ministry or anything 'God-related'.

When I went back into the meeting, I shared with everyone what happened. Brandon & Ira were shocked that I called him so soon. I was too, but I just decided that the longer I waited, the more time I had to talk myself out of it. And, if this was the thing that was going to heal Jaxon, I was willing to do it.

Everyone prayed over me. I started shaking and crying. I wasn't crying because I was sad. I was crying because I was totally overwhelmed at how good God is. He will use my dad who has been mad at him all of these years to pray a prayer for my son to receive his healing.

Words came forth about how that phone call broke generational curses. How my dad had a small flicker of a flame, but by me calling him and asking him to pray, it ignited his heart and the flame started blazing. How walls were tore down between me and my dad. There were more and they were all right on. I kept shaking for a while and then I had this great peace.

Last night was still rough. I got to sleep between 2:30 & 5 am. Then I was up because he had started throwing up. I've been going all day. My house is a wreck and I can't seem to focus on a project. All of my organizing projects seem to be half way done or thrown out the window. But, really. . . I just don't care. I called my dad and asked him to pray for Jaxon's healing and he said yes. . . nothing else seems to matter.

I have another amazing thing that happened today, but I'll share that later. Just leave this post knowing that God is good.

Christmas 2008

Christmas is over. . . we've made it home -- at least 3 of us have. Aaron and Payton headed to Colorado today to go snowboarding. It will be Payton's first time and I just hope he has a blast!!

Christmas was good. I'm just glad to be home. On the last night, Jaxon's asthma started acting up. My sister has a cat and the last night she let it in and I'm wondering if that wasn't a trigger for him. The cat was inside the night before, but Jaxon wasn't around it long. Anyway, he was up all night on Friday night coughing. On the way home, Jaxon started coughing and couldn't stop. He finally threw up and started coughing again. We were talking about taking him to the hospital, but he finally calmed down. We got to Aaron's grandma's house and he stopped. Got in the car, he started coughing. Got to Aaron's parents' house and he stopped. Got in the car and he finally fell asleep and slept all the way home.

I got home and couldn't find my breathing machine anywhere. He's coughing and throwing up and I can't find the stupid machine! I think we've about come to the conclusion that it accidentally got thrown away. Great. . . luckily, I know people! Joel brought a breathing machine over and Pam had the part that I needed. I came home and gave him a breathing treatment and he just smiled all the way through it -- at least until the last little bit. Thank God for good friends!!

Here's a question for you: What is the weirdest present that you got this year?

My answer: I got 3 of them:

* A Wal-Mart In-Store Credit Card (means she bought something and took it back without the receipt) in the amount of $51.35
* A Hobby Lobby Exchange Card (same thing -- return, no receipt) for $6.46
* A package of picture connectors with a price tag of $3.89. There was a note that said they bought them in Abilene and tried to take it back to the store in Amarillo, but they wouldn't take it back because they didn't sell them there. So, I could take it back and have whatever money they would give me.

Those just made me laugh! I did get an amazing new wedding ring, though!! ;)

Now it is time for the new year organizing. I'm already done with my kitchen. I'm planning on making it through the whole house before Aaron gets home on Wednesday night sometime. We did the boys' room before we left. I'm on a roll now!! ;)

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas everyone in blogville!!!

Today we're heading to Aaron's parents' house.
Stay the night.
Christmas with them tomorrow morning.
Drive to my sister's house that night.
Spend the night there.
Christmas with my family on Friday. I'm sure my sister and I will go shopping that day, too. . . just because that's the tradition!
Spend the night again.
Drive to Aaron's grandma's house.
Breakfast/Brunch/Lunch with Aaron's extended family on Saturday.
Evan, Jaxon, & I head home on Saturday.

Aaron, Payton, Eric (Aaron's brother), & Jordy are heading to Winter Park on Sunday for Payton's first snowboarding!! He is pretty excited about everything except being cold! I'm sure he'll pick that up just like everything else and he'll be snowboarding before they know it!! They are coming back on Wednesday. This will give me some time to get my tree down and put away. I would also like to either clean out the attic (gosh that needs to be done!) or paint my living room. . . decisions, decisions. . . or maybe I'll get that scrapbook finished for Kathy . . . or maybe I'll just lay around and do nothing. . . not likely.

Merry Christmas!!!

Move Over Santa!

I have just finished up the biggest organizational project I think I've ever been part of in the shortest amount of time. Hallelujah Night organization was nothing on this Project Santa just due to the clothes sizes and shoe sizes and making sure everyone gets what is supposed to be theirs. . . plus, I had months to plan Hallelujah Night and just a few days for Project Santa.

This afternoon, we delivered 51 sacks FULL of presents to the elementary school.

Tomorrow I am going to deliver 5 other sacks FULL of presents to a family in our church.

Brandon is going to deliver 4 other sacks FULL of presents to a family in the community that we are slowly gaining relationship with.

That's a total of 60 sacks!! 60 sacks with not just a few things in them, but 60 sacks FULL OF STUFF!!!

Here's the testimony in a nutshell:

* Just last Sunday morning, I had nothing for this project and it was due on Wednesday.
* Sunday afternoon, I had some money and a few kids who were not picked off the tree.

Monday:
* Someone walks in to the church and asks me how many kids are left and I thought there were 5. He wrote a check for those 5 kids.
* Find out there were actually 7 kids, but decided we were fine and we could take care of it.
* List goes from 56 to 60 kids.
* Prayed that these presents would be more than just presents. We prayed that joy would fill these homes and laughter would flow into the streets. I'm still believing God is going to come through on this one! Why wouldn't He?
* Call Toys for Tots. (This is an amazing story actually, but for the sake of time, I'll keep it this short). They say come and pick out 3 toys per kid!! Takes a few hours, but we had just enough room to get them back. I have sown in to that foundation for years and now I was able to reap! I really can't tell you how much fun that was!!
* I go shopping Monday night and buy 13 kids clothes (minus socks & shoes) for about $500!! And, I didn't go to Wal-Mart!
* Get home and can't sleep because I'm so excited!!

Tuesday:
* Jerod, Amy, Jason, & I (and Evan & Jaxon) meet on Tuesday morning to sort it all out. Toys are EVERYWHERE! Clothes are looking cuter once I know who they are going to!! Need to make one more shopping trip to finish it up. I'm a little overwhelmed at how good God is and how the toys seem to multiply!
* Able to call 2 families and tell them to come and pick out some toys from the surplus of toys. . . . from the SURPLUS!! That was a blast!! The cool thing is that these toys weren't "surplus/leftover" type toys. They were just as good as any toys we had! They weren't left over because they were bad toys -- they were left over because we had too many!!
* Someone calls and asks me what is left on the list and offers to go finish the shopping for me. This is actually a huge answer to prayer!
* Go buy for a few more kids that haven't had their tags turned in yet because I can't take the chance they won't be turned in. I also get to buy one kid a bicycle. . . that was fun!

