Third Grade Project!

Psalm 15:13 "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Joy, Peace, Hope three of the best things God gives us!!!! Amen.
Let me tell you about this 3rd grade project. First remember, I am old, tired of school projects already, and not very creative! Boo had to make a community in 3D with 3 examples of places to live, 3 examples of places to work, and 3 examples of places to play. It had to have a key, be labeled, creative, and it was a "family project". I have griped to everyone I know about doing this, but I let Boo think I was very excited. He had lots of fun ideas, he wanted to do a rural community, with a farm, a church, a school, he wanted a park with lots of toys, and he wanted a pond to swim & fish in. This was all well and good, but he really needed a different Mom to help. Oh, and it had to be about 12"x 24", that's lots of stuff to put in a little space. After a trip to several stores for supplies, and several days and nights of working on this, we turned it in today!!!!!!! Boo did about 1/2 the work and I did the rest, so it truly looks like a family project, part 3rd grader and part old mom. I heard the project for next year is worse!! It may be Dads year to do it! P.S. He named his town Joesville.

Really, Really, One of My Best Days Ever!!!

We had a great day today!!! Our 4th child was baptized!!! It is such a blessing for a parent to see. Really, nothing is better. Boo had been talking about "Asking Jesus into his heart" since June, we let it go for a while, to see if he really wanted to take this huge step! Each night and even sometimes with his dinner prayers, he would pray for Jesus to come into his heart. Well, Daddy & I finally got the message and we all 3 had a big talk. Boo knew what he was talking about and what he wanted to do!! Out preacher came over and they read scripture, he asked him several questions, and explained grace to him. Boo new all the answers even before Dakota explained them to him!! I just know Boo will become a preacher someday, and he will be great!!!! God has blessed our family so much with this precious little boy, he has brought so much into our lives. I can't imagine our life without him. We were blessed to have lots of family there to witness this big day. Boo said as I tucked him in, "I guess this was just about the best day ever for our family, now we will all be in heaven together" I cried and agreed with him. God is good isn't He!!! Can I hear an AMEN!!!

Sweet Girls Birthday!!!

Psalm 91:1,2 " He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress and my God, in whom I trust." The whole 91st Psalm is Sweet Girls favorite. I think Joshua 1:9 is my favorite for her. She was the most "strong and courageous" person I knew! Yesterday she would have been 36 years old!!! I can't believe I could have a child that old! It would have been easier to ignore her birthday, if she had not loved them so much. She loved being the center of attention. She would want everyone to be sure and do all they could to make "Her Day" special. We were usually with family over the Labor Day holiday so she would have lots of people celebrating with her. Her Uncle would always be sure to either "slime" her glasses several times or give her tons of "snuggies". No one else could get away with doing stuff like that. I would always make her favorite cake, or get her favorite ice cream cake, and make her favorite dinner. We would all put our rings on the candles of her cake, call out the lucky tooth pics that were put in the cake (Pa would always cheat and claim to have the lucky one!) and sing a great rendition of Happy Birthday!! There were lots of presents (she always wanted lots). Lots of teasing, laughing, hugging and kissing!!! Pretty much the perfect day. I miss her sooooo much!

60 IS THE NEW 40!!!!!

"My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will never be shaken." Psalm 62:1,2. Amen!!!! I love that scripture and I believe it with my whole heart, so why do I let myself be shaken? I'm glad He loves me just the way I am, thank-you Lord for you grace!
After that great scripture, I am going to tell you that I told Boo a lie! I have asked forgiveness, but I'm sure I will do it again. You see I had a birthday recently. BTW (that is text talk for By the way) did I tell you that Jim's birthday and my birthday are on the same day!! Same year even, pretty neat huh! This last birthday was a rather big one, it was a year that ended with a 0, so you know it was big. Well, when Boo asked how old I was I just blurted out 39! He was happy with that so that's what I'm sticking with. I'm sure that someday he will hear Mookie say her age and he will realize I couldn't be 39, but I will deal with that then! I was trying not to celebrate this year, but Boo really reallllly wanted us to have a birthday cake, so I made an angel food cake with 7 minute frosting, sooooooooo good. I have had that very cake each of my 39 years, it makes me happy to eat it!! Go eat something that makes you happy!!

Boo Is Boxing!

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior." Habakkuk 3:17,18. I am taking the idea of having a scripture at the beginning of each blog from a sweet friend who has blessed me with her pure devotion to God. Undergoing cancer treatments, bone marrow transplant, and all that goes with it, her faith is like a shining beacon for all to see. Thanks Becky! God Bless You! I will be praying that you are blessed by these.
Boo has started boxing!! I know it sounds crazy to put an active little boy into boxing, but it is supposed to be good for him. It is sponsored by the police department here in town. Today is Boos second practice. He is anxious to show everyone his "new moves". They haven't taught any moves yet so we told him to keep the new ones to himself. Oh, I hope he does. All they have done so far is exercises, not Boos favorite thing to do, I hope he will just listen and do what he is told instead of trying to teach the class.

Why Did We Get A New Car?

We purchased a "new" car. It is not really new, but it is new to us. We traded in the little cute Vibe that I drove. I'm not really sure why we did this, but we did. In the Vibe, Boo in the back seat, could not see the speedometer....in this car he can. Not so good!!! I constantly hear "Approaching 40,... approaching 45,... now 50... Oh, now its back to 45." I'm not really loving having him telling me my speed all the time. Sometimes, you see, I am going too fast and I know it, but don't want him to. I'm wondering if this is Gods way of slowing me down. Whatever, it has worked, I don't want him saying "Mama, your over the speed limit!" I might trade cars back with Jim, and I'll drive the Suburban, it won't fit in our garage, but maybe Boo can't see my speed, I'll have to check that out. He is loving school and seems to be doing real well. His teacher called one afternoon and I almost cried! She was just calling all the parents and telling us how much she enjoyed having them in class, I was very relieved, I thought she was going to tell me something really bad! She seems nice and sweet AND she likes Boo! She said he is so polite, and very compassionate, a joy to have in class!!! I didn't question her I just agreed, but maybe she didn't have the right parent....I'm just kidding, he is all that and more, I'm glad she sees it too. From now on I am going to start each blog with a scripture that God puts on my heart, I pray they will bless you!

A Funny "Little Bubba " Story.

Today my oldest grandchild started preschool. Last year he just went 2 mornings a week, this year its 3 mornings, he is so big. He was very excited because he already has an invitation to a birthday party!! He has lots of new friends, and had a really great time. He thinks he already knows everything that they will try to teach him so...there you go!! Since he already knows everything, I guess his parents are just sending him to develop his social skills. The other night they were watching a baseball game on t.v. and a fast food place was advertising a sandwich. When it came on "Little Bubba" said "I love this commercial!! Maid-French Maid, Toast-French Toast, and Kiss--French Kiss" (this was all said with a funny accent). He laughed and told his mom that "French Kissing was when you tackle someone and kiss them, how funny." Mom & Dad agreed and said no french kissing in their house!! I think his social skills are up to snuff. I hope Mookie and favorite son-in-law are ready for him, he is going to keep us all busy!! He will win everyone with his bright blue eyes and super smile!! (or he will talk your leg off). I love him soooo much!

Happy Anniversary!!

I think I was in a bad mood when I blogged last. In the least I was mad at Boo. Things are nicer at our house now. Nothing has changed much regarding the dinner situation, but I believe I will be able to work on it a little at a time, and ignore the rest. Tomorrow is our 39th anniversary!!!! Time really has gone by fast. While at dinner this evening we were talking about what we were doing 39 years ago. We were just kids!!! Too young to be nervous. We thought life would always be "hugs & kisses". It has been, lots and lots of them, but also some not so good times. I am stubborn, selfish, spoiled, opinionated, and always want my way. Jim is too! Well, maybe not as bad as me. God has blessed us with a love for Him and each other that has weathered life's worst trials. Tomorrow we are taking Boo to Mookies house to be with her family, and we are just going to be us. Not Mom & Dad or even Nana & Pappy, just us. We get to spend the whole day and night just doing what WE want!! I can't wait!! I ran across this scripture today, I know I have put it in here before, but I am led to put it in again! Psalm 94:18-19 "If I say,"My foot is slipping," your loyal love O Lord, supports me. When worries threaten to overwhelm me, your soothing touch makes me Happy." I"ll pray that tomorrow is great for everyone!!!!

Its All My Fault!

I am a short order cook!! I never intended to be, but I have slowly let myself become one. Boo is the pickiest eater ever!! He won't eat crust, that means, pop tart crust, toaster strudel crust, Garlic bread crust (the best part in my opinion) any bread crust, bun crust etc. He even only wants to eat the middle of meat! I cut a circle in the center of a piece of meat then he will eat it. He wants only chicken nuggets, mac & cheese, spag.O's, fast food hamburgers, eggs, grilled cheese, or breakfast food. I try fixing him our stuff, and he won't eat enough to keep him full, then he wants something else to eat. Well, I have let him talk me into fixing him something different than we are eating so many times, that now, it is the norm. Let it be known!! I am putting my foot down!! Starting today, no more Mrs. Nice Guy. Boo eats what we eat or he goes hungry. No more snacks or extra meals, no more Short Order Cook!!! I may have to work into this gently, that's a lot of No's. Maybe I'll still cut the crust off. It's tough being the Mom.

