Who needs a water park....

I was almost this wet after he came over to give me a hug.

The look on his face in this one just cracks me up!

I wish I had sound to go with these, his high pitched giggles were hilarious!

....when you have the trusty old Wal-Mart sprinkler! Logan saw me watering my plants yesterday afternoon, and the next thing I knew he came running out of the house in his swim trunks. How can you say no to big blue eyes and and a sweet little face saying, "Pleeeeeeeaaaseeee, can I play in the water?" We looked for the toy squirty thing, but it must have gotten tossed in our big garage cleaning spree a couple of weeks ago. I did, however, find the sprinkler I don't remember buying, and it was more fun than the toy (and probably cheaper).

I kept wondering where Austin was, because he's usually the first one out when I mention playing in the water, come to find out, Logan "accidentally" forgot to tell him, and since Austin was watching a movie, he (Logan) didn't want to bother him. Yeah, right, he just didn't want to share the water! Oh well, Logan had a good time, and I told Austin I would make sure he knew when I got the sprinkler out again...which will probably be this afternoon.

My brain has ceased to function!

A cute little ring bearer....before he got bored!

The bride wore boots! Lindsey and her little sister, Leslie, wore their matching boots for the wedding.

Logan was really enjoying himself, can't you tell?!

I have no idea why my last post just published links to the photos instead of the actual photo. I'm sure I didn't hit the right button, but I'll try to post more shots from DC later.

Saturday (yesterday) I had wedding photos to do. It was fun, the wedding had a western theme as both the bride and groom rodeo, and, Logan was the ring bearer. Maybe ring bearer isn't the correct term....entertainment crew would be more appropriate, he was hot and bored, not a good combination for a little boy who will be 4 in a few days. He roped with the ribbon he took off the pillow, made faces, got up close to the groom so he could see their faces, he's mess, but he looked really cute!

Whew, what a week!

[Photo]
Burnside Bridge, Antietam Battlefield, Sharpsburg, VA. I'm on the Confederate side of the creek. The tree to the left was there at the time of the skirmish, oh, if only trees could talk!
[Photo]
The Bloody Road, Antietam Battlefield, Sharpsburg, VA. At the time of the battle in 1863, there would have been crops on either side of the road blocking the sunken road from view.
[Photo]
Caisons with Ammunition boxes at the Bull Run Battlefield, Manassas, VA.

[Photo]
St. Louis from the air. The Gateway Arch is to the lower left, and the big red thing toward the upper right is Busch Stadium!

Our week started at 12:10 AM Monday morning, we left with a bus load of kids for the airport for a 7:00 AM flight. The kids were so wound up that no one slept on the bus. We boarded the plane and some of them got a little nervous, out of the 33 kids we had only 5 or 6 had ever flown. Austin was one of the "never flown" kids and when we taxied down the runway his eyes were as big as silver dollars. He loved it, though. We had a layover in St. Louis, and on the descent we saw Busch Stadium and the Gateway Arch out the window. Austin flipped, he's a die-hard Cardinals fan. We left STL at 11:30 and arrived in Baltimore at 2:30, there's a time change so the flight didn't really take that long; a couple of hours.

We left the airport and loaded on the tour bus to begin our week. We were all exhausted, but kept going. Our first stop was Bull Run Battlefield. I did find out that the Union Army named the battles after a city and the Confederates named it after a creek or landmark. I guess people liked the Rebs names, because most of them stuck. To the Yankees, this was the Battle of Manassas. We left the battlefield, went to supper, then checked into the hotel. Some of our kids went to see the new Indiana Jones movie, but most of them just went to bed. I had been awake since 7:00 AM Sunday morning and this was now 9:00PM Monday night. I opted not to go to the movie, so did Austin, he was so tired he wasn't feeling very well. A shower and a good night's sleep perked him right up, though.

We left Manassas and headed for Harper's Ferry, WV. This is the neatest little town, if you have the chance to see it, GO! It's at the convergence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers and the site of the John Brown revolt. I had no idea it was an arsenal/armory and they made guns there. Since it was in West Virginia, it was the gun supplier for the Confederates....see why Johnny Boy picked that place to stage his rebellion. He wanted to cut off the gun supply to the slave owning states.

After Harper's Ferry we went to Antietam Battlefield (Battle of Sharpsburg for you Yankees). It was really interesting, but I'm a history buff. I only wish we'd had more time to see it, but we did get to stop in a couple of places. If you read about the Battle of Antietam it will probably mention the cornfield and the Bloody Road, I saw those.

From Antietam we went on to Gettysburg, PA for supper, then checked into the hotel, which had a pool. It was nice to let the kids swim and wear themselves out because we herded them back upstairs at 9:00 for showers and bed and no a single one complained.

Wednesday morning we headed out to the Gettysburg Battlefield. I had no idea it was so huge and that lots of the fighting took place in the town. There are some old homes that were built in the early 1800's that still have bullet holes in the brick from the Battle at Gettysburg. It was amazing to know we were standing on the same places that had once seen the worst battle in American History. So many lives were lost at Gettysburg. Once again, it is worth the trip, but plan on more than one day to see it all....in fact, if you want to see it all you'd better just plan for a whole week! It's a beautiful little city, too.

Wednesday afternoon we hit the Smithsonian in DC. The Natural History museum is a neat stop, but we didn't have very long. We left that one and went to the Air and Space Museum. It's pretty cool, but I really wanted to go to the National Gallery of Art, which we didn't have time to do. :( We had supper then got on the bus for night tour of the monuments and memorials. Unfortunately, a really bad thunderstorm rolled in while we were at the Lincoln Memorial, so we had to cut that trip a little short. We found out the next morning it was the worst storm they'd had in about 23 years.

Thursday's agenda was a guided tour of Arlington Cemetery and the memorials, which was really neat. The changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknowns was very moving. These guys are dedicated! We also saw the grave site of JFK and Bobby Kennedy. We went to the Vietnam Memorial (where I found a cousin's name on the wall and got a rubbing and took pictures), WWII Memorial, FDR Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Korean War Memorial, and a sashay by the White House. George and Laura were home, but we didn't get invited in since they were entertaining the Israeli heads of state. I guess 33 kids and 10 adults from Arkansas just weren't important enough!

We were supposed to go to Mt. Vernon Thursday afternoon, but the storms had been so bad around that area that the power was still out. Someone mentioned tornadoes in that area....I guess we took the weather with us! We went, instead, to the Holocaust Museum, and even though our kids were only 11, 12, and 13 years old, they were stunned by the cruelty suffered by some at the hand of the Nazis. We got to ride the Metro (subway) from near the White House to the Holocaust Museum, which was very cool for the kids.

