There's No Place Like Home!

My Natalie

2009-09-26T21:43:00.000-07:00

It is so hard to believe that 8 years has passed since my very first, beautiful baby girl came into this world. We so enjoyed cuddling her and meeting her needs. We laughed constantly during her toddler days as she was learning to communicate and have fun. Never before had I seen a child hum every time they were concentrating. Then she became the big sister that would pile the toys on top of "sissy." She was just helping of course. All too soon she began kindergarten and that started her love for reading. She enjoys school and does well at it. With each year that has gone by she has grown a little more. She tends to be on the shy side around strangers, but is learning to overcome her fears. I have watched her struggle to do things, but in the end I have watched her enjoy the outcome from branching out. What a joy and privilege to have Natalie in our home. She is overflowing with emotion and that can be hard to deal with at times, but I cannot imagine life without her. Natalie excepted Christ just before she turned 5 years old. It has been fun to watch her grow in her knowledge of her Savior. I pray that she will continue to grow in His grace and knowledge as well as in her academics. I pray that she will always know that we are here for her and that we love her unconditionally. I love you Natalie and I hope you have a wonderful birthday and year to come.

2009-08-24T19:52:00.000-07:00

It is absolutely amazing to me that it is time for school to start. The classroom is set up (real frogs and all), and the lesson plans are made. It is so exciting, but also such a great responsibility. This will be my first year with 4th grade. I pray that God will work in our class this year. The theme of the year is "Exalt His Name," From Psalm 34:3. At the end of that verse is the word "together." I want us all to learn to work as a team to get things done. When we are cleaning, I want a team. When we are working on school work, I want a team. Most of all I want a team that is going to strive to grow spiritually together. I believe that when working together we can go so much further. I am looking forward to what God has for us this year. I hope you will all pray with me that God will be exalted in all that we do.

Blogging vs. Facebook

2009-07-06T21:14:00.000-07:00

Hello all my dear blogging friends. I promise that I have not disappeared. Facebook just seems to have taken up more time lately. Sitting here tonight though I could think of nothing that I wanted to do more than come here to update this blog. LOTS of things have happened lately. First we had the "Spokane stomach flu and fever" Half the city seems to have gotten it. It doesn't seem to last long, but you sure feel horrible while you have it. Right after we were better from the flu Rachel was getting down from the trampoline and broke her arm in two places. Both, thankfully are buckly fractures, and did not need to be set. She went in for x-rays today and they said that the bones are lining up nicely. She will have one more set of x-rays next week. The doctors will get together to view them to make sure they all agree that the bones are doing what they are supposed to. They do this because there is only a small window of opportunity to fix the bones if they decide to shift. So far all has been good news though. For the 4th of July we went out to the Harding's property in Idaho. We had so much fun spending the day there with our friends.
Monty is struggling with his back. He has been put on light duty at work. It will hurt the paycheck, but God knows our needs and He knew this was going to happen. Hopefully the light duty work will only have to last for a week and he can be released back to his normal job. In the meantime we are doing everything we can to make sure he heals up. The doctor says his back is strained so no more twisting and lifting for a bit. He has some pain meds that help, but still let him function. We are confident that God is taking care of us and will continue to do so. The Bible tells us that there will be times of testing and struggles, but He never leaves our side. Right now is a great time to know that.
I am continuing to do the paperwork for Best Loading. What a blessing to have that to do here at home. In the fall I will begin teaching full time. I'm so excited for the opportunity that God is giving me to work at Faith Baptist Academy. I can't think of anything I would want to do more. I will miss the teenagers, but I will still be there to help them. For now it is God's will that I work in the elementary and I'm excited and ready to get started.
I guess for now I will get going. I will try to be a little more faithful to my blog. Have a great day.

Easter 2009

2009-04-12T14:49:00.000-07:00

Here it is, Easter 2009. What a blessing this day is to me. I remember as a kid how much I enjoyed Easter, but for completely different reasons. I loved going on a hunt for our Easter baskets (mom hid them in the dryer one year) and then I would sit and enjoy all my candy in my new dress and fancy shoes. I still love the whole basket and new dresses for my girls part, but Easter is so much more than that. Easter is about Christ. Without His resurrection His death would be meaningless. As most of you know I am not a person to cry very much, but my heart broke a little today. I sat next to my cousin (We just very recently got back in touch after over 15 years) and during the invitation he raised his hand about salvation. On his own he went forward and spent some time talking with Pastor Donley (I'm so thankful for our church staff). No, he didn't receive Christ today, but God is working in his heart. Without giving any details that aren't necessary, I'm just amazed that he is coming to church at all. God is still in the miracle working business. I don't have any idea what God will do in the future, but He wants those souls that are still out there and He wants to use us to go bring them in. It was such a great reminder to me about the real reason for Easter.

