It was a beautiful evening the night of Erin's birthday. She and Collin were playing in the trees and decided it was the perfect time for some photos. We got Hans and Alan involved and viola: a Family Tree photo!

Can you believe it?

A strange thing happens after you are 40, several really! My eyes went bad and I needed bifocals and my metabolism slowed down so I had to work harder not to gain weight. I seemed to have some more trouble with my lower back as well. Well my dear hubby turned 40 this summer and isn't he starting to share some of these dilemmas!!! (plus some higher cholesteral) Well I am so proud of him. Instead of ignoring it, he has started going to the gym by himself (ie. not as part of a challenge or without a buddy) to work out 3x a week, plus he has started walking and now (brace yourself) jogging with me on Sundays. We went for a walk last week and he started jogging, this Sunday he went the full time with me, although he was a little sore later. Thank you honey for taking care of the body God gave you!!! Lacy is such a help!

A first for Alan!

As the youngest Alan has been brought along to baseball, gymnastics, football, basketball with older siblings. Today there is something just for him K-2 Basketball clinic "Little Dribblers" at SGS. He has not shown any interest in any sports until recently, so here we go! I suppose he did OK. I took the camera for obvious reasons, but also to practice with the new camera. Thankfully a photographer I know from town was there and he helped me with the settings so I could get a clear photo in the gym without a flash... I am very thankful as I am supposed to take photos at the gymnastics meet tomorrow!

I was so excited! I said, "Look Chris he has good follow through, look at his hand." and Chris said, "yeah, but that's his left." Oops not sure what that means, maybe he used both!

Erin is in his grill!Our very cute Li'l Dribbler! I don't know do you think he saw me pointing the camera at him?

What is up? Thought I'd share a few more of my weekly project 365 layouts. Small glimpses into our lives... I am taking a photo a day (at least) and scrapbooking them one week at a time. This started in my Creating Keepsakes magazine, but there are a bunch of us on scrapbook.com doing it too! You can click on the individual layouts to see them close up and then use the back key to get back here.

This winter has been very bizarre! Since January there have been more warm/ mild days than cold. Not that I love freezing or anything, but I am rather fond of winter! The fact that it has not snowed significantly at all this year really bums me out! Chris is already getting ready for the farm year... spraying weeds, putting anhydrous on. How can it be time already?????? It's been important for me to remain prayerful and faithful that God is sovreign. Sovreign over a depressed economy, no rain in months, high fertilizer prices, blah blah blah. His FAITHfulness to me in even the smallest things give me the reminder that HE is WITH me and will see it through. Whatever you are going through my friend, HE is with you too!

Third Day on the 3rd Day

We serious Third Day fans are to post about the band on the 3rd day of the month. They are about to start the tour for their new album Revelation and we are very sad they are not coming to KS on this first leg. We had such a wonderful time, we hope they'll come back to central KS so we can see them again! Only now all the kids want to go too!!!

I posted a funny video I took, last year in Salina KS, my memory card ran out right in the middle of a key phrase. Just click the video link.

Third Day on the 3rd Day

Honor's Choir

Another big music day for Collin! Friday he left with other Middle school students for Wichita at 6:30 a.m. to practice music all day and then perform at Century II that afternoon. I videoed one of his favorite songs and that is in the prior log. Here are some photos from the concert. We went with Mom and Dad Anderson, although I dropped the ball and did not photograph us at all!

Here's my photo pic of the night:

gotta love auto focus!

KMEA Treble Honors Choir 2009

Collin's Piano Contest
Collin's piano teacher believes it's best to start doing the Music Festival as early as possible, so she starts in 6th grade, a year before the school starts them. This is a first for Collin and he was plenty nervous! He started strong, got pretty jumbled in the middle and finished strong. The judge was AWESOME, she walked over to him put her hand on his shoulder and asked him if he ever felt like his hands were jello and his fingers wouldn't do what he wanted them to. He looked so relieved! She then let him replay the part he jumbled and encouraged him to keep working! Intial report is he got a 1 which is an excellent...we'll see more on Monday!

Collin's piano contest piece

My Uncle Bill died February 19th after suffering a heart attack while driving, causing his car to crash. I believe my uncle was 81, I believe. We share the same birthday and so does my cousin John. He and my mother were very close, so here are some pictures in honour of him. Graduation with my mother, they went through school together as they were only 17 months apart.

In front of the Smithsonian Museum for a school trip, I believe

At a cousin's reunion in 1992, one of the few times we were together for our birthday!