After leaving the Holocaust Museum, we went to Alexandria for supper at King Street Blues BBQ then a walking "legends" tour of Old Town Alexandria, VA. We saw George Washington's "city" home when he was in the DC area and not at Mt. Vernon, we also saw the boyhood home of General Robert E. Lee. A couple of the streets are still cobblestone, and most of the sidewalks are brick from the early 1800's when there was a brick factory in Alexandria. It was very interesting.

Friday was our last day in DC. Since we didn't have much time we opted for a trip to the National Zoo instead of the National Archives and Supreme court. It was more fun for the kids in our age group than the Archives or Supreme Court would have been, although, many of them wanted to see the Archives just to see where National Treasure had been filmed.

The plane ride home was eventful from Baltimore to St. Louis. About 40 minutes from the St. Louis Airport we had to fly through a line of thunderstorms. It was very bumpy, and our landing in STL was the hardest landing I'd ever felt. Our flight from STL to Little Rock was delayed an hour because of the storms, but we made it back to Arkansas around 8:00 Friday night. What was even better was pulling in our driveway just after midnight. The trip was fun, and I'd love to go back and see more....maybe someday, but not with 33 kids.

We're off!

Our bags are packed and we're ready to go......reminds me of a song.......I'm standin' here outside the door.....I'm leavin' on a jet plane.....

Sorry, the lack of sleep is already getting to me, and it will only get worse, I will probably be awake for next 24 hours, anyway. Austin is counting down the hours, his suitcase has been packed for 2 days, but I just finished mine off today. I love the blue and orange backpacks the tour company provided us, that's our carry on, and you wouldn't believe the stuff I have crammed in there! I have snacks! I'll be the most popular person on the airplane. I also bought the cute little green purse to take with me so I wouldn't have to lug my big one around. This goes across from shoulder to hip and has everything very handy. I've got my camera, extra memory cards, and my zoom lens ready to go, too. I'm looking forward to it!

Say a prayer for traveling mercies for our group, it's a little nerve wracking taking other people's children this far from home, but I'm praying that God will grant us a safe trip and a wonderful learning experience for the kids. I'm just wanting a good, close look at that Hope Diamond!

I should have lots to post when we get home Friday, so check back!

Four days and counting.

These photos aren't mine, but get ready, I'll have lots and lots after June 6th!

Austin and I (along with 42 others) will be leaving at 1:00 AM Monday morning for Washington DC. This trip has been in the works for almost 2 years, and the kids are really excited about it. We (11 adults) will have 23 kids ages 10, 11, and 12, and our itinerary is very busy. Austin has never flown and is a little nervous about that, but I told him he would enjoy it.

I love history and am really looking forward to this trip, but am a little sad that Chris and Logan have to stay behind, it's going to be hard to be away from them for 5 days. I've been to DC, but not the surrounding areas. Some of our stops will include: Antietam Battlefield, Harper's Ferry National Park, Gettysburg Battlefield, Smithsonians, day and night tours of DC and the different sites/memorials, Mt. Vernon, Holocaust Museum, National Archives, Supreme Court, FDR Memorial, and Arlington National Cemetery. We've been told we will have some "down" time (but I don't see it) and will be able to go to other museums if we choose. Casey went to the Spy Museum 2 years ago and highly recommends it. We're also supposed to get to go to the National Zoo. We will be really tired, but it will be fun.

Here's the bad part, I bought a 4 GB memory card for my camera only to discover that the camera and the SD card aren't compatible. The 2 GB cards from the same company work, it's just the 4 GB that doesn't! So, I have a 2 GB card and a 1 GB card.....I hope 650 something pictures will be enough! If not, Austin has a new camera and the 4 GB card worked in it, he can take 1772 shots with his. Hey, don't laugh, you don't know what a shutterbug I am! (Yeah, the blog doesn't show it, but I really am.) Oh, and I'm taking a friend's wedding photos on June 7th...Logan is the "ring bear" and asked if he got to growl. I'll have lots of sharing to do!

Like father, like son

Chris saddled Hooter Friday afternoon and Logan couldn't wait to get on him. I couldn't resist a few pictures of him riding with his daddy, wearing the big, almost-ever-present cowboy hat. I just didn't realize, until I loaded the pictures onto the computer, how much he looks like Chris! Just look at the expressions on their faces. It just cracked me up!

Saturday 4/12/08

Chris hadn't seen the floodgates at Norfork Dam open, so we took Logan (like he's really going to remember it) and went to see it. Austin and I went yesterday, and it looked like they had closed them just a little because the water was whiter than yesterday. Anyway, to hear the noise of all the water and to see that much water pouring over into the river was an amazing sight. Logan was less impressed with the dam than we were, but he loved the fish hatchery. They looked at fish while I dashed in to use the facilites, and I didn't think we were going to get him away from the fish. We ended up taking him back to the truck crying, "But I have to see them ALL!" all the way. It's really cold and windy, so we've promised him another trip to the fish hatchery when it warmer.

I wish I had gotten a picture of our wayward dog, Darrell. He chased us down the dirt road today, and we didn't notice it until we were at least a mile from the house. Instead of turning around, Chris put him on the back on the truck. I say ON because we were in the flatbed dually, so Chris had to tie him to the headache rack so he wouldn't try to jump off. I don't think he enjoyed his ride that much, because it was cold and windy, but maybe he will think before he chases us again. When we got out at the fish hatchery he whined, but we made him stay on the truck. He was really happy to be home.

Wait, just one more!

We were at the park Monday when I took DH's cousin's daughter's senior pictures. Kayla is very photogenic, so the pictures turned out great.

While we were waiting on her to arrive, the ducks and geese came to say hello. (they should have seen Logan and known to run, but they didn't). I didn't know I'd get some cute shots with Logan and the ducks and geese.

Take a really close look at the goose picture, Mr. (or Mrs. whatever the case?) has learned a new move, the goose arabesque. I was impressed!

The rest are Logan....excect "bottoms up" and you'll know which one that is.

It's been a long, soggy week!

Tomorrow (Friday) we are going to be out of school because too many of the roads our school buses had to cross are washed out. Several bridges are washed out to the point of dig it all up and start from scratch. I've been a little stressed out today by all the falling water and knowing that the floodgates are openend on Norfork Lake and people down river may lose their homes...again! We have a great lake in our big field, it used to be a pond, but I think it more closely resembles a lake. I think I need some paddleboats!

