Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Dog tired...
I thought I had a 3rd dog around the house on Saturday. Along with Junior High, Collin started JRSH football! Man, is he tired. They had 2 a day's a few days last week and then school started and they practiced after school. After a "long" first week, they ended with a Friday practice, pizza and pool party and an all night game fest and then practice at 6 a.m. This is what I saw until about noon on Saturday:
He was on the floor for a while too, but I didn't catch that one. Good for him!

Friday, August 21, 2009

First day of School!
Yippee it has arrived, the first and best day of school according to the kids, with the last day of school being the 2nd in line! It took poor Alan some serious convincing that he was excited and ready for school, but he came home with a big smile on his face. Thank you Mrs. Schmidt and Mrs. Zimmerman (1st grade have 2 teachers that split the day).
Collin has had 2 days of 2-a-days this week, can you say tired teenager?



Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Oh shoot!
What is it with boys fireworks and guns, well my boys anyway?!? All summer they have wanted to set off fireworks, their rockets and of course shoot! We finally found some time around Chris' birthday to have a shooting day at Bill and Paula's. It's always fun. The people in the house before them left an aluminum swing set, so it gets laiden with old propane tanks etc as targets. They pull a table out and have at it! (Can I hear you say "Redneck!") Today we all got in the action, even ERIN who usually hates gunfire and hides in the house. (OK McCormicks, Teri has memory of hiding in the backseat of the car while we were at a shooting range, does anyone else remember this?)
I shot too (more than my camera) although I think my aim is better with a camera!There were several guns to choose from! Collin likes this one!! Remington stood guard for a while, but we put him in, too many guns going off for him to be safe. Plus it was awfully hot! There were even naked ladies!!!

Monday, August 17, 2009

Let's see, where was I?

This is definitely worth documenting! We were going to weather proof the deck, over spring break. Well, we had a blizzard during spring break and constant rain during the spring. We had a break in the busyness mid July so we took an afternoon and got this chore done. What made it special? We all worked together and got the job done in 2 hours! Somehow Hans did not get photographed, but they all worked start to finish. (well alan quit after about an hour, but still!)
Collin and Chris finish up while Alan eats oatmeal afterwards. He is the oatmeal-eatinist boy ever! See the zuccini in the background!

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Taken from Our Daily Bread today

"Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” —Matthew 14:27
Sometimes we are overwhelmed by life. The crushing waves of disappointment, endless debt, debilitating illness, or trouble with people can cause hopelessness, depression, or despair. It happened to Jesus’ disciples. And it has happened to me.
Three statements by the Lord beginning with the words “It is . . .” offer us comfort, reassurance, and hope that Jesus is enough. The first is in Matthew 4 and is repeated three times: “It is written” (vv.4,7,10). In responding to the three temptations of Satan, Jesus gave us proof enough that the Word of God is true and overcomes the most powerful forms of temptation and pressure.
The second statement, “It is I” (Matt. 14:27), was spoken when Jesus told His terrified disciples that He Himself was presence enough to stop the howling storm and calm the raging seas.
Jesus spoke the third “It is” from the cross: “It is finished!” (John 19:30). He assured us that His death was provision enough to pay the debt for our sins and set us free.

Whatever our circumstances, Jesus is present with His love, compassion, and grace. He is proof, presence, and provision enough to carry us safely through. —Dave Egner

When trials overwhelm our souls
And tempt us to despair,
We need to reach out to the Lord
And trust His tender care. —Sper

God’s love does not keep us from trials; it helps us get through them.

Friday, August 07, 2009

On the lake...
Chris wanted to go to the lake for some fishing, but Erin was not very excited because she just does not like to fish. So we called our friends Tim and Brandy to see if they might want to go (and bring their 2 girls for Erin to play with). They not only agreed, they offered to bring their boat and take the kids tubing. Instead of fishing, we swam and tubed, even Chris and I. A true eye opener to just how much weaker my upper body is from the last time I went tubing when Alan was an infant!
We did have lots of fun and Tim was such a sport driving the boat for everyone. His Mom was visiting and she was even more of a sport watching the kids so Chris and I could tube too!

Thursday, August 06, 2009

Silliness!
While the guys were fishing, Erin showed me one of the joys of recess: twisting your swing so tight that you have to jump into it, hold onto the pole and then WHEEEEEEEEEE!




Yep and afterwards, she's a wee bit unsteady on her feet!


July in a word: Water!
We had a week or 2 after harvest that just seemed to drag. Nothing going on, no plans or anything. Chris was super busy and the kids and I got lost in a day to day uneventful shuffle. Many of their friends were away so even going to the pool was NOT fun. The crankiness and the complaining was really getting bad and the kids were bickering and complaining too. (oops!) Thankfully some invites and Daddy came through with a series of events that broke the dulldrums.
Water/ sprinkler park with the Rich's (more pics at http://www.andersonfarms.shutterfly.com/)
Then we went fishing with Daddy the next week... More water fun to come... July ended up being OK afterall. Plus I learned the valuable lesson of patience. The devotional book I'm reading "Finding God's Path through Trials" has been great in helping me realize that God will use even my children's disobedience or discontent as a trial to help me grown through my own. (That was a humbling lesson! Or should I say is...I'm not done yet, I'm sure!)

Saturday, August 01, 2009

Nebraska!
Dear friends of ours moved to Nebraska last year (as if Mike and Staci moving to TX was not enough!). Anyway, the kids and I took a few days and headed North. CORN everywhere! We really enjoyed both seeing the difference between NE and KS farming (right across the border, no wheat, no milo, just corn!) It was awesome to see the Rusts as well! Peggy has more pics that I hope she will share soon, but here are a few that I got. The kids enjoyed playing and playing and large slumber parties and movies each night! Peggy and I enjoyed talking and talking and talking! I have missed her friendship. What a trouper to host all of us!