Wednesday:
* Mad rush to get it all packed and labeled and to the school. Jerod and I were working on the toy sacks while Joel was packing food sacks! We have to have them there by noon!
* 12:15 pm and sacks are going in the cars and heading to the school.
* School is amazed at how much stuff!! I am able to tell them about how God totally came through and how God really is a God of more than enough. I cannot tell you how overwhelmed the school was at how amazing everything was and how much stuff there was!! YAY!

* I had some clothes left over I was able to bless a kid with more.
* I have money left over.
* I have toys left over.
* I am FULLY CONVINCED that my God is God of more than enough.

We were talking yesterday about how 6 months ago, I would have had a meeting on Tuesday and the church would have written me a check and each kid would have gotten the minimum. But, because we had nothing to give, God had to come through and He did so much more than I could have hoped or imagined!! That's what happens when we move out of the way and just be who God's called us to be and not make something happen. It also just shows how our church is just a giving church. That's who we are -- we give. Like I said, there were SEVERAL small testimonies just in this project that maybe I'll share another time. . . or if you want to hear the whole thing, I would love to share! ;)

One last prayer request for this project is what to do for the lady who helps me pass the backpacks out. If there is someone that loves backpacks as much as me and Joel, it would be her. The cool thing is that she is on the receiving end of backpacks, too. I found out yesterday that her car was repossessed this week. I want to do something just for her. . . something so that she will know that God loves her and He has good things for her. I'm asking God to show me by Friday what that would be.

I'm also praying that these kids would know that God has good things for them -- that He gives good gifts. The world might not be able to give them good gifts. Their parents might not be able to give them good gifts, but God can and always gives good gifts. I want them to know that God is more than enough for all they need or want!

Speaking of more than enough. . . ever read that book titled "More Than Enough" about Heidi Baker? I am reading it right now, but that will be a blog for another time. . . for now just focus on how God is MORE THAN ENOUGH! Now, I'm exhausted and I'm going to go rest for a few minutes. After being Santa for a few days, I'm wondering how the real man gets all of that done for every kid in the world?!?! ;)

More Than Enough

Can I just tell you how good God is?!?! Gosh! He's just God who is MORE THAN ENOUGH!! There's a whole other blog on those words alone, but it's 1 am and I'm finally getting sleepy, so I'm about to head to bed.

In a nutshell, every child on the angel tree was taken care of. We were able to get some toys from the Toys for Tots Foundation, which was amazing. . . again, another blog post for another time. Katianne and I went shopping tonight for clothes and we got some AMAZING deals!! I'm not quite finished shopping, but that will have to continue tomorrow . . . uh, I mean today. . later today.

In other good news, my husband fixed my computer!! Last week it sounded like it was going to crash and then it just decided not to work sometimes. It would come on, then shut off. So, my wonderful husband took it and fixed it! I'm typing away on it now!!

So, now all the excitement has wore off for the day and my eyelids are finally getting heavy. . . tomorrow . . uh, I mean today is going to be a big one for me! Now it's time to really organize all of the stuff and get it ready for delivery. Don't you worry. . . organization is my specialty!! ;)

Angel Tree

Last week I posted about not sure whether to go to the intermediate with the backpack program or stay in the elementary.

I called Joel since he is my right-hand man and I expected him to say we had to move and feed more kids and just go for it and the money will come and just get out of my comfort zone and on and on and on. But, he didn't say any of that. He said he felt like we had a wide open door at the elementary and that we have already told them that if they needed coats, shoes, clothes, etc. that we would be there to help. Plus, right now I don't have anyone that is willing to commit to being at the intermediate every Friday to help load the backpacks and pass them out.

Anyway, I felt a complete peace after talking to Joel -- we were on the same page. So, we go to drop off backpacks on Friday and the principal comes in and tells us she has a list of kids that the teachers want to help with their Christmas. All of our backpack kids are on there plus a few others. The list has 51 kids on it and she was a little overwhelmed with how it was all going to work out. I committed to at least we could help with toys. But, then I forgot about it on Sunday morning to announce it.

Monday, I was trying to figure out how to pull this off in such a quick time frame when Jerod asked me if I did anything with my kids at Christmas time. I told him that sometimes we'll get an angel from the tree and buy something or we've bought toys for Toys for Tots. But I told him that this year, I wanted to buy for some kids on the elementary school's list and I told him the story. Jerod jumped on board and said he wanted to do that too.

After our meeting, Jared came in my office and asked me if I wanted to do this. I said yes. He asked me if I wanted to be the central administrator for it all. I said yes. He said, "Then, let's just pray it in." He started praying and when he was finished, I started laughing. I couldn't get over how much fun all of this is going to be!! He got on the phone and told me to do the same and see what we could get people to commit to up front. We got $100!!

So, this Sunday, we are going to have an "angel tree" at church. We are going to ask people to take an "angel" (it's actually a present) with a child's name on it. They are to buy one toy and a complete outfit (shirt, pants, & socks) for that child. Shoes are optional and they can do more if they want. All the items have to be turned in at KLF Downtown on Tuesday (that's the quick part). On Wednesday, I'm going to take those presents to the elementary school so they can give these presents to the parents. The school wants to give it to the parents so they can use it for Santa or say it's from them that way the kids don't know it's from the school. The other good thing is that now those parents can spend what money they do have on their other kids.

Anyway, if you're interested in doing this and getting a head start, please let me know by leaving a comment or by giving me a call. We are contacting everyone we know that might want to do it before Sunday so they can have the weekend to shop and not have to have such a quick turn-around. We're also going to take up a special offering on Sunday for this project. Then, the kids that are left over after church on Sunday (if any), we'll go on a massive shopping trip!!

How fun is this life I live?!?! My God has more than enough for these kids!

Black Friday Adventures

So, that BEAUTIFUL ring in my post below . . . well, it's now on my finger!! My sister & I found a fantastic deal on it on Black Friday, so I called Aaron and he told me I could go ahead and get it. I was so EXCITED!! I was concerned because I had to have it sized, but they were able to do it that day! My sister & I did our shopping and went back and picked it up that evening! It's so sparkly and shiny!! I absolutely love it!!

Speaking of Black Friday, my sister and I went to Amarillo on Thursday night and got a hotel room so that we could be at the stores by 4 am! It was a blast!! We were at Wal-Mart at 3:30 am! They had their coats on sale for $8 and I had a list of kids in the elementary school that needed one. The circular said they were going to start at 4, but when we got to the store, they informed us they weren't starting until 5. It was ok, because we were able to stock up on the coats we needed before the madness began.

It was a blast!! I do have to say that it wasn't as fun as shopping in Abilene, though. In Abilene, the manager comes over the intercom and says, "Are you ready to shop?" Then everyone screams and they do a big countdown! At 0, the employees start ripping shrink wrap and everyone starts grabbing!