I love it when funny and unusual things happen. That was the case last night. I was dreaming that someone was in my yard with a chainsaw trying to cut down all my oak trees. It just kept on, and kept on and I was really worried about losing my trees. I finally got semi-awake and could still hear the sound. This made it worse, I was convinced someone was coming after my trees! When I finally got the sleepy fog to clear and get fully awake I realized there were no evil lumberjacks in my yard with chainsaws trying to cut down my trees. The sound I heard was just Chris snoring

But here's the funny part, this evening, the neighbor brought us 8 baby oak trees! I'm so glad I'm not caught in the middle of some graet "white oak conspiracy"!

I'm smart....

....or so I was told this afternoon by my adorable, very intelligent, 3 year old son. He walked up to me, wrapped his arms around my legs and said, "Momma, I love you, and you're really smart!" I asked him why he thought I was smart and he said, "'Cause you know lotsa stuff, like how to make chocolate milk!"

Sweet words from the same mouth who told me earlier in the day I was a mean mommy because I made him lie down for a nap. Of course, he wasn't sleepy at all, he just fell asleep almost immediately just to spite me....yeah, right!

DVR's are a wonderful thing!

One click of a button and I have instant entertainment for a rowdy 3 year old. We used to miss Logan's favorite cartoon, Go, Diego, Go, but not anymore. In fact, I have several episodes saved and protected. Technology is a wonderful thing!

Water, water, everywhere....

Just a few more of the flood. I'm really tired of high water! This is the Southfork River taken behind some friends' house (Bray's). The left side, just past the trees, is a 40 acre hay field. The river bed runs between the trees and makes a curve right in front of the gazebo. The flooded plain to the right is another hayfield. The picture doesn't show just how far out into the 40 acre field the flood goes, but Sonny said this was the highest he has ever seen the river since they have lived there (about 18 years). You usually have to look down to see the river.

Just to give you an idea of how much rain we have had, flood stage for the White River at Calico Rock is 19 feet, at 8:15 this morning the river was at 34.2 feet. The major highway between Black Rock and Hoxie is closed because the Black River has flooded and is over the highway bridge at Black Rock. If you have ever been that way, you know how serious that is.

The city of Hardy has been evacuated and water is almost up into the city. As of last night the river was 10 feet above flood stage. You can see some of the flooding by going to the following link: www.kait8.com

How high's the water, Mamma?.....

.....four foot high and risin'. Sorry, my high school science teacher used to sing that song to us during our tests, for some reason it just popped into my head.

Here are a few pictures from today's flood. The rain is still coming down in buckets, too. We dismissed school before 9:30 today because of flooding, Hwy 223 South of Viola was closed because water was running 3 feet over a bridge just outside of town we had 3 or 4 buses that had to turn around and backtrack to get kids home because they couldn't get past the bridge . The way it looks, we may be home again tomorrow.

The bottom 2 pictures are Big Creek in Viola right at the bridge. The 3rd from the bottom is Big Creek behind Viola Baptist church, notice the basketball goals, those are usually pretty far from the creek bank. The top picture is the campground on the Southfork River just outside of Salem on Hwy 9 North. I've got a few more I'll add in a few minutes.

New Babies!

I love spring! I was begining to wonder if spring was ever going to show up, but the birth of new baby calves just reassures me that spring is right around the corner.

Logan and I rode through the field looking at all the new babies, they are so cute! I love to watch them run on little wobbly legs, and kick up their heels. To see all the new life around me just overwhelms me with the greatness and awsomeness of God. It's amazing to see how God puts such a maternal instinct in these usually docile mamma cows, the same ones who will come right up to you become very standoffish and protective of their babies.

Now I know why I look so forward to spring, it's time for a newness in all things, my faith is refreshed with all the miracles of life around me. God is so good!

I've been tagged!

I was tagged by my friend Kristi and quoting from her blog here are the rules:
"The point of this fun game is to answer the questions, then tag 4 of your friends and post their names on your blog. Might want to leave them a message telling them they've been tagged. Oh, and absolutely no retagging."

So here we go; random facts from my life.

Where Were You 10 Years Ago?
10 Years ago… Feb. 1998, I was living in Ash Flat, teaching school in Evening Shade. Lance (my baby brother) was a senior in high school and we followed him to many, many basketball games that year. Casey was in the 4th or 5th grade (I don't remember which one), and Austin was almost 2. It was my 2nd year of teaching, too.

5 Things On My To-Do List:
Only 5? That is funny!!!
1. Conquer Laundry Mountain....at least knock it back to foothill size....then get ALL the laundry folded, hung up, and put away.
2. Remember to get the mirrors for the downstairs bathrooms from Mom's house and get them hung up so the kids can see what they're doing when they brush their teeth. I also need to get some of my big pictures (Gone With The Wind puzzle, complete with frame) moved home from Mom's and hung up somewhere.
3. Sweep, mop, dust, vaccuum, clean bathrooms, pick up toys, clean the kitchen....wait, that's not a list, that's just life!
4. Finish the numerous projects I have going on both at home and at school. I've really got to work the on the Praisebooking Scripture challenges, I'm only 4 behind now....but there have only been 4 posted. Isn't that sad?
5. Find some quiet time for me every day when I can take my Bible and a Bible study book and spend time focusing my mind where it needs to be, solely on Him. I knew I should have put a lock on our closet door, locking them out is about the only way I can do something like that, but I just HAVE to make some time for me to refresh my spirit.

3 Bad Habits:
{3! Okay 3 is good....for anyone who knows me very well, SHHHHHHH!}
1. Taking laundry out of the dryer, dropping it into a basket, and never getting it where it needs to go. The exception to this rule, towels! I know who's using which towels and I keep up with it. No snitching towels out of my closet and making me think I put them there, Huh huh, nope!
2.I get distracted way too easily! I'll start something, then pick up something else, then find another thing that needs to be done, and NOTHING ends up getting completely finished. I seriously think I have adult ADD!
3. I am really, really bad to procrastinate....but more about that tomorrow.

Places I Have Lived:
1. Flippin, Arkansas (yes, Heather, it's a real place and people like their town, they're not talking ugly about it.) I lived here until I was 11, then ended up back here after I married the first, uhm, time. (I'll be nice)
2. Viola, Arkansas. We moved here from Flippin when I was 11, I lived here until I went off to college in 1985, then got married and moved away. I got unmarried, finished college, and finally ended up back in Viola in the fall (August) of 1999.
3. Harrison, AR (not a fun time living there so we'll just skip that one, but moved from Flippin to Harrison with the 1st X, this is where it all ended)
4. Conway, Arkansas! This was a great one for me. I took my 3 year old daughter, stepped out on faith, and went back to college. I lived here from August of 1992 - May 10, 1996 and left Conway and the University of Central Arkansas with a BSE degree in my hand!
5. Cherokee Village/Ash Flat, Arkansas for the 3 years I taught at Evening Shade school
6. Viola, AR. I've come almost full circle
Kristi said she was a true Hoosier at heart since I has lived in Indiana all of her life, I can sum up my life and places I've lived with 3 simple words.......WHOOOOO PIGS, SOOOIE!