I hope you all enjoy the pics

Daddy and his girls

Natalie, my little princess
Rachel and her curtsy

Hailey with her shy smile

2009-03-25T22:26:00.000-07:00

Yes, We are still alive. I can't believe how much running we have been doing. Between work, church, meetings, and all the duties of home there hasn't been much time to spare. I was planning on posting pics of the girls Easter dresses, but at the moment I can't find my camera. Sorry, but you will have to wait. Monty was wondering why I kept saying "I want my camera." I thought that maybe if I said it over and over, it might just pop into view. I was wrong. I still have no idea where it is. I'm sure none of that mattered much to anyone.

Like I said, so much has been going on, but God still has time in all of that to work on our hearts. Amazing how that never ends!!! The theme this year is Making A Difference. Each Sunday we are reminded to reach out and make a difference in the lives of others. Sometimes putting yourself out there can be scary and uncomfortable, but what if doing just that helps change their future. God has put some in my path lately that are easy to help. I pray that He gives me the chance to just be a friend. He has also put some others in my path that I don't know what the outcome will be. It is a time of stretching. Time to put myself out there and just let God take care of the circumstances. I can't make people do right and I can't make them be successful in their Christian lives. I can however be the instrument that God uses to bring them back to Him. It will be interesting to see what God will do. It is, after all, God that makes the difference.

I hope and pray that each of you are having a wonderful time in whatever it is that you are doing. May God bless each of you.

Just Rambling!

2009-02-21T21:50:00.000-08:00

Once again I can't believe how much time has passed since I have posted anything. Life seems to pass so quickly these days. I have been working extra with the 1st grade class while my mother in law has been out sick. For more than one reason I'm glad she is doing much better. Mostly just because I care about her health and how she is feeling, but I do have to say that getting back to my "normal" crazy schedule will be nice. They are a sweet class, but the more I was in there the more it affirms in me that I LOVE being with the high schoolers. I'm a weirdo I know. Somehow those teenagers have earned my love and loyalty. I would have never imagined that I would like working with them, but it really is my privilege to do so. There has been so much going on in the past couple of weeks besides working in the school. God has been working over time in my heart about my attitude toward people. Pastor preached a message on Friendship the other night. Wow!!!! Just what I needed. I need to be the right kind of friend no matter what I feel. My friendship should not be based on how I feel they are treating me. I need to reach out anyway and be sincere in what I do and say. I am so thankful that I have a Pastor that is willing to preach the truths of God's word. I don't always like to hear where I'm wrong, but it is needful and right. I'm still struggling with a few things, but I have been praying that God will help my heart. Bitterness is a terrible thing. I've been there and I don't want to go back. Thank you all for checking in. Have a great day.

2009-02-10T16:05:00.000-08:00

Well, day two of Spirit week is done. Twin day is always fun, and many of the kids were hard to choose from when judging. Of course I think the cutest pair is right here. They didn't win today, but they had fun anyway.

One of the little girls in Natalie's class ended up without a twin so I was her twin today. We ended up winning and she was very proud. It was a blessing to be able to help her be a part of the fun. She gave me a big hug at the end of the day. I'll update again tomorrow.

Cute Nerds!!!

2009-02-09T19:55:00.000-08:00

Nerd day is always an interesting time at school. How often do you spend extra time and money to look bad??? I have to admit though that Natalie is about the cutest nerd I've ever seen. Her missing 4 front teeth only added to the cuteness. I sort of dressed up, but took clothes to change into. I can't concentrate that way. We enjoyed our day.

