Life with my sister

The new school year is in full swing and the Fab Five are having a fantastic start.  Henry Patton started Kindergarten this year at Valley View. He is enjoying it so far. He has lots of old and new friends with him. His teacher is a great fit for him too. We are so proud of how brave he is becoming.  (Julie, we really need a school picture of our best girl! This is the most recent one I had of her up close from July) Anna Kathryn started the 6th grade at Beavers Academy. She is so bright and sweet. We are loving watching her bloom into the beautiful woman God has created her to be.  Samuel Charles started his senior year at Watson Chapel as a full time student. He is playing football and baseball. Watching him develop into a Godly young man who puts his convictions first is very inspiring. This year is going to be full of cheers and tears watching it all unfold for our first born love.  David Robert and Daniel Stephen started 9th grade at Beavers Academy and Watson C...

The kids enjoy dyeing Easter Eggs every year. Since I am far from being OCD or a type A personality, the kids get to dye the eggs anyway they want. They can use every color for one egg or just one color. It doesn't matter to me. Their creativity gets to shine! We were at Aunt Janet and Uncle Mike's house this Easter weekend and Aunt Janet was so sweet to let us use her kitchen to dye our 3 dozen eggs. And to let us use her refrigerator to store them in. her frig may never smell the same again! I spent Easter morning with Mom at Aunt Janet's. The kids and Stephen went to church and then joined us for lunch. I missed being at church (It makes 2 years in a row. Last year Daniel was sick.) but enjoyed being with Mom for the last time for a while. We had Whole Hog BBQ for lunch. It was Mom's choice, but it is our favorite BBQ restaurant. I made a cake and the kids had a couple of Easter egg hunts. We spent the rest of the day in front of the tv watching The Masters. I hav...

For the last 7 or 8 years we have been filling out NCAA basketball brackets at our house. We started this now tradition when the twins were 2 or 3. We would say the name of the teams playing, and they would say the team they thought sounded the best. It was the most fun. Samuel loves this time of year. He was born thinking about all things sports so he has always filled out his own bracket, and knows what he's doing! After everyone fills out their brackets we hang them on the wall with tape. March isn't our best decorating month! We check our brackets faithfully on the weekends and crossoff our teams that have lost but we thought would win. For the last couple of years we have entered our brackets online at cbssports.com and they keep track of our rankings. I don't know why we do that, it seems Samuel or Stephen win, David and I lose and Daniel and Anna come in in the middle. Last night we were giving Anna the teams to pick from and she would pick based on whether she had b...

(Daniel to the far left with his arms up and Samuel has the ball) Tonight is the last basketball game of the season. Samuel and Daniel started playing in October so its been a good long season of games. We've had a disappointing season but #12 and #32 have played hard with good attitudes and character. I couldn't ask for anything more. Well, more wins would have been nice, but oh well! I'll settle for good attitudes. Stephen helped coach the team and received a technical in one game. The head coach was thrilled it wasn't him getting it and I was appalled that Stephen would get one! You just never know what kind of day the referee has had before he comes to call your game. The boys have made some good friends and so have I because of basketball. It has been a good season and tonight we will celebrate with the team at a local pizza place. I'm hoping for some baked potato pizza! Julie

Last Thursday while Samuel was home alone, an intruder came in our house. Samuel heard the door, and thought it was Stephen but realized it wasn't. He went & got a bb gun and while on his way back to the kitchen, where the guy was, Samuel made a noise and the intruder fled. Samuel watched him run out our backyard and across the ditch that runs along it. While he was in the backyard, I dropped Daniel off and left again to finish running errands. (Yes, I'll win the mother of the year award!) They both went to the ditch and looked for the guy and found a cup and saucer from my Christmas china lying carefully on the ground. Apparently, the guy decided he didn't need them after all . I came home with David & Anna, saw my china sitting on the counter and began yelling for Samuel. I couldn't believe he would eat & drink off my china and just leave it sitting around. Well, they never answered. While I was still yelling for them Samuel called from a neighbors house ...