Things Most People Don't Know About Me:
I'm a pretty open book, if I goof up there's always someone there to remind me, but these may be slightly interesting.....or at least good for a laugh.
1. I won a talent show when I was 7 or 8 (I know this because I was missing 2 front teeth) I sang "I Wish I Was A Teddy Bear". I think it was done by Donna Fargo.
2. I stuck my tongue to the ice on the inside of my Mamaw and Papaw's fridge. My tongue stuck, but I pulled it off (left the end) before Mamaw could warm water and get it loose.
3. I got married at 19 amid many rumors (started by my Dad's neighbors) that I was pregnant. That was June of 1986, and Casey was born September of 1988....2 years and 3 months, gosh, that was a looooong pregnancy! (she said sarcastically)
4. I someday want to be a world traveler. I'd love to see the artwork in Italy and France, the Greek ruins, the Roman Colisseum, Kanaroos and Joeys in Australia, the green hills of Ireland, and the rolling hills of Scotland. I also wanna go to Loch Ness, just to see if I can see Nessie. I really want to go to the UK (Colchester, Essex, England to be exact) and see Jeannette and the wonderful misson opportunity they have. It's called Nightstop. If you want to know more about it just email me or leave me a comment and I'll direct you to the head lady, herself. They take in teens who have noplace to go and get them into a safe, Christian environment. It's changing lives!

Here Are The Lucky People I Tag:
1. Jamie
2. Jen (perspective from the parsonage)
3. Judy (His doorkeeper)
4. Carla J.
It's pretty sad when you don't have a huge "buddy list" to choose from!

Now, remember, no tag backs, girls!

More on CJ

I know this blog has been consumed with our injured dog lately, but you don't have to read it if you don't like it.

I got home from school yesterday and he was so excited to get out of the garage. He moved faster than he has moved since we got him home, he also ventured out into the field. I was worried about him for a while, until I noticed he was okay. I grabbed my camera and went out into the field so I could get some pictures of his progress. I know I'm mother-henning this dog to death, but I can't help it!

These are a couple of pictures I took yeasterday afternoon. He was running (sort of) toward me, tail wagging, so happy to be free. The other on I took from the side so you could see the extent of the injury. There is another scar that runs along the bottom of his shoulder, too.

He's adapting well to his new physical features, and still the happiest, friendliest dog we've ever had.

Don't be jealous....

..but I probably have one of the most romantic husbands in the world. Yesterday afternoon he brought me my Valentine's Day gift.....brand new....wiperblades for the windshield wipers on my car. He even installed them for me. See, I knew you would be jealous. Even though I did have a slight fever and felt like a square peg that had been pushed through a round hole, I made my family a gourmet meal....Hamburger Helper with corn (from a can) and green beans (from a can), but we did have fresh pineapple (yes, the can said it was fresh) for dessert. We washed it all down with a lovely vintage of Hawaiian Punch....then I took some Tylenol and went to bed.

Let it rain, I'm ready!

Oh, and CJ ran (okay, hobbled) out of the garage to meet us this afternoon then went out into the yard and field to explore a little. He's back in his bed now, but it was very encouraging to see him want to get out and try to get around. He's adapting to his uniqueness. I need to go take some pictures of him just to let him know we still think he's handsome...even if he does just have 3 legs.

CJ is home!

We picked him up from the vet today, and he was happy to see us. They said he had been a little mopey, but when he saw the boys and me his ears perked up and his tail started wagging. He sat on the back seat of the truck on the way home, right between the boys. When we got home and opened the door the other dog, Darrell, tried to jump in the truck with him. He was really happy to have his buddy home. CJ is curled up on his bed asleep. It's so good to have him home.

Changing colors

I had to do it, I love Monet, but that background with the little ball of sunshine made it look like something weird was in every photo. I like the way the dark background make the photos show up, anyway.

Today is yet another snow day for us. This will put us at least 1 week later getting out of school. I never thought I'd be ready to go back to school, but the boys are driving me NUTS! Austin still doesn't feel well, and Logan knows just which buttons to push to annoy him. It seems like I've spent most of the morning saying, "Leave him alone, put that down, be nice to your brother, he's younger than you - be nice!" I've finally sent them to neutral corners with no TV.

With that said, there are some moments that I cherish greatly. Lilly, my neice, had her adenoids out Friday, Mom went down Thursday night to help. Tuesday night, Austin and Logan sat at the dining table and painted pictures for Lilly and made get well cards. The got along so well, shared the paint, and never fussed. I need to remind them how much they love each other.

Made a tough decision today

These are our dogs Darrel (on the left) and CJ (on the right) Some fool was driving way to fast on our dirt road and hit CJ Friday night. We looked and looked for 3 hours Friday night and Austin started looking at 7:00 Saturday morning. He finally hobbled up to us around 11:00 Saturday morning. We had to search to find a vet who was open, but All Creatures in Mtn. Home said to bring him right over. We knew he was hurt, but didn't know how hurt. It was really hard when the vet called me and told me we didn't have many options for CJ. His leg and shoulder were shattered and even with sending him to a pricey orthopedic vet in Little Rock, there would be no guarantee they could save his leg, not to mention the months, maybe years of pain he would be in. I talked to the vet about all the different options and finally just asked her what she would do if he were hers. She said she's always the first one to try to save a leg, but in this case the best scenario for him would be to amputate his leg. I'll admit it, I cried, I just couldn't stand the thought of him being in pain and suffering for the rest of his life. He just had his first birthday in November! After agonizing for a while, and angonizing to Chris about what we should do, I made the decision for them to remove his leg. She called me back this afternoon and told me he made it through the surgery just great. He was on pain meds, but his breathing was still fast and somewhat labored, even though x-rays showed no internal injuries. After the surgery, his breathing was normal. He was in so much pain the pain shots weren't working, and since they removed the shattered leg and shoulder, his pain is much better. That's what I wanted to hear. We should have him home tomorrow afternoon, but not until after a trip to the pet store (All Pet and Equine is a very cool store) for a new dog bed. I think CJ deserves even a heated bed.

