I found $40 in the glove box that my parents had given us at Thanksgiving while I was looking for the warranty on the tires (which I found by a miracle). Maybe this week won't be so bad after all. God does provide - isn't he Awesome! And parents aren't so bad either:)

This is Blog Therapy.. Ramble and Whine - Then face the day

We both have finals next week. Charles has a major research paper going. I have one big project, a medium project and a couple of little projects due this week. GAs, GT (including the GT expo coming up), VBS planning, a flat tire this morning that threw everyone late and still isn't fixed, abstinence rehearsals nearly every night this week, because the performances are next week, our clean house is somehow a disaster again and I am still behind on laundry. There is still a hold on my records not allowing me to register for my classes this summer and next fall, b/c a certain university hasn't sent my transcript after 3 requests. I'm holding my breath that the dad gum transcript gets there today and I can register to get that load off my mind!
Zelda called and left me a message saying thank you for some books I sent to her - in full sentences. "Thank you for the books. They were good. I love you la la. Bye Bye." I listened to the message about 10 times and then I just burst into tears - literally sobbing, because I feel like I am missing out on so much with her and I miss them so much. It has been nearly a year since I've seen them. That is toooooooooooo looooong!
Do you know how happy two people are going to be come Wednesday of next week. Then Thursday family will start arriving for graduation! Graduation, Graduation, Graduation!!!

Logsdon School of Theology Graduate Student Achievement Award:

Charles __________

Awarded by the Logsdon School of Theology faculty to the outstanding graduate student who best reflects the ideals of Logsdon School of Theology. Considered to be the highest award for comprehensive achievement and all-around fitness for ministry.

Family Photos

Sweetie Kait

Pretty Smile

My little reader in the back seat.


Touching up the do

Pretty new dress from Nana



We love GG



Kait just gets sweeter and prettier everyday.

Jonathan

Gotta put the tie behind your back when you're eating. It just wouldn't do to get queso on the tie

Are we late?

Just like dad. How sweet is this!


Grandma is blurry in this picture, but I just love the boy in this picture.

Kaitlin mohawked his hair. It was so cute. We got lots of comments through the night.











This could needs to get recruited by catalogs and make tons of money as a model to pay for college. You've gotta love the two tie look he was sporting.

I Have So Much to Blog

Get ready for a lot of pictures today:) First, Sir Kaiden the Kutie!

Kait's Slideshow

This is a powerpoint slideshow Kait made. Maybe you can at least tell a little about it here. The green squiggles are editing out personal info.

You

can click it to make it larger.

She Makes My Day

Yesterday Kaitlin was telling me about a project she will be doing for the GT expo. She said, "and they want me to make a poster that is all about me, and I said, My mom will help me so mine will be AWESOME. I'm so lucky to have a mom that takes time for me!" And then she said, "my teacher and I were bragging on you."

What a compliment!

Last night she made a power point presentation about frogs. I'm trying to figure out a way to post it. Here is the last page (edited to take out the name).

Mother Daughter Present

I came across this precious chapstick and had to snag it up. I bought another chapstick from this seller recently and loved it. I'm stashing this away until our girl's day this summer. Now I want to find a few other unique mother/daughter presents - maybe a Mom Loves Me shirt since she is about to be too old to want to wear them anymore! If you want to check out her home made chapsticks, here is her etsy store.

Just Today

1. Clean Jonathan's room
2. Clean this kitchen
3. Continue the laundry war
4. Finish math assignment and mail
5. Jonathan's Reading Lesson
6. Library Day for 1st Grade
7. Go order balloons for a friend having surgery
8. Widow supper with the deacons tonight
9. Rehearsal with the Abstinence group
10. Other adventures to be announced as the day progresses
11. Getting ready for Charles' grandparents to be here Wednesday for the awards ceremony Thursday. Only 2 more days:)

Final Grad Announcement

Jonathan the Artist

Jonathan loves playing on Paint on the computer. This is one of his latest creations. What do you see?

Jonathan labeled this "Railroad Tracks and Telephone Poles".

Little Horse

Meet Sassy

Cuteness

Jonathan could have spent all day there picking grass for the horses. He is my animal lover.

I love Kaitlin's expression here. Ah, the care free days of childhood. The feel good days of spring breezes.

You should see this little horse trot and jump around next to her mama. It is so precious.

Meet Sassafras ("Sassy"), my friend Connie's new miniature pony. It looks like Sassy is actually going to be a dwarf, and she is as precious as they come. After book fair today we went to get sno cones and then headed over to Connie's to see the new baby (she's a little over a week old). The kids had a blast feeding the ponies grass and jumping on the trampoline.