The Start of 3rd Grade

Boo only has one more day of no school. I can't believe it, summer has gone by sooooo fast! I never feel like I get to do all the fun things I want to do before school starts. I want more road trips, lazy mornings, swim time, family time at the lake, family time at home, snuggling with Boo, just about anything but school. The other morning Boo and I were having our lazy morning snuggle and I said "Would you like to stay home from school and have Mom be your teacher?" I thought he would surly be so happy and say a huge YES!! Instead he said, "No Mama, you have forgotten everything you learned." I guess he is right, I would be a terrible home school teacher, we would play too much and learn too little. We have been to meet the teacher night and his teacher seems real nice. She is cute, bubbly, friendly and a Christian!! All the right stuff for being the 3rd grade teacher for Boo. Last year he had a huge crush on his teacher. He kept "finding" notes on the ground to give her. He said they were about how beautiful she was. She was so tickled at him, he is just so sweet! I have had a great day today. Church was great, got to take a nap, and play with Boo. Jim is working on a deck for our house so he is sawing, nailing and sweating. Its almost time for our great Sunday dinner of popcorn so better go!! God is Good!

Busy Summer

Well, school starts for Boo in less than a week. Neither one of us are ready, but we don't have a choice. He will be in 3rd grade, I can't believe it! We have had a busy summer and it went by too fast. We had 2 vacations, lots of trips to the lake, baseball, lemonade stands, fun times with Mookie and her family, Jim is building a deck, and lots of play-time with Boo. This all has kept us busy coming and going. Mookis is pregnant so she has spent lots of days "tossing up her cookies" but she has started feeling better. We won't find out until the end of Sept. if they are having a girl or a boy. We are still really hoping for a girl. I know it is too late to change anything, God already has determined the girl or boy thing, but we are trying anyway. One of the great exciting things I did this summer is I made pickles!!! I canned 15 pints! They are bread & butter pickles, and Jim says they are great!!! I hadn't ever canned before so it was lots of fun and very exciting. I made a huge mess though, maybe next time I will be a little neater, after all I am the kitchen maid too, not just the pickle caner. I have also let lots of pretty flowers die in our front yard, read lots of books, watched lots of cowboy movies and been knitting. That just about catches everyone up on my summer! Hope your was great as well!

I Want To Blog Again!

Ok, I am going to try and start blogging again, I really enjoy it. I causes me put some of my thoughts down, then, I can think through them better. I have been in a "funk" most of the summer. Lots of questions in my head. Mostly about Sweet Girls going to heaven. Why, Why Why!!?? I have had to work out with God , why we pray, and lots of other stuff. He has kept me in His Word and has continued to walk with me to show me His ways. He is all knowing and all loving so His direction is always right, I know that, I just don't always like it. I felt it was just a platitude when people would say Sweet Girl is better off, she is happy, she is in no pain. You see, I knew that, but I didn't care, I was (and still am) in a lot of pain, so I want her back!! My precious Mookie said it, and God finally got it into my head. She wrote a "Life Moment" for her church and it was so precious!!! Just seeing her words made me see Gods wisdom in a new way. Sweet Girl really is happy, in no pain, and peaceful. One day when a friend of ours was talking to Sweet Girl, Mandy asked her what her pain was like each day on a scale on 1 to 10. Sweet Girl answered 7. I couldn't believe it!! Each day a 7! Now she has NO pain!!! I can finally praise God for that. She was "strong and courageous" just as Joshua 1:9 says. I know she is waiting for me and I will be with her and Bubba again, so maybe a little more healing has taken place and I can continue to move on one step at a time! I"ll talk of happy things tomorrow!!

Im Baaaack!

We had a great reunion!!! I want to thank my 2 wonderful nieces who planned it! It was perfect! The food was wonderful and the accommodations were great!! All the food Dave helped with was delicious!!! He is an awesome cook. I also would like to thank Aunt Kim for all the work she did. It seems like we can't do anything without her working her tail off! She is such a blessing to our family! I know I have said this before, but we have the best family EVER! I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. We are one crazy bunch. We (not me) did hikes, white water rafting (me), go cart racing(not me), Aquarium looking(me), laser tag playing(Boo), swimming, shopping, golfing(the men), relaxing, story telling, children playing and of coarse lots of eating. One of the best parts was we had 2 BIG announcements!!! First my niece Megan got engaged!!!! We are glad to have Pete in our family, he is a great guy! He proposed the day we all arrived, it was a total surprise to her and all of us, except her parents. The second announcement is Mookie and son-in-law are HAVING ANOTHER BABY!!!! I get to be a Nana again!!! I couldn't tell about this until last night, because Mookie had some people she wanted to tell first, I have the all clear on it now so I will be talking about it all the time!! We missed Sweet Girl and Bubba, but told lots of stories about both so they weren't left out. Tomorrow I'll tell you about my grandsons birthdays!!

"V A C A TION We're gonna have a ball"

Remember that song, you probably have to be my age to remember it. I don't know who sings it, but its been in my head for a couple of days, because, WE ARE GOING ON VACATION!! I can't wait! My nieces organized the first annual Holaday (and others) Reunion!!!! It is going to be tons of fun. There will be laughter, hugging, lots of talking and story telling, games and great food! We are all (about 25 of us) going to stay in one BIG house! Sounds fun doesn't it! I do think that I have the best family ever. God has blessed us with a great love for Him and each other. The joy we have in being together is so from Him! Sweet Girl and Bubba would love to be there and I know I will miss them so much. Please pray that I don't come home all sad. Times like this it is hard not to miss them. God has already given me a great joy in my heart, so He has gone before me to encourage me!! I better go pack!!!

Baseball game

Last night was Willard night at the ball park! What a fun time we had! Our team lost, big time, but it was fun anyway. Mookie and family were there along with Unk, Aunt and Pod. Pod is my niece, she is so fun to be around. She is smiley and ALWAYS makes me laugh. She can't help it, she is just funny. Most of the time she isn't even trying, she just is. She is only 15 and has a 15 year old brain, but looks older, not because she wears make-up, she doesn't, she is so pretty too! I think her goodness just shines through. I took the 3 boys, Boo, Little Bubba and Nugget to the play area for kids. There was this one game where you put on these huge padded suits and try to knock the other guys head off, it is a part of the suit not their real head. Boo got to play that, but the other 2 were too little. They wouldn't even be able to stand up with the suit on, its so heavy. Nugget wanted to do it so bad he was begging to to it. I told him he was too little, but he kept begging. I tried to explain how heavy the suit was, but he still didn't give up. Finally he said, just as serious as he could, with his sweetest voice, and cutest eyes, that he promised he would be big! I lost, it I just laughed and hugged him. If I could have, I would have let him try! I have a great family!!

Getting Old Is No Fun!!!

I know that getting old is part of life, and we should do it with grace and dignity, but I am dragging my feet all the way!!! First of all to all of you who are thinking that perhaps if she were in better shape it wouldn't be so bad, well I'm not in good shape so there! Its the stuff like my eye sight that is making me crazy. I have gotten rid of my glasses and opted for contacts, and I love them, but---I have an astigmatism, I guess this makes it hard to have perfect vision with them. I have chosen to be able to read w/o glasses, but now I can't see (clearly) as far as I used to. Yes, this is because of old age!! I want to have squirt gun fights with Boo in the back yard, but I always loose!! Yes, this is because of old age!!! I want to stay up late and have lots of fun after Boo goes to bed, but I am tired about the same time he is!!! Yes, this is because of old age!!! I want to hike a huge mountain, no wait I never have wanted to hike a huge mountain that is a lie. I want to race my grandsons, but my legs won't run!! Yes, this is because of old age!! OK, I really don't want to race my grandsons either. I can't think of anything else I can't do that doesn't have to do with my being out of shape. Well, I still don't like being old!!!

Drama Camp Program!

The big night had arrived!! The conclusion to Drama Camp is the program Friday night. It went very well. Boo was so happy, yes he was happy it was over, but he was also happy to be on stage!! He did have lots of fun, but he was ready for a much needed slower pace to his life--summer style!! He did a wonderful job doing his parts never missing a beat. Well, maybe a few steps during the dance routines. He was always looking at the older kids around him to help him remember his steps. The best part (for him) was the time everyone came back on stage! He was on the front row and waved and blew kisses and bowed over and over, like he was the star!!!(more like the ham). I guess in his mind he was the star, and in ours too, but the blowing kisses was a little over the top for me. I began to get a little embarrassed! Mookie and family were there, and the 2 little boys would answer any questions or make comments to the narrators as the show was going on. They were so cute, so involved with the story! So, I guess you could say our family made a great showing Friday night, my son-in-law always says that whatever we do, we could make a movie out of it because it becomes a circus. I think it would be a pretty good one!

