Merry Christmas!

May this holiday season find you blessed beyond words!
May the coming year be filled with wonders!
May you know the peace and presence of God in every moment!
Amen

49 weeks and counting

Russ left 3 weeks ago....gone for a year ....do the math.....49 weeks to go - ish.  ISH is an ALWAYS with the military!  We are surviving nicely and get contact with Russ pretty much daily.  He has already received several care packages for which he is very thankful....and another list for the next box has been started! 
We are looking forward to Christmas with family!  And in preparation I had a "ME" day today.  I took myself out for a bit of pampering!  I got my nails done, my hair trimmed and highlighted, had lunch, and also took care of getting the truck's oil changed and got it a bath....not before it needed it believe me!  The kids stayed home to take care of the last of their lessons for this year and to get themselves ready for our time with family.  After living in the middle of the Pacific Ocean for 3 years I have an even greater appreciation for nearness to family.  So nice to be close enough to visit fairly frequently! 
The coming year holds the promise of possibility!  Looking forward with great anticipation.....

Troop Support

I found out that there are special flat rate boxes through the post office just for sending over to APO addresses!  And the bonus with using them is that there is a discount in the shipping price!  How cool is that? I sent large flat rate boxes with the special "we support you" artwork on them and a place to fill in the special address preprinted on the box and it was only $12.50 per box not $14.95!!  What a nice surprise!
Then the other day I got an email about something the Xerox company is doing again or continuing....
www.letssaythanks.com
kids have drawn pictures that xerox puts on the front of the cards and you can use a prewritten message or write your own.  I have written my own, saved it and just copy and paste.  I'm sending at least one card per day for as long as they have the site up.  It's all FREE  with no registration required!
Thought I'd pass along the info for any who might be interested or need it!
Blessings!

Arrivals and Farewells

Russ made it to his destination in the sandbox and got set up in his room.  Was good to get to skype with him.  Our weekend was a busy one but loads of fun!  The little kids had a great time in the paints and glitter....which is now ALL over my house, but that's the nature of glitter no matter who is using it!  The kids went back to their foster home last night and I don't know when or if I will get to see them again.  Kinda sad but that's the way it is!  My case manager is the same as the one for their foster home though so I get a few updates on them that way.  I decided last night to let the kids sleep in this morning and we'll have a down day today since we were so busy on the weekend.  I slept really hard last night and didn't sleep in as much as I thought I would.  But it is good to feel rested.  I have many things I need to be thinking about and will probably be making lists today to organize my thoughts and plans....if that is even possible!

Rejoicing!

God is an awesome God! 
I took Russ to the airport to send him on his way to play in the big sandbox, and a great many of the folks he works with were there to tell him bye.  He is very well liked among his comrades and his presence will be missed in the office.  One could tell their sentiments were most sincere.  Once Russ gets to his destination he will have internet access and we will be able to communicate quite a bit. Such blessings!
On the way to the airport my phone rang.  It was another foster mom asking if we would provide respite (babysitting) for her three little ones over the weekend!  Well these are kids we know since they are siblings to one of the kids we have fostered!    We are excited to be able to play with these kids again and to help out another family that needed a break.  And what a great distraction for us!
Then Jonathan, Lex's husband (still getting use to saying that!), had a job interview this morning and got the job!!!  Ok they have to run a background check on him but no worries there!  Then he will have 6 weeks of paid training and then start full time!  They will be able to afford his going to an online trade school now!  Lex is still hunting a part time position and working on her high school courses.
Our needs are being met beyond expectations! 
Well I must go and start getting things ready for three extra little kiddos to be here! 
Oh yes, I never did post about Thanxmas!!
What a GREAT time we had with Russ' family!  We drove up on Wednesday and came back on Saturday.   Thursday was a wonderful day of marvelous food and incredible fellowship.  Even my folks got to come be with us.  On Friday Russ' folks took us out to the movies and we got to see the latest Harry Potter flick.  It was good of course, can't tell you if it followed the book or not though since it's been too long since I read it!  Oh well!  It was still a fun afternoon.  We didn't bother hitting the road home until after lunch on Saturday and just had a leisurely drive home. 
Ok...I really do need to get busy now!

Wedding pix are here!

 Vespers with the stool for my dad already in place.

 A little relaxing and a bite to eat before the wedding.

 The underdress....

 The rings.  Hers has their names engraved on either side of the hearts and his has their names are engraved the inside.

 Playing the stylist...

 the over dress...

 the final touch for her hair.

 the kiss!

 Popo (the officiant) giving blessings

 to both of them.

 Husband and Wife!

 posing again

 happiness is....

 precious photo

 back up the hill

 reception table

 groom's cake

 one of the pumpkins

 their gluten free brownie

 reception time

Classic photo.  The colored beads were a favorite toy of our little Nathan.  Lex wanted him represented and so she tied these to her bouquet.  The Bible was my grandmother's as a child and was covered by her own hands.  My mother's name was beaded on the front, my sister's, mine and now Lex's have joined hers.  It was one of the few TRADITIONAL things I could get her to do.

The ceremony was perfect!  of course there were little details during the course of the day that were missed (like silver sprinkles on the cupcakes), but really the day went off without a hitch!  Lex was every bit the princess and Jonathan was definetly the prince.  It was beautiful and wonderful!  Hope you enjoyed these photos!

HOME!

Russ got home from his month of training on the East coast yesterday afternoon.  We are all glad!!  Today we are getting him recovered and ready to go back to work tomorrow.  We are also at the 2 week mark prior to the wedding!  Goodness but the time is going quickly!  We will need to go with the kids to get their marriage license this week.  Since Lex is still a minor we have to sign parental consent.  We will be getting hair trimmed and nails done next week.  And of course there's shopping for the last minute supplies that I didn't want to have to find room to store for weeks.  Everything else has come together quite nicely and at a fairly relaxed pace. 
We had our puppy Missy spayed this last week and she was up and around within  a couple hours after surgery like nothing had ever happened!  She's doing well at home and not chewing at her stitches.  She doesn't seem to feel pain at all....I don't get it, but I'm glad.
Guess I best get back to life!

