After the Storm

Tonight we had a crazy storm come on as we sat in the pizza joint down the street.  Honestly, I was worried that we were going to blow away.  The wind bursts were 70 mph and rain blowing from side to side.  The topper was hearing the sirens blaring as we sat at the stop light.  The silver lining to this storm came about 20 minutes later...this double rainbow.  Ahhh, God's promise!

Olivia told me this was her first ever rainbow.  So for the second day in a row, "Today is the best day of my life."  Oh little Livie, I love the way you think!

Olivia's First Camp

My darling little 4 year old attended her first ever camp at church.  No, I didn't get any pictures because the PARENTS DON'T STAY!!  She'll go back the next two days from 10-12 for more fun in the sun and learning about Jesus.  All she could remember about the "best day of her life" was going down the slide and eating blue jello for a snack.

My baby just isn't a baby anymore.  It's hard to believe she is going to preschool this fall.  Some of my hopes and dreams as a parent include watching the girls grow and develop into beautiful, smart, self-confident women.  I didn't realize that letting the baby slip through my fingers would be so difficult.  Stay tuned.  Over the years there will be many more posts that lean close to me whining and crying over the girls "growing and developing into beautiful, smart, self-confident women."  Hang in there with me, I'll need your support.

More July 4th

6 States in 2 Days

Spending time with my grandma (in-law) is always special to me and last week I had the opportunity to have some quality time with Grandma in Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona.  Too bad I didn't get a good picture of grandma and me on our 2 day drive.  I do however have a few photos to prove I had a some time away from the humidity and my family.

Eileen and I had a just a couple hours together.  I just love this girl!

This picture was taken just minutes before I was left out in the desert all by myself hoping a friend would pick me up.  Lucky for me I was able to pull my BIG RED SUITCASE into a Paradise Bakery.  It was cooler in there (vs 114 degrees outside) but rather embarrassing.  I looked like a bag lady.  :)

 Tammy: Dear Friend, Ribbon Addict, Kind Beyond Words, Ultimate Crafter

Our time together included pedicures, Chili's Chips and Salsa and a chick flick.  Loved it!

Vicki and I spent a wonderful afternoon together.  We already talk on the phone every week so it really wasn't a matter of "catching up" as much as finally just having face to face conversations.
Thanks Vicki for lunch!

Eric, Karen and Regina were able to squeeze me into their schedule.  My niece really is a beautiful girl growing quickly into a woman.  YIKES!!!  I tried to make friends with the dog again but I'm sure if he had a chance he'd eat me for dinner any day of the week.  :)  Hope they are having a great family vacation this week.

Early dinner in Mesa with Grandma, Special Friend Bob, Shelly and Camille.

Look how serious Grandma looks here...not the norm, especially when Bob is around.
We managed to squeeze in a day at IKEA.  Love that place!!!

You might be asking who that guy is in the cockpit of the southwest airplane.  Oh just the gentleman assigned to do repairs to our aircraft AFTER they loaded us all on that tiny little tube with wings.  UGH!!!  Don't get me wrong, I don't mind my flight leaving late when there's a repair to be done but is it really necessary to make us all cram in there for an extra hour.  For the first time ever, I got anxious and claustrophobic on the plane.  The 4 year old boy in front of me asked every 5 minutes if we were moving yet.  It was cute until I started to internally freak out.  The bad thing, these days you can't run off the plane because they assume your luggage down below may have a bomb in it.  I couldn't show my stress, instead I chewed 15 pieces of gum.

By the time I was packing my suitcase to head back to Omaha, I was ready and yet I didn't have enough time to see everyone that I wanted to see.

Firework Fanatics

It's a annual affair...the Fantastic Foley Firework Party.  This is where is all starts...in a freight car full of explosives.  To be totally honest, I think it really begins somewhere on I-29 in Missouri but I probably shouldn't talk about right here and right now.  :)

Where else would we shop but at the best firework stand in GI...Bret and Lindsey's stand at Roy's Music.

