A first for our family....

Today was a "first" for our family: Apple picking. I have never been before and how cool is it that our friends had never been as well. Makes for a: "let's get that on the calendar and do it!"

Here's a picture of all the kids before heading out to the orchard...

I just love this picture of the youngest, in our clan, munching on an apple on her Momma's back. Just the cutest!!


We Moms were getting a little nervous as we saw the amount of apples being picked. Started envisioning how we would be using up all of these.. But let me tell you the kids had fun loading up their baskets...


The kids ended their time with apple cider slushies. Yum-oh!


Ok......off to print out some apple recipes! I have my work cut out for me!

A beautiful heart....

I often tell Lindsey that she came straight from Heaven, on a cloud, right to us. I call her "my angel", my "sunshine girl", etc. I can't say how many times I have seen such a beautiful heart in this little girl. I'd like to remember just a few things she has recently said that attest to the beauty within.

**Her favorite season is winter because we celebrate Jesus then.
**After blue and purple, her favorite color is 'yellow' because Jesus is the light.
**Her favorite candy is a candy cane because she heard how you can share Jesus using a candy cane.
**When we have an outside activity and it doesn't rain she is the first to say: "Of course it didn't rain, because I prayed about it!"
**She wants to be a Mommy and a missionary when she grows up. She also thinks once her children are 12, and able to stay home
alone she will be able to go out and do missionary work. She has a plan.
**When something wonderful happens or she sees something beautiful she tells me that is how she thinks Heaven will be.
**Lindsey often says she can't wait to give Jesus a BIG hug!
**Recently we had visitors, at our front door, sharing their religion. An hour later Lindsey burst into sobs saying we needed to
pray for them because they don't know her Lord.

This is ALL Lindsey and what the Lord is doing in her heart. It is beautiful and convicting, to me, all at the same time. This world is a hard place to always have such a beautiful heart and outlook on life. I pray God will always protect her heart and continue to give her a passion to serve Him her whole life.

I'm SO thankful for her beautiful heart!

When you just don't have the words.....

Back in July I posted about my dear friend losing her husband in a plane crash right here. I must say there hasn't been a day that goes by that I don't think of her and pray for her. Shortly after her husband's death I remember laying down to sleep and thinking of Allie laying down knowing Mark was gone. Even though he knew the Lord and is now in Heaven - just that awful feeling of not having him physically present anymore. Then I would wake up and it would hit me again. Dear Allie is waking up and realizing it was not a dream, but her new reality.

The next several weeks I would just consciously realize how often I just need to talk to Brian, e-mail him, be with him....etc. I know Brian gets a kick out of this, but I've been known to tell him that I just need to be in the same room as he is even if we are zoned out doing our own thing.

And then there are the obvious things that are devoted to many of our husbands that we might take for granted: Taking the vehicles to the mechanic, calling the plumber, mowing the lawn, fixing the fence, changing those light bulbs, on and on....

Then there is the way our husbands are with our children. Not enough room to share all he is to our kids. He is the "fun Dad" throwing them in the pool, tickling them, nightly wrestling matches. The scholar who looks over their math and plans to spend a couple of hours at home, in the morning, to study History with them. So involved. To top it off - the Dad who tried to share scripture reading over Christ's death on the cross and couldn't continue because of his own emotions. These kids see their Dad as everything and then some. So do I...

I know Allie felt this way about Mark....

It's nights like these when I can't sleep and I pray for my friend. I have no words for her. What words are adequate because I know she felt for her husband as I do for mine.

Well... the Lord was merciful and brought to mind a special college memory with Allie. Each night we would go to sleep listening to either Michael Card's SLEEP SOUND IN JESUS or Pachelbel's Canon. I know....such different listening selections.

Allie and I were positively smitten with Michael Card's lullaby c.d. When we had fears, tears, and heartaches - it was such a comfort to hear the songs of sleeping sound in Jesus as He holds us and watches over us.

I decided to go to Amazon and play some of the songs. Talk about "cry me a river". It just brought back those sweet memories of college and how the Lord spoke to both of us with this c.d.

When I just don't know what to say. When the Lord places Allie on my heart and I grieve.... I'm so thankful this was brought to my mind. I'll be sending this c.d. to Allie hoping it will bring her comfort. I think I'll be placing an order for myself as well...

