Hats off to Granny and Her 99 Years of Living!

Birthdays are a big deal at any age. But when you turn 97, 98, or 99, it certainly warrants an enormous celebration. Having done a pioneer party and an American Idol party, we were looking for another idea that fit our loving, hilarious, sweet, silly, Granny. One thing she is famous for, (besides her quilts!) is taking pictures with hats and other things (even a lampshade) on her head. I will post those pictures sometime. (Mom, can you email them to me?) So we decided that everyone would wear a hat in honor of Granny and that we did. Granny laughed it up, even if at 99, she is just now starting to feel her age. She hasn't been at her best lately and her comment... "I guess I am just getting old." Too funny. Prayers for granny and praises for a lovely 99th birthday.

First Day of School

We are now the proud parents of one 7th grader...plus a third grader and a first grader.

Heavens to Besty... this is freaking me out!!!

Fun in the Mud

Call me crazy.

I signed the kids up for the mud run on probably the hottest day of the year. It was brutal out there, I tell ya, brutal. It was over 100 and there's no telling what the heat index was. I know this: it was HOT SNOT.

And dirty. Scratch that. Filthy.

but we were with friends....and family....and worked hard...and well, the kids had a blast.

How often can you just get as yucky dirty as possible and your parents don't yell at you?Look at Ana in the middle; proof that kids can get just as dirty or clean as they set their minds to! That was a great accomplishment Ana :)
at the end, the firefighters hosed them clean and as Nana (who came out and watched the action) said, "Every time you get a chance to do something fun in life, you should take it!"

Luke's First Work of Non-Fikshun

He titled it "Non Fikshun"



Wosubus a tim (once upon a time), ther wus a dog namd wilsin.

he was my dog. he cud cum hir win you sed "Wilsin cum her boy!"

But won tim I was riding my scootr, I rod rit bi him and he ran rit in frut of me.

I hit him, but he srvivd. he rin rit undr the car. he sat down but he was ok.



True Story!

The River's Deep, The River's Wide

The River's Waters are ALIVE so sink or swim.... I'm Diving IN!
Just a few pics from our semi-annual trip south to Hunt, Texas and the Guadalupe River.

Why Tom is One of the Best Things That Ever Happened to Me

I have been reading through some of my old diaries and journals lately. I kept a pretty accurate record of my life for at least ten of my formative years. Peeking back into those curly cursived pages, I realized something: I haven't really changed that much.

My emotions threatened to drown me then; there is always some kind of flood stage in my life now. Warning: Rising Water. It's not something I can or ever could control. My mom always told me I was making a mountain out of a molehill. And I'm sure I was. But that didn't change the physical pain that came with the cascade of feelings. Believe me, if I could change it I would. It's UNPLEASANT.

In one of my journals, I copied down this quote by Cynthia Swindoll: "Depression... black as a thousand midnights in a cypress swamp. Lonliness that is indescribable. Confusion regarding God. Frustration with life and circumstances. The feeling that you have been abandoned, that you are worthless. Unlovable. The pain is excruciating."

Does this sound Ultra-dramatic? Yep? Hurtful to everyone who loves me? I'm sorry. But those are the things that the devil regularly plants in my mind. And it is a bloody war to fight them off.

Does this weakness make me less of a Christian, feeble as a woman, and miniscule as a mother? In the end, I don't believe so. It gives me a chance to live out "In my weakness, HE is strong." It gives me an element of life that God definitely wanted me to experience.

I think of David, a man after God's own heart, who cried out in desperation while seeking God. His emotioned rocked his world. Thank God I didn't marry a David.

I married a Tom who is about as cool as a fresh drink beachside in Costa Rica. He doesn't get me. Thank God. There are honestly times he has no idea what I'm talking about. But he loves me. And he is the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Because of him, I've had 14 1/2 years of emotional stability.

I thought it was just that I had matured. Grown out of my feelings. But ever so often (see here and here) when they come roaring back, I realize that those monsters are still there, held at bay by God of course, and a marriage to a man who is strong and loyal and at times braindead. haha. Just the polar opposite of me. Which is just what I need.

Faith Thoughts Found

Looking back through one of the many, old, spiral notebooks I poured my thoughts into from 6th grade through college, I found a page with these sayings. Some of them have stuck by my side through the years. I put those in bold. The rest are no less meaningful. They still gave me some straight talk that I really needed to hear. I hope you enjoy them.

Faith is remembering I am God's priceless treasure when i feel utterly worthless.

When I try I fail, when I trust I succeed.

Never put a ? where God puts a .

Faith isn't faith until it's all you're holding on to.

Seek God's face, not His hands.

Nothing is or can be accidental with God.

God's answers are wiser than our prayers.

You are either leaving your mark on the world, or it is leaving it's mark on you.

Stay humble or stumble.

Our lives are never more secure than when they are abandoned to God.