Here's how it went down in Amarillo:
Some of the things on sale were on the end caps, so they weren't shink wrapped. I saw this CARS thing I wanted to get for Evan and it was on the end cap. It was almost time for the madness to begin, but I wanted to see if they had the one I wanted. So, I went over there and pulled 2 off of the top shelf trying to look behind it to see if they had the one I wanted. This customer . . . yes, a CUSTOMER, said, "Ma'am, you can't touch those until 5 am."

Me: It's on the end-cap and I'm just seeing if they have the one I want. Besides, it's 4:55 by my watch. (Few minutes go by)

Customer: Well, you better hope that lady doesn't see you.

Me: I'm not going to take any. I just wanted to see if they have the one I want. Besides, now my watch says it's 5 o'clock.

Lady next to me (again, a customer): SCREAMS It's 5 o'clock!!

Employees started ripping shrink wrap! Customers started grabbing! I was almost hit with a Hannah Montana guitar! I had to move FAST to get the other CARS thing I wanted to get Evan. Goodness!! Were they just waiting on me to tell them it was time to start?

Anyway, it was a blast! My sister and I got all of the coats we needed and headed to the cash registers. One end of the store had lines backing up, but on the other end, there wasn't hardly anyone! My sister & I just walked right up and were the first ones in line!

We shopped all day -- no, I mean ALL DAY!! Well actually, after I bought my ring, I was pretty much finished shopping. But, my sister could shop and shop and shop! We got up at 3 am and I pulled back in to Aaron's parents' house at 10:30 pm!! What a day!!

I took pictures of all of our finds once we got to my sister's house. The whole back of my car was FULL!! I can't get my camera to upload at the current moment, but I'll try to post those later.

Isn't she lovely?

We went to a birthday party today at Chuck E. Cheese and Katianne & I decided to hang out together at the mall for a while. I asked her if she wanted to look at wedding rings with me and I found this:

The lady gave me the price and it was reasonable, but still I don't have a couple of thousand dollars just laying around. She told me that I could go and check it online and if it was cheaper, I could print it out and they would give it to me for the cheaper price. We went to other jewlery stores and I picked it out 3 times!! One store was DOUBLE the first store!! The other was comparable and when I said I had found it at Zales, they asked me how much they said. They said they would work with me on the price and it was very reasonable. There was only $300 difference between the 1 1/2 carat and the 2 carat ring.

Anywya, I got home and checked online at the first store -- $1000 CHEAPER ONLINE!!!

Now, I still don't have the money laying around, but that's the one I want. Not sure how it's all going to work out, but I'm sure it will. Just watch for that thing to be on my finger one day soon!!

What's Up?

So, I'm tired of seeing my wants list on my blog, so here's a new one. What's been going on with me you might have been asking? Well, let me tell you:

* I'm working on Cherith's baby calendar. It's almost finished!! 3 layouts to go and they are the funnest ones!! I'm actually working on it today. . well, I'm taking a break right now, but my goal is to give it to her tomorrow!! YAY!

* I'm working on a scrapbook for Kathy. I was very overwhelmed at first, but it's rolling right along. The kicker? It has to be done by Christmas. But, don't you worry. It's not my normal kind of scrapbooking. It's "old school scrapbooking" . . . the kind I did in high school where you take pictures and articles and awards and slap them on a page. I'm really excited about this one. I'm actually getting paid to do something I really like and it's easier than what I normally do!!

* I've stopped looking for a ring. We went ring shopping last weekend and the one I really liked was $3500 on sale for half price!! It wasn't that spectacular! It was very pretty, though. I'm just believing God is going to take care of it for me.

* I've got the paint bug. I'm wanting to do some massive painting on my house. And, thanks to My Points, looks like I'll get most of my paint for FREE!! I think I have at least a $50 gift card to Lowes or Home Depot! YAY!! I just found a website that showed painting a vanity in a bathroom. . . SOOOOO want to do that!! I'm also wanting to knock out a wall or two in my house but they are load-bearing walls. . . Gosh! Wish I had Randy's experience and knowledge of those kind of projects -- and tools, I guess.

* Jaxon turns ONE YEAR OLD NEXT SATURDAY!! That's so hard for me to believe! We're going to have his party at my grandma's house after we have Thanksgiving dinner. It's the perfect thing because everyone will already be there and I don't have to do another party.

* Katianne is still living with us. Please pray for us. We need some wisdom on a few things related to this one. It's been great. We just need to know what the next step is -- for her and for us.

* Since Hallelujah Night, I've been bored out of my mind!! I thought I was so busy before doing Hallelujah Night and then I did it and felt like it went great but it required so much time! Now that I'm not doing that, I feel like I have all the time in the world!! Guess this is the time to get back to my schedule so I can get things done. I am kind of starting my next big project -- a fundraiser event for Backpacks. More info on that later . . . much later.

* We've gone back to using envelopes for our budgeting on things like groceries. I only carry cash for when I buy groceries. I hated the idea at first, but it really made me think about what I was buying and did we really need it. We have actually saved so much money doing this!! We don't have the "luxury" things like the fruit snacks or many snack things at all, but we're surviving and we have money in our budget!!

* Speaking of food, things just haven't tasted the same since the fast. It's been weird that a hamburger doesn't sound good and we had tacos one night that just didn't cut it. I stepped on the scale the other morning and here's some good news -- I've lost 18 pounds since June when I started wanting to lose weight!! The last 5 of that was from the fast.

* Marriage life group is over and I'm trying some new things. One of Aaron's needs is to have an attractive spouse. He told me that he likes it when I dress up and wear something besides jeans and a t-shirt. So, I've been trying. I had to go shopping and now I have to actually wear those clothes, but it's working. I do need to go find some heels (gasp!) with closed toes. It's getting too cold to wear my other ones!

* Backpacks. . . what can I say? I absolutely love it!! The last few weeks we've had to do a little questionnaire with the kids asking them their favorite things and least favorite things in the backpacks. One of the questions was "What would happen if you didn't get your backpack?" Probably 95% of these kids said they wouldn't have any food in their house. The others said they would run out. I know what it's like to have my pantry almost empty where there's nothing I want to eat but I can't imagine having NOTHING to eat. I do remember those days growing up, but it's been so long that it seems so far away. Anyway, I've joined with Kimberli B and we're now doing a shoe thing to give these kids shoes if they need them. The kids were excited about the idea of getting something new. It's so exciting!!

* I've found my new motto -- Do what you love and you'll love what you do. I was telling Katianne that the other day and then I went to Hobby Lobby and there was a stamp with that on it!! I thought I had just made that up!

So, there you go. . . a new post to read and a little catch up on me and my world. I'm ready to see some other people update theirs!! ;)

Why do I have the "Wants"?

So, I've lost my wedding ring and it hasn't turned up. I'm really bummed about that. I know. . . sounds like it would be fun to shop for a new one, but it isn't. I just want my old one back and all will be fine in the world.

And, because I don't have a couple of thousand dollars laying around, doesn't look like I'll be getting a new one soon. . . unless that couple of thousand dollars lands in my lap -- I do believe that could happen!

Anyway, this whole ring thing has set off this "Wants" attitude with me. I have money to do some of these things, but I'm not sure what to do first or if I really want that thing.