Natalie is definitely a cuter nerd than I am.
Teaching 4 out of 5 days for the past three weeks has added a whole new business to life. We are keeping our heads above water. I think when it is done and life is back to "normal" we will probably all collapse and stare into space for awhile. It has been an interesting experience moving back to the younger grade. High school and 1st grade are worlds apart. I have enjoyed my time and I know that God is meeting our needs through all of it. I will definitely look forward to being with the teens again. What a bunch of turkeys they are, but I love every minute of being with them.
I know many of you read my previous post and I will just tell you that God is working in my heart. There is no circumstance to hard for Him. He allows things for our good. I still don't understand it all and yes, some of it hurts, but I know it is not mine to handle alone. My job is to be faithful and move forward.
Thank you for checking in. Have a great day

God will make this trial a blessing.

2009-02-01T15:25:00.000-08:00

Have you ever heard the song, "God will make this trial a blessing though it brings me to my knees, though my tears flow like a river, yet in Him there's sweet relief."? It has been a trying week for me. I've been extra busy with extra teaching, but outside of all of that there have been a few trials that I haven't quite known how to face. Really, they may not seem big to others, but I guess they have just sort of piled on to where the weight has been somewhat heavy. The Ladies Ensemble that I sing with sang this morning. The words spoke to my heart. "Bow the knee. Trust the heart of the Father when the answer goes beyond what you can see. Bow the knee. Lift your eyes toward heaven and believe the one who holds eternity, and when you don't understand the purpose of His plan, in the presence of the King, Bow the knee." As Pastor preached another song came to mind. "Although there've been times I've been out of His will, I've never been out of His care." Through every trial and every misunderstanding God is there. I simply must lean on Him. I don't have to understand why, I just have to know He cares and it is for my good. I look at the circumstances of the past and I know that He worked what seemed bad at the time into something amazing. He is the same God now.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONTY!!!!

2009-01-24T14:51:00.000-08:00

My wonderful husband's birthday is tomorrow. I'm so thankful for the husband that God gave to me. He is everything I could have dreamed and more. He is my best friend and the one I can always turn to. He puts up with my wild tendencies and spurs me on when I need it. He loves me when I don't deserve it. He is the best father in all the world and is a great leader in our home. Thank you Monty for all that you are and will be. I love you with my whole heart and I can't imagine life without you.

TWINS

2009-01-23T08:29:00.000-08:00

Though you would like to see pictures of the twins!! The black one the kids have named Vinny. He is the smaller of the two and I have a hard time getting him to eat. The white one is Vince and he is bigger and more agressive and eats very well. Enjoy!!!

The kids are really enjoying them so far! Also Katie is home and is doing better everyday! She really liked meeting these guys!

2009-01-21T22:36:00.000-08:00

Here it is, Late at night again and I'm still up. I just finished up with the paperwork that I have so the only thing I will have tomorrow is the new stuff they give me. It feels great to be caught up on that. I have all the kids laundry from upstairs to get done though. I'm going to try to go through it and reorganize it all at the same time. Their clothes get to be such a mess. I guess if its not one thing its another. I have been working hard to stay caught up on the chores around here and part of that is teaching them to pick up after themselves. It takes longer right now, but if they can catch on to the idea it will pay off later. Natalie does pretty well, but I think Rachel will just be Miss Disorganization for awhile. Hailey is still a bit young to know exactly which way she will go. Speaking of Hailey, she is doing much better. No fever for a couple of days now. I'm not sure what caused it, but it was scary having it go so high.

Natalie has all A's for this quarter. I'm so proud of her. I know she works hard. She tends to melt down if she thinks somethings not PERFECT! For the semester she averaged all A's and one B. I think she has done a wonderful job. She doesn't struggle academically much, but she does struggle with feeling very self conscious. At school she is a very different girl than at home. In our home she is very out going and bubbly. At school she holds back and won't do anything that she thinks someone might consider silly. Getting up in front of her class is very difficult for her. Hopefully over time she will open up a bit more.

Hailey (and other things) Update

2009-01-18T22:01:00.000-08:00

For those of you wondering how our Hailey is doing here it is. She started with the very high fevers on Thursday night and continued at about 103 until yesterday (saturday). As of yesterday she was actually worse. She was topping out at about 105 and her whole little body was red. I think she is probably sick of baths by now. She had a very high fever this morning at 5:30 so I gave her more IB. We stayed home from church, but she really didn't go back up through the day so we went to help with the Patch Club stuff. Just before we left I could tell she was going to go back up so we only stayed for the beginning. By the time we got home she was 101. I'm so thankful it seems to be taming down now, but we will see what the night holds. She likes to spike up when she is sleeping a lot of times. Over all though, today was a much better day and she actually was playing and wanted off of my lap.

