Sisters!

Sisters!  This is just about the happiest post I've made in the seven years I've been blogging!  Keeping in mind the goal of the blog was to keep our family know what we're up too. We are in Texas and everyone we are related to live in other states.

 

Part of that family that we miss dearly includes Frankie's three beautiful biological sisters. Growing up they grew up in their adoptive homes within 45 minute to an hour away from each other.  The girls were able to go to McDonald's for play dates; they attended church camps together; they even had summer sleep overs. Not all four of them in each event but in different combinations they have stayed in contact.

 

All four of them have not been together since Frankie was probably 13 years old.  But today, for Frankie's 29th birthday all four sisters were able to get together and celebrate!   Look at the smile on my baby girl's face!!! So happy!!  Words fail me to say how warm and fuzzy and filled my heart is to see them as grown ups together!  Life was not fair to these young ladies.  But God was abundantly gracious to each of them.  They are lovely and kind; warm and gracious; and most importantly each love the Lord!    

In love  he predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— Ephesians 1:4-5

Still Celebrating!!

Be prepared for a few more birthday posts, because when you are as awesome as Frankie, you can't just have one celebration!  The baby girl is 29, people everywhere want to share in the celebration!  I just got to be the chauffeur transporting the birthday girl to see all her fans!!

 

Stop number one was to see my mom, step-dad and brother, surrounded by family, enchiladas, cupcakes and mariachi band, or the El Chico's wait staff singing!  So fun!  My mom stopped by my cousins bakery shop and picked up the most decadent cupcakes! 

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;  the Lord turn his face toward you  and give you peace.”

Numbers 6:24-26

A Young Lady of 29!

It's not every day that a girl turns 29, for the first time!  Tomorrow is actually Frankie's birthday but we are headed on a road trip today so we began celebrating a little early. 

 

Of course the day began with breakfast in bed and to make that even more fun, Abigail took my camera, flash and all and captured Sissy's first waking moments!  Not how she wanted to begin her day!

 

The twin beds are getting a little small for all five of us to sit on and open gifts, so we moved present time downstairs!  Her favorite gift was the Hello, Kitty sheets from the Gungans! 

 

Love this little girl to pieces!  That sweet smile and bright eyes can light up any room!

When I smiled at them, they scarcely believed it;
    the light of my face was precious to them.  Job 29:24

Wear Your Cape Day

For the last several weeks we have been cleaning out closets and preparing for the annual garage sale.  My general rule is if it doesn't fit, or you haven't worn it in a year, it goes in the sale. 

In cleaning out closest the girls tried to toss my Wonder Woman cape into the sale pile!  True I hadn't worn it in a year, but it was my Wonder Woman cape!  So, I declared a 'Wear Your Cape Day' and we all wore out super hero capes! 

Abigail wore her Super Girl cape and Frankie could not find her Bat Girl cape so I bought her a brand new purple cape.  Fortunately Caleb had to work and got out of the cape nonsense. 

In case you're wondering, if you wear a cape out in public, expect to get a lot of questions or funny looks!

I have made a fool of myself, but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing.  II Corinthians 12:11

It's Bigger on the Inside

 

Very rarely are we without children, very rarely.  But today turned out to be one of those days.  Caleb had to work, and Frankie and Abigail decided they would prefer to hang out at the pool. 

 

While we were running errands and generally just goofing off, we stopped by the British Emporium in Grapevine.  With the introduction this weekend of the new Doctor on Dr. Who the store had everything you could wanted dedicated to fans! 

 

The store sells all things British from lemon curd, Downton Abbey, Monty Python to Dr. Who.  In the parking lot were cos-play fans sporting great costumes.  There was the tardis, a dolic and even K-9!   Next time we will bring kids!

 

He settles the childless woman in her home
    as a happy mother of children.  Psalm 113:9

First Day of School: aka. My Happy Place

School is back in swing for the kids and Mom! We weren't very far into Physics and Trig before I realized I was NOT ready for school to start!   At round 11am as I looked at the options for lunch I realized there was only one serving of ice cream left in the Blue Bell carton. 

 

I quickly grabbed the carton and spoon and headed down the hallway, unfortunately the youngest saw what I had in my hand.  She asked where I was going, I told her I was going to my 'happy place!'  I made a dash for the master bath, there are boundaries where the kids just don't follow me.  And yes, that is my laptop streaming the explanation of the Physics lesson. 

 

However, when it was discovered that I was enjoying ice cream while they were expected to be diligently working, someone snapped a photo or two to send to the principal!  Busted!