So, here is a list of my wants (in no particular order):
* I want a wedding ring -- or my old one back
* I want an iphone. . . I'm sure I would use the heck out of one!
* I want my living room and kitchen painted -- fireplace, trim, & all
* I want my fireplace cleaned out.
* I want a new faucet for my kitchen sink.
* I want 2 more cabinets for my scrapbook room.
* I want some time to scrapbook -- and finish Cherith's calendar!
* I want my boys to have the bed that we've been talking about for the last 2 years.
* I want a chair for my scrapbook building -- zebra preferrably
* I want Jaxon to sleep through the night!
* I want all of my pictures on my computer printed.
* I want my kids to have new sheets for their new bed.
* I want to paint the boys bathroom -- OU maroon & white
* I want a new deck / patio.
* I want a porch on my scrapbook building.
* I want Miles healed.

I don't know what's up with me . . . I am usually so content and just fine. Maybe now that I have the list out in the open, all of this "I want" stuff will go away and I will be content again. I sure hope so!!

Evan turns 5 years old!!

I've never seen anyone so excited about their birthday!! Evan needed to know the plan and he was excited about it!!

On Friday, the first present arrived!! Excitement was in the air!


OK, now I'll continue!

He thought it was funny that everyone was singing Happy Birthday to him.

Blowing out all 5 candles! He acted like he had to blow out 500 or something!
That ribbon on his shirt says "I'm 5 Today". Yes, he just HAD to have it! He wore it proudly all day long pointing out to anyone that would listen that it was his birthday!

So, here's the next one : Jaxon's birthday is in 2 weeks!! 2 weeks I said!!! I haven't even started!! Oh well! Luckily he doesn't have an opinion yet.

Don't worry . . . it's just a little throw up!

I was up all night last night with Jaxon throwing up, but no fever. He would throw up, he would get a bath, I would get rinsed off as much as possible, we would go to the recliner and try to sleep. I slept in what seemed like 15 minute intervals from 2 am until 6 when he woke up just fine!

I got Payton & Evan off to school and Jaxon dressed. I had a day all planned which included hopefully going to get a new iphone (still trying to convince Aaron a little bit, but I looked really good today, so I was sure that would convince him!) Anyway, sorry about the rabbit trail!

I get a phone call to go to Katianne's sister's house. Her ex-husband died last night and they were both really upset. Right before we leave, Jaxon starts whining and throws up all over himself. Great! New outfit and he's acting like he is feeling better, so we're on our way. I pack an extra outfit just in case I need it.

After going to Amber's house, I go to the church to print something. That didn't happen because Jaxon had a TERRIBLE diaper! It stunk up all of the offices!! I took him in my office and changed him and without thinking, I threw it in my trash can. I'm sure my office will smell just lovely tomorrow!!

So, we go to town and go to lunch with Payton. All is well and Jaxon is his happy self. Go to Wal-Mart & he takes a nap while we're in there. We go to pick up Evan. He got to take cupcakes today because his birthday is tomorrow. We get all of our stuff and right as we're about to get on the elevator, Jaxon starts dry heaving and then it comes! EVERYWHERE!! There were people standing everywhere and nobody seemed to see it!! I walk back to Evan's classroom and ask to use the bathroom. I was so embarassed and wondering how in the heck I was going to clean us up!

They took me to the bathroom where everything was made for a 4 year old. I loved that, but it's not good when you're a 31 year old! I'm using tons of paper towels and getting nowhere. Evan's embarassed and Jaxon's crying. The teacher brings me a wet t-shirt to use to wipe off. That was a miracle working thing right there!!

I got cleaned off, got Jaxon's clothes off of him, and a little less embarassed, we headed out the door. Sad to say that I still had to stop by the party store for the pinata! I felt DISGUSTING, but we made it!!

Nothing like a little throw up to bond with your child's teachers!!

Prayer #2

In the last week, I've finally been able to put my wedding ring back on. When I was pregnant with Jaxon, my fingers swelled so bad, I couldn't wear it for about the last 4 or 5 months of my pregnancy and I haven't been able to wear it since. Finally this past week, it started to fit.

On Wednesday, I put it on but once we got going with Hallelujah Night, my fingers started swelling and I had to take it off before it got stuck. I had to put it in my pocket until I could put it somewhere "safer". Then, I got so busy that I didn't think about it again. . . until the next day when Aaron asked me where my ring was. I thought I had tried to put it on that morning, but then I realized I hadn't seen it. When I got home from Hallelujah Night, I emptied my pockets, which were full of all kinds of things during Hallelujah Night and it wasn't there.

I can't find it anywhere. My guess is that one of the several times I pulled my keys out of my pockets, my ring fell out. I'm just believing that it will be returned to me.

My Sister

My sister has been trying to get pregnant for the last 2 years. It's been a frustrating journey, but her and her husband have decided to see what the problem is. She had a scan done on Tuesday (or Monday) where they put in a scope to see her tubes and ovaries. They found that one of her ovaries is small, but they said her tubes were open and the other ovary was fine.

Today her doctor called and said she had endometriosis and that is causing one of her tubes to be blocked. She wants her to see a fertility specialist in Lubbock, which is about a 2 1/2 hour drive for them and could be several appointments.

Please pray for her. She really wants a baby and since the problem is with her, she really frustrated. There's nothing she can really do about the endometriosis, which makes it worse.

Please pray that her tubes would be open and that the endometriosis would disappear. Pray that she and her husband would have peace and wouldn't get frustrated with all the tests.

The Calm Before the Whirlwind

So, tomorrow is the big day. The day I've been planning for a couple of months now. Things have really come together in the last week or so. Money finally came in -- that's a good thing. I feel calm -- eerily calm. I feel like I've forgotten something. Something big. So, I called in the Hallelujah Night professional and she assured me that everything will be fine. Seems like I've thought of everything. Just waiting for tomorrow!

Yesterday afternoon, Aaron got a call from the school after lunch that Payton wasn't feeling good. So, he went and picked him up. He didn't feel good all evening and he came and got me in the middle of the night. He would feel terrible and then feel ok. That cycle just continued. He stayed home from school today and we all slept in -- that felt good. He got up and his throat was still hurting, so I decided to take him to the dr. But, I gave him some medicine and he started feeling better. I had a million and one things to get done in town today, so we went to Wal-Mart but he started feeling bad again. So, we stopped in at Dr. J's. It's strep throat. YUCK! And of all times!!

I do feel at peace though. Tomorrow will be a whirlwind for me from the time I get up until Hallelujah Night is over and I crash! I am going to Brandi's (hopefully) on Thursday to scrapbook and I'm looking forward to that!!

This whole Hallelujah Night thing has taken me out of my comfort zone -- WAY OUT! I'm talking to people I never would have talked to before. I'm meeting new people. I'm organizing a big event -- not so "un-normal" except for the magnitude of this event.

Please pray for my family. Everyone has felt "under-the-weather" the last few days. Pray that Payton will be healed QUICKLY!