"Little Bubba"

I want to tell you all some cute things "little Bubba" has done and said lately. First of all little bubba is my oldest grandson, he is almost 5 and full of goodness and joy. I mean that too, he has one of the most giving personalities I have ever seen. He always wants others to be happy and usually will do whatever is required to make that happen. He is a very good big brother, always watching out for "Nugget". I was talking on the phone with his Mama today, and he said he was going to go outside and watch his cucumber grow. Watch it grow!!! That would take patience! He didn't last too long. He is very proud of his cucumber plant, and has promised me a bite when it grows. When he plays soccer he is all smiles. He runs up & down the field along with everyone else and grins the whole time. After being potty trained when he was old enough to take care of himself, he would come out of the bathroom, turn his back to you and bend over asking you to check him. You should have seen Pappy's face the first time he was asked to be the checker! He is smart, thoughtful, caring, cute, loves God, and is funny!!!! He also says the best prayers. What more could a Nana want!

"Sissy's Song"

Mookie called me yesterday and told me she heard a great new song by Alan Jackson. She posted it on her facebook page, so I could go listen. Well for those who don't know, Alan Jackson was a huge favorite of Sweet Girls. She had been to his concerts 3 different times and loved each one. When she was sick and in the hospital for 8 weeks Unk Mike bought her a life size standing picture of him for her room!! She loved him!! This new song, by him, is about a young woman who passes away too early in life. It sound so much like Sweet Girl that it is great!!(except it says she was a wife & mom) When I listened to it I bawled my eyes out, but I loved it!! Then, I thought I have to write him and tell him how great this is!!! I couldn't find any address to e-mail too, so I joined My Space to write him there!! Pretty smart right? I hope he will get the thank-you letter, so he can know how it brightened my day. Just one day of listening to praise music and looking for His face in everything and He blessed me with that!! He is so good! Life is better today! Boo has his program tonight for the conclusion of Drama Camp. Can't wait, it should be fun to watch!! Then next week, he will be around all day, I am so excited!! I will probably need to be reminded I said this later this summer, but for now I can't wait!

God Lift Me Up

OK, new day! Today will be the day I chose it to be. God gives us the choice and allows us to decide. I will seek Him and His goodness, mercy, comfort, strength and joy!! I will not wallow in self pity like the last couple of days!! I put on Praise music in every room, so no matter where I go in the house I will hear it. I see this as a shield or fence around me to keep the enemy out. I will sing His praises all day! He is my encourager! He will pull me out of the mud!! He will bless me!! I will praise Him!! Now on to better stuff. Last night Jim and I made a new plan for our bedtime. You see I don't like to listen to news while I am going to sleep, so I have been playing on the computer in another room until I am so tired I can't stand it, then I go into bed and usually Jim is about ready to turn of the t.v. Well, for the last 37 years we have gone to bed together and he has watched either a late night show or sports, I am used to that. He switched to news about 3mo ago and I can't make myself go to sleep with it on so I have been in on the computer. He doesn't like to be in there by himself, and I don't like news so we are going back to the old way and he'll watch something else! My posts will be during the day or early evening now. I don't know why I told that, but I just did so now you know.

Work in Progress

Yes, Boo really did like going to Drama Camp today!! He even said he might be sad when it is over. All that worry for nothing. Why do we do that? I have told lots of younger Moms to not worry about the small stuff, it will all work itself out. The little stuff doesn't make much difference. Then I drove myself crazy about drama camp yesterday!!! I guess I am forever a work in progress. God has lots of work to do with me still!! Sometimes I feel like I have all my life figured out, then down I go into a heap. Look at all the I's in there, that's the problem. I was reading yesterday and God popped out the scripture, Isa 40:28-29, to me. I have read it tons of times, because it leads to one Bubba's favorites, but I felt like I had never read it before! "He will not grow tired or weary..." I can tell you I am tired and weary!! I'm tired of being sad, I'm tired of missing my kids, I'm tired of trying to overcome!!! I want everything to go back to the old normal!!! Then I realized God doesn't get tired or weary, and He will carry ME!! It's like the drama camp worry, I took it on for nothing. Nothing I did made any difference. All my anguish, yes anguish, over that was for nothing. God was in charge!!! If I choose to be tired & weary, it's my fault!! I don't have to be, because God will carry me & HE won't get tired or weary!!!!

Drama

He had fun and went back today!! More later.

Not such a good day

I'm not having such a good day today. I had the greatest time over the weekend with family, but then when I got home and things quiet down, I miss having Bubba and Sweet Girl around so much. They would have loved being with the family, they both loved that kind of stuff. Sweet Girl was really in her element around family. They both would have loved laughing at the old people (me, Jim, aunt, uncle, Nana, & Pa) and being with (friends) cousins their age. When we all get together like that it makes me miss them soooo much!!! I am really missing out on lots with them not here. On the way home I realized that I had forgotten to put flowers by all of Jim' s Mom's family! I have promised to do this each year so I felt bad from that too. So that is why I started today bad. Today was the first day of "Drama Camp" for Boo, and he did NOT want to go!!! I forced him!! He kept saying that I had told him I would never make him do something he didn't want to do! Oh, I felt so bad. I knew he would love it, but he just didn't know it. I did promise him that if he didn't like it he wouldn't have to go back. I have prayed all day that he has had fun. I really never have made him do something like this, but I know he will love it.(I hope) Anyway all of this put together has made a not so good day for me. Its about time to go get Boo, so pray he has had fun!!

School's Out For The Summer!!

I have been singing that one line, of a song I can barley remember, to Joey all afternoon!! School's Out For The Summer!!! There must be more to the song than that, but I can't get my brain to reach it. I went early to eat lunch with the kids and they were so excited, and so were the teachers. Such chaos, so much noise, little girls screaming, boys running I don't think that was the typical school day, usually the teachers act better! (HaHaHa) I just had to put that. I really am looking forward to summer. We won't have to rush every morning, rush every night, hurry homework UCK, I am tired of all of that. However starting Tuesday, the first real day of summer vacation, Boo is going to Theater Camp!! It's at our High School and lasts from 8a.m to 4p.m. 4 days in a row. I wouldn't do it but I think he will love it, he is really a drama king! They put on a little performance Friday. So, maybe I am celebrating the whole summer vacation thing a little early. He will also play baseball and take swim lessons, so he will stay busy, and then I guess I will too. At least he will be home with me more and we can do fun stuff together. Just got off the phone with Mookie and she said Nugget had put gum in his hair!! She tried ice, and it didn't work, she can't use peanut butter because he is allergic to it so I suggested oil, hope it will work. I'll let you know.

Nana!!

Oh, I have had the two best & busiest days ever!!! Mookie and her husband will celebrate their 10th anniversary tomorrow!!!!!! To celebrate this they took a staycation, as Mookie called it. They are staying home alone and their two sweet, cute, busy, adorable, fun sons are having some great time with Nana and Pappy and Grandma and Grandpa. We each were able to have them 2 nights! I was talking with Grandma yesterday, at the hand off, and I believe we decided it is more fun to be a Nana or Grandma than a Mom, but it is harder. I don't think its just because we are a little older. I think its our fault, we started with the boys when "little bubba" was little by playing with him nonstop! Making sure we were the best, greatest, and most fun Nana and Grandma ever!! Now we have "little bubba" and "nugget" who want us to play with them all the time. This is great, but also tiring. Moms have lots of stuff to get finished up each day so they say play nice and the kids go and play. Well, maybe it doesn't always work just like that, but you get the picture. Anyway, I had tons of fun, made lots of memories, and laughed my head off for two days and two nights!! Now its Grandma's turn to have the fun. I really feel sorry for Mookie and son-in-law, because the boys will have to go through several days of detox from being with us after they get them home. I'll be praying for them!

"My foot is slipping"

Long time no blog! This has been a crazy week and looking forward to a crazy weekend! The end of the school year bring lots of end of the year stuff. Plus just life has been crazy. I can feel myself going into the person who tries to be everything and everywhere for everyone. It makes me crazy!! I don't do anything well and I end up short changing all the ones I want to please. God has been trying to get me to hear Him lately, but I have been too busy to stop and listen. It is so great that He loves us so much that He keeps trying to get us to hear Him. I have heard Him through different means say the same thing over and over to me this week. I read in Beth Moore's blog the scripture Psalm 94:18-19 "If I say, "My foot is slipping." Your loyal love, O Lord, supports me. When worries threaten to overwhelm me, Your soothing touch makes me HAPPY." I love that!!! He makes me HAPPY, nothing else can! In reading this, I can see that it is not my job to make everyone around me happy. Yes, I need to try and do what God wants me to do to make everyone happy, but I am not their happiness. Now I am not saying anyone thinks I am their happiness, just that I think I am. I hope that makes sense, I know what I mean, but I'm not sure I explained it very well. Oh well, as you can see I have been pulled several different directions this week and have let myself get bogged down in the mud with the feeling of doing nothing well. God is my Joy, my salvation and my Happiness, and He is to those around me too.