All Liv really wanted was snakes and smoke balls.  Look at that big smile!

Tonight we'll have a chance to sit down with some really great friends that we seldom see.  Tomorrow we'll have more pictures and I hope there aren't any from the hospital ER.  :)

Amish Health

This is an incredible article that truly sheds great light on the subject of eating well and living healthy lives.  Some of it may challenge your belief system.  I wonder if you should consider where your knowledge of health has come from.

http://healthwyze.org/index.php/component/content/article/295-the-amish-dont-get-autism-but-they-do-get-bio-terrorism.html

To All Our Dad's

http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/mini-movies/7466/Memories-Of-Dad

We saw this at church Sunday...just had to share it. 

Big Day

We had a big day around here and I'm sad to say it wasn't because it was Father's Day.  My girls are so blessed to have the most amazing father.  Chris works hard, plays hard and loves like no other.  He not only gives guidance but lives what he teaches.  Thank you Chris for being the man, husband and father that you are!
We have enjoyed the company of our friend, Andy Richey from Phoenix for 3 or 4 days...honestly I don't even know how long he was here.  ha ha  Every night we stayed up so late, I loved every minute of it but I'm feeling the lack of sleep today.

Today started with the end of yesterday. Does that sound weird? We'll I can hardly tell when one ended and the next began.
My day began like this...

1:00am   We finally went to bed...not a good start to my day.  :)

2:00am   Emma woke with a terrible ear ache

3:40am I crawl back into bed

4:00am  I hear Andy leaving our house, heading for the airport.  I got up to wish him well in my groggy state.

7:00am  Alarm clock goes off...time to get ready for church and get at least 2 kiddos in the shower.  (we had an extra one here last night)

8:10am   I head out the door for church hoping and praying that Emma will sleep in and feel well when she wakes.  Camp starts today for her.  YIKES!!

9:00am  Chris calls our AWESOME chiropractor Niki Pearson to get Emma adjusted.

10:45am  Everyone goes to church  (praying for Emma's healing with the Packwoods)

12:30pm  Eat a quick lunch...Chris' favorite pizza.  (praying for Emma's healing)

1:20pm  Emma and I leave for church camp so I can help with registration from 2-5 and she can join up with her friends at 3:30.  (praying for Emma)

6:00pm   Meet the in-laws for dinner, Chris' games are cancelled due to rain so he joins us.  (praying for Emma)

8:00pm  Chris heads to his "writing cave" to work on book #2.  (praying for Emma)

9:30pm Olivia and Reagan are in bed (praying for all 3 girls)

10:52pm   It's time for me to fall into bed as well. (praying)

Dad, wishing you a happy father's day and to all you wonderful men who make a positive influence on your children's lives.  Thank you!

Family Reunion 2010

Making memories is important, especially when it involves family, the people you love.  Chris' dad's family has always been close.  In fact, not just Dean's family but Warren's family and the generations before put God first and family second to everything else.  (Ok, baseball was a VERY close third!  You know 2 of Warren's bothers missed a sibling's wedding because of a baseball game and as the story has it, everyone was ok with that.) Back to the topic at hand...loving each other inspite of their flaws has always been top priority.  Don't tell anyone but there are even several Democrats in the bunch. 

All 27 of us made it to our annual family reunion.  We poured into a local state park with loaded minivans.  Not only did we have games, food and firewood for smores but we had christmas presents.  Most of us just brought our gift exchange packages but Helen could not be outdone.  Each of my children opened at least 10 gifts.  Good grief!

Back by popular demand, my handsome hubby organized planned and created a fun filled 3 days of games and silly events.  Dean's family took home the gold in ladder golf.  Lois and her clan came on strong during Boce ball...crushing the rest of the family.  Nail pounding wasn't even close....ALL ME!!  I will have pictures at a later date.  The diaper challenge was a close 3-way tie.  Pitch took place late at night in the cabins...no known winner.  If smore making was an event Logan would have been the clear winner... that boy had 6 marshmallows on a stick at a time.  Not to brag but I made the best coffee of the reunion.