Giving mom a hard time

Yes Lex is very good at that!  And I wouldn't trade it!  When we started wedding planning one of the first things on the list was a pattern and material for her dress since she hates white and doesn't want anything close to something traditional.  It took a good long while to hone in on what she really wanted.  She claims to not be good at picturing things in her mind which does not help in being able to describe what one desires.  We did eventually find the parts of the dress she wanted in three different patterns.  Thankfully I do have a little sewing experience under my belt and figured out that I could buy only one pattern and just modify.  So we were off to match fabric to the pattern parts......it was an equally difficult endeavor.  Finally fabric was decided upon, we had it cut (with a little extra just in case mom's modifications weren't on target) and it was time for measurements.  Pattern and material were cut quickly, but then got put on the back burner for a bit to get invitations done......and the list keeps growing.......  Finally I found a couple of days to sit down at my machines (I have a serger too for which I am ever grateful!) and get started on what I thought would be a couple week's worth of work.  Well........it's been 2 days.........I won't finish it tomorrow since I'll be in town most of the day running and playing with two of the kids.......think I should have it finished on Friday though.......Lex says "thought it was going to take you two weeks! (in a nasal mocking tone)"  Yes I stuck my tongue out at her!  It's a mother's privilege!!!  While waiting for Lex to return from an errand I also got Kerrie's skirt cut out today.  Her skirt will take longer than mine, but like Lex's dress, it will be so very worth it!  I am amazed at how quickly and easily the dress has come together!  And it's as stunning as I knew it would be!  Hee Hee Can't wait to show you pix!!! 

Announcing......

Lex Jones and Jonathan Swaw 

invite you to join with them in celebration 

as they join their lives in marriage 

on October 31, 2010.  

***********************************

Yes, they are young
No, they haven't put the cart before the horse
Yes we are excited!!!!
My dad has agreed to officiate making this already incredibly special event all the more precious.  He did the honors at my wedding too, and my brother's! 
We also found out that Russ' great grandparents were married on Oct 31 at the ages of 16 and 17 and celebrated 65 years of marriage before her passing parted them.....seems to be just the perfect day!

Their wedding colors are dark red, cream, and silver.  So much is going to be non-traditional but still wonderful!  I will enjoy posting pictures!
The reception is going to be Halloween themed and that will be fun too! 

Great trip

What a great trip to dallas we had!  We drove up last Saturday and spent the rest of the day with Russ' folks and got to see his brother and SIL.  Sunday we went to church with my folks and spent the rest of the day at their house.  Always nice to have time to sit and visit!  Monday we went to a mall and met up with friends we haven't seen in 3 years!  They are moving cross country and were visiting family too!  We went to Build-a-Bear where J got a bear with accessories and Kerrie "needed" new accessories for her bears.  Then it was off to the Lego store!  Let me just say that it's a good thing we don't have one here or I would go broke!  We had hoped to hit the Disney store too, but it wasn't open yet.  So we walked and talked with our friends some more.  After they left we met up with Russ' folks at The Cheesecake Factory for dinner!  Always yummy!!!  Then Russ thought he needed to go to Half Price Books and kids found more "needs" there.  Tuesday we had a leisurely morning and headed home after lunch.  I did throw my back out while packing up which made for a not fun trip home but we made it one piece.  Russ drove the Durango home.  Russ' folks have given this vehicle to Lex and all we need to do is get the AC fixed.  They were ready for a new car and weren't going to get anything on trade in for the Durango.  Lex is very happy.  We will keep the little car she has been driving since Mykhal will be driving before long.    We made it out to the firing range and then got some shopping done yesterday.  Today I must take Lex down town to get the registration and title transfer done.  Then she needs to get some new shoes for work.  Think the middle two will need to get some school work done.  So it's back to the grindstone!

Needing a day of rest

This has been a very full week.  Monday I don't even really remember but I think I stayed home......
Tuesday I took J to therapy and then had some errands to run.  Wednesday started with it's own challenges which wiped me out, but it was Kerrie's birthday and we were going out to dinner.  It was a fun evening!  Kerrie chose to go to a tappenyaki place!  Thursday I needed to go talk to my case manager about some paperwork, then we met up with some friends for lunch, ran errands and took Mykhal to riding.  Friday we went out to our friends' house for Bible study and swim time and what a great time it was!  Then we rushed home to freshen up and gather the things we needed for our next event.  Friday evening there was a party to say farewell to a few of the folks Russ has worked with.  It was hot out, but the food and fellowship were wonderful!  We got home just a little before nine and we were all pretty tired.  Kerrie's friend had come to spend the night so they stayed up, but the rest of the house was soon quiet.  This morning we got up and started party preparations.  Kerrie's skating party for her birthday was today.  The kids all had a GREAT time!  After the skating we grabbed a quick bite to eat at Chick fil A and then went by Hastings.  The day is closing out with some movie time together.....nice and restful!  Next week in the evening we are having Vacation Church School so it will be another full week with our regularly scheduled activities still taking place too.  So tomorrow we are taking a day of rest.  I might even indulge in a nap! 

Food, fun, and fellowship

Life has been keeping a steady pace.  We get school done here and there.  We have been having wonderfully cool wet weather so the kids have been playing in the rain!  There's just nothing like running around in the summer rain!  At produce this last week there were quite a few extras and we were able to get in on enjoying them!  WOW!!!  I have NO room in my fridges!!  But the fruit is sooooooo very good!  Russ' folks came down on Thursday and we enjoyed having them visit!  I LOVE getting to be with family!!  Sunday we opted to stay home from formal worship but enjoyed the blessings of great food and fellowship with family and friends!  We had smoked a couple of brisket a few weeks ago and had them in the freezer, I had marinated some teriyaki chicken and so we put them all on the grill to heat and cook for our cookout!  We put out plenty of fruit as well as baked beans and plenty of other delicious sides brought by our family and friends!  WOW what a smorgasborg!!!  And we have a MOUNTAIN of leftovers so there will be no cooking for me this week.....maybe not next week either!  We got to meet Lex's boyfriend's family and they are a fun bunch!  Our little guy's siblings and their foster mom came too and what fun they had together!  We did get rained on a bit, but we were under the carport so it was really nice!  Today has been slow and quiet.  Russ' parents left for home and we sat down with Lex to go over what all she needs to accomplish in school to graduate in May.  I can't believe she's a senior!!  We got things planned out for her and it will not be too heavy a load for her.  She is planning to attend a junior college to start with and I am glad.  She and her boyfriend are getting pretty serious.  We really like this guy though and they seem to be such a good match.  They remind us very much  of ourselves at their age......oh my......maybe that's not such a good thing....LOL they will be fine, but watching them grow up and learn to fly on their own is such a bittersweet thing!

