A tractor, a dump truck, and one lucky little boy

...And a sneak peek to our new improved back yard!

Caleb builds a bird house

Yesterday Caleb built a bird house with Papaw. I love his face when he turns to the camera to tell us what he's making. Such excitement!



Today Greg hung it up on our big huge oak tree in the back yard. Maybe tomorrow I'll get a picture of the finished house!

Caleb's first soccer game

Today was Caleb's first soccer game ever! He has had two practices with his team and then they threw those 4-year-olds onto a field and let them mix it up! It was SO STINKING CUTE! I got a few pictures of our boy playing. He's number one, and the tallest one on the team! They play four on four, and his team is called the Bears.



Coach Michael placing the Little Bears for a throw-in




Center


Far left


Warming up

Why I like Wednesday

While I could totally write an entire post on how much I have in common with Wednesday Addams (above), that's not what I mean! But I thought the image was cute.

In reality I feel the opposite from the caption on the photo above.. I LOVE Wednesdays! Here are a few reasons:

1. It is the one day of the week I most consistently get to shower AND wash my hair.
2. I have a good reason to dress in something other than "house clothes." Which excites me! What? I like clothes!
3. It's the middle of the week, which means it's not Monday or Tuesday anymore.
4. On most Wednesdays, the kids and I get out of the house in the morning and go to Mops at my church, which I enjoy. On the off-weeks, I look forward to getting out of the house for #5.
5. I get to go to church orchestra rehearsal and play with a bunch of really talented musicians. I love the challenge of trying to keep up with band directors and grad students who play more than twice a week (me).

Right now, my life is simple. I stay close to home with my kiddos. Next year when Caleb is in Kindergarten, life will be quite different. We won't have the "luxury" of staying in our pajamas all day, or not leaving the house for 3 days. So, I'm savoring this time I still have left with both kids at home with me all the time. I love every minute of it and would not trade it for a stack of money as tall as Mt. Kilimanjaro!

Speaking of tall mountains in Africa, my mom posted an update on her blog today. Wednesdays are her "day off" - which adds another reason to love Wednesday -- I hope to get updates from her on those days! I've been getting periodic text messages and occasional emails, but yesterday I got to Skype with her! It was totally unexpected, which made it that much sweeter! I just happened to be on the computer, and the little Skype pop-up popped up and told me she was online, so I dialed and she answered! The kids came in and got to see her too. They are still pretty oblivious to the whole "halfway around the world" thing, but for me it was such a relief and an unexpected blessing to see her face and hear her voice! Thank you Lord for allowing us to have this technology!

God is in the Details!

36 hours later, mom is in Africa at her final destination. That comes with a lot of relief for me. I'll be honest, I was a total mess all of Saturday. Not being able to go see her at the airport almost broke my heart. But now that she's there I can rest easier and stop stressin'! The email I got this morning when I woke up said she had arrived and had been exploring bit. She is understandably overwhelmed and exhausted. Thank you for your prayers for her safety!

A couple of interesting things happened during her journey. These are two examples of our no-coincidences, all-knowing, Great Provider God! I heard about this first story from my Grandma. Just after I talked to her at DFW and the plane began boarding, she handed over her boarding pass and it would not scan. WOULD NOT SCAN. The gate agent set her aside and boarded every other passenger, including stand-by passengers(!!!!), while she tried to figure out why mom's wouldn't scan. There were phone calls the the airlines to confirm her connections and identity and at one point, very near departure time, the gate agent herself was put on hold by another airline person and in frustration exclaimed, "They put me on HOLD! I HAVE GOT to get this flight out!" So, in one last flurry of activity, the gate agent printed mom a new boarding pass, handed her carry-on --which contained her purse, money, everything-- to another flight attendant who gate-checked it, and sent mom on her way down the ramp with nothing but her passport in hand and her computer. She was The. Very. Last. Person. on board the airplane. She sat down next to what she called, "the sweetest little Southern Baptist boy you ever met" who was on his way home to Atlanta and shared her story. During the course of the flight to Atlanta she made a new friend in him, a new prayer warrior in Atlanta, and a guide though the apparently confusing and difficult Atlanta airport. He helped her find her carry-on at the baggage claim, and it was safe with all her valuables inside. It's no coincidence that she was sitting next to that guy. That's God.

Here's an even better one: Arriving at the airport with five very large and heavy bags (some were actually huge plastic containers on wheels), which were going to cost an arm and a leg to check, she met an airport employee at the baggage check-in. The man, they found out quickly, was from Sudan (in Africa). He noticed she had a LOT of bags, and then saw where she was going - one-way - and said in his funny accent, "OH! You are going on a mission! God Bless you God bless you! I will HELP you!" And that sweet Sudanese man proceeded to help her rearrange some things and consolidate things so that every bag was exactly the right size and weight -- saving her over $700 in costs! Of all the people that could have been working that counter, that afternoon, at that airport, for that airline. This is NOT a coincidence, people. This is God's hand in EVERY detail!

I hope to Skype with mom very soon and plan to keep relaying some stories of her adventures in Africa. She also has her own blog about her adventures.