During all this, Darrell, our other dog has roamed around completely lost; he's been howling at night for no reason, and will NOT let you get out of his sight when we're outside. He just does not like being the solitary animal, he has to have friends or people. He's been sleeping in CJ's bed since he's been gone, so I think he deserves a new bed, too (maybe not heated for him, though).

Last summer CJ cut his foot and hobbled around on 3 legs. Chris and the boys started calling him Tripod. I told him today that he had spoken it into existance. He really needs to watch that! CJ or Tripod, whatever they end up calling him, he will be just as loved (and probably more papered) with 3 legs as he was with 4. We will have the most unique dog in the neighborhood, I'm just glad he won't be in pain.

Through all of this, I can definitely say I highly recomment "All Creatures Veterinary Clinic" in Mtn. Home. They have been so good and never tried to push us into anything. I was very impressed with their clinic, too. I think we may have found a new vet.

Captured Moments....

What do you think of the name "Captured Moments" for a photography business? Lindsay and I are branching out, we've decided to turn the hobby into a little side business. She's the salesman and has a wedding for us March 22. (which is also our anniversary....Chris and me) After that wedding I will take engagement pictures for a friend, then engagment and wedding pictures for my daughter's best friend. It's going to be busy, but that's good. I hope we can get a few Senior picture sessions in there, too, those are always fun!

This has been an eventful weekend. We really thought we had lost our youngest dog, CJ. Someone stopped and told our neighbor he hit him. This guy drives like a crazed lunatic (he may be a crazed lunatic, who knows?) and last week I saw him deliberately try to run CJ down. We searched for 2 or 3 hours for him Friday night with no luck. Saturday morning I told the boys what had happened, and Austin went out looking for him. He started at 7:30 and around 10:00 he finally gave up. I felt so sorry for him. Around 11:15 the neighbor's daughter spotted CJ, he was hobbling his way home on 3 legs. We called around and finally found a vet (ours and half the others I called were gone to a vet convention), so the kids and I took him to All Creatures in Mtn. Home. Poor CJ has a broken shoulder, but it looks like that's all. They kept him this weekend and will call me tomorrow to let me know what the next step will be. This $20 Humane Society rescue dog may end up being quite expensive, but he means so much to the boys....and to me, too, it will be okay. I just hope he doesn't think we've deserted him since he's at the vet's office without us. I'll be glad to get him home. Darrell (our other dog) is lost without him. He's been whining and looking around for him. When we got out of the truck yesterday after taking CJ, Darrell kept looking in the truck and looking all around for him. Last night Darrell slept in CJ's bed. He's so sad without his buddy, he even refused a doggie treat, he's usually the one who tries to get CJ to "accidentally" drop his so he can have it, too.

Snow day, glorious snow day!

Maybe I've been secretly wishing for snow, but last night when I went to bed I would have sworn the weather guy was nuts. In fact, when I woke up at 4:15 (not by choice) there wasn't a thing on the ground. When the school secretary called at 5:45 and told Chris we weren't having school I just thought we were jumping the gun a little. Around 7:00 am it started snowing just a little, but I didn't get too concerned and told Casey to drive her car on to work, just be careful, had I only known! Shortly after 8:30 it really started snowing, then Chris called to tell me he needed something from the lock box at the bank. I thought, "no problem", I'll just load the boys up now and go get our business taken care of then get home before it gets too bad. WRONG! It was already bad, I just didn't know it until I was already on the road. I'm not one to take chances (anymore) on snow, so I had 4WD engaged on our dirt road. I just knew when I hit Highway 62 I wouldn't need it anymore. Wrong again! At 9:30 this morning there had been nothing done to 62 and it was a mess! After going a few hundred feet I decided I'd go back into 4WD, which was just God looking out for me, because I asked Him to take care of us before we ever left the driveway. I was headed up a hill going into Salem and the truck got sideways in the road. Austin, the 11 year old, said, "Mom, why did you do that?" I assured him it wasn't my idea, and Logan was yelling, "Do it again, do it again!" Never listen to a 3 year old. We slid into the bank, took care of our business, made a side trip to Sonic (mainly so Logan would be quiet on the way home and I could concentrate on the roads), then creeped home.

Now, with all this said, one thing you should know about me is that my camera goes with me almost everywhere, so I did manage to get a few pictures of the lovely weather we're having. I took the one from Sonic "hop thru", and Austin took the one on the dirt road. The one of the boys just shows the excitement on their faces at finally having enough snow to throw snowballs at each other. I guess it has been a pretty good day.

A new challenge

Today at the ladies luncheon at church I recieved a new challenge. We were discussing the importance of leaving your legacy, your life, how you came to know Christ, your thoughts on marriage, birth of your children, etc. I told Sandy, our pastor's wife, that I had started working on a journal/scrapbook about leaving my legacy, so she asked me if I'd like to lead a class of women in doing that. I was a little surprised, but I feel like this is something I am supposed to do. I have a soft spot for women's ministry and am excited about stepping out in that direction.

I was inspired by a speaker at a women's conference who lost her mother to breast cancer. The girl was only 7 and doesn't have that many memories of her mother. She knows her mother was a Christian, but has no idea how she came to know Christ. She doesn't even know what her mother's handwriting looked like. Little things that we sometimes take for granted are things she never had.

The more I thought about it, the more determined I became to write down these stories for my children, and grandchildren (some day....in a few years). I want them to know who I was, what was important to me, and what my hopes and dreams for them were. It's important to leave a legacy, and what could be better than a legacy of faith?

Are you leaving a legacy? You should. If you don't know where to begin just call me or email me and I'll help you get started. It's important. You never know when your story might just reach someone and bring them into the God's Kingdom.

Ladies Luncheon

Tomorrow is the quarterly Ladies Luncheon at church. This will be my first one and I'm really excited about it. The last luncheon was the end of September and I just wasn't up to that one. I am so thankful that we have found a church with so many opportunities for fellowship for the whole family. Chris even goes to the "Brotherhood" days, which require the use of power tools and carpentry/construction skills. The first one he went to they built the stage in the youth aditorium, the November meeting, he helped build sets for the outdoor drama. I think they changed lightbulbs (no easy task in the fellowship hall/gym area) and built new pantry shelves the last time.

Tomorrow we will start discussing the Women's Conference hosted by our church. This will be the last Saturday of September and will be even better than the last. We had a wonderful speaker last fall, and ended up with ladies from 16 different churches attend. I'm anxious to see what happens this year, it really lifts my spirits and gets me fired up again. Y'all come, everyone is invited.

Of course I'm taking my camera with me tomorrow, so maybe I'll have some pictures of our luncheon and the ladies of my church. I've been asked to bring some of my pretty Southern Living at HOME dishes....and they didn't even have to twist my arm to make me do it. I love pretty dishes!