Julie sent photos from the Beavers Academy Christmas party and like a good sister and aunt I have to post them for all to see. The children in her school are 4 of my most favorite children in the whole wide world. Watching how they do school is always so much fun. Their school administrator, teacher and nurse rocks! Beavers Academy had a school Christmas party. Isn't the student body adorable?! The handsome teenage student had just gotten in from duck hunting. The look alike students had been playing in the ditch and the prissy student was still lounging in her pajamas. I love the students at Beavers Academy, don't you?! Their party spread looked so yummy. They went to a lot of effort with the cheeseball and celery boats, etc. The student body at BA has a great home ec teacher, that is fo'sho ! The Skittles on the Christmas plate is my favorite dish of all. The little grin on that face in the background is the best part of this picture though. I heart that face! The pa...

I don't think I've told you that Samuel and Daniel are playing basketball for a homeschool co-op in Pine Bluff. We have friends that use the co-op and they asked if Samuel would like to play basketball for their junior high team. Well of course he wanted to. I had just told Stephen that we had to get that boy in some kind of competitive sport with a ball or he was going to go crazy ( or maybe I was going to go crazy!) He was carrying a ball with him everywhere he went just aching to throw it, shoot it or hit it. The team practices every Tuesday and Thursday in Pine Bluff. Practice was going good for a couple of days and then they realized they didn't have many players and asked if the twins would like to play. So, Daniel, my 10 year old, is playing for the jr . high team. It isn't ideal for him or the team, but he is able to let some of the players rest a bit. We have played six games and have lost them all. But we lose with great spirit! One game ended in a tie and we...

For the last few days there our home has been filled with the aroma of trash. It hasn't been pleasant. We have taken the trash out multiple times a day, we've washed the trash cans, cleaned out the frig. I couldn't get rid of the trash smell. But the more cleaning I did, the more localized the odor became. Yesterday we narrowed it down to Samuel's room. He took all his dirty clothes to the laundry room (why he doesn't do that everyday is beyond me.) and said that he had found a wet towel under the clothes. He was certain that was the odor culprit. And because I wanted the smell gone, I agreed. This morning I got up, walked down the hallway, which ends at Samuel's room, and was knocked backwards by the stench . Oh my! It was awful. I decided to do school first and then deal with the stench . But, it couldn't wait. I called Samuel in his room and even he said "this is nasty." He was speaking of the smell, but he could also have been speaking about th...

Birthday letter to Samuel. Samuel, I love this picture of you. You brighten so many lives with that smile. People have called you Smilen ' Sam for years now. You are so happy and bring that happiness to others. I am so proud of the young man you are growing up to be. You have had to make some decisions that didn't make you very popular, you have endured some ridicule because of decisions I have made for you. But you have done so with such maturity and graciousness. I have learned lessons from you. You are having a great school year. We were anticipating a lot of bumps in the road this year but so far it has been a great year. Aren't you glad? Me too! We'll keep praying! This past year you surrendered your life to God's ministry. I can't wait to see what that looks like in your life. You know it doesn't matter to me if you are a preacher in the biggest church, a teacher in a Christian school or a missionary in the farthest jungle. As long as you are doing wh...

Our boys all have ipod touches. Samuel received his for Christmas last year and D&D got theirs for their 10th birthday. Samuel dropped his and cracked it something terrible in March. Tile floors will do that to an ipod. He got a new one when D&D got theirs but he had to pay for his second one. I mean, a lesson had to be taught! When the pool first opened he jumped in swam a bit, got out, felt his pocket and there was his ipod touch! It was the Saturday before he went to church camp and he wasn't going to need it there, so we put it on the microwave (read it on google), and when I bought rice 3 days later I put it in a bowl of rice and left it there for six days. Six days later it worked! We were so happy, Samuel most of all! (The same kind of thing happened with David and our garage door opener last year. We didn't put it in rice or on top of the microwave and it has never worked since!) Anyway, I love their ipod touches. Love them. I just knew I was going to g...