Good reports

Lex went back for her check up today and all is well.  She still has a tender spot, but Dr said everything was healing just fine.  Mykhal is starting to go without the splint some now so his arm is doing better.  We have a play day tomorrow and we are all looking forward to it.....except for Lex since she is working but she is looking forward to that!  It's been a busy day of errands and in the heat after yesterday's sun exposure we have all tuckered out.  Think it might need to be an early bed night!

Post-Op

Lex did fine in her wisdom teeth removal this morning.  She is resting on the couch with ice on her cheeks.  Her tummy is a bit upset, but maybe after a nap she will feel a bit better.  The numbness is so much that she cannot swallow easily right now.  That will improve with time also.  Her boyfriend wanted to go with us this morning so he could help her get in and out of the car.  He is a sweetie.  Once we got home he left so that she could rest.  Once she is able to swallow we will get some pain meds down her.  For now I'm just glad she can rest some.

ER visit

So yesterday afternoon Mykhal was out working with the neighbor's horse again and suddenly comes blasting through the door holding his left wrist.  (by the way he's left handed)  So I get the ice and start making phone calls.  We finally get clearance to go to the ER and Russ heads to the hospital as well.  He didn't get to work out at the gym like he had hoped to yesterday.  We were very pleasantly surprised at how quickly things moved for us at the ER and we were there only about an hour.  Xrays revealed no broken bones much to our surprise!  So they said it was just a bad sprain and put a splinted brace on Mykhal that he needs to wear for the next 10 days or so.  They gave him Tylenol 3 at the hospital and then a prescription for it too.  He said it just barely took the edge off the pain, but he was eventually able to get a little bit of sleep last night.  This morning his pain level is much less and he has been helping out as much as possible with things I've been working on like clearing the baby things out of the side room and getting our outdoor living space set up.  Everything is really beginning to look nice!  I am thankful he is feeling up to helping!!

moving right along

Russ made it home on Friday night.  He was later than scheduled due to one plane breaking and having to wait for another, but he did make it home and we went for a late dinner at Carinos!  YUM!!  We slept in on Saturday and just had kind of a lazy day.  Though we did work some on the supporting structure of our porch roof extension.  After Church on Sunday we came home to finish it now to decide on the roof material.  We are debating solid wooden roof or a corrugated plastic that would allow light.  We got things figured out for the removable shade wall that I want for the West side of the carport too.  Just need to get the supplies.  Since we don't use our carport for cars (my van is too tall and Russ' truck just barely fits) we are turning that area into an outdoor living space.  The back porch will be a more functional space instead of a leisure space.  It works out well I think. 

Missy, our puppy, is growing like a weed!  She's so much fun though!!  The training is going well and she is learning quickly.  Which is a good thing since she is getting big so fast!  We took her to the park with us on Friday and she had a blast with all the kids around!  They seemed to enjoy her too.  She is one friendly pup!

This week Lex is having her wisdom teeth removed. UGH!  Glad that she can get that overwith though.  Those teeth have been causing her quite a bit of pain.  She is resetting her own personal schedule too so that she is not stressing so much.  She gives herself ulcers!  So things are really going to be better for her soon.

Mykhal is doing great with the neighbor's horse!  She had not been worked with for a couple of years.  With the aid of his riding coach, Mykhal has been able to form a good bond with the horse and was riding her bare back without a bridled bit and still managed to control her!  Last week Mykhal's coach loaned him a saddle, bit bridle, and the rest of the rig needed to ride!!  He continued to give Mykhal helpful tips as well.  So Mykhal got this horse to take the bit again and to tolerate the saddle!  Then he rode and rode and rode!  He didn't work her hard though so it wasn't stretching her endurance yet.  He really seems to be a natural with the horses.

Kerrie is going to be starting to learn piano.  We took the summer off from dance.  She really is an artistic child!!  So much fun to see her enjoying many of the things I have enjoyed through the years too.

All the kids are doing well with schoolwork.  We school year round so that we can take breaks when we want them.  So we will take a short break when they finish this set of curriculum and then begin the next set. 

Life just keeps humming along!

Dripping....

With sweat!  It was WAY too hot today!  Van said it got to 107 but weather channel said 105.  Either way it was a new record high!  UGH!!!!  We got up early this morning and went to rent the Uhaul truck for the day.  Came home to load up about 1500 pounds of scrap metal from around the property and hauled that into town to a recycling place.  After that we had a little bit of stuff to drop at the landfill.  Then it was off to Lowes though we did stop for lunch at Dairy Queen.  In Lowes we picked up the lumber and hardware needed to  complete the porch roof extension and we also got Russ his father's day present..a new gas grill.  This one is infared with loads of cooking space!  We bought it preassembled so we wouldn't have to mess with that when we got home.  Once everything was unloaded and the truck swept out we returned the truck and came home to grill steaks for dinner.  Russ even cooked the sauteed onions and mushrooms in a skillet on the side burner so we wouldn't heat up the kitchen!  The new grill works GREAT!!  Takes almost NO time to heat up, has a self cleaning feature, and uses less fuel!  Oh and the food cooks faster too!!  I fixed a ceasar salad to go with our grilled meal and we sat down to a very yummy dinner!  Russ leaves tomorrow morning for a few days of training.  Lex leaves tomorrow for a week of Church Camp.  It will be a little lonelier around here without them.  I do have a few projects going to keep me busy though and the kids have school.  And of course we have Missy!!  She is so funny!  We are so enjoying having her as a part of our family.  Training is going well too!!  She's one smart little thing!  She has been appreciative of the pool we have set up for her too.  And she has discovered the shade under the deck and craft building.  I am thankful that she did with as hot as it's been today!  Missy does still think that she ought to be allowed into our "kennel" with us and darts through the opened door faster than lightning!  For now it's easy to pick her up and put her back out.....but at the rate she is growing that won't be the case for long!
Yesterday Mykhal, Kerrie, and I spent the afternoon in Abilene getting to meet one of the homeschool moms I talk to online who also happens to be a military spouse.  It was fun to actually meet in person!!  We got to eat at one of my all time favorite places El Chico.  It was good as always!!  Then her little ones enjoyed the indoor playland in the mall and my two "shopped".  Was a lovely afternoon of visiting!  Then we ordered dinner out last night so I didn't have to cook at all yesterday!  BONUS!!