Last of the season....

I just dropped Lindsey off at her last pool party of the summer. It was hard for me to leave, but this was an "all girl" event and boys/moms weren't allowed this time. Every week this summer we've been priviledged to enjoy a pool party with several sweet kids and their moms. Lounging by the pool with other ladies has been such a sweet retreat from the "to do's" that fill my day. It didn't hurt that Leslie (our wonderful hostess) served us lemonade, brownies, and popsicles poolside. I AM thrilled for Lindsey, though. :) Sad that summer now feels officially over, but the blessing is that I LOVE fall!! So....bring it on!! :)

I am THAT housewife!! (no pictures allowed)

First to explain since you would have to live with me or next to me to know this: I always start my day by getting dressed. I am just not one to stay in my p.j.'s all day. It goes beyond that. It used to be a rare occurrence that I would even leave my bedroom without my hair and make-up all done for the day.

Well...now that I start my mornings with early runs I find that I rush into a shower, get on to breakfast and start our school day without another trip back to my room to make myself 'presentable'.

Being at home, it would not normally seem to matter, but this morning I have had two people ring the door bell. One was a group of Jehovah Witnesses (usually there is just two people - not a whole group). I truly read it in their faces when they looked at me: "This lady needs 'some' kind of saving." Or at least her husband does.

After the second door bell and "second looks" I realized that:

I have become THAT housewife!!!

Labor Day 2010

Labor Day found us at the beach.. It was just the perfect weather and wonderful day together. The kids amaze me with their energy. They spent hours digging and creating in the sand; hours boogie boarding, hours jumping the waves and then back again to more digging.

We left home an hour earlier than normal and we stayed later than we normally do as well. It was wonderful!

Reece (below) just can't help but to dance wherever he is (grocery store, restaurant, the beach, etc.).
Lindsey is a true beach gal and she just exudes joy when she spends time there!
Really...they all do...



Don't think boogie boarding, in a puddle, is quite the same Reece..
Ahh...much better except I'm losing my shorts!
Digging right up until the end of our day there...

First day of school...

Was actually already 4 weeks ago. We usually start right after Reece's birthday because we are just ready to dig in and get the year going. I am compulsive in that I must finish every single lesson in every subject. This gives us time to do that and yet, when I start to fizzle out in May, we are already done anyway.

Another thing I used to be super strict on was getting everyone dressed in the morning. Well....I've eased up a little bit. Already, on the first day of school, the kids wore their swim suits all day (we always go swimming on the first day of school after the work is complete) and I didn't even think twice about it. And....to top it off, we went out for ice cream to celebrate and they were still in their swimsuits. Hence the reason why we went to Sonic so we could order and eat in the van.

I'm SO thankful for these children and thrilled to be their Mom and spend my time with them each and everyday. And, shocking to me, they would have it no other way. :) Very blessed indeed!

Molly Sunshine....

Just last weekend we were able to spend a day with a college buddy of mine and Brian's. Molly and her family were headed to the beach and stayed over in Raleigh. We had not seen her since our wedding - 15 years ago- so it was GREAT catching up. We were in a dorm together Freshman year at Cedarville and then we shared an apartment, after graduation, for the year before my wedding.

I just love that her middle name is "Sunshine"!

When you have a little one, like they do, it worked out great that they came along with us to soccer practice. There's a nice playground there. As you can see, it wasn't only the kids playing......

Lindsey's haircut..

Just a couple of weeks ago Lindsey said she thought she'd like a shorter hairstyle. So we excitedly planned to go to the salon the very next day and........

here are the results. We love it!!!

Mudcats....

We were thrilled to be able to join our friends for a Mudcats game in August. This sweet family goes to our church and we also do Tae Kwon Doe together. We also have spent many Tuesday nights (Tae Kwon Doe) night hanging out at Moe's Restaurant until they kick us out at closing. We just love this family!! (The great thing about older kids is they sit by themselves WAY across the restuarant so, for the parents, it's pretty much a double date each week!)

Love this girl! You can tell the kids enjoyed a few treats that turned their tongues different colors.

The fireworks were amazing and the kids made it all the way to the end. Easy when you're with friends. Marsha and I probably saw 1/2 of an inning, but it was great to have some solid hours to catch up. (Not that we don't already see each other a few times a week. :)