Grandson #1's Preschool program

Tonight I was a proud Nana!! I, along with Pappy, Uncle Boo, Grandma, & Grandpa, Mom, Dad and Grandson #2, were able to witness the cutest little boy sing and be given the outstanding award of the "One who works the hardest." If there would have been an award for cutest he would have won that too. Other children participated and were given awards, but none as great and as cute as ours!! You could hear his voice over all of the others singing so clearly(maybe yelling) the parts he knew best. When he wasn't singing he was board!! He played with his hat, put his chin in his hands and looked around for something fun to do. Whenever he caught the attention of one of us he would give us the thumbs up then go back to being board. We were all so proud. What a fun night. Oh.... I am sure the others there wished they were us!

Mother's Day

Its hard to know where to start regarding Mother's Day for me. I have the best Mom in the world. She has always been one of the strong people in my lives. She picks me up when I am down, listens when I need to talk and talks when I need to listen. I love and respect her so much. She always has more energy that any 2 of her children put together. I would love to be as strong and energetic as she is when I am her age!! I have 2 children that I miss more than air especially on this day. That makes Mothers Day not the best day in the world. I have the most wonderful daughter, she is a wife, and a mom herself. I love her so much. She makes me so proud. She is such a great wife & mom. She has a strong faith and she and Mark have passed that along to their two sons. I was blessed on Saturday to spend the day with her going to two movies, shopping, and eating dinner out!!!! It was one of my best days ever! Today, Boo and Dad fixed me breakfast in bed, a great lunch (not in bed) and he has given me more kisses and hugs than any one should be allowed to have. It is such a blessing from God to be a Mother. He has allowed me to have a great Mom and see my daughter be a great Mom too!! Isn't He awesome!!!

My Brain Must Be Full!!!

This is crazy each time I try and decide what to blog about, my mind goes blank!! I will be laying there trying to go to sleep though and I get all sorts of ideas. Sometimes I can't even sleep, because of all the ideas I have!! The next time I draw a blank I am going to go into my room and lay down, that might help me get all my ideas back. Maybe when I am sitting up my brain is too upright and can't think, laying down must shift things around in there and stuff can come out easier. Alright, on to today's blog. I do have some great news to tell you about Boo! Saturday he came running up to me sooooo excited!! He said he had finally learned a trick he and I had been working on for several years! He put his hand in his arm pit and pumped his elbow and a great noise came out!! He did it over and over. I still am not able to do this, so I am so proud. Maybe I shouldn't have told you that I taught him how to do it and especially that we have worked on it for several years, but its part of the story. I have cautioned him however, that it is not a trick to do at school and no need to tell others that his mom taught him how to do it.

I'm Not Consistent Yet

Yesterday I had picked up Boo after school and he started in on the questions. Just the simple ones, What are we going to do? Do you want to go to McDonald's? How about the Library? Well, how about the new gas station? What is for dinner? Can we watch a movie? Can the boys next door come over? Will you play Wii with me? Do you want to jump on the trampoline? I was just answering them right & left then he started asking the same one over and over again!! Oh, he would word each one a little different, or maybe add a pleeeese at the end, but it was the same question. Can we do _____ before I do my homework? I had answered no several times, finally I asked him why he kept asking the same question over and over. He looked at me and said "Well Mama, sometimes you change your mind!!" Oh, he has me pegged! I am still trying to be more consistent, but I must need to work harder.

I Guess I Have A FLat Tire!

I have been wanting to tell this story about our Sweet Girl for a while, so here goes. She is such a crack-up! This happened several years ago, but it is just too funny to forget about. She was living here and would leave for work while I was still in bed, about 6:00A.M. One day she called, shortly after she had left, she said her car made a funny noise what should I do? Jim was gone so I asked her if any of the warning lights on her dashboard were on to which she answered no, I said, just come back home. She turned around and came home. I was waiting by the front door and when she pulled into the driveway I stepped outside. Now, I am not kidding she had no front tire!!! The whole thing was worn off! She was driving on the rim!! There was black all around the place where the wheel goes, but no tire!! She got out of her car and looked at it and said in her sweet voice "I guess I have a flat tire!". I wanted to scream "No, you did have a flat tire, but now you have NO TIRE!!!! I asked was it hard to drive and she said yes a little hard to steer. Then she said I bet that is way everyone kept honking and waving to me! Oh my gosh!! Can't you just see it everyone was trying to get her to stop, but she thought they were just being friendly and waving! She is so cute.

Gods strength

I think everyone around my age is going through this sandwich time! Some are trapped between taking care of grand kids and kids with problems and our parents and their aging problems. I want to stop right now and clarify that neither my kids, grandchildren or parents are having any problems at this time!!! I do know several different people that are going through all of this and more right now. Some were talking the other day and they said that we just needed to realize that this is just the way it is and get used to it, we can't change it, so we must learn to cope. I have to disagree!! God intends for us to have joy! He wants us to be content and happy in His word and in His presence. He will give you His joy, the deep down bone happy joy that can only come from Him. With that joy comes peace and we are able with His power to cope!! Jeremiah 15:16 says "When your words came I ate them, they were my joy and my hearts delight, for I bear your name, O LORD God Almighty." When we feel great despair we need to hunger for His word. Jer. 15:20 "I am with you to rescue and save you, declares the LORD." I guess what I am trying to say is, if you will stop, give yourself and problems to God, have fellowship with Him, He can change how you feel about what is going on. He may not change the circumstances in our lives, but He will help us get through them.

Mookie

I had a great day today! I was able to be with my Mookie (my most favorite red haired daughter in the world) and lots of other fun people! We had a baby sitter (2 really) for all 3 boys, and went to a very nice baby shower. All the dads and grandpas who's wives were attending the shower, were able to get away and golf!! No rain!! It was so nice to get away with my daughter and just be with other women. I think I have said this before, but sometimes we girls just need to get together! We need to laugh and eat cake! Afterward we went back to Mookies house and had dinner, just her family and my family, not everyone from the shower. When we were leaving, I wanted to stay. I love being with my 2 grandsons and my perfect son-in-law, but I wanted more time with Mookie! It seems each time we get together we have to hurry or we have the boys with us or we have tons of other things going on, so we don't get to really enjoy each other. She is so fun, she makes me laugh, we always make some kind of memory, and she is a good listener when I want to talk about her brother & sister. What a perfect daughter!! Thanks Mookie!! Love, Mom

Too Many Questions!!

Today is Wednesday, so it is my Bible Study day. I get up earlier than usual on Wednesday, so I can get ready to go first, then I get Boo up so we can have our normal morning. Well, I would like to give you a fast recap of my morning today. Boo and I eat breakfast and we have our devotion time. I have his clothes out so he does his morning clean-up stuff and gets dressed. I am packing his lunch during this time. He is normally pretty quiet all of this time, nothing too big to talk about I guess. Now on Wednesday I take him to school, because I am leaving at the same time as he is, Jim takes him the other days. We go out to the garage and here goes, it is like a switch if flipped. Mama, you know how you said we could go to the Science Museum someday? I reply "Yes". Well, can we skip school and go tomorrow? I reply "No". Can we go after school today? I reply "No". When do you think we will go? I reply "I don't know". How about McDonald's after school? I reply "ok". Did you bring my gift card? I reply "Yes". Are you coming to my assembly today? I reply "Yes". Can I go home early with you? I reply, "Maybe, we will see when it is over." Well, what do you want to do after school is out today? By now I'm thinking maybe I will need a nap!!!

Great Hotel

For Boo's birthday we went to K.C. to stay in the greatest hotel for kids around. It was so much fun. They have a huge water park inside with 4 water slides that go outside the building and come back in, and lots of other fun water stuff too. I tried to keep up with Boo in the water park, but he is so fast, and I am sooo slow. After a bit of following him around I finally decided he could go by himself and I would sit. He had to come and check on me from time to time. I did ride 2 of the big slides with him, and they were great! Inside there was kind of an electronic scavenger hunt game. It went from the 4th floor to the 1st floor, from the East wing to the West wing. Jim tried to keep up with him on that. After 2 hours of up and down stairs (elevators were too slow for Boo) Jim said he was going to die if he went up & down the stairs one more time, we decided he was old enough to go by himself. He again had to check on us once in a while. He found friends to go with so it worked out great. The hotel is no place to go for a restful weekend tough, because kids are running up and down the hall all the time. Boo thought it was great, we thought it was great that he thought it was great, but we thought it was ok. Did you get that? Its fun being and "older" parent I think.

