Day with Grandma Rachel

Grandma Rachel was kind enough to take our 3 kiddos today after VBX. She actually would've taken all 5, but today is the girls visit with their dad. Garrett, Dylan and Sydney had so much fun and came home so wiped out. Dylan and Sydney fell asleep in the van on the ride home (at 3pm) and it is now 5:30, still sleeping, on the couch. So cute. I love the way the look when the sleep, so peaceful, so sweet :)
I am so thankful for her, she is always willing to help with the kids, whenever she can. They have so much fun there, playing piano, playing wii, playing with Isaac, Tabitha and Bethany. Dylan would go there EVERY DAY if he could. His new thing has been to ask to call Grandma Rachel to tell her something important. I usually say yes, and he dials the phone and as soon as she answers, he says, "can I come to your house".
Love you Rach, thanks for being such a great Grandma :)

My kids, Right Now

I thought I'd share a little about our kids, and who they are right now. It changes so frequently that I don't want to forget any of the things they're interested. I don't want to forget a moment of this time, because it all goes by so quickly. Too quickly!

GARRETT
Loves to read
He loves math
Has read 130 books so far this summer!!!
Likes to ride his bike, skateboard and rollerblading.
He is a saver, not a spender....unless it is on someone else....he is always buying things for his brother and sister.
He loves to help around the house, loves to do dishes - I know that won't last ;)
He eats nonstop, he is always hungry and tells me it's because he's a growing boy
He collects joke books
He loves to do magic
His favorite animal is a panda bear
He is a sweet, generous, tenderhearted, funny little boy with so much love and joy to share.
He wants to grow up to be a children's minister/builder/chef


DYLAN
Dylan is 4 now, almost 5.
He is a whiz at games, new or old, wii or gameboy
He loves batman, indiana jones, jimmy newtron,
He drinks chocolate milk all the time
He'd eat peanut butter and jelly or pancakes with syrup for every meal if we let him
He's learning to read this summer and already can read words
He loves to run, jump, cannonball off the couch and kick.
He loves to throw balls and do karate spins
He likes to swing on the swings really high
He is a risk taker and a little bit of a daredevil
He is a night owl, he could stay up all night with me
He is not a morning person
He loves to be at home most of all
His favorite animal is an elephant
His favorite type of books are ISPY books
He is a funny, sensitive, sweet, honest and cuddly little guy
He wants to be a daddy when he grows up

SYDNEY
Sydney is 3 right now
She likes to bop her brothers on the head
She loves animals, especially dogs and cats.
If we are out and about and we see a dog, we have to ask to pet it, she can't see a dog and not pet it :)
She likes to play dress up
She loves Dora the Explorer
She loves milk and will rarely drink anything else
Her favorite animal is a giraffe
She is a sweet loving girl, who has a very stubborn streak and can melt your heart with the tiniest little smile and look
She loves to do everything her brothers do, no matter what that might be, if they can do it, she's sure that she can too
She wants to be a puppy when she grows up, and a princess, but mostly a puppy

VBX

We've had VBX (Vacation Bible eXperience) at church this week and it is one of the busiest and best weeks of the summer. Nathan works so hard for months and months prior to the week, then during the week we get to see all his hard work pay off. I am always so proud of him and love seeing him in his element. He is truly following his calling.
This year I've been a guide for preschool with Macy and Dylan both in my group. They've all had a lot of fun making crafts, singing songs, playing games, hearing bible stories and watching skits. We may even get to see Nathan get a pie in the face, become a human sundae and shave his head if the kids are able to reach their mission goal.
Our mission this year is to raise money for a school in Kenya Africa to lay concrete in 3 of their classrooms to protect the children's feet from sand flies. The kids are also bringing in school supplies to help area children who are in need for Karing for Kids.

Happy Birthday Pap

Nathan's grandpa, better known as Pap turns 94 today! Happy Birthday Pap! We love you!

Father's Day

Father's Day is here, It used to be such a hard day for me. My dad had left when I was 3 and was M.I.A for most of my life.

However, I do have others in my life who have made the day more about being thankful for what I do have, and not a sad day, mourning what I don't.