Mom! I have NOTHING to wear!!

I got this video of Jaxon last night:




Looks like he can't find anything to wear!!

Please Pray

Hallelujah Night is in 2 weeks -- 2 weeks from today actually. I am on top of it and I feel pretty in control of it all. Tomorrow I have a meeting with my team and so we'll see. Here's the thing: I have this lady on my team who is really good at getting things done, but she doesn't work the way I do. I want her to write the stuff down and hand it to me. She wants to make a phone call and then call me and tell me the result of the phone call, but not only the results from that phone call, but a million other little things (that I hate to say, but) I really don't care about. Like I said, she is AMAZING at getting things done -- talking to people, making phone calls, knowing who to call, etc. -- all those things I DON'T like doing, but it's overwhelming having her on my team . . . if that makes sense.

I have talked to her 6 times today on the phone and she's left me 3 voice mails. I talked to her 4 of those time between 10 and 12 while I was up at the church.

Just pray for me that it will all go smoothly. I'm not overwhelmed with the task of getting it done. I'm overwhelmed with all the information that goes along with it. Plus, it's nothing like waiting until the last minute for everyone to start coming out of the woodwork to do booths and help out!! Guess it's just good they're willing to help!!

Please pray for finances for this thing! People who gave last year either aren't giving or they aren't giving as much. Just cover Hallelujah Night with your prayers for the next 2 weeks -- and that includes the weather!! ;)

I'm HORRIFIED!!

Today I went to town and ran some errands with just me and Jack. We picked Evan up from school and I decided to go to Aaron's office to get some water so I could fix Jaxon a bottle. I had just got off the phone with Aaron and I knew he wasn't there. Then, as we're pulling in the driveway, his secretary is leaving. So, I get the kids out and put them down inside the door while I go to the bathroom for some water.

I open the bathroom door and there is a man sitting on the toilet -- MID-WIPE!!! I apologized profusely and so did he. I just closed the door and went to Aaron's office. I couldn't just leave because I needed the water and it's not like he'll never see me again. So, I just decided to play it cool when he came out.

When he came out, he laughed and said, "It's ready now. Oh, by the way, I'm Tyler." He stuck out his hand for me to shake it. I couldn't shake the thought that went through my head! ANYWAY, I said, "Hi, I'm Rachel, Aaron's wife." I apologized again and again. He just laughed and went about doing whatever he was doing.

OH MY GOSH!! I was so terribly embarassed!! But, when I got in the car, I just started laughing hysterically!! I called Aaron, but he just told me I should have knocked. I disagree. But, I guess I will from now on. . . who knows when he'll hire a new person and not tell me!

Picture Day

For the last 2 years, picture day has been on our (me, Brandi, & Krissy) coffee day. The first year we were meeting for coffee, picture day was the worst!! Everyone was whining and complaining about what they had to wear. . . just total chaos!!

The next year, the week before the dreaded picture day, we all decided that it couldn't get any worse! We were just going to pray and ask God to fix it. It was a little better, but still the whining and arguing happened!!

We didn't have coffee yesterday, but it was picture day today!! I was a little nervous!! We hadn't discussed our "battle plans" of getting our kids dressed and hair looking decent!!

But, I had the kids lay out their clothes last night and here's what happened:

Evan was not excited about picture day to say the least. Well, he wasn't excited about the clothes I wanted him to wear. He came out of the closet dragging a shirt. You would have thought I was asking him to dress like a clown or something! None of the shorts were the "right ones", etc. Finally I convinced him that I would win this battle and he was wearing a collared shirt to school. He finally was ok with all of it. It only took about 5 minutes of whining and it was over.

Here's where I thought the battle would really heat up. I told Payton he had to wear a collared shirt and he said, "OK. You can pick it out." WHAT?! That has never happened! So, I laid his shirt out and put some nice shorts on top. He just said, "Mom, remember last year they let us bring clothes to change in to. Can I still do that?" I wasn't sure this was my child!!

This morning, they got up and got dressed. Payton made sure he could take clothes to change in to. I assured him it was fine with me. . . I'm hoping it is ok with his teacher this year.

Evan got up and got dressed. Then, I told him that he could wear whatever to school because I changed my mind about having his pictures made. They were so darn expensive!! It was $18 for 2-5X7s and 4 wallets!! For $19 at Payton's school, I would have gotten a massive package! So, I decided to just take him somewhere around his 5th birthday and have them made instead. I could take him to Wal-Mart for the $5 package and that would be just fine with me. . . and a lot cheaper! Anyway, he was very excited and ran and changed his clothes.

So, this morning, the kids got off to school with no arguing, no fighting, no fussing, no whining, no hair issues . . . NOTHING!! So, here's my conclusion -- it all has to do with our coffee group!!

DISCLAIMER: I'm really just kidding. I LOVE our coffee group and I've really missed it!! I just had to laugh this morning when I realized that's all that changed! Well, maybe my kids are older too.

My Birthday -- A week late

My birthday was awesome! Birthdays really are a big deal to me. I don't have to have a big party, but I would like people to remember. I really thought everyone was going to forget. There has been a lot going on and this has been the month for birthdays and parties for sure!! But, I wasn't forgotten!!

Aaron got me these towels from Williams-Sonoma. For what he paid for these things, they should air dry you off. They don't dry very well, but they sure look good!! He also gave me some spending money, so I'll be going clothes shopping soon.

I got this really neat watch from Joel & Trish. I found it when we were in NYC, but it was in the first store we went in, so I didn't want to spend all of my money just yet. We never went back to get it. I was kicking myself on the bus ride home because I really liked it! Then, when Trish & I went to Austin, I found it again, but it was too small and they didn't have the extra links. UGH! The last time Trish went to Austin, she called me and said, "Hey. Did you know you just have to call this 1-800 number and they will send you the links to that watch?" I wanted to tell her to get it for me, but I was out of blow money for the month. Little did I know, she had already bought it for me and here it is! I absolutely love it!!

I got this really sweet card from Brandon. I really was shocked that he remembered.

On Sunday morning, Jerod had me come up front and said some really sweet things about me. I don't like being the center of attention, so I felt a little awkward. Then, when everyone sang Happy Birthday to me, that was just really neat. Again, being the center of attention, I felt a little awkward, but it was nice. The kids were so sweet whispering "cha cha cha" during those parts. It was just really neat.

I also got these flowers at church on Sunday. They were left over from a wedding that Joel catered, but they were amazing!! I'm usually not a flower kind of girl, but those were beautiful!! And they smelled good!!

We went to Bonzai for lunch. Aaron took some good pictures on his phone. The boys loved the experience, but didn't like the food. I still think I like Fuji better, but it was good.

Katianne got me this picture. It was very sweet of her and I really like it!!

I also got some money for my birthday, which I'm using to finish up my scrapbook room. Pictures of the finished product will be posted later this week. I'm really liking it!!