Missy

We got our puppy!!!  She is just the sweetest, most loving little thing!!  She is stubborn though so training should prove interesting at least!  She is still missing her friends and family out at my friend's house, but I know she will adjust.  She gets LOTS of attention here.  We brought her home on Tuesday and got her shots taken care of yesterday.  She does well in the car by just curling up and sleeping.  I will begin working with her on commands soon.  Letting her get settled in first. Oh and she is NOT a Lab!  Her daddy is Great Pyrenees and her mommy is Mountain Cur.  She will be a wonderful family guardian as well as a sweet companion and gentle playmate.  She will be BIG though!    We got her kennel all set up along with her dog house.  She has quickly learned to be proficient  at tangling the line run though around other objects on the porch we have yet to move.  So we keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't get too tangled!  You can just barely see the cat in the window on the left in the last photo.  That would be Skizzo glaring at his would be playmate!

Newsish stuff

So the younger two kids and I drove to my folks' house last Thursday to help take care of Noel....their Jack Russell.  Dad had his shoulder replacement surgery on Friday and though it didn't happen until later in the day than they thought it would, all went better than expected.  The doc had planned one type of replacement since he didn't think he would be able to make repairs to other parts.  But as it turned out repairs could be made and so a less extensive surgery was performed.  Dad is doing well though the long road of recovery is still ahead.  He is already doing some therapy on his own as instructed though.  While my folks were at the hospital and there was a break in needing to give Noel her meds,  the kids and I went out to see Russ' folks who live just 30 minutes away.  We found out on Thursday when arranging to go visit, that Russ' grandma (who turns 92 this year) was having emergency pacemaker surgery at the same time my dad was having his surgery.  She came through ok and is stable as far as we know.  We got to spend Friday afternoon with Russ' folks and even got to go out for dinner with them and his brother and nephew.  It was a very enjoyable time.  We drove home yesterday and after unloading we went to town to get the supplies we will need for our puppy!  We will go get her today.  I can't wait!  I think I'm more excited than the kids!!  I'm sure I'll have lots of puppy-tales and pics to post soon.

Recital

Kerrie had her first dance recital since starting Tap class inn January.  Of course the little bitty girls were just precious and Kerrie remembered fondly dancing at that age.  The bigger kids all did wonderfully well!!  The recital was a great show!  Kerrie had only one other girl in her class so I got a photo of them posing together backstage. 

Afterwards we went to DQ for lunch and ice cream!  Once our tummies were full we stepped over to Lowe's for a look at their Dog Runs.  Yes you read correctly....DOG....
A dear friend has two female dogs that have just had litters and the pups are about ready for new homes.  SO......we decided to take one.  It will be either full blood Great Pyrenees or half Great pyr and half Mountain Cur.  Don't know which we will get yet.  This will be a BIG dog either way.  Very gentle though and they are natural guardians.  I have met the mommas and daddy of these little pups and I can't wait to bring one of the babies home. 

This week though we will be preparing for another road trip.  Well, some of us will.  Lex and Russ will stay here but the other kids and I will go up to my folks.  Dad is having shoulder replacement surgery and so we are going up to help my mom and to take care of their sweet little dog.  Kids will just take school stuff with them and I am going to take some sewing projects. 

Lex and her boyfriend in Abilene broke up and she now has a new suitor.  This young man is one of her co-workers and so far we approve.  He is by far in better standing already that the other two could hope to be.  The other two just really need to pull their lives together instead of relying on someone else to try to push them into doing it.  This young man has held down a job for over  a year in one place, graduates this Friday, and plans on doing ROTC in college.  Oh and has his own vehicle.  They have been flirting and teasing each other since she started working 2 months ago.  So they seem well suited to each other......so far.

I hope to have some photos of Mykhal on horseback to share soon. 

Weekend review

We had such a wonderful time over the weekend!  Would have been even better if Lex had been with us, but she chose to stay home and go to work instead.  Am proud that she is showing a strong work ethic.  We left town Friday morning and drove to Waxahachie.  Got there early afternoon and checked into our hotel.  Was nice to have some down time to stretch out after the journey.  We freshened up and met up with my folks, brother, newphew and his two boys.  Had a wonderful meal at El Chico (our favorite Tex-mex restaurant) and enjoyed just getting to be together.  It's not often that my brother and I get to be with the folks at the same time.  After dinner we walked around the mall and decided to go out for ice cream.  So we headed back to Waxahachie and found a Braum's!  So that was fun!  Afterwards we headed back to the room to get rested for our day at Scarborough Faire.  We got up Saturday morning, had a very light bite to eat, then met up with Russ' folks for brunch at IHOP!  We all went to the Faire together and did our own things.  Got to see them again before they left though.  When we were all worn out from walking and shopping, we headed back to town and stopped in at a book store.  Spent a lovely relaxing time there and then went out for more Tex-mex!  With full tummies and tired feet we headed for the hotel room to get some rest.  Sunday morning we got our breakfast at the hotel and headed home.  Since we got home before dinner time the kids and Russ decided they needed to take me out for Mother's day/birthday (Wednesday).  This time we went for steak!  YUM!!!  So I have eaten WAY too much this weekend but it was all OH so good!  This week looks like it's going to be not too busy, but busy enough.  This morning the kids and I cleared the big freezer and I went to pick up beef.  I was amazed to find that we had gotten 610 pounds!  That's almost triple the amount we had before!  I knew our freezer would take double what we had, but triple really pushed the limits and I had to move some over to other freezers!  YIKES!  No freezing leftovers for awhile....NO ROOM!!!  So thankful to be able to get our meat this way though!!!  Now we just need to get Russ a new gas grill for Father's day and we will be all set!!