Snow

Call me a scrooge, but I HATE snow. I dislike being cold, I loathe the dry air that makes my skin crackly, and the mess left behind by the melting nastiness hurts my feelings. We usually get one or two snow events in the span of one winter around here. This is the second. Thankfully, while I type this, the sun is out, the snow is mostly melted and the roads are clear and dry. Wish it would have happened 24 hours earlier. I'm especially mad at this snow because it made me miss the departure of my mom to Africa. Questionable roads this morning made us stay at home while many other family members gathered at DFW airport for final hugs and goodbyes. I do think I get to claim the title of "last" - I talked to her on the phone just before the battery died and she started boarding.

Anyway, here are some pictures of our latest snow day. We made the most out of the powdery white stuff.


No snowmen this time, just snow balls!


Not Snowballs. Actual balls. In the snow.


Snow. Yay. Spring now, please!

Request

The kids and I took a 5 day trip to visit my mom and grandparents before Mom leaves for her two-year missionary assignment in the Congo Republic on Saturday (4 days!).

We visited the Fort Worth Zoo, rode a train, played outside, spent Sunday at church and with family, and even had a picnic lunch outside! (In January!). I would post pics of the zoo and the train, BUT I misplaced my memory card and the pictures are missing. BOO! Thankfully, mom's got them on her computer so I'll eventually get them and I will post them here.

Please pray for her as she goes:

- that the airports at DFW and Atlanta will be clear and unfrozen
- that all FIVE of her large luggages (I honestly can't think of the actual word for a very large plastic bin filled with two-years worth of necessities) would arrive on time and intact.
- that the security process would go smoothly and flawlessly
- that once she gets there she gets settles in easily
- that her internet connection works well so we can Skype frequently!
- Most of all, that her work there will make a difference for countless girls and women, and that Christ's love will be shown through her amazing sacrifice for this people.

I know she would appreciate the prayers as she begins this HUGE journey.

snot

The last few weeks have been filled with lots and lots of snot around here. All four of us have had the gunkies. Greg was lucky enough to kick his after only a couple of days. Caleb and Carly both had nice sinus and ear infections, each getting steroids, antibiotics, and Carly got some prescription cough medicine. They both went back for a recheck today (two weeks later) and Caleb STILL has a bad ear. So more (expensive) medicine. I also have been feeling yucky for 9 days now so today I got a cortisone shot and a z-pak, which I would love to start WORKING already..

So, it's official, my family is allergic to January.

Our office redo

Last week I - meaning my mom, Greg and sometimes me - rearranged our office to make it less cluttered and to try to make it more kid-friendly. So the kids could come in and play or watch TV while I sew or work on the computer. With my mom's brains and Greg's brawn we accomplished much! I don't have any before pictures.. sorry. I don't really want to remember the way it was anyway. But here it is now! All we did was remove one rather large piece of furniture and rearrange the rest to maximize the floor space. It's amazing! What you can't see now is the art easel and toy box on the right wall, which is great for the kiddos to play and be creative while mom's in here creating stuff.



The original plan was to switch Carly's bigger room with this room, but after one stroke of genius and a tape measure, it was determined that her room was only one foot longer and the same width as this room, which translates to 11 square feet. Which translates to not worth the trouble.



Look what got uncovered! The poor piano had been used as a storage surface - still able to be played but not the ideal place. I like it much better here, and the kids demand a concert now and then too.

It's still a work in progress. I want to make a shade for the window to protect the backside of the piano, and cover some canvasses with colorful fabric for decoration, and add a row of shelving above the computer desk to hold the printer and scanner and TV. But it's so nice to have a clean and organized workspace!

Birthday number three for number two

Today is Carly's birthday! My baby is three! I will not do the sentimental letter to my daughter post, nor will I make a list of all her accomplishments this year, but I will photo-bomb you with pictures from her party at Chuck E Cheese! Thank goodness the snow cleared off the roads so we could even have the party! I'm so thankful for all of our family and friends that came to celebrate Carly's special day with us!

Her "Big Fat (flat) Cake"




Mom and my girl:


Caleb SkeeBallin with Mimi:


Carly playing games with MaMaw:


Birthday girl


Mom getting in on the action. I love driving games!


Sweet big brother. I have to brag on Caleb -- he was so sweet and helpful all day. He was genuinely excited for Carly's birthday. He wanted her to see her presents and was singing "Happy Birthday" to her in the car.


Doing a dance with ChuckE:


Pizza!!


Cake!!


She smiled so sweetly while we sang to her! It was so cute.




Blowing out the candles -- she totally gets it this year!


Presents!! And a wad of curious kids!


Carly got her "ooooone more Barbie"


Greg and I had another special present for her at home. Caleb didn't know what it was -- can you see the excitement in his hands?


A Bike!


With Dora on it!


She likes it! Now if the snow would melt and we could get back to our regularly scheduled temperatures, she can take it outside to practice riding!


Happy Birthday to our funny, smart, outspoken, sassy little THREE YEAR OLD!