 

it was a time of happiness, joy, and gladness
Esther 8:16

Special Delivery

Today the kids received a wonderful surprise in the mail from Camp Blue Haven.  Both Abigail and Caleb memorized all fifteen passages for camp.  Each grade was expected to memorize a minimum number of selections with fifteen being the maximum.   They memorized all fifteen with no expectation of receiving any 'reward.' 

 

Today when the package arrived it was a big surprise!  Inside were two Bibles, each with the kids names inside and an inscription that it was awarded for completing all the memory work.

 

The leather covers have the beautiful embossed Camp Blue Haven logo on the front! Aren't they lovely!  The scriptures they memorized for camp were:

 

1 Peter 1:3-5

1 Peter 1:8 & 9

1 Peter 1:14-16

1 Peter 1:22 & 23

1 Peter 2:1-3

1 Peter 2:9-10

1 Peter 2:11 & 12

1 Peter 2:24 & 25

1 Peter 3:8 & 9

Psalm 34:12-18

1 Peter 4:7-9

1 Peter 4:11

1 Peter 4:12-14

1 Peter 5:5-7

1 Peter 5:8

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.  I Peter 1:22-23

Books We've Read for the 2013-2014 School Year

 

One of the great things about keeping the blog is it serves as a great place to save things I want to remember.  I try to keep up with the major books we've enjoyed through the school year, but I don't always remember to mark everything we read. 

 

These post serve as a great reminder of books we read, sometimes they are books we want to read again!  Some of our selections are predetermined by our school curriculum and some are books Jon & I chose for them; still others are the kids personal sections. 

 

Abigail was drawn to the Grimm Tales.  Caleb loved Jon's selection of 1984 and the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.  Frankie was a fan of Huck Finn. My Monday night ladies book club took on Adrift and Muscle and a Shovel.  I didn't list Jon's books from the year because he is currently reading Burton Coffman's New Testament Commentaries, for fun.  So far he has finished Matthew through Romans!

 

Anyway, for posterities sake here is the list for our 2013-2014 School Year:

1984; A Grimm Conclusion; A Hiding Place; A Tale Dark and Grimm; Adrift; Allegiant; Battle of the Ampere; Behold the Pattern; Bible; Books of Umber; Cress; Dracula; Frankenstein; Grapes of Wrath; Gulliver's Travels; Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; House of Hades; Huckleberry Finn; Last Disciple; Last Sacrifice; Liberty for All; Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe; Lost Hero; Men of Iron; Mother Daughter Book Club; Muscle and a Shovel; Orthodoxy; Our Town; Power of Six; Pride and Prejudice; Rob Roy; Scarlet; Scarlett Letter; Sense and   Sensibility; Seraphini; Sherlock Holmes; The Blue Cross; The Fall of Five; The Magicians Nephew; The Scorpio Races; To Kill a Mockingbird; and Uncle Tom's Cabin.

 

Here is a look back at previous school years:
 2008-2009 Book List  2010-2011 Book List
 2011-2012 Book List
 2012-2013 Book List

 

give the scroll to someone who can read, and say, “Read this, please,” they will answer,
“I can’t; it is sealed.” Or if you give the scroll to someone who cannot read, and say,
“Read this, please,” they will answer, “I don’t know how to read.”  Isaiah 29:11-12

 

". . .With a Little Help from My Friends"

 

We are blessed with some really great friends, and I can't say thank you enough.  Each week we see a lot of different needs at Metro Relief as we try to help others.  Just when you think you can't meet everyone's need, God reminds you that you don't have too, He will do it. 

 

I put out a call to friends on behalf of pantry guest and our friends answered in a big way.  One homeschooling family sent groceries for the pantry!  Friends from church bought a brand new shower chair for a mom of two that is wheel chair bound.  Another church friend brought a bed rail for an elderly mom struggling with cancer.  Yet another home school friend brought us clean socks for Metro's bus ministry to the homeless.  A friend from high school who lives in Oklahoma, sent a check!

 

All I can say is Thank You! What a blessing each of you are to our family and those in need!

“Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you,
and how he has had mercy on you.”  Mark 5:19

Midnight Madness Tournament

Abigail is warming up for game 1 of Midnight Madness. Her team plays at 7pm, 10pm, 1am, 4 am & 7am

In 12 hours Abigail's team played five games in the Midnight Madness Tournament.  They played at 7pm, 10pm, 1am, 4am and 7am!  She had six at bats, scored three times and had two RBI's, plus a game of kick ball, a card game of War, 3 Gatorade, 4 bottled waters, 2 Dr. Peppers, and a plethora of sugary treats and no nap!  I'm the only one who napped between games and apparently got busted doing so! 

She had an awesome double hit past second and almost to the fence in center field!  It was her best hit today, plus when she rounded home, she got to slide!!  

I lie down and sleep;

    I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.

Psalm 3:5