Home again

Russ made it home yesterday afternoon and we had some wonderful family time.  Nothing extravagant, just good fun of board games and great conversation!  Our time at home while he was gone was pretty much routine.  Lex did get to the concert that she won the tickets for and had a great time!  She ended up taking on of the youth leaders from church!  So glad she got to do that!  The rest of the time we maintained schooling, running of the house, and activities.  Oh the new washer and dryer are sooooooo fantabulous!!  Laundry gets done sooo quickly now!  The girls did do some baking before Russ got home so he was greeted with yummy goodies!  Such fun!  Now we are looking forward to our trip to the Medieval Faire near Dallas this coming weekend!!  Can't wait!!!

Practice run

We are experiencing sort of a beginning practice run for deployment.  Russ is in Alabama.  He's doing a preview and rating of a class that the Intel community is trying to start up.  As usual we carry on our routines as much as possible.  We did have our first major spring thunderstorms move through last night.  Even had a tornado watch!  I don't know how other areas fared, but we got some winds that weren't too bad, a good bit of lightning that wasn't too close, and a nice amount of rain.  So for us it was quite pleasant!  The younger two kids just slept right through it all!  I do notice that for at least the first week he is off anywhere I do have a serious lack of motivation to do any cooking.  Guess it was a good thing we had a fair amount of leftovers!  Lex having a job makes things a little different this time too, as does her having a boyfriend in Abilene.  It's boyfriend's birthday today so she baked some goodies and drove up to spend the day with him and take him out to lunch.  These kids do grow up mighty fast! 
One of our neighbors has a horse that he doesn't have much time to work with.  Mykhal has been gaining lots of confidence in riding and working with horses. So he has volunteered to work with the horse free of charge just for experience and some fun.  The neighbor agreed since he would love for his very young sons to be able to enjoy the horse.  So everybody wins with this! 
Kerrie is greatly enjoying her dance class and doing very well.  Her teacher is most impressed!  She has recital coming up at the end of next month.  I volunteered to make the hairbows for a couple of the classes.  It's a quick and easy project and the teacher is VERY kindly compensating us with no tuition for next month!  WOW what a deal! 
Really looking forward to a mother's day weekend trip to Scarborough Faire in Waxahachie too!  More market research time for us!  And good fun too.  Lex will be working though.  She doesn't seem upset about missing our fun.....our fun is not her fun she says.  Oh well!  The other kids enjoy it.

Concert

What a great concert!  There wasn't near the turn out I had expected, but then I had the big city concert mindset where you have to spend the night in line just to be sure you get a seat even with tickets!  It was still a good turn out and we got to see 3 bands!  The Museum, Chasen, and Kutless all played and it was AWESOME!!!!  I can't say I enjoyed every single song, but with my earplugs in I enjoyed 99.9% of it!  We saw folks of EVERY age there it seemed!  So fun!!!  The average age of the audience though was about junior high level and since they are all afraid of what someone might think or say about them, the crowd was VERY tame!  Kerrie spent a good portion of the concert right up next to the stage and even got a High Five from Chasen!  Such fun!!  After the concert we got autographs from all three groups on their cd covers.  Pretty cool too!  On the way home we stopped at sonic for chocolate shakes....a rare treat!  This after getting to go to Subway for dinner before the concert!  The whole evening was wonderful and there's a GREAT line up of concerts for this summer!  So we may do it again! 

Escape

So on Wednesday night Russ and I decide that we need a night away and since he's going to be in training for a couple weeks starting next weekend and come May we will probably have more kiddos.....well we figured we'd better have our night out THIS weekend!  So I promptly got online and made reservations for us at at the local Fairfield Inn and made of list of things to get for our in-room picnic.  Having thoroughly enjoyed last year's gourmet cheese, sausage, cracker and cookie picnic I decided on a repeat for this year!  Russ and I had a lovely evening sharing champagne, strawberries, cheese and other goodies combined with relaxing music and time ALONE!  The last time we did this was about 3 years ago!  But without the picnic.  Last year was the picnic without the overnight escape.  Of course, since our life is NEVER dull.......

The fire alarms went off this morning just as Russ and I had finished packing up and were ready to check out!  Hadn't made it downstairs yet though.  So we grabbed all our stuff and trooped out, loaded our stuff in the van and watched the show!  Turns out the hotel had a new dryer installed a couple weeks ago and it just burst into flames!  Lovely!  Going to take them weeks to get that smell out of there!  

The rest of the day was wonderful as we did some shopping and then headed home to spend the afternoon and dinner with Lex's boyfriend and his family.  Delightful folks they are!!  

Tomorrow evening we are off the to the Kutless concert!!  Really looking forward to that!!  Then Monday we will go get our produce from our friends who so kindly picked it up and stored it for us over the weekend.....sorry, but I wasn't giving up Date time with Russ if I could possibly help it!  And I REALLY don't mind going out to our friend's house to get our order....of course if it does rain tomorrow there could be issues with her road.....cross that bridge later.  Blessings!

