For the Win

Saturday morning ball games are always a great was to start the weekend, unless the game begins at 8am, meaning warm-ups at 7am, meaning leaving the house at 6:30am, meaning a little girl had to be up a 6am on a Saturday! You would think that would earn a groan from a little girl.  I got up at 5:45 to start coffee and a good breakfast for her, only to find Abigail dressed and sitting on the coach! She loves the game.  

The girls had an awesome game it was a tight game, but the Shock Waves pulled it out 9-8!  Abigail had a fun play at home with a runner coming from 3rd, she has to tag the runner for the out, not just the base.  She laid the runner out.  Abigail thought the runner was sliding and didn't realize they were further out from home plate than were the play began.  It was a good play, but it did cause the other team's player to think twice before advancing home! 

The girls are really coming together nicely as a team.  It takes a few games for them to mesh and it is great to see them having so much fun.  I am really enjoying this coach and the girls.  The cute picture in the lower right hand corner is Abigail begging Jon to get her sunflower seeds out of the car.  As you can see there is a bag of seeds right beside her that coach brought for the girls, but someone sat the bag on the lid to the trash can and Abigail had 'issues' with eating any more from that bag! 

you can distinguish between the holy and the common,

between the unclean and the clean

Leviticus 10:10

Speaker's Club

This was our second Speaker's Club for the school year.  For today's assignments Abigail was to give an Informative Speech.  She spoke on the Michael Vey books that she enjoys.  Unfortunately technical difficulties ensued in my efforts to record her speech.

Caleb spoke on the topic of defending a young earth in the creation/evolution argument.  Following each speech the kids and their sponsor critic and give helpful hint to the speaker toward improving their public speaking skills.  

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

Flashback Friday

We have a new Tom Thumb in our town and they working with Metro Relief to help the hungry and needy in our community.  Volunteers take turns picking up bakery items each morning and delivering them to the pantry.  We have taken Friday mornings for pick-ups.  I started to take my van for the pick up, but knowing it would only be a couple of carts of breads and cakes we took the HHR.  As these things usually work out there were 4+ carts of food, two trips later we finished our pick up! 

The picture is the first load, Caleb carefully stacked everything and we were able to transport all the dessert without one casualty  When I saw the kids loading the car I flashed back to a 2006 picture of the kids loading some 300+ cans of food for God's Food Pantry.  They have grown some and don't seem to enjoy me taking their picture as much!  

When Abigail saw the picture from 2006, she asked me what she was wearing. I told her she has on Caleb's jeans and shoes she was mortified and asked me why I made her wear his clothes.  Really!!  The fact that she is not wearing ruffles and bows is proof I did not make her wardrobe selections that day! 

Praise the Lord, my soul. 

Lord my God, you are very great; 

you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

Psalm 104:1

Union Mandated Cupcake Break

Today as I was carrying cases of canned veggies to stock the shelves at the food pantry, I look over and Abigail is enjoying a chocolate, raspberry cream cupcake! Turns out, her buddy Mr. Arvid had suggested she quality check one of the donated pastries from Starbucks.  She said she was on her union mandated break.  Mr. Arvid told her she could have a break in the morning shift if she joined the union, all she had to do was pay him $20 bucks.  Not having 20 bucks, she negotiated a stand up break and one pastry.  

Mr. Arvid is Abigail's buddy, he's trained her how to help the customers shop, he even helps her with her Spanish.  The two exchange banter all morning. Fortunately Mr. Arvid has grandchildren Abigail's age so he is well versed in twelve year old logic! 

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, 

but exhort him as if he were your father. 

I Timothy 5:1

Sixth Floor Museum's Youth Advisory Committee Kick-Off

coffee in the Cafe' before his meeting

Tonight was the first meeting of the Six Floor Museum's Youth Advisory Committee for the new school year.  This is Caleb's third year to serve on the committee and he has loved every minute of service.  The artifacts housed in the Sixth Floor are such a huge part of American History and to think he has had the opportunity to be involved as such a young age.  

Tonight the youth met to sort through applications to fill spots left by last year's graduating senior committee members.  For our local friends if you have youth interested in participating in this great group, check out the video below for details of how to get involved.  The video is a short two minutes and was filmed last year, it features Ms. Sharron, their sponsor whom Caleb and the other kids adore.  You will spot Caleb a few times in the video! 