I've been tagged

Four jobs I've had:
1. Ranger Boats (sportswear dept)
2. American Freightways (accts. rec. clerk)
3. Assistant director at a daycare in Conway
4. Teacher (Art, Speech, Drama, & English)

Four places I lived:
1. Flippin, AR
2. Harrison, AR
3. Conway, AR
4. Viola, AR

Four movies I've watched over and over:
1. Gone With The Winds
2. Miss Congenality
3. Gone In 60 Seconds
4. Cars (yes, it's Logan's favorite)

Four shows I watch:
1. CSI
2. HGTV...lots of shows on HGTV
3. Biggest Loser
4. Food Network...lots of shows on FN

Four places I've been:
1. California
2. Destin, FL
3. Ouray, CO (loved it!)
4. Washington, DC (and we're going back in June)

Four people who e-mail me regularly:
1. Heather B.
2. Carla
3. Gena
4. Lindsay

Four favorite thing to eat:
1. Mexican...just about anything
2. Cheesecake
3. Beans, cornbread, & fried potatoes
4. Seafood

Four places I'd rather be:
1. I like to be home
2. Colorado
3. On a beach somewhere
4. In a cabin in the woods

Four things I look forward to this new year:
1. Our trip to Chattanooga over spring break
2. Our trip to DC in June (It's just Austin & me)
3. VBS at our new church
4. Summer break so I can be home and dig in the yard!

Four people to tag:
1. I have absolutely no idea who has a blog, so whomever reads this consider yourself tagged. (then tell me who you are)

I HAD to post this, read it and you'll see why.

My parents told me about Common Sense early in my life and told me I would do well to call on her when making decisions. It seems she was always around in my early years but less and less as time passed by. Today I read her obituary. Please join me in a moment of silence in remembrance, for Common Sense had served us all so well for so many generations.

Obituary: Common Sense
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old she was since her birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.
She will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children are in charge).
Her health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened her condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer aspirin, sun lotion or a sticky plaster to a student, but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault. Common Sense finally gave up the will to live after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot She spilled a little in her lap, and was awarded a huge settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death by her parents, Truth and Trust; her husband, Discretion; her daughter, Responsibility; and her son, Reason . She is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know my Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm a Victim.
Not many attended her funeral because so few realized she was gone. If you still remember her, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Author unknown

There is a lot of truth to this. We all see it every day in just about every place we go.

Squirrel proof?

I'm finding the bright side of everything, so here's today's. I was home from school, again, for the second day in a row, not because of the stomach flu like yesterday, but because I now have pink eye. Anyway, I looked outside at my "squirrel proof" bird feeder to find this fat fellow hanging upside down, stuffing his jaws with sunflower seeds. What you can't see in this picture is the Blue Jay who did not appreciate fluffy eating his afternoon snack! This was supposed to be a feeder that squirrels can't get to, yeah, right!

The family photo

This is the picture I took for our Christmas card photo. It was the first shot I took, by the time I got a few more I was ready to toss all 3 of my miracles into the pond behind them! These big rocks are usually under water, but because of the dry summer they were the ideal photo spot. The week after this was taken we got 6+ inches of rain, now they are back in the middle of the pond, the only part of the rock showing above water is the big one in the far right corner, and all you can see is the tip of that one. I think this is one of the best ones I've ever gotten of all 3 kids together. The first remark Casey made was, "Eww, that makes me look fat!" (she would have been the first one tossed in.)

What next?

I got a call during church tonight from one of Casey's friends telling me Casey was hurt. The last time I got a call at church was when we lost Dad, so a little part of me went into panic mode. Luckily it wasn't too bad. She had gone to see a friend and stepped off their porch onto a step that was loose. Her foot when through the step and a board flew up and hit her in the face. She had a 1 1/2 inch gash between her eyebrows. She is now sporting 5 stitches and will probably have 2 black eyes in the morning, but at least that's all it was.

After being home Monday with 2 sick boys, and Austin deciding to open a can of Spaghettio's with his thumb (yes, the cut was deep, but being the resourceful Mom I am, I just steri stripped it and wrapped it in a Band-Aid) I'm afraid to ask what's next.

I am going to run away

Okay, maybe not, but it's been a couple of "those" days, yes, you know the one's I'm talking about!
Mom spent Sunday night with my brother and SIL, she had a really tough weekend and just needed to get a way for a little while. Of course, while she's gone both my boys decide to get sick. They usually go see Nana and let her fuss over them all day, then I pick them up, spoiled rotten, but feeling better.

Well, this went waaaay beyond a Nana kind of sick. We ended up going to the doctor and getting them both on strong antibiodics and cough meds. (yeah, the green stuff coming from Logan's nose a dead giveaway that Mom couldn't fix this one).

So here's how the day went. They slept late, didn't want to get up, both felt yucky and Austin couldn't quit coughing. It was super foggy and rainy yesterday, but I loaded them up and away we went to the doctor. Let me just say that anyone who doesn't know how to use a blinker, or to EASE down on your brakes, not lock them up in the road, needs to have his/her driver's license revoked permanently. Now my disclaimer, I may have been in a hurry, but I was NOT tailgating.....I was drafting.

Okay finally get to FIL's pharmacy and get the boys meds, which we start right then, no waiting and we head home.

I knew I had to stop at the grocery store on the way, so I had steeled myself. Logan was whining and his fever had come up, so I was just throwing things in the buggy just to get out of the store and get them home. I even caved and let Austin get a can of Spaghettio's (mistake #1). Logan fussed and wanted a bag of Cheetos (mistake #2). I get to the register and I know the girl working behind so we're talking when another cashier, whom I also know, looks at me and says, "Why aren't y'all in school today?" Hmmmm, I have one whining boy saying "my head hurts" and one coughing so hard I though he was going to hack up a lung. I just really really wanted to say "here's your sign" but I just smiled politely and said, "We've been to the doctor."

So I get the boys and my groceries., my "quick" trip which ended up $67.43 later, get the boys loaded, and Logan decides to open aforementioned bag of Cheetos in the back seat of the car, yes, the car I just vaccuumed! Did you know that a 3 year old opening a bag of crunchy Cheetos can propel them to the nether regions of you car?Get home, give Austin the cough meds because I knew if he fell asleep I'd just have to leave him in the car, he weighs 112 lbs!