Book Fair Rocks

Teach a child to read and he/she can do anything, be anything and go anywhere! Early literacy is my passion! Children's books are my treasure! Book Fairs are the pot of gold at the end of a very imaginative rainbow!

Its been a great week at the Book Fair! I got so many great books! Here are Kaitlin and Jonathan in "Hollywood" which I helped to decorate for the "road trip". These are all the books I got this year. You can't even see them all in the picture. I love book fair!!!

Woo hooo - I made it through the week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2 tests (both a 96 oddly enough) and 2 projects turned in along with GT, GA, rehearsal, book fair and many other odds and ends. Yippee!
I have to register for Summer and Fall classes later this month. I will be very glad for a little break between this semester and Summer I. I am READY! I have 4 semesters left (if I go full force in the summers), then I will go one of two routes (choose your own adventure if you will)...I can do something like I Teach Texas to get my teacher certification (I am too far from the school for traditional student teaching) or I can go straight into my masters degree and get my teachers cert after that. Either way, I want to get my masters in one of two adventures....elementary ed focusing in early literacy or library science (I would love to be a librarian for an elementary school, and in Texas the latter degree is required.)

Pray for guidance in this school business. My degree is 127 hours. I already have about 130 and I still have 4 semesters to go - figure that out and you can see there are a lot of hard earned hours not counting for a hill of beans! I have 16 hours of spanish. I wish I could sell this stuff on ebay. 16 hours of unused college level spanish. I'll start the bid at $1000 to cover tuition, books, fees and hours studied! 16 hours of unused psychology including abnormal psych! I could go on, but now I am depressed!

Graduation Announcements

I'm trying to design a graduation announcement that I like. I happened to have my camera today and got a few shots, but Charles hasn't really felt like modeling for me(big surprise). Maybe I should get some feedback from my loyal blog stalkers? What do you want to see? I'm going to be mailing out like 50 of these.

Jonathan: "Mommy, do you know what my favorite things are? - Eating, snuggling and hanging out with you guys."
Mommy: "Oh, I love snuggling and hanging out with you too!" [Big Hugs]
"Kaitlin, what are three of your favorite things?"
Kaitlin: I-pod, Cake, and Presents (she is planning her birthday party and has decided she wants and i pod. Her birthday is in OCTOBER!).

Cowboy Charles

Hey there Good Lookin'!

Wow - Good lookin' and Better Lookin'!!!

If there was an Old West Charles - this is what he would look like;).

I took a few pictures today for Charles' graduation announcement. How cute is my hubby;)

A minute to catch up

I have a minute to catch up on a few bloggy things. Let's see:

I have an idea for another children's book. I think it will be really cute.

Monday Charles was interviewed by Kait's GT group. They are interviewing community resources (ie: bank, Post Office, newspaper, local business). We brought cookies and icing and sprinkles, and we had loads of fun with that. The kids were genuinly interested in what Charles had to say, especially things about Greek and Hebrew. Its so funny, because Kaitlin has no idea how cool it is that her dad can read and write Greek and Hebrew. He's done it as long as she can remember. For her, "that's just my dad." I think she got a small glimpse of how cool he really is through the eyes of the other kids;) I loved it.

This week is coming to a close, but I'm not out of the woods yet. I'm trying to organize a study day for tomorrow! Gotta keep chuggin!

Book fair starts Monday:)

More about this crazy week!

1 Test and 1 Project Down
1 Test and 1 Project to Go

Other Happy Thoughts This Week:
Charles and I are working on some skits for the Rural Abstinence Program which focuses on educating students about Risky Behavior such as smoking, sex, etc as well as educating students about goal planning (college, career, etc).
If you know me, you know that I have a passion for educating students about these topics! If you have only known me since we have lived here you may not know how much Charles and I enjoy writing scripts for skits about these topics. He and I work so well together, and our writing time is always some of my favorite! I love being such a team and coming up with awesome skits with a great purpose. It is so satisfying! We will be working with (and meeting) the students that are going to perform the skits tonight, so that should be really fun:) It sort of makes me wish Charles and I were going to be doing them.
Just a side note for those that don't know, Charles and I very first met at an audition for a group called NEXT. NEXT was a group of college students who traveled to high schools performing skits about risky behavior. We (the entire group) wrote everything we did which was always so much fun. [Oh if I only had more time to blog today, you would get a long one!!!] So this type of skits has a special place in my heart for another reason - that is how I met my amazing husband and got to know him over several months!