Also for my birthday, I got to spend Thursday with Brandi scrapbooking at her house. It really was a great time and very relaxing! I got a project done that I have been working on . . . just a few more to finish!! ;-)

So, thank you everyone!! You made my birthday!!

Happy Birthday!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR BRANDI!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!

God, Our Protector

Yesterday evening, Payton, Evan, & I were doing those little bead things where you can make shapes and then you iron them together. I'm not sure what they're called, but that's not the point.

I had the iron on medium-high heat and we were in the kitchen. When we were finished, I unplugged the iron and we were all talking, not thinking much about the iron. Jaxon went to grab the cord of the iron and Aaron said, "No Jaxon. Don't pull on that." He pulled his hand away, but he turned around to sit down and he sat on the cord. The iron came right down on his head, point first. You know that little point at the end of the iron? Yep. . that thing. Right on his soft spot. Aaron saw it happen, but couldn't grab it fast enough. He scooped Jaxon up and started praying. Jaxon was screaming. I was trying to assess the damage, but I couldn't see any blood or any burn marks. Aaron held Jaxon tight and when he pulled him away to look at him, I was expecting to see a burn or blood or something. There was nothing. He calmed down pretty quickly, too.

It didn't puncture his head. There was a dent there and it was going to bruise, for sure but there wasn't anything else wrong. Aaron called Gary Cheek to see what to do. Jaxon hadn't had a nap that afternoon, so he was already sleepy before the incident and now he was really tired. We wanted to make sure it was ok to let him go to sleep. His eyes were dilating and we could wake him up, so we just let him sleep. When he woke up from his nap, he was the same ol' Jaxon crawling all over the place.

This morning, there is a little scratch kind of thing on his head and it's got a little bump, but nothing else. PRAISE GOD!! And, he wasn't burned ANYWHERE!! I would think that after the point hit his head, it would have fallen and burned him, but it didn't. It did shatter the iron, but that doesn't matter.

Another Update

Katianne has been living with us for a few weeks now. We are loving it!! We moved Jaxon into our room and Katianne has the Dallas Cowboys room. I'm sure she's loving that. The worst part for her? I think it's sharing the bathroom with the boys. She hasn't complained, but I wouldn't want to share with them! ;) Everyone asks, "So how is it having a live-in babysitter?" Honestly? I wouldn't know. She only babysits for me on "my day" and I pay her. The other days, she's working and going to school. So, I don't know how that is. But, I do know that we love having her here!!

On Monday when I came home from the office, she told me about how she played football with Evan and she even wore her football jersey. I said, "You know that now every time you play football, you're going to have to wear that, right?" She just laughed. When Payton got home, Katianne said, "Hey you guys want to finish our football game?" They were super excited and went to get ready. She was talking to me in the kitchen when I see them come down the hallway with her jersey in their hands. They went to her room and got it for her. She laughed and I said I told you so.

They were outside playing away when it started raining. They were still outside dripping wet! At one point, Katianne was hiking the ball to Evan and Payton was on the other side ready to tackle whoever ended up with the ball. Katianne pulled a fast one and pretended to hike it, so Payton went after Evan, but Katianne ran it in for the touchdown. Payton had to let her know that she was cheating and he told her all about the rules. She just laughed at him.

At some point, the water hose got turned on and it turned in to a massive water fight between Katianne and Payton . . . in the rain. Aaron and I were inside just laughing at the two of them. Aaron said, "What in the world are we going to do when she moves out?" My answer . . . I'm not sure.

Last week, she was working late and I was tucking the boys in. Payton said, "Mom, is Kate coming home tonight? When is she going to be home?" I told him that it would be late. He wanted to know what time and if she would be here in the morning. I think he's really grown to like her. Before she moved in, she was just their babysitter, but I think she's becoming more like their sister.

Tuesday morning, she had her ipod on and she was singing in her room. It was quite funny. Evan started to go down the hallway to our room when he heard her singing. He stood there for a minute and listened to her sing. Then, he turned back and looked at me and just kind of laughed. It was so cute!!

I love it that when she gets a few minutes, she's cleaning. My house is almost always clean! She had the day off yesterday and was going to go to Abilene to hang out with some friends. I went to the office, but when I got home, everything was clean. She cleaned my house before she left. One day she had my kids cleaning spots from the carpets! I came home and they told me how she taught them to get the stains up. Evan just came in with the "stain remover" and said he was looking for spots to clean. I love it!!

We are helping her with a budget and how to balance her checkbook . . . not her favorite thing to do but she's doing everything we ask her to do. She was only supposed to be here for a few weeks, but we were so excited when it turned in to longer. She's supposed to move in to her new apartment on Oct. 10th. I am secretly hoping that she doesn't. I would love for her to REALLY get on her feet financially and be able to buy stuff for her new apartment. I love the joy that she has and how it just fills the room when she walks in. She was kind of in a sad mood on Sunday and it was hard to take! She talked to me for a long while and it felt good to have a "friend/mother/daughter" kind of talk.

So that's our life with Katianne. We love it and I'm secretly wishing she could live with us forever!

Prayer Request

This morning I got an e-mail from a children's ministry saying that a very important children's minister had passed away. He died on Friday due to complications from a motorcycle accident. I am so saddened today by this news. His name is Harold Davis. He served at Church on the Move in Tulsa, OK for years. . . like 20 years or something. He just recently left that position at COTM and was traveling helping other children's ministries. He was so creative with objects and object lessons. I have used several of his resources over the years and most of them are my favorites -- snow powder, the disappearing heart, etc.

I had the honor and privledge of talking to him a few years ago at COTM's DREAM conference. He was the most down to earth person, but his love for kids was amazing. At that DREAM conference, I went to his pre-conference service on Creativity. It was the most amazing teaching on creativity I've ever heard and one of those that you know will stick with you for the rest of your life and you want everyone around you to know it, too. Just last week I found my notes from that conference and I was reminded again of how creative God made us and intended for us to be.

I know that Harold is having a great time in Heaven enjoying all the things that he's spent years telling boys and girls about. But, the children's ministry world here on this earth will greatly miss him. Please say a prayer for his wife, Nancy, and his son, Derek today.

Just a Random Update

Things here have been . . . busy. Who hasn't been lately? So, here's an update on all the things I think of while I'm typing this post!

Last weekend: We went to OKC on Friday night and spent the night at Aaron's grandma's house on the hardest bed I've probably ever slept on and pillows that I don't think can really be considered pillows anymore. They are probably pillows that Aaron's dad and uncles slept on when they were kids. . . no kidding!

The boys have been running "sprints" in the evenings. Jordy babysat them one day and took them to HSU's football field and had them running sprints. Ever since, they like to run them. So, here are some pictures of the boys racing Aaron's dad and Aaron. We were using the stopwatch on Aaron's iphone to time everyone.

Feeling right at home in Oklahoma with all the OU gear! I had actually forgotten how into it everyone gets in Oklahoma. Everywhere we went, people had on their maroon and white or orange and black (OSU).
This picture was at BrickTown in downtown OKC. Kind of like San Antonio's riverwalk. We were trying to kill some time before heading to OU. Afterwards, I had wished that we had taken the boys to the OKC bombing memorial. Aaron and I went when I was pregnant with Payton, but I would have like to gone back.