Weren't Abby's pictures just precious? Henry is such a doll and could not be cuter. Since Stephen and I have been married (18 years) we've probably vacationed on the beach 13 of those years. We have NO family pictures on the beach. So, when I saw Abby's I told the boys and Stephen that we were going to have pictures made when we go this year. They all said "NO!" at the same time. They let me know that it was vacation and there would be no family pictures taken. It makes it easier for me, I don't have to plan outfits for six people to wear on the beach for pictures. I guess its a win-win situation! I was reminded this week of how different my life is now than just 2 or 3 years ago. I have friends that have young children and when I look into their eyes sometimes I see despair. And I remember that feeling so well. The realization that I could not run to the store by myself, Stephen and I couldn't decide to go on a date at the last minute, I couldn...

We're home from Siloam . And laundry is washed, dried, folded and put away. Can I get an hallelujah for that? Camp laundry is the worst because it contains, clothes, towels, sheets and blankets for all of us. This year Samuel was too old to participate at Siloam (it was children' only week) so he spent the week with Stephen's parents in Branson . I got a text from him on Wednesday saying he had ridden Wildfire 22 times. Wildfire is a roller coaster that I've been on twice and I don't see anymore rides in my future. But he loved it. He now holds the claim-to-fame for riding it the 2 nd most times. The most times on one day is 50. I can't imagine 50! He said he was " epically dizzy" after the 22! Siloam was great fun. I got to see my blog friend Judy (she is just the sweetest and most beautiful person) and my friend Melinda who is also beautiful and sweet. Neither of them had to endure the heat of camp because they just camp up for a short amount o...

It seems like its been forever since I've been on here. I've been busy but not busy enough not to blog. I think I have a case of writer's block! We've been swimming, swimming and swimming. I told Stephen the other day that our next house is going to have to have a pool in the backyard. I love it! My lips, however, not so much. I have had a fever blister (or 9) every week this summer. As much as I like to blame Samuel's leaving for camp on them, I know better. It's the sun. Samuel survived Boy Scout camp. He didn't want to go but did "just for you Mom". Gotta love the teenage years! He ended up having a great time and is even thinking of working there next year for a couple of weeks. His last night at camp he had to hike a couple of miles, fix his supper, find & construct his shelter, and sleep. BY HIMSELF! Oh my! He loved it! The next morning he woke up, hiked back down and swam a mile all before breakfast. I'm thinking of calling home ...

My kids are growing up. I knew it would happen, but did it have to happen so fast? I can't really believe I wrote those words! I remember the times it was so difficult to go anywhere because of my four kids under six, or my three kids under three. Oh, those were the days! But these days are different and maybe better. But different for sure. Anna has spent the last few days in Fort Smith with some of the grandparents. I had trouble the first couple of days. It was like part of me was missing. No one was needing me. She is pretty independent, she can make her own breakfast and lunch but she still needs me for some things. And I missed being needed. Today Samuel left for church camp. It's the first time he's gone without a parent. He can't have a phone or ipod . So, no texting , status updates, or calls. I can hardly stand it. In fact, when he left this morning at 6:15 I cried. I layed in my bed and cried. And then I texted my mom. Because no matter what, she can make i...

A couple of weeks ago after Sunday morning services Stephen suggested we have a picnic and fly kites. Of course, we were game!! Luckily, the twins had bought kites in hopes that we would fly them one day. Our little town had no kites to be bought. How can that be? Samuel and Anna had to take turns flying D & D's kites. We had sandwiches and snack cakes for lunch. We went to the Veterans Memorial Park to picnic. The park is home to two old army tanks that my kids love to play on. It also has a walking track, a golf range(that we never knew about) and a large open area. It's a great place The park also has an on-site manager. Its an older couple and the day we were there, he was in the little shed-like building, which I believe he is making into his man cave, trying to get his satellite to work. It was a little unnerving. But besides that, we had a great afternoon together! And let me just point out that Anna's shorts and headband match! Yes, she is cool like that! p.s....