I went to live with Brent and Rachel in 1993. From that day on, they have loved me and treated me like their daughter. I was so blessed to see what a father is. Brent has always been there for me, always loved me unconditionally and always been my dad :). Thank you so much Brent, for everything. I am forever grateful for you! I love you so much! Thanks for being my dad :) Happy Father's Day

God has really blessed me with a great husband too, who really is a terrific dad to our 3 children and to our 2 nieces. Thank you Nathan for who you are. For all you do to make it possible for us to have our nieces and for being a great dad to ALL of our kids. We love you so much! Happy Father's Day

Roaring into Reading at the Airport

Tonight we went to the airport for "Roaring into Reading". Each of the kids received a free book, we got to hear a story read by Garrett's kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Nightenhelser, and get a book from the book mobile. We love reading to the kids and they are always so excited to hear a story or get a new book. They also got to climb in the firetruck, a sheriff's car and a helicopter. We saw the Watermelon Lemon and we also saw a viper, which to my surprise is a car?!?! For some reason I thought it sounded like the name of a jet ;) Obviously cars aren't my thing.

I thought it was great that they are promoting reading with such fun activities, and we were so happy to be a part of it.

The Long Awaited package

Garrett has been waiting for the mailman all week long, and today was the day he finally brought the long awaited package. Oh you should have seen the smile on his face. Garrett has been saving his money for a Nintendo DS since after Christmas. With 5 kids, it wasn't something we could get him and we talked about how he could save his money, do chores for an allowance, ect.... well he has done it! He still didn't have $130.00 and it would be a while before he made it to that amount, but he made it to the halfway point and wanted to check ebay. He found a DS and bid on it and WON!!!! What an excited boy, all his hard work has paid off. We are trying to teach the kids a little about finances and that you have to save your money for big purchases. Delayed Gratification and such. Well after 6 long months of waiting he is happily playing his DS, and has inspired the other kids to save their money and not run to their piggy banks every time they hear the ice cream truck ;)

Why don't I have a tail?

I have mentioned before Sydney's love of animals, especially the four legged furry kind. She likes to pretend that she is a puppy and she crawls around on all fours, tongue out, barking at us and smiling. Today after playing puppy, she asked why she can't have a tail like Bebo, our dog. I tried to explain that little girls and boys don't need tails....well, that was not a satisfying answer for my little animal lover, she cried for quite some time wanting a puppy tail so she could wag it. Silly girl :)

A Treasure Found

One day, not so long ago, we saw Dora's Fairytale Adventure on TV. Well that had sparked in Sydney a love of that very episode and she has been asking for it ever since. We have searched all of the stores locally for it, the rental places, etc.... No luck! My mom had wanted to get it for her for her birthday, No luck! She loves that episode with "Dora and Sleeping Boots".
WELL, Saturday we were going to yard sales with Grandma Theresa and what did we find for just $1.00? That's right, Sydney's FAVORITE movie, Dora's Fairytale Adventure. She was so excited that she squealed and asked if she could watch it. When we bought it and took it home, she just couldn't believe that we were KEEPING it. She kept saying, "This is my faborite movie. It has Dora and sleeping Boots in it. I lub this movie." She was so excited she held it in her carseat the rest of the morning and has already watched it numerous times.

Responsiblity and Job Jars

We have tried picture charts, chore charts and sticker charts and a small version of a job jar with little popsicle sticks in a cup. The job cup seemed to work the best, when the kids needed something to do. This weekend I got some old jars and some colored popsicle sticks and made each child their own responsibility jar. In the responsibility jar are all the things that the kids should be responsible for (mainly personal hygiene or taking care of their things).

Here are the things in the responsiblity jars

• Brush your teeth


• Brush your hair


• Wash your face


• Get dressed


• Put your clothes in the Hamper


• Make your bed


• Clean your room


• Pick up your toys

In the job jar, we put chores the kids can be paid for, and the amount they would get for doing that job.

• Take out the trash


• Take out the recycling


• Load the dishwasher


• Pick up the yard


• Put your laundry away


• Feed and water the cats


• Feed and water the dog


• Feed the fish

The kids are very excited about it. I'll let you know how it goes ;)

Relay for Life

We just had our Relay for Life this weekend, for Cancer. We've participated in the Relay for Life for 3 years now, as members of Bethany's team, my sweet lil sis, who is growing up so fast. (14 next week!!!)

I remember faintly the days when my life had not been affected by Cancer. It seems like now, Cancer is everywhere I look.

I wanted to write a little about those people in my life who have had cancer.