Patch Club did a wonderful job tonight. Rachel did her very first solo. (No, I couldn't find my camera). I was so proud of her. She even managed to not dance while she sang it. I don't think she was nervous at all. She LOVES the spotlight. Natalie was in her first skit tonight too. She memorized the part on her own and did great. She was a little more nervous, but carried through and I'm so proud of her too. I'm not sure how she stayed standing because her legs were twisted some weird way and she was standing on the sides of her feet. My feet would have to be broken to do that. They are all great kids and I love them so much. God has truly blessed me.

2009-01-16T19:26:00.000-08:00

Has it really been so long since I've posted. The last two weeks have flown by. School is back in session so that means back to the reality of getting up in the morning. Thankfully some of the snow has melted off so it isn't quite such a pain to get around. The first semester ends on Monday and I can't believe it. It seems like school just started up. Natalie is halfway through her 2nd grade year and even scarier is that Rachel will start kindergarten in the fall. That should be an interesting adventure. Anyway, life has been slightly busy. I'm learning more and more that God allows things in our lives so that we can help others. Sometimes circumstances of life are painful, but God makes us stronger through them. Now it is my responsibility with God's help to pour myself into making a difference in the lives of others. What an awesome responsibility it is, but even more it is a privilege. God wants to use me and that is amazing!

Well, we are back to Hailey being sick. She is spiking temperatures over 103. She seems fine with the medication, but as soon as it wears off she is miserable. Thankfully there are no problems with breathing so far. I'm watching her closely though so we don't have the lungs functioning under normal capacity this time. She is definitely my weakest one when it comes to illness. Just pray that she will get better and grow stronger. I pray that all is well with each of you. Have a very blessed day.

SNOW from where?

2009-01-05T18:55:00.001-08:00

The snow on the roof is very deep.Here you can see how deep the ice dam is on our roof.

This is the snow in the drive way after 1/8th of the roof was shoveled and Christy had shoveled for half an hour taking it out.

This is where she was putting the snow.

2009-01-04T21:15:00.000-08:00

Well, the New Year is definitely under way. We have had our parties, late nights, late mornings and way too many snacks. Tomorrow was supposed to be back to reality with school and work and early mornings. We get one more day however to laze around the house (Or organize some more) and forget that real life does exist. All the public schools have been forced to close and all private schools have been advised to. We are expecting another big snowfall tonight, but even if we don't get much the road conditions are horrible. The snow is to the point of not being able to see around any corners and the ruts make your car go sideways before you can go forward. It really is crazy. Officially 69+ inches and counting. There is no end in sight. Monty unfortunately hasn't had the opportunity to peel away from reality like the rest of us. After work every day he has been somewhere shoveling snow. He is tired, but doing well.
Many of you have asked about how Hailey is doing and I really appreciate your prayers for her. For those of you who don't know, I took Hailey in to the doctor this past Tuesday after turning quite blue. She had been coughing and running a fever for three days, but I didn't hear any wheezing. By the time I got her there they told me that she could not breath deep enough to wheeze and she was breathing over 60 times a minute. Her lungs were no longer functioning properly. If we would have waited through the night we most likely would have been admitting her to the hospital. The put her on Neb treatments every 4 hours (more if I needed them) and gave her an antibiotic to clear the chest. She is doing better although when she runs around a bunch I have to give her more treatments. She gets out of breath more quickly than normal, but she knows when she needs "medicine" to help her. Thanks for all your concern and prayers on her behalf.

Happy New Year

2008-12-30T19:01:00.000-08:00

It is unbelievable to me that 2008 is already coming to an end. Remember when we were young and all those old people talked about how quickly time was passing. All I could think about was how slow the school day was and wishing I could have some of that time that was on full speed ahead. How different things are now. I look at all the things that I have on my "to do" list and I long for just a little more time to accomplish them. The girls are growing so fast, the work comes in quicker than I can get to it, and the laundry is on overflow. (Not an exaggeration). Sometimes it seems overwhelming. I think we all probably feel that way at least some of the time. Then I start thinking about all the ways that I could really do better to organize my time and keep up better, but I think the most important thing is to make sure to keep God's things first. I'm horrible about getting so busy that I forget God. Really it is the same principle as tithing. When we give God the first fruits then He will bless and multiply the rest. If I could learn to give God His part of the day then He can bless the rest of it. It comes down to what is really important. There is no contest. God should be first no matter what else is going on. Looking to the New Year is a great time to start over. I just wonder what God will do this year. I can't even begin to count the blessings from this past year and I know that God wants only to do more. How exciting!!!