Surprises of the weekend...

Holly's bright orange hair

Kelly and Ryan are expecting

The group picture includes everyone

No children were lost

Reagan caught 2 fish

No one was able to cheat in the gift exchange!

On The Field

Softball is a big part of our family for most of the year.  Chris coaches high school softball from August thru October with a peppering of meetings, hitting and coaching clinics, and brain zone meetings through out the entire year and then spends April thru June coaching Emma and Reagan's softball teams.  So with all that softball it's pretty important to capture some of those moments on film...well no one uses film anymore but you know what I mean.

Emma playing first base.

She is really growing as a softball player.

I love to watch her at first and short and recently we realized she's pretty good behind the plate as well.

Great catch Em!

Chris coaching while Liv tries to get Daddy's attention.

What a great game!

The Diamondbacks beat the #1 team The Orange Crush

I can't wait to get these sent off and start scrapbooking.  It's been too long!

First Long Camp

Today was a big day for Reagan.  At 4:30 this afternoon I had to chase down Reagan just to give her a hug good-bye as she walked into the chapel for the opening ceremony at camp.  For a shy little girl she sure wasn't scared to leave mom and dad for the next 3 nights.  I can't wait to hear all the stories of new friends, fun games, scary camp stories and hopefully some that lead to life changing decisions.

I bet she was bummed that she didn't get a chance to change her pants from church...but she sure did put on her camp shirt as soon as possible.

Reagan and Gabby's first small group with couselor Savanah.

 
Reagan, I will be praying for you every day.  I love you dearly sweetheart!

Dance Recital 2010

Oma and Opa were able to make the long drive this year.

It's hard to believe how our little girl is growing up.

We were so proud of you tonight. You are a graceful dancer.

What a blessing to have Great Grandma here.

Finally the day is over.  It's been fun but exhausting.

Kick It...Hit It

Face painting for the last game...the girls loved it!

Now that the season is over, the parents have to decide which league to join next year. 

When did kids sports become so expensive?  I thought this was all about fun not status.

Right after Reagan's last soccer game we hustled over to the ball diamond for some crazy 2nd grade softball.

I have amazing video of Reagan's "homerun" but can't seem to post it here.

Reagan loves sports, loves competition and loves to win.  I do believe one day her life verse will be found in 1 Corinthians.
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.  I Cor 9:24

Being Mom

“Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs in my field, since the payment is pure love.”


Mildred B. Vermont

A Not So SMALL Group

What a crew!  Every Wednesday night for the last year we have gathered to "do life together."  Our hope was to learn a little more about God and grow through studying His Word.  Some weeks we did that while others we just ate good food and laughed or cried together.  We've had loved ones pass away, the miracle of birth, loss of jobs, buildings burn down, movie nights, prison terms (ok, not really), junk TV nights, service projects and so much more.  Through each step we have supported each other physically and in prayer.  I love these people and feel so blessed to have been a part of their lives.

Making smores is one of our favorite spring, summer and fall activities.

By the end of the night the chocolate was gone but we had plenty of graham crackers left, I now know why. 

A Tall Order

Do everything without complaining or arguing, 
Phillippians 2:14

Ouch, who does Paul think we are?  What a tall order! 

Today Pastor Mark gave us the same challenge...for 35 days.  So I guess, if I can make it 21 days, it should be a habit.  We'll see what happens tomorrow.  So far I have made it almost 12 hours.  Whew!  The whole church received an orange rubberband to wear on their wrist as a reminder.  It has proven to be a great reminder for our 3 daughters as well.  I'm sure they will keep us honest and on task.


I'm still reading 40 Days.  I will admit to being a few days behind where I should be.  I'd like to think that I'm letting it sink in.  :)

First of Forty

Today I dove into Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life.  I'm asking for your help in accountability.  I will tell you right now that I do not anticipate completing all 40 chapters in 40 days.  Yes they are short chapters but sometimes 10 minutes of prayer and quiet time is all I can do...the book may get squeezed out.