My uncle Randy was diagnosed with lung cancer November 2003. He didn't share the news with the family until after the holidays. We found out in the spring that he was battling the disease. He took chemo and radiation, yet still was defeated by the disease. He passed away July 30th, 2004. He actually was like a big brother to me. He lived in our home for my first 5 years of life, and after that point was always there for me when I needed him. He was the one I'd go to if I needed help with my homework, if I needed advice. He left behind a wife, a daughter, and a stepdaughter.

My step dad was diagnosed with colon cancer in November 2007, after a heart attack. He had 2 surgeries and is currently cancer free. We always thought of him as our dad, he was a part of our life from the time I was 3, and was married to my mom for 7 years. He's a good guy and caring for him during his illness was one of the hardest things I've ever done. We pray that he continues to remain free of the cancer.

My uncle Mike was diagnosed with lung cancer earlier this year. He is currently struggling with this disease. He is not seeking treatment and we are praying, praying, praying.

My mom recently (as in last Tuesday) had surgery for precancer cells. It has been a terrifying experience to not know if it's spread or what will happen from that point on. She will continue to see the doctor frequently to make sure there are no new cell growths. Thank you God, for my mom and for the doctor who caught this early and for the ability to have surgery to remove it. Thank you!

Building with Dad

One of the boys favorite things to do is build with their dad. It doesn't matter what Nathan is doing, if there are tools involved they are right there to help. Nathan took Garrett and Dylan to Lowe's today. They have a free activity twice a month where kids can build things. The boys got a Lowe's apron, a pair of goggles and a patch for the project they made. Garrett made a basketball hoop and Dylan made a putting green. They had so much fun they plan to go as often as possible. Nathan said it was great and very kid oriented. They even had snacks for the boys. They got to build with their dad and have a snack. What a great day :)

Mom's surgery

Mom had her surgery this week and we turned our playroom into a guest room for the time being so that she could stay with us for a little while, afterwards. The kids all picked out balloons to take to the hospital for her. Macy picked out a "happy birthday" balloon, but then decided on an orange star....with a little help ;) Garrett picked out a red heart, because he loves his grandma. Sami got a "get well" balloon. Sydney got a purple star because that's her favorite color and Dylan picked out a yellow smile balloon. They definitely did make mom smile :)
While she was here, the kids kept sneaking in her room to give her hugs and tell her hi. Garrett read her books and Sami gave her backrubs.
She has returned home and we are checking on her daily, several times and today Garrett wanted to stay with her to make sure that she wasn't doing her "to do list". He is such a big helper and went over to help her out. He ran up and down the stairs for her, took out her recycling and her trash and kept asking for more jobs. I'm so proud of the thoughtful little guy he is.

Time with an Old Friend, Making New Friends

We had a wonderful day today visiting with a good friend of mine, Amy Debolt Lobo, and her family. I've known her since high school and she and I were roommates my freshman year in college. She is a great friend. She lives in Louisiana now and though we've been able to keep in touch, we hadn't been able to spend any time together. She was visiting her grandparents and they invited us over for a play date. It was so much fun catching up and watching our kids play together. Sydney loves Amy's husband Jose... he is her "friend" :) and Garrett had a great time playing soccer with Alex. The kids all played really great together and had fun meeting each other for the first time. I wish we lived closer to one another so we could get together more often.

Lemonade Stand

Garrett had his first lemonade stand at Grandma Theresa's house this weekend. He made almost $18.00. He was a pretty excited little boy, and when he got home he wanted to set it up again at our house. What a little entrepeneur!

Loving to Learn

Garrett loves to learn. He asked me to teach him to read in preschool, because he did not want to wait until kindergarten. He picked it up so well, by the first day of kindergarten he was already reading where they wanted him to be at the beginning of first grade. He is always asking me to teach him new things, harder things..... you can't say no to that. Now at the end of Kindergarten, he is reading at a second grade level and is learning multiplication right now. His desire to learn is amazing, I hope he hangs onto that forever. He loves to memorize scriptures and memorized all the books of the old testament in one afternoon! We are working on the new testament now.... and in fact, I've memorized them, which I had never done.
While other kids may be content to play in the backyard all summer long, mine are begging me to teach them new things. What should I teach them tomorrow?

A Little Girl on A Big Bike

Here are some pictures of Sydney on her new Dora bike. She was amazing the first time she hopped on, and the bike looked way to big to me. She started pedaling and away she went. We went around the block and I was RUNNING to keep up with her. I was running to keep up with my little bitty 3 year old on her new big girl bike. Oh my! She's a cutie.