2008-12-25T19:09:00.000-08:00

Ok, so let me tell you the funniest story ever. I was looking outside and noticed how much our trampoline was sagging. I told Monty about it and he went out to shovel it off since we don't want it ruined. There is about 3 feet of snow in our back yard so it was no easy job I'm sure. Anyway, when it was all clear he decided to jump off. Of course, being the good wife that I am I was watching him do all this through the window. When he went to jump, his feet slipped out from under him. He looked like he was diving into a pool head first except I'm sure it wasn't refreshing like a pool is. He did the most hilarious nose dive into the snow. I couldn't get there in time while his legs were still up in the air, but I did get a good pic just as he got up. I'm glad it's not blurry from my laughing while I took it.

Monty working hard

Monty recovering from a snowy nose dive
Tossing the girls and making them stick in the snow was great. They loved it too.

I hope each of you have had a very Merry Christmas. We have had a great day. I'm glad the meal is done though. Now I can sit down and relax.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T12:18:00.000-08:00

I ventured out this year and made nightgowns for the girls. I still need to add the button to the back but otherwise they are done. They are warm, cozy flannel. Have a Merry Christmas!!!

Sometimes you just have to laugh

2008-12-20T19:37:00.001-08:00

Natalie was watching Home Alone tonight and I got a couple of pictures of her. She has her legs bent at the knees and then stuffed into the bucket. She stayed this way almost the entire evening. It didn't look very comfortable to me, but she scooted all over the basement and had a blast. I guess when you are cooped up in the house you have to get creative.

Snow day

2008-12-18T16:21:00.001-08:00

What to do with a snow day? Well, after shoveling, shoveling, and shoveling some more you have to something fun. The girls played outside for a little bit, but when the snow is taller than you it is hard to get control over it. Natalie played the longest and probably would have stayed out if someone would have stayed with her. Rachel had fun, but she gives up on the cold fairly quickly. Hailey lasted all of 5 minutes, but she got stuck. She was screaming at the top of her lungs scared to death because she couldn't move and the snow had taken her mitten. We will probably find it sometime in the spring. Anyway, after all of that Bradi asked if we could make the sugar cookies that I had said we would make. Bradi did most of the dough and then she had to go. We rolled it out, cut out shapes, and frosted until we were sick of it. The girls had fun and I only had to vacuum twice. That's a record I think. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. We sure did.

Rachel, icing her cookies. I think she ate half the frosting though.

Hailey enjoyed working on the cookies too. She had to taste test occasionally though.

Natalie strikes a pose to look cute while she is frosting her cookies.

Hailey enjoying the fruits of her labor

Natalie working hard to make it perfect
Sprinkle time.

I just had to put a picture of my snowman. I think he is cute.

AND MORE SNOW!!!!

2008-12-18T08:51:00.001-08:00

Spokane got a record snow fall of 17" in 24 hours. Check out the child's swing. (Far right) I am gald we do not need to take the garbage to the street today.

This is our back yard.

Can you see our two vans? This was shoveled clean 12 hours ago.

This is snow that has drifted up onto our porch. Can you find the driveway? I don't know why it took on a blue tint. The picture before and after are white.

SNOW!!!

2008-12-17T17:06:00.000-08:00

Our first real snow of the season and it's a doozy (Not sure if that is the how to really spell doozy, but it works.) It started this morning when I left for the school and still has not stopped. It has snowed about 8 inches at my house with no signs of stopping. It took over an hour to get home from school. Thankfully we didn't see any accidents over here. I know there have been tons of them though and they have shut down many streets. Anyway, it is supposed to snow all night so I'm hoping some will be sure to stick around for Christmas. I love white Christmas'. I have to admit that I don't want the snow to stay as long as it did last year. That was a bit on the overkill side.