Hysterical, for me anyway!!!

I am trying to clean out and sort the Rec Room. I want to be able to have my friends over to scrapbook in there, but it is a mess!!! Anyway I am going through old boxes to see if there is anything in there we can live without (lol!) Well, I found a box of old cards and a little white piece of paper I almost threw away!!!! On a personal note, he knew he had my engagement ring, but I did not. He was still making payments on it. Considering we only have 4 children, unless you count our angel in heaven, then he truly stuck to his word! I do not remember the context this was written or in, or what I eventually asked for, but it wasn't 5 kids! It sure made me laugh!

The Zoo!

It was such a beautiful day on Saturday, warm (74F), lightly breezy (even for KS), so after some chores the children and I went to Great Bend to the Christian Book store and to the Zoo and to DQ. This used to be such a huge deal when the children were little, but it was very relaxing and enjoyable. Well, except for the 2 times there was enough bickering that I said we were leaving if they did not settle it. Of course the new camera had to come along and Collin even got to take a picture (there had to be at least one of me...)

This lion was a little cranky and right up against the fence. There was another railing 2 ftin front of the fence, so the boys could not get any closer... He was probably HOT!
Neat train mural in the petting zoo area.Evidence that I can in fact share the camera... if I have to... I guess

Pardon my poor English on the post following this one. The band we went to see this summer Casting Crowns performed at the National Prayer Breakfast yesterday attended by President Obama. Here is a clip of the song that I heard them singing at the breakfast. The clip is from this summer, but I heard a live clip on the radio of them at the breakfast. Does that even make sense?

Sang at the Nat'l Prayer Breakfast

Took this first one on the way home from church with the Power Shot. The ducks did not give me more than a second to point and shoot before the headed around the corner! Stinkers... Chris took this one and we can even see the beads of water. Not to mention, it's just kind of funny! "Hey dear they're taking a photo might want to get your butt down and your head up!"

Coming in for a landing... i love the maple leaf!

whoooaaaaa!

Erin and I had fun getting them up and watching them fly around, then the launched for their evening meal...wow!

As I was going through the computer and cleaning things up a bit, I thought I'd share some photos with you!

Here's what life looks like in KS between January 1-15. For the Project 365 mentioned in Creating Keepsakes magazine. I'm doing simple digital layouts so far. I may jazz them up more as the year goes on, if I keep with it. I've gotten in the habit of using my camera regularly, so that should not be the problem. I hope to print this book off at Shutterfly at the end of the year and viola 2008 has been scrapbooked!

And a thank you to Mark and Lugene for the fun sweatshirts and games that came our way. I have not photographed us playing all our new games but winter is young yet! This one is hungry allegators or something like that. They got quite a kick out of it! Mesmorizing!

Thought I would share a few more rocket launch photos before I quit. We've had some lovely KS winter days (between 50-60 F go figure!), but it has been so windy the rockets would be in NE or OK before they hit ground. One of these days we will go to Uncle Bill and Aunt Paula's for a group launch. Bill had to get some for them too! BOYS!
My mom got Alan a remote control plane but it was disappointing, we hope to get some replacement parts and on a completely non windy day try it again!

Christmas toys from Bill and Paula

Project 365 Challenge

Both my Creating Keepsakes magazine and my fav scrapbook board Scrapbook.com are challenging us to try at 365 challenge: a photo a day scrapbooked in weeks, so at the end of the year you have a year in review album done! Ha Ha what are the chances I can keep up with that? Well it has occured to me to try or at least get started. So far here are my pic photos from 1/1 til today:

Happy New Year!
As I was sitting alone with my thoughts this morning, I could not help but realize they were rather blue. I don't care to go into details here, but as I sat down to work on my read through the Bible in a year, I felt empty inside. Tried to pray and felt empty inside and came down and read my online "Daily Bread" devotional and got smacked between the eyes:
Regular intake of God’s Word is a worthy practice, but it’s not an end in itself. The prophet Ezekiel spoke to an audience who loved to listen but refused to act. The Lord said to Ezekiel: “Indeed you are to them as a very lovely song of one who has a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument; for they hear your words, but they do not do them” (33:32).

He is in fact speaking to those who plan to read the Bible through in a year.
Don't just read it, Live it! David MacCasland. Evidently I needed some heart surgery before I got to working on my goal! BTW: isn't our God awesome?!!!!!
Happy New Year!