Clay Pot

We had a great sermon today in church. It made me think about stuff. Have you ever just felt like just stopping, stop coping with life, stop living life to the fullest, stop working so hard at all of it!! I sure do, and I know that everyone feels like this some times too, but we just push on anyway. Well today our sermon was about why do we push on. I sometimes push on for Jim, Boo & Mookie. I always thought that was a good idea, but today I realized we push on for JESUS!! I knew this, but I just never thought about it much. If we don't push on, if we throw in the towel we don't glorify God! I have felt that He took His weakest vessel (me) and broke it to show others that His Grace is enough. I know it is, because I still do have Gods joy, the deep down joy that can only come from Him. I have moments each day that I want to throw in the towel, but He never has let me! He always does something that shows me His face, and brings me back to Him. What an awesome God we have. His love is sufficient! We are engraved in the palm of his hand! We will not stop living, we will not throw in the towel! You all may have to remind me of this on my down days. Oh wait God will, I forgot!

Grandkids, Baseball and Stellan

I get to see my 2 grandsons tomorrow and oh yes my daughter too!! We are going shopping, a little, and then maybe to a park so the boys can play and Mookie and I can talk. I just love days like this. Have I told you too many times how cute and sweet and fun these 2 precious boys are? They make me laugh and just sit back and enjoy life. I got to go to a baseball game with my 2 other favorite boys tonight (Jim and Boo). We had a great time and the Spfd Cards won so that made it extra fun!! Boo was so excited to go. We told him we were sitting in the section where you could eat as much as you want. When we got there he started eating and ate until I made him stop! Then he wanted lots of other things, that's when he found out not all of the food was free. No, we weren't getting anything else! Oh poor Boo. He started watching the game, and got into the spirit of it for a while. We were up on the upper deck part and on the first row. Jim and I were so neurotic about him falling over the rail, that I was kind of glad he stopped cheering so crazy like and sort of settled down. I want to ask again that you pray for Stellan. He had heart surgery this week and it went well, but since then things have started to go back to where they were. Pray for him and his family!!! PRAY PRAY PRAY

Maybe I am Already Lost!

Have you ever had one of those days that just started crazy and went down from there? I had one on Monday. I was exhausted from the no sleep women's conference over the weekend so that, to me, is a bad start. I forced myself out of bed with just enough time to get Boo ready and out the door for school. Then, the big rush to get myself ready to go to the hospital to visit a friend. I had taken her there from Branson, because her Dad was ill, so I had just been to this hospital on Saturday. Now, I get in my car and head out. Naturally, when I get there, I have to park in the lower 40 and hike to the front door. I go in, out of breath, and ask for the room number of her Dad. The sweet little lady looks up and then smiles ever so sweetly and says....he is not here. Oh my goodness I am so silly, of course he isn't here he is at the other hospital!!!! I had just been there on Saturday!! Do you think I could remember that? I guess not! So now I hike back to my car and call my friend, who now thinks I must have gone the real long way to come and visit her, and I tell her I am at the wrong hospital!! I'm so glad she is my friend, because she just laughed and didn't think it was strange at all!

Women of Joy Conference

Last weekend I was blessed to be able to go to a Women of Joy Conference in Branson, Mo! It was wonderful!! We saw Kirk Cameron speak!! Yes, Mike Sever joined us. He is so cute! He even did a little of Mike Sever talk!! Do you remember the show he was in, Growing Pains? He always reminded our family of our son Wes. He was always just about getting into trouble, but not quite. He gave his testimony and told what God had done in his life. We also heard Priscilla Shirer speak, and she is so wonderful!! She is a great Bible teacher. We had a great concert by Shela and Point of Grace! All of that was great, but the best part was we laughed and laughed for 2 days! When women get together we just seem to let it all out and we just really act crazy. We had little to no sleep, kind of like when I was about 13 years old and at a sleep-over!! I am still trying to catch up on some of that sleep. The hotel we were in up graded us and we had the greatest rooms that over looked The Landing in Branson, we had living rooms and kitchens and GREAT bathrooms!!!!! We really felt like the daughters of the King that we are! Off course we shopped and ate and shopped and ate, that is always part of a women's retreat too! It is good to be a women!

Stellan

Pray for Stellan today he is having heart surgery today in Boston!! God is sovereign and He hears our prayers!! PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!

2nd Grade Field Trip!!

I got to go on the 2nd grade field trip with Boo. We went to a Frontier Town outside of Marshfield. I think it was one of the best field trips I have ever been on. They kept the kids very busy and very active the whole time. Lots of running for the kids and lots of walking (not running) for the parents. I got to throw an Indian tomahawk at a target, but I missed. We learned how to make arrow heads, not the best thing to teach 8 year old boys, and saw lots of Indian stuff. There was a Zip swing, a huge slide, a hay ride (with no hay), and we panned for GOLD! The kids even got to have a water ball fight and climb on hay bales. I got to go down the huge slide and I just want to tell you it was scary! I wish I could have done the zip swing, but we didn't have time for parents. I asked Boo what was his favorite thing, and he said having me there. I'm sure he was just trying to get me to take him home early from school, which I did, but it still made me glad he said that. He is such a goof ball. I think all the kids should sleep well tonight, I'm sure I will!

My kids

Have I said lately how much I miss my two kids that have gone on to heaven before me!? I try to ignore the sadness that sometimes overcomes me, but sometimes I just can't. I would love to see their eyes light up when they smile, I would love to hear them laugh, I would love to feel them hug me! I would love to sit and have a serious conversation about something they thought was important. I would love to rub their backs, smell their hair. I would love to do all the other stuff that I thought I would be able to do all my life! I try to remember to do this with my other two kids that are still here and my two precious grandchildren, but sometimes the busyness of life tries to get in my way. Each moment we have on earth is a gift from God. He wants us to tell others about Him, love Him and each other, and bless others with His words. If I can remember to do this every day then the heaviness on my heart lessens . God gives us His word to help when we are down Isaiah 49:16 says "I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands" On the palms of His hands!!!! Amen!!! He will sustain me! God is Good!

Lego's

Our son Boo has gone absolutely crazy over Lego's!! He just loves them. He received several different sets for his birthday, and has been busy putting them together each day since. He is very organized about how he accomplishes his task. I am the sorter, I get to do this so I can help! First I put all like pieces together and separate all parts. He then takes the instruction book (can you men imagine) and starts with page one and follows through to the end. When it is time for a sticker, that again is my job! I am very good at putting stickers on just so! He plays with them some, but mostly, he enjoys making them. The pieces are so small, and when he drops one it is the worst of the worst!! He tries to find them, but I don't think he ever has. I'm not sure, but since he is a boy, I bet he stands back looks for 10 seconds then yells "Mom!! I lost a piece!" I have to get down on the floor and use my old weak eyes, but I do find the missing tiny little deal! Getting back up is an adventure all by itself!

Easter

We just celebrated Easter! The day Christ showed the world and the devil that He was the victor over death! We have eternal life because He lives! The day was beautiful, not the weather, just the day. Our church service was blessed, the music was beautiful I could feel the presence of God in everything. We were blessed to see a special young man be baptized. It was just a great day!!! We were leaving and Boo was hugging everyone he ran into, because it was his birthday, and he loves to hug everyone. One of the older women in our church bent down to hug him and he said "Who has that bad breath?!!" I immediately said me, and tried to ignore it. I don't think she even heard him but all those around him did and laughed. What a guy , never a dull moment. We had lots of family and friends over for dinner and ended the perfect day perfectly. We laughed, told funny stories and praised God for each other. Thank-you God for such a great day and your ultimate sacrifice for ME, I love you, Love Me OXOXOX

Grandkids at the Grocery Store

A couple of weeks ago, while Mookie and the grandsons were here, I asked her if I could take the 2 boys to the grocery store with me, she could stay home. She looked at me like I was crazy and said sure! I was so excited to do this, you see I just wanted to show them off without Mom around. What better place than the local grocery store! When we walked in I was so proud, they are sooo darn cute! I told them they could each push their own "little" carts. This made them so excited!! Number 2 had never even had his feet touch the floor, Mom always put him in the cart! I wanted him to be down and have tons of fun with Nana. We went down the first isle and they were putting everything they saw into their carts! I very sweetly explained that they would have to ask Nana 1st before they put anything in their carts. They looked up so perfectly and said OK. Well, I turned my back for 2 seconds and a very nice lady said your grandsons have raided the fruit snacks. It went down hill from there. What was I thinking? Where was my head? I didn't even see anyone I new! Mookie had a hard time at the store the next couple of times with #2 grandson, because he did not want to ride in the cart, he wanted his own!! She will pay me back some how.