Easter

We had a wonderful weekend with our families in the Dallas area!  We stayed with Russ' folks and just had a relaxing Saturday with no schedule or need to do's or anything!  Those don't happen hardly ever!!  Then we all went to church where my parents attend and enjoyed a GLORIOUS Easter service!  Afterwards we went back to Russ' folks where we were all, including my folks, treated to a scrumptious lunch prepared by Russ' folks.  Good food, Great company, and the joy of Celebrating our Risen Savior!  Who could ask for anything more!!!  We returned home LATE Sunday evening and just crawled into bed.  Russ had taken today and tomorrow off of work so it's been another fairly lazy day.  We did get laundry done in our new washer and dryer and let me just say that this set works amazingly fast!  Just awesome!  Tomorrow Russ and I will attend some foster parent training and so some other errands.  Don't think the kids will go but they have school work to keep them occupied. 

They're Here!

We got our new washer and dryer yesterday and now have them installed!  They are traditional style, but as efficient as the front loaders.  Can't wait to use them next week!! 

Excited

We just found out that a favorite Christian band is coming to town in a couple of weeks and we just got tickets!!  This is something we are doing as a family.  Will be the younger kids' first concert and needless to say they are very excited!  The rest of us are too and are looking forward to going!  We also have tickets purchased  for the Medieval faire up near Dallas for May. Couple of really fun events to look forward to!!

nope....

...life is NEVER dull at our house. The Queen, er older cat, is finally figuring out that she is actually a cat!!  And that everyone deserves a second chance or more.  You see, when we got Queen Tabby she hated Lex from the start....until this week. She now sleeps on Lex's bed, plays with the cat toys in Lex's room (put there for the kitten who all but worships Lex), and begs Lex for attention!!!  We think the kitten finally got through to her on what being a cat is all about!!  Silly critters!
Lex got a call back yesterday from the local pizza place out here and will start training on Tuesday!  She is so very excited to have her first job and in a really great environment!  She will soon be able to fulfill her dream of being part of Big Brothers/Big Sisters!!  Lex keeps trying to work ahead in her lessons so she can get through with high school sooner.....sometimes that's working and sometimes not. 
Mykhal is really showing signs of growing up and he is becoming a fine young man.  He still has too short a fuse and needs to work on better ways to defuse, but there are improvements even in those areas.  He is still riding horses once a week and doing GREAT!  He's a natural!  School still challenges him, but he keeps plugging away!
Kerrie is just growing too fast!  I swear she's three inches taller every time I look at her!!  She is loving her tap class and recital is approaching!  She takes her time doing school, unless of course there's something she's wanting to do!
We have joined a produce coop and are LOVING all the quality fresh foods we are getting!   When we don't eat it all fast enough then we juice it, dry it, or cook and freeze it.  It's great!  And so very good for us!  I am still making breakfast bread, and other breads, with fresh ground grains.  I can't keep up with the demand for granola though.  Gonna have to teach the kids to make it!
Russ keeps busy at work as usual.  He is still set to deploy this fall.  Thank goodness most of his training will be local!
Well that's a quick update.

Puppadoo

We took our dog to a shelter today.  Her behavior toward new members of the family has been getting steadily worse.  We think it was just too many changes going on for her to handle.  So, knowing there were going to be many more changes in the coming, we felt it unfair to her to make her stay where she obviously wasn't going to be happy.  Sad, but ultimately for the best.

Break time

Spring Break is upon us!  We don't have any major plans, but I do hope to get a bit more organizing done.  The Ergo baby carrier I ordered is on it's way and that will help lots.  Little Bug seems to need a certain amount of cuddle time each day ( which of course just breaks my heart!) and the carrier will allow him to get that cuddle time and me to be able to get some extra things done.
My parents are coimg for a visit this weekend and that will be fun.  They will finally get to meet Abey.  No big plans for while they are here either.  Just some good visit time.

Social schedule

Well I don't know if you would call appointments with doctors in various fields social, but our calendar is full of those appointments!  I guess that goes with the territory of having kids though!  Especially newborn ones!  We really didn't anticipate going through the BABY stage again until we were able to just enjoy grandkids.....But we all know God has a great sense of humor right?....and so here we are again completely starting over while having a house full of teenagers!  Life is NEVER dull!  Russ has been on leave for the past week and a half and boy am I glad!  Having his help in these first few days of having a new baby again has been a major blessing!  He goes back to work on MOnday though so I know the kids will be helping me more.  They are always ready to take a turn holding the baby though!

San Antonio weekend

Friday Feb. 26 - picked up Abey from school and headed south.  I had fixed sandwiches to eat in the car since there aren't many places to stop between here and there.  We arrived at our hotel around 7pm and got checked in and settled.  Then came an unexpected knock at the door and there was the front desk manager with a piece of cake with a candle in it and a happy birthday hat for Lex!  Such fun!!  I had taken board games and such for the evening in the room and so it was a nice relaxing time. 

Saturday Feb. 27 - We met up with Missy and her family (my SIL's daughter) at a little Mexican food place owned by their cousins!  Homemade tortillas, everything from scratch, YUMMMMMMMMMMY!!  Breakfast and company were both GREAT!!  From there we went down to historic Market Square for some shopping!  Such a neat place to go!!  Got to see some traditional Mexican dances being performed as well!!  We had a light lunch, made a few purchases, and decided to head back to the hotel early afternoon.  Before going up to the room though we stopped at World Market which was right behind the hotel.  Another fun place to browse!  There was even a Mariachi band playing!!  When the shopping was done we went up to the room to rest a bit and freshen up for our evening out at the Cheesecake Factory.  Everyone enjoyed their menu choice for both entree and dessert.  Our waitress was a delight also which made it all the more fun!  Lex's dessert plate was even decorated since a little bird shared that it was her bday.  No one fully finished their meal or their cheesecake so it looked like we had just ordered everything to go as we walked out with our doggie bags!  With full tummies and tired feet we decided to head back to the room.  There was a bit of a problem and we ended up changing hotels that night, but it all worked out and we got to sleep in on Sunday morning.