Just having fun

2008-12-16T18:38:00.000-08:00

Hello all,
This background said it was for New Years. I haven't quite figured out the connection it has to New Years, but the green was kind of bothering me and there is only two weeks until the New Year. If I'm going to use a New Year's background, I had to do it now. With all that said, I'm actually just procrastinating from the work I know I should be doing right now. I hope all of you are having a wonderful Christmas season. We are so blessed. God just amazes me. We are so undeserving and yet He loves us anyway. Merry Christmas to each of you.

2008-12-10T12:57:00.001-08:00

Rachel has had pink eye and looks pathetic. Her eyes aren't pink anymore, but she has rubbed them so much that they are very swollen.

Rachel was trying to smile, but it didn't quite make it.

Monty has moves

2008-12-07T20:37:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

More elves

2008-12-07T15:46:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Elves in the making

2008-12-07T15:20:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Rachel is five!!!!

2008-12-06T13:13:00.000-08:00

Well, today is a special day in more ways than one. First of all, Rachel made it to her 5th birthday. I can't believe that time has gone by so quickly. In spite of all her craziness we love her tremendously and she is a blessing to our family. I don't know what we would do if we weren't always wondering what she is up to. It will be wonderful to see what God will do with her. She has no fear and will talk to absolutely anyone. Her heart is gold. Happy Birthday Rachel, I love you with all my heart!!! The next reason it is special is because it is also Belinda's birthday and I had three of my very close friends over for Breakfast. Belinda, Amy, Cyndi, and I have had some very interesting times. I cherish each one of them. They are my friends in spite of my downfalls and yes, they will tell me when I'm being dumb. Anyway, I made a small goody box for each of them and we enjoyed the morning just visiting. I took a picture of the table before they got here. Have a great day.

Rachel is enjoying the loom she got from Grandpa Goodman and Grandma Betty. I like it because she has to sit still to do it. YIPPEE!!!

Just some thoughts

2008-12-04T12:02:00.000-08:00

Hello family and friends,
I am supposed to be doing work right now, but you know how that goes. What better to do than procrastinate. It seems that lately I have been more reflective than usual. I don't know if it is just because I'm getting older and seeing more or if I am just working through the feeling that are going on inside with my mom leaving and getting hurt. Maybe it is a combo of things. I am not struggling in a bad way. I just don't like emotion very much so I'm not quite sure of what to do with it. I of course have been reading all the Thanksgiving posts and remembering all that I have to Thank the Lord for. Now as Christmas approaches I look around at all the people rushing around and wondering how many of them really have a clue as to what Christmas is. Don't get me wrong, I love the decorations, the food, the family times, and of course the gifts, but I have to wonder how many of us would be content to be without those things and just be content with the gift that Christ gave. We will have our fun times this year and we will go to the Christmas parties, but what I really want to do this year is reflect on the real Christmas gift. I have had emotional struggles the last few weeks with all that has been going on that I could not change, but through it all there has been Jesus. He has been there with arms wide open just waiting for me to turn over my fears and worries to Him. That is a gift that cannot be ignored. When I look at the past few months I think that God is trying to stretch me. How incredible that He would care enough to make me a better person. I'm so thankful and I want to use this Christmas season to reflect on Him a little more than what I have in the past.

2008-12-03T23:19:00.000-08:00

I like the Christmas-y background. Cool!

2008-12-01T21:47:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is over already. We had such a great time at Cheri's house. It was a very lively place to put it mildly. With everyone there were 15 people. I am so blessed to have the family that I do. The pictures are kind of backwards, but you will get the point.

We were out on the front of the Ferry boat when the other was passing. The girls thought it was great to be on one "ship" and see another.

I just had to get a picture of the handsome guy up by the railing.
Natalie and Rachel being still for a second so I could snap a pic (Hailey was asleep and there was no way I was waking her up)
Rachel and Daddy (Rachel made me nervous. You never know what she will try.) The boats captain had just waved at her from the window just above so she was very excited.
Natalie is not sucking her thumb. She was wiggling her tooth the whole time. (It came out today. Now she has all 4 of her front teeth missing.)
Their first moments out of the car were filled with excitement
All the girls dressed for Church. Hailey didn't want to smile, but at least they all look pleasant.
They had a blast looking at all the sheep and llamas. I didn't realize it was raining so I took them in right after this picture. They were soaked.
Hailey found someone's hat.
Aunt Cara did great with the Veggie tray. She has some great help from the kitchen crew.