We went to the OU game on Saturday afternoon. . . well, we didn't actually get in. Here is a picture of Jaxon in the grass while we're waiting on the boys to see if they could find tickets. There wasn't hardly ANYONE selling tickets . . . and we needed 6 of them! Aaron found a few, but they were $65 each. . . uh, no. Jaxon had never felt the grass before! It was so funny! We did have a good time while we were waiting.

Payton was so brokenhearted! He was so pumped to go to that game!! We were outside the gate and you could hear all of the cheering and the band playing. But, you couldn't see in anywhere. When we finally decided that we weren't going to get tickets, Payton broke down! But, I was proud of him. He could have thrown a massive fit kicking, screaming, etc. He just cried . . . and cried. This picture still kind of makes me tear up knowing how upset he was.

The game we never got to see:In front of the Loyd Noble Center (where OU plays basketball):

It was actually a good thing that we didn't get in. There was an hour and a half rain delay and OU won like 57 to 2. Not an exciting game by any means. We went to eat and then headed back to Aaron's grandma and that stone of a bed. Payton was exhausted. Can that really be comfortable?

We headed to Tulsa on Sunday morning. . not in time to go to church. We met our friends (the birthday boy & his wife) for lunch. While we were at lunch, I asked her about the "after 5 dress". She said I couldn't be overdressed for this party. So, we went to the mall. Ever shopped with 4 boys in the middle of the afternoon? I knew I had one chance in one store and one store only. I did find some pants. The top I picked out, I wasn't pleased with, but the boys were exhausted and I didn't have much time. So, that's what I got. Got back to the hotel and a stone on my shirt came off. . . oh well. I'll just hold Jaxon.

The party was fun. His friends did a talent show called Johnie's Friends Got Talent. It really was fun and so thought out. They had party favors on the table and inside the little boxes were red (his fav. color) and silver M&Ms. On the M&Ms, some of them said "What 40?" "4 Real" and on the other side was his picture. . . yes, you read that right. . . his picture. Sorry I don't have pictures of that and I don't have any left. . . well, the boys ate them, right?

Monday we headed home and 7 1/2 hours in the car with 3 boys, 1 of which hates his car seat . . . well, I can't say that was the funnest experience. We almost ran out of gas in the middle of nowhere outside of Tulsa. God had to extend our gas. . . no, He HAD TO HAVE!! We were a couple of miles from the gas station and the steering wheel started locking up. We were OUT! But, we made it to the gas station and filled up. It's a funny story actually, but I'll save that for later.

We went through Wichita Falls and decided we would stop and see The Falls. . . not a good idea. It was just frustrating and we didn't get to see them. We didn't know you had to walk .43 miles down to them and Aaron wasn't up for that.

So, I guess that was our summer vacation this year. I had planned on blogging about all the other things going on, but I'll save that for another day. I think this post is long enough. Thanks for reading. . . if you've made it this far!

After Five Dress

We are heading to Oklahoma this weekend. We're heading out on Friday evening and driving to Oklahoma City. We'll go to the OU football game on Saturday evening then drive to Tulsa on Sunday sometime. I would love to drive to Tulsa and let my kids go to "the ultimate children's ministry" on Sunday, but I'm not sure that will happen, but even if we did drive up there, I think it would really overwhelm them and they wouldn't go.

Anyway, Aaron's friend is turning 40 and we're going to his surprise birthday party on Sunday night. The invitation said "After Five Dress". . . what the heck is that? In my head I'm thinking that's fancy, but not super fancy, but I don't have a clue.

HELP!!

Ever have "one of those days"?

This morning, we all got up on time. I cooked breakfast. Payton was dressed before I knew it. He even beat Aaron getting dressed! When he came in, he didn't have his Texas Rangers jersey on. When I asked him if he wanted to wear it, he just said, "No, today is just a NIKE day." He had on his new NIKE shoes, his new NIKE socks, his new NIKE shorts, and his NIKE under-armor (by the way, he insists that NIKE be spelled with all caps).

He fixed his own lunch, which I was a little sad about. He ate his breakfast and finished tying his shoes. Aaron had already backed the car out of the driveway and was waiting on Payton. As Payton started out the door, I said, "WAIT! Can't I get one picture?" He turned around, smiled and said, "CHEESE." Then, I said, "Hurry! Run!" As he took off running with his Colorado Rockies backpack swishing back and forth on his back, I thought, "No, stay home with me! Are you sure you have to go to 2nd grade?" And, for the first time, I cried about Payton going to school. I didn't cry with Kindergarten. I didn't cry with 1st grade. But for some reason today, it hit me that my "baby" is growing up. Wasn't he just Jaxon's age a few months ago?

I went to the church for my meetings and this seemed to carry over. I cried in staff meeting -- I HATE IT when I do that.

When I posted this originally, I did forget to add that Jaxon was beyond fussy today. All day. During our staff meeting, he had a friend to play with, but he was more fussy than usual. I do know that he was tired, too, but that kid was just "out of whack" today. We got home and I put him down for a nap and he was still a little fussy. But when Payton walked in the door, that smile flashed across his face just as big as he could smile!! His bubba was home!! Payton picked him up and Jaxon just laid his head down on Payton's shoulder. He just followed Payton around wherever he went! He really did miss him.

Next week, Evan starts going to Mommy's Day Out. What the heck will I be like then?

Memories of "home"

Last weekend I went home to see my parents and do some school supply shopping. On our way home, we stopped by my grandma's house. She hasn't seen Jaxon before and it's been a long time since she's seen the boys. When I got there, memories of the place started flooding my mind. I went outside at one point and the Lord told me to grab my camera and start taking pictures. At one point recently, my grandma was going to sell the place and it broke my heart. Gosh. . . there are so many memories there! I'll share just a few with you.

Here is where our trailer house once stood. Right to the left hand side of that barn. That barn used to be the garage where my dad and his buddies would "hang out" on Friday nights. You can still see the sidewalk if you look real close. When my parents sold the house (or whatever happened) and they moved it, the house actually fell apart. Crazy, huh?


Back there (where the tall grass is now) is where my grandpa would plant corn and black eyed peas. In the summer time, he would set a sign out in front of his house and people would stop and pick black eyed peas by the bushel. He would sit on the porch (picture following) and watch all these people out in his fields picking his peas. They would pick for a while and then go pay him. I remember people driving from all over the place to pick peas there! I remember running through the corn rows and playing hide and seek. My grandpa didn't like that one bit! When my grandpa died, someone came to the funeral home and put a handful of black eyed peas on his coffin. It was weird, but it was a very nice touch.