Sunday Feb. 28 - We had breakfast at the hotel.  Texas shaped belgain waffles DEFINITELY taste better than regular round or square ones!  There was fruit, scrambled eggs, sausage, toast, bagels, pastries, and cereal to choose from also.  We took our time and just had a relaxing morning.  After getting checked out of the hotel we had about an hour until we were to meet up with another adoptive family for lunch.  So we drove around, got gas, and stopped in at Best Buy before heading over to eat at the mongolian grill!!!  Oh it was sooooo good!!  The kids were soon drifting off for a nap as we adults enjoyed chatting.  But it was soon time to hit the road and head home.  The drive back was quiet with nearly everyone napping.  Using internet on our phones I ordered pizza from Papa John's as we got close to home so we just picked up dinner on our way through town.  It started raining just after we got the pizza but it wasn't a downpour until after we got everything unloaded.  We were thankful! 

So we did LOTS of good EATING over the weekend and had some GREAT fellowship to go with the good food!  Oh yes and we certainly enjoyed the SHOPPING!!  It's back to the grindstone this week, though Russ is on leave until next week!  Guess I better go help tackle our to do list!

SNOW!!!

We woke up to white everywhere!  It's enough  that the area schools are all closed.  Russ still had to go to work, but it's only going to be a half day since his leave starts tomorrow.  So he should be heading home soon.  The snow fall has been so hard that it has been looking like dense fog!  so unusual for this area!  So I've got a pot of beans on the stove and will be making colossal cornbread this afternoon (bread with cornmeal in it).  Going to be good eats tonight!  And we get to enjoy the warmth and good aromas between now and then.  Warmer temps tomorrow will make quick work of the snow.  It's so pretty to look at and I am SOOOOO thankful not to have to get out in it!

YEE-HAW!!!

This week was fun!  We did have some semi-sickness....as I'm not positive it was all truly sickness but maybe just some needing attention.  Other than that though it was a good week.  Monday Russ had the day off, Tuesday felt like MOnday and messed me up on what day it was for the rest of the week, Wednesday was our "sick" day.  Thursday was super busy though!  Abey had her first therapy appointment with her new therapist here and it went really well. Lex, Kerrie, Mykhal, and I all went to town and got to meet up with friends at the park.  Then Kerrie had dance, mykhal had riding, and then I had soup in the crock pot for the family for dinner while I went out for a Ladie's night out.  Friday I was suppose to go get produce in Ballinger, but the truck didn't come in until 7PM so a friend brought mine to me on Saturday and I mailed payment.  Saturday when we got produce, we left Mykhal and Kerrie to go to the Rodeo with friends and they had a really good time!  It was a new experience for them.  I hope we can all go as a family next year.  Lex had a babysitting job Saturday evening and so stayed home so she wouldn't be late.  Russ, Abey, and I went gun shopping but didn't buy anything and went to Lowes.  Then we picked up Kerrie and Mykhal on the way home.  Today we went to church and had a fairly relaxing afternoon.  And it's back to the grindstone tomorrow!

Great weekend

What a great weekend we had!  Russ' folks came down for a visit just because.  So Friday night we all went out to Carinos for a super yummy dinner and Valentine celebration.  Russ bought roses for all of us girls....I think he's a keeper.  On Saturday we all loaded up and went out to the firing range.  The kids didn't shoot, but we adults got in some good target practice time.  Then Abey cooked dinner for us on Saturday evening.  She has some great recipes that will just have to be tweaked a little for out tastes, but it was still good!  Sunday morning we all went to worship together.  Mom and Dad left right after to get home before more bad weather could hit around their area.  Sunday afternoon was just slow and quiet.  Russ has today off and so he and I will go back out for more target practice.  The kids all have school.  Then we have our case manager coming out this afternoon.  Not too much going on this week but am looking forward to park playtime on Thursday and then dinner out with the ladies on Thursday night.  We have reservations for our hotel for the weekend in San Antonio that's coming up for Lex's birthday.  We are all looking forward to that too!  Have to get things mapped out so we know where we are going!  May get to meet up with some folks while we are there also!  lots of fun stuff!

New Normal

We are slowly finding our new groove.  We have the chore schedule reworked, and our timing figured out for getting Abey to and from school.  Thankfully her food likes mesh well with ours!  She is planning to cook dinner for us this weekend which will be extra fun since Russ' folks will be here.  We are hoping to get out to the firing range this weekend too if the weather isn't bad.  Abey has been hunting with previous families so does have some experience with shooting.  Life continues to hum joyously along!

Promotion

Russ is now Major Select Jones!  He should be able to put on his new rank around Dec/Jan time frame.  We are very excited!  Now to convince him not to change his last name to something like "Pain" and we will be good! (silly man!)

Things

...have been a little unusual for us this past week.  You can read about it on my other blog in more detail.  We had a young lady come stay with us for a week.  She went back to her foster home today but we hope not for too long.  We went on with our normal activities of the week and she just tagged along.  She really enjoyed getting to see and pet the horses when we took Mykhal to riding.  She really seemed to enjoy church too.  So this week past week we were a family of 6 and it was fun!  My hips were sore from Monday's tap class for several days, and with my trip to Abilene and back today along with a formal event tomorrow evening with Russ, I chose not to go to class tonight.  Will get back to it next week though!  I really did have a good time.  We have all been suffering from some drainage and coughing and sneezing too.  Not fun!  I certainly hope it passes quickly.  The formal event with Russ tomorrow is an awards banquet.  He has not said he's getting anything, just that he has to be there.  So I'll go keep him company.  And the list of those being promoted to Major will be out this month I believe so good news is coming!

clickety clack.....crash boom

Ok so I didn't go "crash boom" until my head hit the pillow last night, but I did do LOTS of clickety clack last night at my first Cardio Tap class.  It's aerobics in tap shoes....kind of.  Anyway, it was fun!  it will take time for my body to relearn movements that it hasn't done in over 30 years, but I'll get there eventually.  I think my body was definitely in reject mode last night, but I am not as sore this morning as I thought I'd be.  I think maybe Kerrie will be able to help me with some of the steps since she is also taking tap on Thursdays.  Lex is starting Jazz this week...tonight in fact!  Mykhal is still taking horseback riding.  Russ hopes to eventually get back into the martial arts, but that could still be a few years away yet. 