Austin decides to eat aforemention can of Spaghettio's. Young man that he is becoming, and thinking with a man's brain, he picked up the OLD canopener, whent he lid didn't come completely off the can he decided to STICK HIS THUMB down and lift the can lid. No he didn't require stitches, probably should have had them, but I've had first aid training, elevated it, cleaned it out, re-elevated it until the bleeding stop (it looked like we had slaughtered a hog in the kitchen!), and bandaged it very tightly. Oh what fun! I guess I can see the humor in it now because Austin's bandaids fell off at school and the school nurse redressed it. He now looks like he has a giant marshmellow stuck on his thumb. What was the name of the nursery rhyme .".........stuck in his thumb and pulled out a plumb, and said what a good boy am I" I may paint the bandage purple.

So that, my friends, is why I've had 2 Tylenol PM and am waiting desperately for them to kick in!

Journey to Bethlehem

Tonight begins our church's outdoor drama, Journey to Bethlehem. I've never been involved in anything like this, and I'm really looking forward to it. Chris, Austin, and Logan are all in it, too. Chris is a servant in Herod's palace, Austin is one of the wisemen's entourage, and I am the poor widow woman outside the gates of Bethlehem who sells chickens, eggs, and vegetables; Logan is my child.

When I told Logan he was going to get to wear a costume and sit with me around our campfire he got really excited; his first question was, "Yeah, can we burn some hotdogs and marshmellows on a stick?!" I'm afraid he will be the comic relief for this drama. I'll take my camera and try to get a few pictures tonight.

Right now the weather is pretty nasty, drizzly, and cold. I'm hoping it clears off a little before 7:00 pm. Just in case your are anywhere near Salem First Baptist Church this weekend, our drama runs Friday and Saturday at 7, and Sunday at 6.

A long time

I didn't realize it had been so long since I'd posted on my blog. I guess I spent all summer waiting for DSL and just didn't have the patience to try to post on dial up. I can't even look at the blog at school because the server has it blocked, so forget that idea.

So much has happened since my last post. Casey graduated, we moved into our new home, Dad retired after 32 years as the superintendent of our school, and after 46 years in education. The summer was fairly uneventful, but busy nonetheless. School started back in August and with it I got 2 new classes, Drama and Speech. I now teach Art, Speech, and Drama. It's a little overwhelming at times. Austin also decided to try a new sport and started playing Mighty Mite football. Even though he had to play at Salem (our biggest rivals), it was okay since Viola doesn't have football.

In September, we lost dad rather suddenly. His health was not great, but we had no idea how bad he felt. I think one of his biggest fears was not being able to care for himself and God knew that. Dad lived his life with dignity, and God took him home with dignity. We were amazed and humbled by the number of people who came to pay respects, and by the kind words from so many.

We are nearly the holiday season, and while it's going to be tough to get through some of the days, we all know that he would want us to enjoy our time together.

I'll try to post a few pictures, but not today. We've had a bug going around school and it has decided to stop and visit me. I think I'll go curl up on the couch until someone gets home to corral Logan, then I'm going to bed!

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

Did you wonder about me?

Let's see, since the last post, our computer monitor completely died, it won't even come on now, so that really limited me, especially since I can't get to the blog from school because they are "restricted" sites.

Casey just had her Senior prom Friday night. It was beautiful, but kind of sad, too. This was the last one, the last prom dress, the last prom hair appt., the last "Mom, will you do my makeup for prom?" I can't believe she graduates in 2 months....less than 2 months, May 11th! It seems like yesterday she was just a baby!

Austin has had a rough time with stomach yuckies the last week. We are home again today. At least he has a new movie (Eragon) to watch and keep him occupied for a while. He's not a very good patient.

Logan is growing up too fast, too. He will be 3 in June! Last night we were in Lowe's and he announced to the whole store he needed to go to the bathroom. We we came out he told his Daddy very loudly, what he had accomplished. I thought the sales clerk was going to fall over. Oh well, we're entertaining if nothing else!

We've had a minor setback on the house. Our cabinet guy decided to do another job that was HUGE before us. Now we are waiting on cabinets and the other house isn't even close to needing them. Yep, Jesse, our builder, had a not-so-pleasant chat with him. He told us he would have the cabinets ready by the end of March, probably before. WRONG! He's going to START them Monday. I have already informed all those who need to know that I WILL be moving the first week of April, our spring break, with our without cabinets! I think the builder passed that info along. Oh, and we didn't get the carpet in the basement on Monday like we had planned. They discovered the basement has started drawing moisture. I called the doofus who did our basement and he talked to me like I was a complete moron. Did I mention it was right after I'd had a particularly bad day with my 7th grade boys? I ended up talking to this guy like he was one of them and he came out Tuesday to check things out. I told him we weren't happy with his work and definitely WOULD NOT be recommending him to any of our friends. He was more than happy to blame it on the 1st builder....the one we fired.

Time to get off here. I'm posting one of Casey's prom pictures....she just looks too grown up!

Time flies....

...when you have 3 kids, work full time, and are trying to build a house! Poor Chris, he's worked late on the house every night for the last few weeks. I'll be glad when we can move in, maybe he can rest then.

I've meant to try to get on here and post a few new pictures, but our monitor bit the dust, and my good pictures are on that computer. I'm dragging the laptop back and forth until I get a new monitor. I'm hoping it won't be long until I get it, we've got to get crackin' on Chris's 2007 business books! (not to mention I have to be able to get to my pictures!)

So much for posting time, my youngest miracle is sleepy and demanding attention (actually, he wants me to roll up a newspaper so he can use it as a weapon!)

I'll get new house pictures posted soon.....I hope!

Snow Day!

You've gotta love a snow day! We got 4"+ of snow last night and it's picking up again; it looks like no school for us tomorrow, either! I was ready for a little break. . . if you can call it that. I do have the laundry almost caught up, though. We've had our traditional snow day cheese dip and chips, too. I did help Chris at the farm. . . . okay, I watched while he piled brush, but I did get some good snow pictures.

I have to work on a few lesson plans tomorrow, and get ready for the state cheerleading championships, but it's been pretty laid back for us.

It's SNOWING!

While snow isn't a big deal for northern and some western regions of the US, it's a BIG deal on January 31st in Arkansas! The forecast this morning was for light snow turning to heavier snow late this evening, but the snow started much earlier than predicted. We got out of school at 1:30 and the ground and roads were competely covered in a matter of 45 minutes!

It's still coming down and I'm pretty sure we've already surpassed the predicted 3-4" of earlier. My little fat birds were happy to see the feeder refilled with sunflower seeds, too. It looks like tomorrow will be a snow day, hot chocolate and jigsaw puzzles for us!