Crazy daughter

I have to tell you I have one of the funniest, cutest daughters in the world. She cracked me up today. Today she tried to April Fools me! I could tell she was not telling the truth, but I went along with it , kind of like I do with Boo. The only difference is he's 8 and she is 29. Then she called me back to tell me it was an April Fools deal, what a goof ball. This reminds me of a couple months ago when she had a car accident. She was in a parking lot and was turning around giving her boys their drinks while she was trying to keep her foot on the brake, why she didn't just stop the car & put it in park, I don't know. Well her foot fell off the brake and she hit another car. This caused her such distress that she burst into tears and even her 4 year old son told her to calm down. She found the owner of the empty car and even she told her it would be alright and gave her a tissue. When she called me to report the horrible ordeal, I asked if she ever got her food that she was on her way to get. She said no, she was too upset. I replied, in a very Motherly voice, I could certainly understand after such a big WRECK it was best to just go home. Did I mention that there was no damage to her car? Where does she get the drama from!

The Race

So Jeff Gordon won today. He is a race car driver. His number is 24. I'm not much of a race fan but our Sweet Girl was. You see her big brother, Bubba's All State Baseball# was 24 so all things with 24 on them we loved, this brought her into racing & Jeff Gordon. The last race he won was in October of 07, right before Sweet Girl went to heaven. I have cheered for him to win, but with a heavy heart, because she wouldn't be here. I was even thinking maybe God won't let him win another race because she is not here to see it. Well he won today! Am I glad? I'm not sure, but I am sure she is dancing in heaven right now. She would love it. So here is to you my precious Sweet Girl!! I Love You!!

Stretch

I was getting my hair cut and stuff today and I had a great conversation with Angela (my new hairdresser). We were talking about how God sometimes takes us out of our comfort zone. It is so true! I think He loves that. He really loves to stretches us for His Glory. There have been lots of times that I haven't wanted to do something or go somewhere, but felt God leading me to go and ended up so blessed by it!! If I could only keep my mind on Christ and focused on heavenly things, my life would be much fuller. I get so caught up in the "worldly" things I think I want or need that I loose my focus. Its like my life right now, I thought I picked a great time to come in here and write this, but Boo has sought me out and has sang to me 3 different songs that he learned in music today. Way to blow my concentration. Oh well, he is cute, and I love to hear him sing. God Bless!!!

April Fools!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This was the best April Fools ever! First I woke my little "prankster" by yelling "Get up your late, school has already started!" He jumped up and looked at me with huge eyes, because I was laughing, then I said April Fools! I told Jim he had a rip in his favorite sweat pants, he is so easy, he fell for it. As the day went on my brain was so busy. I walked into Jim's office and I said, with a very sad face, that I had just backed into someone. He jumped up and started out the door to my car as I said "April Fools"! As I said he is too easy. I then called my youngest brother and told him I had run out of gas would he please come and get me? He was so sweet and said yes then I had to say April Fools. Then I called both my other brothers, one at a time, and said we had won a trip to Hawaii through RCI including airfare!! Then I told them it was their year to use it so they won!! They both fell for it big time!! So easy!! Then Boo came home from school and he hands me his agenda to read. It says he has had to go to the principals office! It was in his hand printing, so not too tricky, but I acted like I fell for it!! Just an all around great day!!

Trying to be Consistent

Here is a hand to all parents who (like my great sister-in-law) are consistent in their parenting. I am maybe the most consistent at being inconsistent. My poor kids, no wonder they all whine and beg all the time, sometimes I say Yes and sometime it is No or do or don't or go or come or whatever. I just don't do the same thing all the time and I drive myself crazy! Here is a good example. I am on a new jag now and Boo is going to do "chores" each day to get an allowance. That will be the only way he will get any new toys or games or movies or stuff from now on!! One of his chores is to make his bed each morning. Last night I went in to check him before I turned in and he was making his bed already!!! He was going to sleep on the top so he would be ready in the morning!! I then remembered that Mookie did the same thing when she was probably about his age. I must have been on the same type of jag--she had to make her bed each morning. She had a blanket that she would cover with and then in the morning she would scrunch it into her closet so her room was clean. Worked for me, so tonight I told Boo that he could use a sleeping bag at night and put it in his closet in the morning!! He thinks I am great!!

Praying for Stellan

I stumbled upon a blog you need to read, it is called "Praying for Stellan". He is 5 mo old and has a terrible heart condition. He has had it since before he was born. His mom is the blogger and her faith is unbelievable! She is truly trusting Jesus for His healing of her son. She is a beautiful writer and sounds like a beautiful person. She and her husband have 3 other children. He is home with them while she is in the hospital, in another town, with Stellan. I never had to be that far from my family when Sweet Girl was in the hospital, but I have been pulled apart when you can't be both places at once. Please pray for him and his family. They know God is doing something mighty and they are just serving Him while they wait. Stuff like this puts life in perspective for me. You see sometimes I still want to stay in "Pity City" but God wants me to stand firm in Him and enjoy all the wonderful blessings He has given me! What would we be without Him?

Random Thoughts

Can you believe our weather? Thursday, (2 days ago) we were walking around SDC in our shirt sleeves. Today we have had tons of rain and then snow!! Huge snow flakes, it has been pretty, and it didn't stick, but what is going on? Tomorrow it is going to be about 58! This is why they say, if you don't like the weather in Missouri, wait a minute and it will change. I wonder who "they" are. Spring Break is almost over, I have loved having Boo home, but I am ready for some normal time in my day. When he saw the snow today he was already hoping for a snow day on Monday. He asked Daddy and I the other night if we would please adopt another child. He said he could use someone else to play with. We told him we didn't feel God was leading us to do that, but we would be sure to pray about it. He said, well you had 3 kids, one died and you got me. Now, another has died so we should get one more. Children's logic is so simple. I wish life was simple too. He is on a count down until April Fools Day! He is so excited to get Dad. He has lots of plans, I'll be sure to let you know how they go. (3 days left)

My ______ fell off!

I forgot to tell this really funny part of the story from yesterday. When 1st Grandson got off the big roller coaster for the 1st time, he yelled "That made my Nuts fall off!" It was just too funny! He is a crack-up.

Can you be too old for Spring Break?

It is Boo's Spring Break this week and I am exhausted! We have been to the most fun Pizza place in the area, the most amazing Burger King, a great park, a camp out in our basement watching movies, and today Silver Dollar City! I don't think I can do another day of spring break! It never was this hard when our big kids were little. Maybe we should go on a nice quiet vacation next year. Today on the way home from SDC Jim and I just complained to each other about how tired and sore we were. I won, because my eyes were all dried out from the wind and riding rides, so they really hurt. We had to stop at a Walgreens so I could get some eye drops! We did have a great day though, Mookie and her family were with us. Watching those two boys and Boo play, ride and laugh, well it can't get much better than that. #1 Grandson rode a pretty big roller coaster and #2 Grandson rode the little one!! I was so proud of them! When we asked Boo what was his favorite, he said "All of it!" ( he fell asleep on the way home). My favorite part was watching all their faces, and listening to their laughter.

Sweet Girls Cooking

Sweet Girl could not cook. Her few attempts have left burnt, untastey memories in all of our minds. She once was making chocolate cookies and put chili powder in instead of coco powder. I kept them both in plastic containers because we had them in bulk, but they really smell different. She was helping Mookie, one time, fix food for a friend at church who had just had a baby, and she made this horrible mess from a box. I think it was some kind of chicken meal, she put it in the wrong size pan and it ran all over Mookies car and smelled terrible. She made something for us one night and she put in way way to much cumin. We had to go out to eat that night. She could make brownies. She made them for her brother-in-law, they were pretty good. Her very best and the most favorite thing she made was Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies. She made them for one of her uncles and 2 of her cousins. They would always get a special tin of them at Christmas (lucky boys). She was so proud of those cookies! I'm telling you she really could not cook, but she had lots of other great qualities!! God is having lots of fun in heaven with her!

The best, best,best.

I was with one of my best and dearest friends this weekend and I had the best time. She is a great example of Christ. I laughed, cried, talked and listened, and was not ready to come home. I Praise God for giving me this precious friendship. We have seen some really fun times together as couples and some really not so fun times too. God always makes me feel like we have been together everyday, even though it has maybe been months since we have talked. She always has the right thing to say, makes you feel so loved and ALWAYS makes you laugh. We told old stories on each other, one I had forgotten about. In one of my brief times of thinking I should help earn income for our household, I was working and was asked to interview for another position. I was thrilled to "move up the ladder" so I anxiously went to interview. It all was going real well and then they asked me if I could run a PC ( this was about 17 or 18 years ago so a pc was sort of hard), I of course said yes. As soon as I got home the first thing I asked Jim was "What is a PC?". I got the job and even worked for 6 more months. I do better keeping the home fires burning, than going out to bring in the bacon. Anyway, back to being with Karen thank you for being the best, best, best. I had a really good time.