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Ask the former generation    and find out what their ancestors learned,
for we were born only yesterday and know nothing,

    and our days on earth are but a shadow.

Job 8:8-9

Best Bible Study Ever, I Pinkie Promise

Every other Monday night our home school teens, 7th - 12th grades, get together for a Bible Study at the Gungan's house.  They have been using Answers in Genesis' Creation vs. Evolution curriculum.  

Usually they begin the evening with pizza and snacks, followed by a DVD lesson and group discussion.  It is all youth led and directed.  Once they finish up with the Bible study the boys generally graze  on the left overs while the girls giggle and explain how that last M&M really filled them up! 

Next they head outside for some sort of game.  Tonight they played competitive basketball and zombie tag.  By competitive basketball I mean, I saw boys headed outside with axes and plastic swords.  Not too sure what occurred on the basketball court but I know one child ended up in a cast! Fortunately it was only a broken pinkie, but it makes me snicker, the difference between boys and girls!  

But evil men (who play Zombie Tag) are all to be cast (on their pinkies)
aside like thorns,which are not gathered with the hand. II Samuel 23:6 (Lisa's revised edition)

Sunday Softball

If your Sunday is filled with church and Bible Bowl and you find you have a couple of spare hours in the middle of the day, what to do?  Hmm, play softball of course! With rain outs earlier in the season today we had a Sunday game! 

The weather was fabulous!  The girls were in great spirits and so fun to watch.  They held their own the first two innings, unfortunately somewhere in the third inning things went south!  Abigail had a good game with two at bats, one hit, one double and 2 RBIs.  She threw down two outs at second.  

In her warm ups she was hitting wiffle balls and she got excited when she hit a wiffle ball hard enough to break it!  That's me delicate baby girl! 

The Lord is my strength and my defense;

    he has become my salvation.

He is my God, and I will praise him,

    my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

Exodus 15:2

Church Fall Festival

Like I mentioned in the post earlier, fall weather blew in today.  The timing was perfect, because it was our Fall Festival at church!  Many very talented families at church put together 30+ games, plus photo booth, food, and jump house for the neighborhood kids around the church building.  Invitations were sent out to the homes in the one square mile of the building. 

We worked the Spray Away game.  It was the only outside water game, and yes it was a little chilly! The game let players compete at shooting ping pong balls off of golf tees with a squirt gun! 

It was a great event, lots of new faces, lots of smiles, and lots of candy for the kids! 

Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret,

    I will put to silence;

whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart,

    I will not tolerate.

Psalm 101:5

Fall (Ball) is in the Air

Fall has defiantly arrived in Texas! We headed out for Abigail's game this morning in beautiful weather, in fact, yesterday's high was 92 degrees! We arrived an hour before her game the girls warmed  up in gorgeous weather. In just a matter of ten minutes a cold breeze came in and a literal cold front blew in!  By the time her game began it was 62 degrees, cold and drizzly.  

The girls were in sleeveless jerseys and freezing!  They bonded as a team as they all tried to stay warm.  Abigail had two at bats with one RBI, one single and one run. This team is such a good fit, they are competitive but very encouraging and positive.  Some teams are competitive and just mean, we have played on a few of those teams.  And some teams are friendly, super happy, cheering, non-competitive, everyone gets a trophy type teams.  We have played on many of those teams.  

This team is tough, they want to win, and play hard! But the coach makes them call out during stretches what goals they have for today's game.  The coach refers to each of the players as 'girlfriend'.  They are not permitted to trash talk  If they are in the dugout they are expected to make noise for their team mates on the field.  It is a really great experience.  And in the 'its a small world' category, it turns out the assistant coach is the son of a sweet family at our church! 

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, 

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 

Then you will be able to test and approve what 

God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 

Romans 12:2

Who's Your Preacherman?

Caleb and  several of his friends have done videos for LTC and just for fun.  This is the latest installment to their fun!  Which preacher would you hire, John the Baptist, Moses, Paul or Oscar Bologna? Silly boys!

“Do not consider his appearance or his height,

for I have rejected him. 

The Lord does not look at the things people look at.

People look at the outward appearance,

 but the Lord looks at the heart.”

I Samuel  16:7