I got the opportunity to spend Friday and Saturday with some pretty great preacher's wives. You know how I love being a preacher's wife and how I love other women that are. Getting to spend some time with some I had had only emailed back and forth was a joy. On my way home I had some prayer time for my children. Don't you just love being alone in your car, playing Klove, or other Christian music and praying? It doesn't happen very often for me, but I am so glad when it does. Anyway, I was praying for my kids. I prayed specifically that God would prick their spirits when sin entered their lives. I had spoken to someone a bit older than me about being around people that didn't have the same values as she did and how she felt a prick in her spirit that reminded her that the situation was one that God was not in. I told her I thought it was cool that God would still prick the hearts of those of us that are older. You would think that by now, at our ages, mine being 40 (...

Samuel is 13 today. 13 ..... 13 ! When I as pregnant with Samuel I made a list of the kind of child I prayed Samuel would be. I got the list out this morning, a list I have kept in my wallet since Feb 1998. I guess I thought if the list was always with me, I would pray for them more! I must say that as I looked over the list I was reminded that Samuel lived his childhood years well. Not to say the boy hasn't been in trouble many time. He has. But over all he is a good egg. (I don't even really know what that means!) Last night I realized that the list of prayers I had was really for his childhood and that I needed to pray different prayers for him as a teenager (it just hurts to write the word!) My new list looks something like this: I pray that Samuel will: apply himself to his schoolwork. understand the importance of studying do his best in all situations and desire to exceed expectations remain respectful to those in authority over him, and his elders realize that younger...

Have I told you that Samuel is on the puppet ministry team at our church? I can't remember. The pmt is made up of 7 6-12 th grade students and one adult leader. They practice once a week and are really good! They perform at nursing homes, various churches and anywhere else that asks them to come. Last year they did their version of a singing Christmas Tree at church that was absolutely delightful! It was funny, poignant, and meaningful. Everyone loved it! Last night they performed a show as the kick-off to their summer puppet tour. They not only perform with puppets but also do some black-light (where everything black can't be seen, but neon and white show up in the light) drama. Oh my goodness it was good! Let me just say that Samuel was awesome. All the other kids did a great job, but since this is my blog Samuel did super-duper good!!! I was so proud of all of them. They work so hard to get everything "just right" so that the messages in the songs is never muted...

Last Thursday I texted Julie to see how she was doing. She was taking Anna to the doctor and hating to miss the funeral in Fort Smith. I get a text back from Samuel telling me “Dude, this is Sam. Peace I am out!” I just love that he is almost 13 and a T-total preteen. It makes my auntly head spin, really. So, I went on to text him back and I wanted to share the conversation with you. If you know us in person, you will laugh. If you don’t know us outside of this blog, you may just think we are silly. Either way, I wanted to share: (little Samuel driving Aunt Abby's old turquoise "Cavy") Abby: Where is your mom? Samuel: She went to Fort Smith with Dad for the funeral. Christy will check on us often. Do not worry and do not tell Marmie! Abby: What? Is this Samuel? Samuel: She said cereal and sandwiches and I cannot use the stove. Abby: You are a dork. Where is your mom? Samuel: Headed north. I am getting scared. Don’t ever leave Henry alone. Abby: Where is your mom and why...

Abby and I both participated in our local Relay for Life events this weekend. One of us more than the other. But, one of us had a baby six months ago! Our cub scouts and boy scouts had a RFL team for the first time this year. And somehow I got to be team captain. (I'm pretty sure I won't be asked to do that again!) Relay for Life is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. The event takes place for about 12 hours on a Friday night, until Saturday morning. I questioned why there was a need to stay up all night when we were adults and very obviously needed our sleep, and was told that one team raised $8000 after midnight Friday night! Unbelievable!!! I didn't stay all night. Anna, Daniel, David and I left at 12:30. Samuel and Stephen had already gone home. Samuel had a baseball tournament the next day with the first game being played at 9:00am. We all needed our sleep. So we got it. Not much, I got about 4 hours, but it was better than none!!! Our RFL team didn't ...