Count Downs

29 days until finals (for both of us)
33 days until graduation

This week:
I was planning to blog "1 test down"! Charles stayed home until 9:30 to allow me to take the exam that I have to do today. It was supposed to be available from 8:00-midnight. I tried every few minutes from 8:04-9:00. No test! I'm at peak frustration! (It is still not available, but I will now have to wait until tonight. It's timed with less than a minute per question, so I really need someone watching J or for the kids to be asleep.)
So still 2 tests, 2 projects to go!

Happy things for this week:
It's Book Fair Time. I love Book Fair!!!!

This week I have two major tests and two major projects due. I also have a lot of other things going on. I am so frazzled!
One of the tests has 50 questions in 40 minutes and they are scenario based. I will be so glad when this week is over.

Children's Church

At the end of children's church this morning, Sheila started going through the ABC's of becoming a Christian (Admit, Believe, Confess). She said, "The Bible tells us that everyone has sinned. That means I have sinned, Brother Charles has sinned, you have sinned, everyone in here has sinned."

A boy in front piped up loudly, "Yes, Jonathan has. He hurt my foot in Sunday School this morning!"

Romans 3:32 Everyone has sined. No one measures up to God's glory. NIRV
Romans 6:23 When you sin, the pay you get is death. But God gives you the gift of eternal life because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done. NIRV
(Scripture taken from a Childrens Bible)

Saturday

It really turned out to be a busy be day for us

9:30 - Out the door for karate at 11:00
11:00 - Family Karate - I always enjoy the family class on Saturdays best. Charles and I actually received our yellow belts and certificates today, so that was fun.
12:30 - Subway for lunch - I have been hankerin' a sub for some time now. Woopeee, Joy
After that was Wally World time (blah). I got a clock for the nursery and the youth room - Yeah!
Kaitlin got pink frosted donuts for her sleepover with dad in the fellowship hall tonight. We toured the fish, the garden department, the entertainment department and the swimwear (all just for fun).
2:30ish - Went to the mall to get new sheets at JCP which is having a great sheet sale (and man have we needed sheets for a long time!) Nothing like a house full of company coming soon to make you finally break down and get things! I also finally got some new shades, and I am mucho happy! Left there with a big smile
Then the kids played at the mall playland and afterward we strolled a little bit.
6:30 - finally back home and looking for dinner. Kait and Charles gathered things up for their daddy/daughter sleepover in the fellowship hall. The donuts are ready, the air ma tress is pumped and Kaitlin is super excited. She has made all sorts of plans in her notebook. I'm sure she will check each item off as they go. She has this great fear that they will oversleep and people will start coming to church and see them there in PJs. Te he.
8:00 - Jonathan is playing a game and I am settling into doing some homework and laundry. I am looking forward to bed tonight. I bought a foot scrapey thing today that I can't wait to try out on my nappy feet.
Tomorrow promises donuts in Sunday School and beautiful weather. Let's face the future with a smile.

Try It Out

This afternoon I saw Jonathan moving very slowly and very carefully taking tiny steps with cupped hands. I just watched him for a minute and then nudged Charles so that he would watch too. Then Jonathan took off running. Finally he said, "I'm trying to catch butterflies!" Ah, there is always a reason. I ran and scooped him up and said, "I caught a butterfly!" Right on cue he started flapping his little wings. He kept adding to the game asking me to put him in a jar (the wagon) and take (pull) him home with me. He escaped and I chased and scooped him up over and over until I was completly out of breath! Meanwhile Charles and Kaitlin were in the hammock reading a book Charles picked for the two of them in the library today.
Tonight for family game night we did "experiments". We played float or sink in the tub. We used foil (a ball, a worm and flat) and play do (a ball, a worm and flat) and 3 other things per kid to see what floated and what sunk. We made predictions and recorded our results. Then we did an experiment with a cup of water filled to the brim. We talked about H2O molecules and the way they want to cling together; then we carefully dropped pennies in one at a time while watching the water dome over the top until it finally overflowed. Then we tried it with salt water. Go do your own experiments to see what happens! Now the kids are playing a game of football that apparantly has 3 half time shows (starring Kait Bee)! I am about to start homework!