Ammonites

A mmo nites DA DA DA DA DA DA DA I woke up with this in my head yesterday. It is the song in the Caddy Shack movie. I knew it wasn't Ammonites, but I could not get the right words. I asked my husband, while we were getting ready, if he could remember the words, but all he could think of was Ammonites. On my way to Bible study I sang A mmo nites da da da da da da da to the two girls in my car, hoping one of them would remember the words. They laughed and sang A mmo nites with me. Then Jan had a great idea, she called her son at work. He could hear us laughing and commented something about his commute to work not being as much fun as ours to Bible study, however he did come to the rescue! It is "I'm alright don't have to worry bout me"! Great song for a great movie, but I don't know how the Ammonites got into it!

The Prankster

Our youngest, Boo (short for boo boo bear) wants to be a prankster when he grows up. He did a really great one the other day to Dad. He asked me, with huge brown eyes, if he could use the clear tape. I could tell he was up to something so I asked "Why?". He smiled a very sweet smile and said he had a prank he wanted to do on Daddy. How great! He was thinking of his own pranks! He took coins and taped them to the water faucets in each of our bathrooms. He was so excited, I wish you could have seen him. He was going to run up to Dad as soon as he got home, and ask him to go wash his hands. I knew this would be a dead giveaway so I got his mind off the prank. He really did forget and when Dad came home Boo didn't say anything about the water faucets. Sure enough Dad went up stairs to change clothes and soon we heard a loud Boo what have you done? Jim's pants and shirt were both wet. Boo did a good job with the coins. He and I have laughed about that several times, I am sure to check the water faucets before I turn on water though. Oh, it is fun having a little boy around!

The Tooth Fairy

I think my 8 (almost 9) year old son is going to be the end of me. Last week he lost one of his teeth, we naturally put it under his pillow and the tooth fairy came! All was good. The he went to school and told his table mates that the tooth fairy had come. Well, one little girl in all her wisdom, told him that his mom was really the tooth fairy! She knew this because she saw her mom being the tooth fairy. Well, he was not convinced, so he said "My mom will tell me the truth, so I will ask her!" That evening he remembered this incredible conversation and came running to my lap and told me this whole story. I started giving him the run around and he said "No Mama I don't want a story, I just want a yes or no". I started another explanation about how I would look in a tutu and he stated his need for a yes or no again. I was really caught, I couldn't just outright lie to him. I took a deep breath and said ok, yes I am the tooth fairy. He reached down my back, said "No wings, no your not!" and skipped off. I wish I could remember being that easy to please, and always filled with joy. He is definitely a gift from God!

Not My Best Day Ever

Oh, I wish everyday could be my best day ever, but then I guess I wouldn't really appreciate the Best part. I have missed my little Carrie (Sweet Girl) so bad today. Everything I look at, everything I do, everything I think about is her! She really was a huge part of my life. I can see her face and hear her laugh right now. Her silly smile is so cute! God is so happy to have her with Him, and I know she is happy to be there too, but we all miss out with her gone. Her little raspy voice oh, I want to hear it!! My life is good and full and I love it, but I MISS HER! Ok, enough pity me time. Tomorrow night we are going to the school carnival. There will be lots of junk food, fun games, and give aways!! Whats not to love. Well, maybe the crowd, amount of money we spend, and the fact that I am to old to do this. Maybe I'll win a great trip, I would love to go on a vacation! Maybe tomorrow will be another BEST DAY ever! God is Good isn't HE!!

Contacts

About 5 months ago I got contacts for the first time in my life. It was so exciting because you only have to take them out once a month! I was doing great with them, then about 2 weeks ago, I started feeling like I couldn't see quiet as well as I should. I was always having to grab a pair of reading glasses and get in just the perfect light to read anything! Mookie was here last weekend and I was talking to her about it and we sort of decided I would just get glasses. Sunday night, I was talking to my husband about my eyes, and I said I was a little worried, because I have always heard that if your eyesight changes fast it could be something real bad. Well, it was time to take out the old contacts and replace them with the new ones for the month. I took out the BIG mirror and looked in my eyes and guess what!!?? No contacts!! No wonder I couldn't see, I had no contacts in at all. I guess I rubbed them out or the wind blew them out or something, but they were gone. I put the new ones in and sure enough I can see great. I guess this is a lesson learned!

Last Word Queen

Mookie, later shortened to Moo, Maggott, (from her brother), Yo Mar or Mar or Yo, all of these are names for my sweet redhead. Her Dad would also call her "The last word Queen". I have seen her brother behind daddy several times giving her the cut it off signal, but she would just ignore it and go on & on to prove her point. Bubba would even say, just nod and act like you agree and he will stop, but no, she would continue with her words of wisdom. You see the two of them are just the same on this, "Last word King & Queen". She is also very competitive, on game nights we would have Bubba and Mookie play on the same team or there would be a fight! She was and still is a joy to have around. She keeps me going that's for sure, I love her a lot!

My redhead

I want to talk about my 3rd child. She is a daughter, grand-daughter, sister, cousin, friend, mom, wife and most of all a child of God. God blessed me with her, and I could tell that right off. You see the desire of my heart was to have a daughter with red hair. Scripture promises He will give us the desire of our heart in Psalm 37:4. The chances of my husband and myself having a child with red hair look to be none. There is no one in either family with red hair, so I knew she was a blessing from God!! She really has been too! She is my best friend. I love to be with her, and we always have fun. Once when we were shopping, when she was in jr. high, a lady in the dressing room commented that we sounded like we were having a great time. If you have ever had a daughter in jr. high you know this is not always the case. She has always loved God and loved going to church. She is a great mom and wife. She and her husband have given me 2 grandchildren! She has had to go through things that no child should ever have to go through, the death of 2 siblings. Her love for them is great for a mom to see. She talks about each of them daily and I know I can't feel the depth of her loss, but she has made the choice not to be bitter, but to rejoice in Gods promise that we will be together some day. Stay tuned for the "last word queen" part two of my redhead.

The next principal

My 8 year old came home from school today with big news, he had just found out that his principal won' t be there next year. I am a stay at home mom with lots to do, but he had a great idea! I could be the principal next year! Here is his take on the job description. 1) I would need to be in the lunch room everyday and if anyone was too loud I would give them a warning and if they continued, I would move them to the quiet table. 2) I would need to be in my office and if anyone was real bad they would come in and I would decide if they needed detention or maybe they could go home or be in a special class. 3) Keep my desk clean. 4) Relax in my office the rest of the day! I could even bring a book or my knitting. It sounds pretty good and he said it was easy, so I'm thinking maybe he's right!! Mrs. Bishop would love to hear his description of her job. I have to tell you she is the best principal I have ever known. She would make a personal visit to each kindergartner's home before school started each year so they would know who she was. When our daughter passed away last year she come to our house to spend about 2 hours with our son, making sure he was ok. She always goes over and beyond the job description, I will miss her, but maybe I should go for the job!

My Best Day Ever!

Have you ever had one of those days that you just know is a gift from God? I had one! I had lots of wonderful things happen that day, Bible Study, Grandsons coming over, great weather, I found out I was going to be able to make it to a Women of Joy conference in Branson, I was invited to see To Kill A Mockingbird, and all of that was not even the best part!!! A special friend of mine was going to have surgery and was nervous. I was able to sit with her and laugh and talk while taking her mind off the surgery. It gave me the best feeling. I did that kind of thing so often for my oldest daughter, I never knew I would miss it. I thought I would be able to do it my whole life! God allowed me to have that joy again, this time for another "special" friend. My heart was so happy that I have stood in that joy for days. What an awesome God we have, He can give us joy in each moment if we will just see it. I thank God today for the joy that each of my children have given me, in good times and bad. I mostly thank Him for giving me such a treasure of memories.

Song in your Head

Have you ever had a song in your head, and it just wouldn't go away? I had one last night! I was in bed and I couldn't believe it, I was trying to go to sleep and the words "I was crusing down the freeway late one night when an XKE pulled up on the right , I rolled down the window of my shinney new Jag , challenged him then and there for a drag................." kept coming in my head. I would think it, then try and go to sleep, then I would think it again!!! This went on tons of times! I was going crazy. You know when you do this during the day, you can turn on the radio, a CD or even the tv, but when your in bed, how do you get it out of your head? I would pray a few minutes and think ok, now I can sleep, but sure enough it would come back. What causes that? The worst part was I could only remember about 3 lines of the song so, over & over they went! I finally came into the computer, turned on some music & played spades. Tonight as I type this I don't have any music on so after I am finished, I will be able to sleep. Also here is a couple of updates on past information. #1 My youngest grandson is still doing well without his "me". #2 I like my hair today!! It looks like I have a winner!!

Hairdressser

Tomorrow I go to the hairdresser. I'll tell you I had been going to the same hair girl for the last 15 years. She knew how I liked my hair, what color, what cut, everything. Well, she had to stop doing hair for her health. That is the only reason I could stand for her to stop. So now about 4 mo later I am still working on finding a new one. The first girl I went to, after Karen, made my hair look kind of like a skunk. Not too good. The second girl I tried made me look "Goth" my hair was so dark, I washed it about 4 times a day for several days to try and lighten it up. Needless to say I am a little nervous about tomorrow. What will it be? I have liked the hair cuts each time, so that is a plus. I wish I could just ignore the gray parts, but they make me look old!