Can you take it? Hammering hardens steel, but crumbles putty.

Don't plan then pray; pray then plan.

There are times when God asks nothing of His children but silence, patience and tears.

Peace of mind depends on strength of mind.

Some people talk more about their problems than praying for them.

It may be difficult to wait on the Lord, but it's worse to wish you had.

Dissappointments are all HIS appointments, so put HIM between you and your circumstances.

One of the devil's temptations is to occupy the mind with the past and future so as to neglect eh present.

No one is so empty as when he is filled with thoughts of himslef.

We die by living to ourselves. We live by dying to ourselves.

Nothing shows more accurately what we are than the way we meet trials and difficulties.

Uh-Oh Hawk

You've heard of a mowhawk.

You've heard of a faux hawk.

but have you ever heard of an uh-oh hawk?

That is when mommy asks daddy to run baby boy by and get a quick haircut today please.

When mommy sees baby boy....

UH OH!!!!!

The Story of Wilson (or at least part of it)

God knows exactly what we need when we need it, doesn't he?

A little dog Wilson came to our family at the perfect time. He is a miniature picture of God's love and blessing and faithfulness to our family.

Let me tell you why.

For awhile now (years), Tom and I have been praying about moving. We love our house, we really do, but just wish for more space and a few things to be rearranged. A bathroom for the girls and one for the boy. A master bedroom on the bottom floor instead of 5 feet from the kids' rooms. A playroom for the neverending lego creations that are scattered all over our front room! It's been a prayer and just that. We have never really found a house we liked enough to move and the doors have never really opened for us.

However, a few weeks back, we walked into a house for sale and that feeling of HOME rang through my bones. Before I even saw the upstairs (which was PERFECT!) I knew I loved it. It was exactly what we were looking for, oversized garage to boot.

I haven't been that excited in a long time. I could already see us living there. Should I say I got my hopes up too high? Probably, but it seemed that God had helped us find the desire of our heart. It was perfect. It was also in a neighborhood with bucoos of friends; that was a major bonus.

But as soon as the door opened, it closed again BAM. Ugh. It seems we went through this last summer too! Major frustration and D.I.S.S.A.P.P.O.I.N.T.M.E.N.T.

Now the dog part....

Lately, I have been praying a specific prayer that God would help us find a dog perfect for our family. It's hard to pick out a dog, ya know? But during the time I faced the fact that we would not be living in the house of my dreams, God pretty much delivered him to our doorstep. The dog of our dreams.

Our friends the Wilsons had next door neighbors who breed Boston Terriers. They were moving and had sold all but one puppy. No one wanted him because he has a hernia. Really, no one wanted him because he was meant for us. We wanted a dog that doesn't shed. Check. One that isn't too big or small. Check. One that is intelligent. Well, that remains to be seen. One that is friendly. CHECK. He is friendly to people and other animals. He is sweet, funny, polite and chews on things like crazy.

But we know, just KNOW he is meant to be part of our family.

Now a puppy is not a house. However, with this warm, gorgeous, furry and full of kisses little dog, God's timing said to me, "Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD." `

Let's TRI

The 13th Annual Kids' Triathalon was held yesterday. I noticed that I sometimes tri to make up for my childhood weaknesses (in this case lack of athleticism) by getting my kids involved in things that might have been difficult for me. There's got to be something Freudian about that. So despite the fact that I am completely wacking out my children, I am proud to say that they participated in the event along with the Streeter kids and cousin Hallie.

Here are number 68, 69 and 71 (niece Hallie was 70).

We learned a lot about how triathalons work including an education on "transition areas." This is Luke's square.

First, the kids lined up at the pool. The cool thing about this triathalon is that they started the kids at 10 second intervals instead of all at the same time.

He woke up crying fat tears this morning: "I don't WANT to do a triathalon," (see I AM mentally messing with my kids), however, he was so excited to jump into the water at race time!

Hallie and Ellie during the biking portion of the race.

Luke headed to the finish line!
They all crossed the finish line! Woo Hoo! You will be glad to know that I was rational enough to allow them to participate in the SHORT course instead of the LONG course, and that the SHORT course was truly that - SHORT. 25m swim, 1/2 mile bike ride, 1/4 mile run. Maybe the damage is minimal!

They were all smiles after the race and Ellie said with satisfaction, "THAT FELT GREAT!" I smile because of all three of our kids, she is most like me. Her weakness is probably athletic ability. Hmmmm. Maybe I AM doing something right after all.

Everybody who finished got a medal on stage. They didn't even hand out 1st, 2nd and 3rd places. How's that for increasing everyone's self esteem?

My proudest moment though? After Luke finished, he spotted a little girl walking by herself through the running portion of the triathalon. He sprinted over to her and encouraged her, "You can do it! Let's run!" Luke crossed the finish line for a second time, this time with the little girl by his side. That was cool. And it made me feel a little better about my parenting abilities. ;-)