So today I learned "it's not about me."  No kidding!  I've been a mom for over 11 yrs.  Some where along that path I picked that not so subtle message up.  :)

I have been told by a couple people that this is a terrible book and scripture is twisted to say what Warren wanted it to say.  Let's be honest, don't you hear pastors so that many Sunday mornings?  Infact, on Easter Sunday I heard the pastor who is so critical of this book read scripture and then say, "let me paraphrase that."  That's his big beef with the "Message."  Hey buddy here's a secret, the Message is a paraphrase, it doesn't pretend to be a version of the bible. 

Ok, I can step down from my soap box.  :)

If you haven't read this book or if you want to go through it again, I would love to have your company.  Challenge me.  Help me grow.  Hold me accountable.

Plan to check back with me in a couple of days.  I hope to post a few times a week about my study.  Feel free to leave comments.

Blessings to you and yours!!!!

Friends

I have heard some say, "you guys are always having people over or going somewhere." It is true, we love the social life with good friends which almost always includes more children than adults.  Last night again we were out numbered but didn't mind a bit.  Hanging out in the back yard for 4 hours and didn't a have a single problem with the kiddos...now that is a successful gathing of 4 families.

Raabes.Kirgans.Boumans.Loziers

Oh how we are going to miss the Kirgans! 

Living in the Dream (house)

Chris and I had the pleasure to help out some good friends this week by moving into their beautiful home to babysit their 2 boys, 2 dogs and home.  An added bennefit was being around to get the house ready to show when potential buyers came by BEFORE the house even went on the market.  Hope it looked ok.

 

This picture does not even do this kitchen justice. 

If my friends weren't moving I would seriously consider hiring Courtney to give our kitchen and bathrooms a facelift.  He did all the work and it is fantastic!!  Even heated tile floors in the bathroom.

entry way

No pictures of the master bathroom but our entire family enjoyed our time in there.  Olivia discovered the tv in there this morning, she got a real kick out of brushing her teeth and watching cartoons.

It doesn't matter where we are, my kids can find fun and entertainment.

Tonight after we got home I sat down with the girls to tell them how proud I am of them.  Living in someone else's house and totally changing our schedules was tough.  They had very little mom and dad time and no friends over to play plus waking an hour earlier.  Emma, Reagan and Olivia were champions!  What a great girls Chris and I have.  No sooner than I had verbally built them up they started to argue about who had to brush their teeth first and why it isn't fair that...

Oh My Gosh!!  The "vacation" is over, we are back to real life.  :)

Our friends are moving so the house will be available in a few weeks.  If only I could afford a housekeeper I would love to live in this house.  Ok, I can't afford the house either...not even the taxes but I'll blame it on the housekeeping.  ha ha

So blessed...I can't contain it.  God has been so good.  Thank you Lord for the daily abundance!

Left Behind

Most certainly it's easier to leave than to be left behind.  In 1997 we left Nebraska after being married for only 6 mos and headed for the desert of Arizona.  The departure was not difficult, we were young and excited about our new life together in the Southwest.  About seven years later we returned to Nebraska as a family of four.  We left many friends in the desert and it was painful but life went on.  We kept in touch with a few close friends, all the while meeting amazing (and some not so amazing) people.  Then 2 years ago we made another move back to Omaha NE.  Slowly we are meeting good friends again, it takes time.  It hasn't been easy to leave friends like...well you know who you are but we have also been blessed with new people to "do life" with.  This week I find myself on the flip side of this story.  Instead of being the one to leave, I am being left behind.  It hurts!  It stinks! 

Since November I have prayed for God to do a work in the lives of my friends the Kirgans.  Doesn't it stink when God does just what you ask him to do?  ha  They are moving away and it hurts.  So what's the sliver lining?  The past year we have done life with the Kirgans.  Shared good and bad times.  We have laughed, cried, ate good food, prayed together and look forward to Disney World together.

I see God's hand all over this move so I will rejoice.  Just don't forget the little people left in Nebraska.