Bubba cont.

I need to add a little about our 2nd child. I thought about this all day today. I think, I made him sound perfect!! Oh, he was perfect for us, but he was not perfect. He was one who if you asked him, (or told him) to stay behind this line, he was sure to at least touch it. He was always trying to have too much fun. Even in the 3rd grade he was sent to the principal, I think it was for spitting at people under the swing. He had been in other trouble before that, so that year he could not go out and trick or treat. He talked us into having a "spook house" at home for the kids to walk through. He had fun & so did we. All through High school and college he would tell us he thought he was getting a B or maybe a C in a class and it would turn out to be a C or a D, he wasn't the best student. How could you be when you had soooo much fun!!! He was a joy to be around and a blessing as a son. Thank you Jesus for sharing him with us.

Bubba

Tonight I want to tell you about our 2nd child. I like to tell people he came running out of my womb. He was very active. He walked at 9mo old. Talked a mile a minute and was always having an adventure. He was very charismatic, everyone loved him. Even as a little boy, everyone thought he was handsome. He had big blue eyes and a great smile! This was all great when he was little, but as he grew up, the girls drove us crazy. He played all kinds of sports, and just seemed to do well at whatever he tried. We have laughed a million times about the fact that it was always fun at our house, if he was grounded, because he made everything fun. In High School he played football and baseball. He was the quarterback and an All State shortstop. He had a sweet girlfriend all through school and into college. They married when he was 21. I think that was just about his best day ever! He was so happy, I am glad he was able to experience the joy of marriage. He loved his family, friends and people in general. He made friends wherever he went. He played hard and when he wanted to, he would work hard. I miss his hugs, he would hug me real tight, and I miss his laugh. He had Christ in his heart so I know he is waiting for me, but I still miss him so much.

What a Big Boy!!

My youngest grandson got rid of his me today!! Actually he got rid of 2 of his mes'. His me is his pacifier. We have tried to figure out how he named his pacifier me, but we just don't know. His mommy asked if he would like to take them into ToysRus and get a new toy in exchange for them. He had to think about it, but he decided he would do it! He put them into a zip lock bag and took them right in. He picked out something really special, that he and his brother could play with. I'm so proud of him!! At nap time he was a little sad. His big brother came in and patted him offering the comfort of sleeping with Buzz Lightyear! What a great brother!! I'm not sure how bedtime went tonight, I will be sure and let you know. Well, now I have 2 big boys for grandsons, maybe, if it all works out, actually Mom brought the me home to keep for posterity, so it could come back out if all doesn't go well. Oh, the trauma of being 2 years old. What a life!

The Sickness

Our youngest daughter developed "the sickness" when she was in 3rd grade. It started one day when she forgot her library books. Oh what a trauma! She HAD to go to the nurse because she had a TERRIBLE stomach ache. The nurse called me and I went up to school to get her. She was glad to get home and rested the rest of the day. I was glad she didn't throw-up! Then it seemed like she was getting sick often. Now, the nurse knew me on a first name basis and had, I am sure, memorized my phone number. On one of those days, when the nurse called, we had a little talk, she and I both suspected that my little girl had "the sickness". Nothing was wrong with her, but she wanted to go home if anything went a tiny bit wrong at school. I must admit, I had it too in 5th grade. It was handled a little different back then, my Dad dropped me off in front of school and I chased his car trying to get back in. One day I ran all the was home crying because I was so sad, I mean sick. Well, I thought I had payed for my raising, but now Joey has developed "the sickness". He wants to stay home everyday! Now I do play with him allot, and I try and make home fun, but he needs to go to school! I think I'll just become an old meanie and make it no fun here!

Chase & Shoot

Not too long ago Joey and I were playing chase & shoot with some little things he got in a free meal somewhere, McDs, or Sonic, or Burger King, anyway it was real fun. Now as I have pointed out before I am older that most moms of an 8 year old boy, anyway he ran around a corner and down 4 steps into our "little family room", I was hot on his tail. I didn't count the steps and I fell into a table knocking off a lamp and a candle. I didn't even get to catch myself with my hands. I screamed and made a lot of noise. Jim was in the basement and came running up. He thought I was probably having a heart attack. Joey was making sure I was ok and I was trying to get up to look like I was alright and also to shoot him. I couldn't and then I started laughing so hard tears were rolling down my face. Now both my boys thought I had really gotten hurt, maybe hit my head. When they helped me up I was bruised and sore, not hurt too bad. Now when we play Chase & Shoot we stay on one floor. It is really a fun game. I don't always have to be the shooter either, sometimes he chases me!

Dogs

We have 2 dogs. One we got when our youngest, J, was was 4 years old. Chewey is 5 years old now and still a puppy in her heart and mind. That would be alright if she weighted 7or 8 pounds but she doesn't. She is a "goldendoodle" at about 55 pounds. She is soooooooo happy! She is always glad to see us and very happy to be around. We started her at obedience school and she did pretty well, but we should have continued the classes another session or two. We can't take her on a leash, she takes us. She doesn't shed and is not too dog smelly, so that is good. Then we have Jake, our oldest daughters dog that we inherited. He also is a huge dog. He weighs about 60 pounds, however he sheds and has the worst case of gas I have ever heard of in a dog. We give him gas-x everyday with his food, but he can clear a room! We have tried all kinds of dog food, now we are on Science Diet, it is working the best so far, but he still is tootie. Chewey drives Jake crazy most of the time. Jake is a "Red Healers Mix" so he herds Chewey around sometimes by biting her legs. When he can tell we are tired of her he tries to get her to stop being so Chewey like. Now you know all the people that live here. Sometimes I think I need a bigger house.

Sweet Girl

I really do want to tell everyone all about my two kids that live in heaven with Christ. But, right now I am finally doing great, so I find it hard to bring up all the hurt. Maybe I'll just introduce them to you! Our 1st born is our oldest daughter. She would be 35 now, she passed away Nov. '07. She started life a little behind everyone else, she weighed 4 lb 13 oz. We thought she was just perfect!! Well as time went on the Dr. worried that she wasn't doing everything she should be. We started the horrible testing time. After several months the Drs. said she might not walk, talk or be potty trained. They encouraged us not to have any more children. Well as God would have it I was already pregnant with our 2nd child. To make a long story short she walked, talked and was potty trained. All of this on her own time, but she did it! She had some special needs but was tough and filled with the love of Jesus. She eventually got her license and drove to work each day. She had several illnesses. Lots of pneumonia, ear surgeries, viral meningitis guillian bare (twice), ITP, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma to name a few. She always got well, she was strong and such a fighter. She had such a childlike faith, it was a joy to watch her worship. She loved life and loved "her people". She had some special people in her life and I am telling you guys she LOVED YOU!!!!!! She was only 4'9" so she wasn't tall but was big in personality. She always made me laugh, she made everyone laugh! She had an innocent outlook on everything. But, was she ever stubborn. Ask any of us in the house while she was growing up! I know now God blessed her with that to keep her going. Sometime I will tell her flat tire story,or the flood story or so many others. For now just know she was fun, happy, a lover of Christ and loved fiercely.

We have an 8 year old son. Now mind you we were both born in 1949. That puts us, well lets just say we are older than his friends parents. He is so much fun. His smile is infectious and his joy is contagious. He makes me laugh everyday. He has a huge imagination and is always playing a game in his head. We play lots together, I usually am the bad guy or the one who will lose the fight, some kind of droid I think. He loves life and is full of joy and excitement. He gets excited about everything. Boy does he make us tired! The worst part is stuff like the dreaded valentine boxes!!! There are those parents who are so creative and they come up with the most wonderful ideas, then there is me. What happened to the old shoe box with red hearts on it? Let me tell you they are gone, now there is robots, tanks, ball fields and other neat stuff. This year Joey made his own. It was a hover tank it had toilet paper rolls, aluminum foil and q-tips all over it. It was awesome, but it did look like an 8 year old made it. I was proud of him.

A Little About Me

Let me tell you a little about me. I'm a lover of Jesus Christ, a wife, a Mom, and a Nana. We have 4 children one of which is adopted, but I not exactly sure which one, and 2 who reside with Christ. Our youngest daughter 29 years old and her wonderful husband have given us the two best, cutest and most well rounded grandsons in the whole world. Yes all of this is true. As you get to know me I will talk about each on them A LOT!! I also have a great extended family. Mom & Dad have been married for 61 years and each of my 3 brothers have married fun, loving, and caring women whom I love to the bone. I have 11 nieces and nephews, counting the one who married into the fam . They are all beautiful and handsome so there are lots more to come! God has also blessed me with some of the best women put on earth as angels, to be my friends,you'll hear about them too, I'm sure. God has seen me through the worst nightmares any Mom could suffer, and He has still brought me joy. The joy that only He can give.