A week's progress

I know it seems like all I ever post is about the house or the kids, but building a new home is very exciting, and I'm a proud mom, if you don't want to hear about my kids you're in the wrong place! Ü

The doors finally went in today, the siding is going on, the dirt work is done, and the electrician is finishing his part tonight so we can start insulating and sheetrocking this week. The afternoon sun was shining in through the new front door and the light was making rainbows across the floor. It was beautiful! We really need it warm up around here, though. These mid 20 degree temps are making things really difficult!

Casey's cheer squad goes to the state championships on Saturday. I may be getting up way before the crack of dawn, but it will be worth it. Go LONGHORNS! (and I don't mean Texas!)

The windows are here, the windows are here!

I never thought I'd be so excited to have windows, but we waited out the ice storm and they arrived today. No, I didn't take pictures because they're still in the boxes & crates, but I'm crossing my fingers that they will go in the house tomorrow and I'll get a picture then. This is exciting! We're going to have a new home very soon.

The driveway was started today, too. It was a little easier to get up to the house this afternoon, I didn't need 4WD to get through all the mud. He also started pushing the dirt back up against the foundation so the house looks a little less monolithic. I'm ready for spring to get here so I can start digging in the dirt and landscaping! I just love to dig in the dirt; I guess I'm still a kid at heart!

House progress

This is the part where it seems to take forever! The siding started going up on the house today, we were originally going with brick, but are going to have to wait on that one. (long, ugly story with builder #1). The windows were supposed to have been here last week, but they arrived in the warehouse in Springfield, MO the day the ice storm hit, so we are having to wait until Springfield thaws to get our windows shipped to us. The doors and windows will go in at the same time and things will look really different then.

I'm hoping and praying we can move into our new home soon. It's going to be so nice to spread out and not have 5 people crammed into 900 sq feet. I can't wait to get to the fun part, decorating. Mom got the kids new bedspreads and I'm so anxious to fix up their rooms. I don't have pictures of the inside because it's still just the studs and wiring, not very pretty, but when the sheetrock starts to go up I'll post more pictures.

Our new house is 2 miles off the main highway. It's going to be so nice to hear cows, crickets, birds, and frogs instead of jake brakes and thumping bass from the souped up sound systems of teenagers vehicles. I'm expecting a large jump in hearing aid sales in the next generation.

So here it is, the latest progress of our new home.

I would have taken the picture from straight on, but the mud was knee deep and I didn't feel like wading it.

Another shot from regionals

Here's a shot of the girls in action, see what I'm talking about, they throw the girls up in the air!

VHS regional champs

Yesterday (Saturday) Casey's cheerleading sqad went to the regional championships, they brought home 1st place in class A, small squad, all girl. It's amazing to see some of the things these kids can do! The next stop is the state ACCA championships in Greenbrier on February 3rd! I'm so glad her last year of cheerleading is a good one. I'm also glad Casey is a backspot and not one of the fliers, it makes me so nervous to see these kids go flying up in the air.

Back to the old grind!

After almost 2 weeks off we started back to school, normally this isn't a big deal for me, but I had some new classes I'd NEVER taught! I'm officially the Speech (or Oral Communications to be politically correct) teacher at VHS. I'm enjoying it, but I'm still trying to get myself together and figure out some lesson plans.

We had a wonderful Christmas. I always enjoy spending time with family, but Logan got a little Mommyitis when it came time to go back to school and daycare. I had a little Loganitis, too.

Our home construction is finally back on track. We have a new building crew take over (don't ask), and they're moving along really quickly. In 2 weeks time we have the plumbing, central heat/AC unit, and a few other minor repairs almost finished. The roofers started today, and the electrician should be ready to start soon. I'm hoping, praying, and crossing my fingers that we can start moving in to our new house around the end of February or first of March. I'm so ready to have CLOSET SPACE, and the new dishwasher is going to be fabulous, too! (My current dishwasher balks, and she had a basketball game tonight so I have to do the dishes!)

Here's a look at our new home, I'll take another one when the roof is finished and the doors and windows go in. It should look alot different then.

I keep forgetting

We just got DSL so I can actually load photos much quicker than before, so, here are a couple (or 3 just depending how long I have to wait) of the wedding photos of my little brother.

Okay, you just get one, I can't figure out how to get more than one photo on the blog, and it's late and I'm going to bed. (which means I'm so tired I couldn't figure it out even if I sat here all night!)

I'm trying to do better!

Things have been crazy lately, but I'm determined to take the time to post on this blog more than once every three months.

I'm in the process of adding a new job to my resume, no, I'm not going to stop teaching anytime soon, but I am branching out into photography. I've always loved it and had the opportunity to do a few photo shoots in the last couple of months. That just strengthened my love for photography. Ansel Adams had the perfect job, oh to be able to travel the American wilderness and capture God's beauty.

Seriously, though, I took my little brother's engagement pictures and had so much fun with it, then I took my daughter's senior (gasp) pictures, and this past weekend I shot my brother's wedding! Of course, when the bride is gorgeous (like my new sister-in-law) and the groom is handsome, all I had to do was aim and shoot! I'll try to post a few of the pictures.

I'm excited about it, I want to be a photographer when I grow up!

I'm ready for another weekend!

We had such a good Sunday afternoon, even though we were all fighting the sinus/allergy crud we still managed to have a little fun. Chris saddled the horses and he and Casey rode for a while. Logan was very upset until Daddy got back to get him for a little ride. I watched him point to all the cows and jabber up a storm. He's growing up way too fast. While they were riding horses, Austin was climbing trees and I was snapping pictures. Logan fell asleep Sunday night singing "Baby Bumblebee" which sounded more like "bee bee bummelbee", but he got the "Ouch! It stung me!" part down really well.

Upon this spot....

....we will build our house. (or at least pretty close to this spot) This is the view we will have from the kitchen window and greatroom. It's so quiet and peaceful, I can't wait!

September 1st already?

I have gotten so far behind with this blog. My intention was to keep up with at least weekly updates, but we see where that went. I guess my excuse is our old dial-up connection. I'm back at school now with wonderful high speed internet.

Summer has been busy as usual for us. The kids are involved in lots of things, but probably the most exciting thing is building a house. We haven't broken ground yet, but we are getting closer by the day. Tuesday afternoon we staked off the site, I had my camera with me, of course, and got some really great shots of Logan. Austin was running around trees and through the field exploring everything and didn't have time for me. He did, however, find a rabbit hole and had time for me to look at it. I didn't see Alice or a white rabbit with a pocket watch anywhere!

Logan was trying to play hide & seek, but would hide behind a tree and yell, "Find me, Mommy!" At least it was good for a photo op!