Cool and Happy

Jonathan was coloring a picture on his chalkboard. First he made the ocean. Then he drew a picture of himself and his sister smiling in the ocean. I said, "Wow, you have a really big smile on your face." He said, "Yeah, that's cuz I'm lookin' at dad." Then he drew a picture of Daddy in the ocean. Then he said, "Sissy has a cool look on her face, because she's looking at Mom."
Then he said, "woops, I forgot our shoes. I don't know why but our shoes are tied together in the ocean."
So Dad is happy and I am cool;) There you have it.

Holding On

There are things about my children that I know will not last forever. Some of these things we rejoice over - no more diapers, when they can finally tie their shoes, when they can get in and out of the car seat by themself, when they can feed themselves without making a terrible mess. Then there are things that we know we will miss when they are gone. As moms we have all teared up (or fully bawled) over a favorite outfit that has been outgrown or when we look at a picture from the year before and realize how much our children have grown. The first time I realized Kaitlin didn't have any more baby fat in her face or her little fingers I felt this way. Its this feeling of wanting to hold on as tight as possible - wanting to soak up and cherish every little moment.


As parents our goal is to create independent creatures - so why do acts of independence make us cringe or cry? I remember the night before Kaitlin started to Kindergarten. I had her all to myself for nearly 6 years - I felt like I was giving part of her up. After Kaitlin was asleep with her little pink backpack and first day of school outfit all laid out - Charles and I went outside to talk and look at the stars. I cried and Charles held me as we slow danced under the basketball goal. ( I have often said I am going to try to write a book about these moments and call it "Dancing Under the Basketball Goal".)


Today is Pre-K registration. Here Pre-K is from 8:00-11:00. I have really struggled with whether or not to put Jonathan in Pre-K. I never even considered it with Kaitlin (my most social butterfly). I am not considering it for academic reasons - the child is already starting to read, and I think he is on target as far as that is concerned. But for him, I wonder if the transition from full time with mom to full day kindergarten would be too much. This would be sort of a transition helper for him. I have done the pros and cons to death. I am fairly certain that most of the cons are the selfish ones. The ones that come from the part of my heart that will miss morning snuggles more than I think I can bare.


Jonathan snuggles are one of the things that I want so badly to capture somehow. I can't just get a picture or even a video to explain these snuggles! Snuggling is serious business to this kid, and he is the Best! Every morning we have oodles of snuggle time either in bed or in the recliner. Sometimes we read, sometimes we watch a movie, and sometimes we are just quiet and snuggle. When I was pregnant I knew that Jonathan would probably be my last, and I prayed for a snuggler. God provided for that prayer abundantly. Sometimes I will wake up with Jonathan gently patting my face and wanting to snuggle. I get 1,000 kisses and butterfly kisses and eskimo kisses a day! "How bout after you study, we can snuggle in the chair? I'll get a blanket." He is beyond precious. Since Kaitlin has been in school, we have used that time after she is dropped off to have our most precious of snuggle time. Their age difference has been a blessing, because I feel like Kaitlin had me all to herself for three years before he was born and he has had me all to himself during the day since she has been at school (that's fair, huh). I think that time in the morning has been the biggest thing holding me back on this Pre-K thing.


I outright asked Jonathan this morning if he would like to go to school next year, and he said yes. Charles says yes. Mommie says, probably with tears in her eyes.

Frustrated

I am frustrated with school. So much due, frustration with assignments, trying to figure out what to take this summer, so many classes that I have to take in addition to my regular 12 hours every semester.................etc.
This is the way I described my frustration to Casie today. I'm as frustrated as if a squirrel hopped in my window and started singing my song (you'd have to have seen that part in a commercial), then he stole my candy bar, ate it and then offered me the last bite with rabies spit on it! That's the level of frustration I have had today! Are you getting the picture?

On a different note, Jonathan just loves maze books. He and I sat in the recliner for about 30 minutes this afternoon doing mazes together. Then Kaitlin and I read from our Ancient Egypt research book. We've been looking into some interesting Egypt facts since that will be the topic for Threshold this summer. I think she will really enjoy it if she ever gets past having to say, "uh-uh that's not true" on every page that deals with gods or what they believed about after life. That girl's got faith that'll move mountains folks! She says that those Egyptian people need to get with the program, because they aren't gonna have any after life without the true God! Preach it Kait!

Have I been April Fooled?

Gas was $3.26 today. It takes $80 to fill up the van! Is this an April Fool's Joke??? I secretly hoped when they gave me my receipt it would say $30. Remember when gas was $.78 a gallon. I remember getting $5 worth of gas in my old truck and then going somewhere! Am I old enough to have remember when stuff only cost... stories?