This is the barn that my dad built. There used to be a basketball goal up there and we would play basketball until all hours of the night. My dad put a light out there for us and the driveway was actually wider than it is now. My dad used to do all kinds of welding and mechanic work in this barn. It's huge. We used to get in trouble for getting his welding chalk and writing all over the cement floors. My dad painted my first car in this garage. Aaron kissed me for the first time on April 19th, 1995 in this garage. (hee hee)


This is a little side porch thing behind my grandma's house. On that little slab of cement, we wasted away our summers crushing cans. My grandparents would go on walks in the evenings and my grandpa would collect cans. We would check every day to see if he had enough cans for us to crush. He made these "can crushers" all by himself. We would fight over who got to crush which can and a few toes were crushed in the process.


Here's where my grandpa would sit and watch everyone in his "patch" as he called it. He also sat here most days and just seemed to enjoy being outside. This is also where he would sit during the annual Easter Egg hunt! Whoever found the most eggs got a penny. . . and it was a prized possession!!


Here's the cellar where we spent many a summer nights. My grandma also kept all of the things that she canned from the garden down there. All kinds of jelly and vegetables, etc. We always laughed at how if we ever had a really bad tornado and debris was all over the top of the door, we would be just fine down there!! We used to fit 11 people down there! Underground is just about the size of that white cement slab on top there. I just cut the end off in the picture. My grandpa had rigged the door with a clip on the door with a MASSIVE chain that would clip on to a hook in the cement stairs. Then, there was another door that closed off the cellar part from the stairs. That was in case the door was ever blown off we would still have a door between us and the outside. I do remember one night that the door did almost blow off. My grandpa was trying to get the outer door clipped to the stairs and we were all telling him to just get in the safe part with us. But, my grandpa was in the navy and now I realize how strong he really was then. He finally struggled enough and got that door latched down. He got in the inner part with us and that outside door still flapped as a tornado flew overhead. Yes, it was crazy.

This was the chicken coop we had at one time. There was a cage there at one time. My job was to go collect the eggs every day. We also had a cow out there at one time. . . that was absolutely crazy!

These were my grandpa's grape vines. Gosh, those were some good grapes!! My grandma would go out every summer and pick grapes off of there to make grape jelly.

Here's a better picture of the cellar. See that other grape vine over there (to the left of that tree)? This is also the clothes line my grandma hung clothes on forever!! She hated to use her dryer and there were always clothes drying out there!! Most summer days you could find her outside by the clothesline.

This is the front of my grandma's house. During the winter, we would wait at that front door and watch for the bus in the mornings. My grandpa would be sitting at the kitchen table eating his sardines and grits and drinking his coffee. But, he drank his coffee a little weird. He poured it into the cup and then poured it from the cup into the saucer. He would drink his coffee from the saucer. This is where the green and gold carpet are still under your feet. This is where my grandpa took naps every afternoon. This is where some of the most amazing Thanksgiving dinners were made. This is where my grandma made most of my clothes when I was younger. This is where I would go when I had to do a report on World War II. My grandpa was in the navy and told many a story about his days in the war. He was the checker champion on his boat. If he had cashed in all that he "won", he would have been a millionaire. My grandma has WWII memoribillia stored in the back bedroom. Things I hope will be mine when she passes away. I always found them fascinating!

So, there's my little walk down memory lane. I'm still not sure why God told me to take pictures, but I'm glad I did. I have a few more pictures, but they need to be turned before I post them and I need to get some laundry done. . . blogging time is up!

Attn: Pam (& any others who missed Opening Ceremonies)

I found someone who has a link to somewhere to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. And since the e-mails I send to you never reach you or bounce back to me, try this:

* Go to this blog: http://mom2my6pack.blogspot.com/

* Go to her Sunday, August 10th post about the Olympics

* She has a link to the opening ceremonies

I'm not sure it will have the same effect to watch it on the computer screen, but it's all the rage from what I hear. . . well, from what I've heard from Brandi.

Anyway, just wanted to help a friend out!!

Playing in the Rain

Yesterday, the boys were outside playing football, when it started to sprinkle. They came in and put their bathing suits on in case it rained. It started pouring down and they were still "working out". Payton said it was because the pros practice in the rain. So, here are my very own football pros:

All the pros do push-ups in the rain, too.
I couldn't turn down a few shots of splashing feet!
I didn't realize Evan had such a vertical leap!

I'm not sure exactly what Evan is "practicing" here. . .
I guess every pro needs to know how to swim in the driveway!

Good thing we live on a cul-de-sac! Only then can you go out and swim in the road!

Cul-de-sacs are good for being able to ride your bike down the middle of the road, too!

By the way, I need to send a shout out to a Mr. J Wilson who had his birthday yesterday! I didn't forget . . . although I did forget to post it on my blog yesterday! I didn't forget your birthday!!!

August Thoughts. . .

I don't know what it is, but I love going shopping for school supplies! We haven't gone this year, but I can't wait.

When I started Kindergarten, my grandma took me school shopping. I could pick out whatever I wanted, although I really had no idea what was "cool". Then, she bought me some school clothes and some new shoes. . . of course, everything came from Wal-Mart but I didn't know any different. In the following years, we just got whatever my parents could afford, which was Wal-Mart, but when Wal-Mart didn't have anything cool.

When Payton started school, my mom called and wanted to buy Payton's school supplies. On one hand, I was very thankful, but on the other, I was a little disappointed. We couldn't go up there, so she picked everything out and mailed it to us. She mainly picked up the little things so it would be easier to mail. He was very excited to get a package in the mail, but when we went out to get the bigger things (kindergarten mat, etc), he kept seeing things he wanted.

First grade, same thing. My mom wants to buy his school supplies and mail them. I let Payton make that decision and he says that he wants her to do that. Again, I'm a little disappointed but we did have to go pick out a few more things. Can you really complain if someone else wants to buy your child's school supplies?

This year, my mom calls and wants to buy them again. I ask Payton if that's ok and he says, "Mom, I want to pick my own stuff out this year." YAY!! ;) I called my mom and told her and she laughed and said, "So, have I not done a good job the last few years or what?" So this year we're going to make the best of both worlds. We are going up there next weekend while Aaron is in California to buy school supplies with my mom. I really am excited about it. I don't think I've been there since Christmas. . . no, I've been back once I guess.

We did already buy backpacks on Ebay. A Colorado Rockies backpack for Payton and a San Antonio Spurs backpack for Evan. We're just waiting on the mail lady to bring them! It was a blast looking all over the internet for what they wanted.

I don't have a clue what Jaxon is going to do once Payton goes back to school. The two of them have really grown to love each other over the summer. Jaxon can be crying his head off, but if Payton walks in the room, all is well. I'm not sure what I am going to do either. On Tuesdays & Thursdays, Payton & Evan will be at school,so it will just be me and Jaxon. I am excited for Evan, though. He is going to love the social aspect of "school".

I am going to be at the church more, I think. Right now I'm working on my schedule. If you haven't listened to that podcast that Francesca recommended, it is a MUST LISTEN!

OK. . enough blabbering. Plus, Jaxon is sitting here whining & both of us can't type at the same time . . . it's naptime!