Tuesday, September 23, 2008

My Firstborn Princess Turns 7!!!

Anne's 7th birthday is today!!!!

She had a bowling party this past Saturday, and it was a BLAST!!! It's been one of the best ideas for a birthday party I've had, yet! Since our house is under construction it's really not fit for entertaining guests! LOL!! The Gentry bowling alley is really nice and clean. The people that own it were great, and I just couldn't beat the price!!

She wanted to invite her ENTIRE class!! I wasn't sure if any would actually come because of the distance between Bentonville and Gentry, but 4 from her class did come. One family made an afternoon of it for themselves and bowled on their own lane while they were there. A few girls from church came as well as her cousins. It was such a fun time! Andy did an awesome job during the whole party as well. He managed the kids as they were bowling, as well as other things, but managing the kids was HUGE to me. It allowed me time to visit with the parents from school and get to know them better. Naomi wants to have a bowling party, now! ;)


















Since today is her actual birthday we are going to celebrate once again by letting her open her gift from us, and mom is getting pizza to eat at her place. My parents have been FANTASTIC to us while our house is under construction!

Happy Birthday Anne!! You are loved TREMENDOUSLY!
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Thursday, September 18, 2008

More progress

The place we have been renting equipment from for demolition just recently bought this wonderful machine!! Andy was able to bust up the rest of the concrete in order for the footing to be dug for our house in a matter of a couple of hours. With a regular jackhammer it would have taken days!!! We are so thankful to RJ Tractor in Siloam for purchasing it!! The second picture only shows the first part of what Andy busted up. There was a bit more when he was done. :)


















I was so excited to see the footing dug on Monday when I got home from school. I knew they were supposed to, but they hadn't shown up before I left for school. I spent the whole day just believing God that they were there and digging. Sure enough, when I got home they were!! I was beside myself with giddyness and began taking pictures. After calling Andy, I called my mom to share the good news! With all the rain we've had, I was beginning to wonder if we would ever begin this project. If everything goes well concrete will be poured this weekend!
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Home Sweet Home!?

This is a 5th wheel we are borrowing from the youth pastor of our church while our home is under construction. It was too hot to continue living in the bedrooms since electricity was put on the temporary pole. So, this is our residence for the time being. Although, since the weather has been AWESOME these past few days (and is supposed to continue to be) we are back in the house!! I have no kitchen in the house so I fix meals in the 5th wheel. Well, that's an overstatement! :) I heat up Stouffer's dinners and make Easy Mac in the 5th wheel! :) We are thankful to have it as long as we need it.

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The Girls!

Here are some fun pictures of the girls! The first picture of Melanie is on our trip to KS a couple of weekends ago. She loves to entertain and be the center of attention!! She first was playing peek-a-boo with Anne using her "burpie." Then it evolved into Mel just putting the "burpie" on her head to make us all laugh. I couldn't resist the pictures.

The second picture is at the girls' gymnastics class. Melanie enjoyed standing at the cubbies and cruising along side them. She has recently taken a couple of steps, but nothing more than that, yet.


















The third picture is of Anne at gymnastics. She did a bridge-kickover for the first time at her last lesson. She can do it unassisted on the "cheese" mat. (It's shaped like a wedge of cheese.) It got the owner's attention. So, the owner (pictured with Anne above) took her to the bar to try a tummy roll, but Anne had some difficulty with that. There are a few things the kids have to master before moving onto the next level. Anne only has a couple more to do!!

Naomi just started gymnastics in August. We had wanted to put her in dance originally, but since that's in another town, and we are in Centerton for school, it was just going to be more driving and busy-ness than I cared to manage this year. She is enjoying it, though, and her form is improving.
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Sunday, September 14, 2008

Ready for Fall!

I'm SO READY for fall!!! Today the rain has passed, the sun is shining, and the weather is cool!! When it starts cooling down I get excited about the fall season. It's one of my favorite times of the year. So, I've changed my background once again. If I find a cuter fall background I might change it again! :) Variety is the spice of life! :)

I'm ready for football games, apple cider, hay rides, pumpkin patches, OUR HOUSE TO BE DONE! ;) I couldn't resist the last one. :)

Next, I'm going to look at a website for one of our local corn mazes. I took the girls there last year when I was 8-9 months pregnant with Melanie. It will be fun to enjoy it without a big belly!

Happy Fall Ya'll!!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Worth Repeating! :)

This was forwarded to me again this year through the email system. I thought it was worth reposting. It's a little bit better version than the one I posted last year. ENJOY!!!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

What A Difference a Year Makes!

I know I haven't blogged in a long time so I thought I'd just find some random, cheerful pictures to post. :) Since it's been raining SO MUCH we have not been able to start construction on the house. We are praying that God will close the heavens for a little while after this weekend so that construction can begin. Our house is even more gutted than the pictures I previously posted. I'll have to take a picture of the fifth wheel we're living in now, too. :)

I blogged about my foot challenges a while back...physical therapy helped tremendously, and now I have my orthotics. I have to spend the next few days getting used to them, but I'm excited to have them!!

Please pray for Naomi. She is struggling with allergies. Her poor eyes look like we've been beating her or she's been crying ALL DAY!! We're not sure if it's just seasonal, or if there's mold in the fifth wheel we are living in, or if it's the ragweed (at an all time high!). I was using OTC, but they weren't helping. A parent of one of my student's turned me on to Ozark Herb and Spice. They recommended a natural nasal spray that I can put in her eyes as well. That was working great! While we were gone to KS this past weekend I could tell she was getting better. Since we've been back home it's all flared up again. I guess the next step is to take her to the doctor.

The girls (Anne and Naomi) love school. The second picture I've posted was their first day of home school last year. The third picture is their first day of school this year! What a difference a year makes! They look so young in last year's picture!! Time flies...

The first picture is of Jaron and Melanie at Courtney and Garret's birthday party this past August.



I guess I should also add that I'm enjoying school, too. It's really awesome to be teaching in a Christian environment, and knowing that my girls are learning in the same environment. Gives me peace about their education. A first year in a new subject is always tough. I can get caught up on lesson plans, but then grading falls behind or vice versa. Because the parents are literally investing in their students education the standards/expectations are really high--unlike most parents I'm used to dealing with in a public school. Honestly, I miss teaching math. Social studies is a stretch for me, but I'm learning so much!! I'm also growing and learning so much more in my relationship with God also. He continues to amaze me every week, if not every day!
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