No matter how often

.....you get the stomach bug it isn't any less YUCK!  We had the bug make it's way through the family over the last few days.  Russ hasn't had it and I hope he doesn't get it!  Thankfully this version was short lived!  Maybe tomorrow I can get things accomplished.....

OOPS!!!

Skizzo was a boy!
Now a very "fixed" boy.
Hee Hee

Skizzo!

So this is Skizzo (formerly known as Oranges).

She seems at times to have multiple personalities, thus her name.  I'm guessing she is close to 6 months old.  Skizzo is constantly making us laugh!  and I have decided that any previous thoughts of possibly having a ferret as a pet are out the window PERMANENTLY!!!  I  don't think I could handle this level of mischief multiplied and without end.  Tabby, our older cat, tolerates Skizzo as long as Skizzo isn't attacking her....that isn't very often.  Pupadoo, our silly dog, just wants to put her nose where it doesn't belong..literally..and the kitten is NOT appreciative.  Overall the animals are doing well adjusting to one another.  And we are getting plenty of tummy aerobics (laughs) and new scratches!

Healing

It has 10.5 months since our Nathan went home to be with Jesus.  From that night forward I have been amazingly blessed with Peace.  It's that all consuming, void filling, awe inspiring, blanket of warmth kind of Peace that has only one Source...The Everlasting and Loving Arms of the Almighty.  It is that Peace and the ability to continue to hold my Father's hand that has allowed me to keep putting one foot in front of the other.  The image I have of this grieving/healing process has been of a tiny one learning to walk....first we hold their bodies and help them learn to stand, then it's on to them holding our fingers as they take those first shaky steps and learn how to control those muscles, next it's only one finger since they just need a little help with balance, now we hold our arms open wide as they squeal with delight and toddle to us on their own for a hug, and finally remain close by for reassurance.  How sweet it is to know that God is always right there no matter where we are in that process!  I am certainly not fully emotionally walking without assistance yet, but I am well on my way.
We have made it through almost a whole year with all the reminders of Nathan's absence.  And I still shed tears as I miss him...I know I always will.  Our family has been talking quite a bit about him lately as we may be adopting a sibling group that includes a little boy just 13 months younger than Nathan.  I know it will be hard and healing at the same time if we are chosen as their family.  As we are preparing our home to hold more family, moving things into and out of our storage building, I see the stroller and car seat and trunk of toys.....things we kept at the time for future grandkids....a sigh escapes my lips as memories flood my mind and I decide that it would be wonderful to see all these things being enjoyed once more.  Our younger daughter who is 10 said "there may be tears, but it will ok" as we discussed having a different little brother.  There is no doubt that we will grieve harder again with memories refreshed, but there is healing in those tears.  Only time will tell if we will be bringing home a little one or if God has a different set of siblings for us.  But just the possibility of having a toddler again has brought more healing for us.  God works is so many wondrous ways!  He has provisions set before us for each step of our journey though life, and if we have drawn close to him with that personal relationship that is deeper than all others, we will see those provisions and take them to heart.  His Love is a never ending well, His grace and mercy know no boundaries.  Amen!

Thank goodness

Last week is over!  Russ was gone for the week and that always makes things more stressful. While he was gone we rearranged the living room, taking some things out to the storage building. He got home Saturday afternoon and we picked up our new couch.  Crossing time zones is always hard on the body so we opted to sleep in on Sunday.  once we were up and doing, I started reorganizing the pantry and kitchen while Russ started working on the shelves we are going to put covering one wall in the living room.  He decided he needed to remove some tacky moulding and as he did we decided to go ahead and peek behind the yucky paneling.  Turns out there is textured drywall behind it!  So we pulled all that paneling down!  Will have to fill holes and retexture a couple spots and then paint!  will be nice.  planning to start on that tomorrow I hope.  I've gotten the kitchen and pantry almost done for now.  Looking forward to painting my cabinets and redoing the hardware on them....but that's a little ways off for now.  Must get two walls painted yellow in Kerrie's old room.  Then it will be ready for someone else to use.

Some photos

Here's Kerrie with the new kitten named Oranges just before she became a house cat.

Here's Mykhal with Oranges just after she became a house cat.  She certainly tamed quickly!

And the new sink and faucet.  The red mug is a LARGE coffee cup if that gives you a frame of reference for the depth of this thing!  and the tall faucet has a pull down sprayer head!  LOVE THIS!!

And last but not least, the new couch we will be getting sometime this month.  they were out of stock when we bought it!  Oh well.  Gives us time to get other things moved around.

Happy New Year!

Goodness but it just doesn't seem like 2009 should be over yet!  Since returning home from a wonderful Christmas time with our families, we have been working on how to make our home a more functional and comfortable space.  Mykhal and Kerrie have continued cleaning and decluttering their rooms....still not done but we have HUGE improvements.  Russ and I began looking for bunk beds so we will have room for new kiddos to sleep.  Found military surplus solid oak and steel bunks for $40 a set!!  we bought three.  Now Mykhal and Kerrie have new bed frames too.  Then we set about trying to figure out how we were going to sit everyone at the dinner table and knew we needed to have a way to get our second table in the house but we are far from ready to add on to the house yet so.....
The solution we came up with was the sectional sofa I've been wanting for the past 2 years.  We looked online and found a couple possibilities on ebay, but decided to see if we could find something locally.  Didn't think we would but wanted to try.  To our surprise we did find just exactly what I had pictured in my head in the right fabric, size, and with their "special new year's sale", the right price too!  We didn't get to pick it up yet since they don't have any in stock at the moment.  Works great for us to get it a little later in the month anyway.  Now we have time to build the shelves for the living room, wall mount the TV, and get some things re worked in the storage building to accommodate the extra things we are about to move out there.  Everything seems to be falling into place right now and we are busy bees making the most of this time of waiting.  So very glad we ended up having this time!!  God certainly does provide for even the smallest of our needs.....I am thankful we were able to see this provision and thus make the most of this time we have been given!