Time to make dessert

2008-11-22T15:40:00.000-08:00

It has been awhile since we have had most of a Saturday to do what we wanted to do. We went out for a little bit, but overall, we spent the day at home. I took out the pretzels and the vanilla almond bark for the girls. We even had sprinkles. Of course, the vacuum cleaner was close on hand. The dipped pretzels and put as many sprinkles as they wanted to. There was quite a bit of taste testing, but hey we were having fun. Hailey ended up with white choc all over the front of her. Rachel did well, but I think the ends of her hair might be dipped as well. Natalie managed to stay fairly clean. They want to take pretzels to dip with Emily over Thanksgiving. We can't wait to load up in the car and head out. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the pics.

Natalie stirring things up

Rachel trying to get the pretzels out.

Hailey putting sprinkles on.

Thanksgiving must be practiced

2008-11-17T20:43:00.000-08:00

Wow, where has the time gone? We are halfway through November already. It is unbelievable how quickly time goes by. I was just sitting here thinking about the season and all the things we enjoy. I was reflecting back a little and remembering Bro. Ross. Every November he would come into chapel and say "Thanksgiving must be practiced." He would have several people stand and tell what they were thankful for. I think sometimes we get so focused on the immediate problems that we forget about the many blessings that God has sent our way. With that in mind I thought I should take a moment and practice a little thanksgiving. First of all, I'm so thankful that Jesus died for me. I cannot imagine having to face life without His presence and guidance. His love is amazing. I'm so thankful for the family He has given me. My husband is a wonderful, faithful man. Yes, we have our differences, but I could not ask for a better man to have in my life. God has given me three beautiful little girls. They love me in spite of my weaknesses and look to me to provide for them. My extended family on both sides have spoiled me completely. What would I do without their support? I cannot even begin to express how grateful I am for my pastor's family and for my church. Many times in my life I haven't been so loveable and yet they never gave up on me. I owe a great debt to the friends who helped pull me through some very trying times in my life. To each of my friends and family that read this please allow me to say "Thank you." God has truly blessed my life using you. Happy Thanksgiving to each of you.

New ways to keep the girls busy

2008-11-13T21:10:00.001-08:00

I'm sure you know that as a mom I am constantly trying to find ways to keep my girls busy. I went to Walmart the other day and found a clearance aisle with all kinds of school stuff. They had these dry erase boards that are shaped like signs. They love them. They can play with magnets on them and they can draw to their hearts content. I was doing paperwork and they stood there and colored for at least an hour. Occasionally they would switch signs, but overall they were very content. If they can just learn the concept of putting the lids back on the markers we will be doing much better. Usually I start ordering some seasonal crafts for them to do around Christmas. I need to get busy looking. That will help keep their little minds focused on something too. I just love my girls, but sometimes the energy they have is a bit overwhelming so moments like these are cherished. $2 was well worth my sanity level.

A few more pictures.

2008-11-08T19:41:00.001-08:00

This was taken from the back porch of the big house at the camp. I spent as much time as I could sitting out there reading my Bible and drinking in the quiet beauty.

I asked the Lord if part of heaven could please look a little like this beautiful spot. It all made me miss our home in Idaho. No beauty moves me quite like Northern Idaho and this part of Montana.

Last week we went to Portland for a Educator's Convention. We met Sandi and Dave for a few hours after our first meeting. I posted this because Cheri wants to see how Dave looks now.

The ladies Retreat

2008-11-08T19:21:00.000-08:00

The pictures came of backwards from what I wanted. Here I am in a 'style' show showing the latest in bathing suits.

The things hanging from the 'suit' are soap, tooth paste, and all the things used in taking a bath.

Jackie led singing.

This is a picture from a trian ride we took with the seniors from our church. Seniors as in old people.

It was a beautiful ride.

Socks

2008-11-08T18:55:00.001-08:00

I just had to show everyone my new "toe socks." I think they are so cute and the girls think they are hilarious. Hailey keeps coming and touching my toes. Natalie thought they were long gloves with short fingers. Rachel just keeps laughing. If any of you see toe socks for men let me know, I want to get some for Monty. We'll just be a "toe sock" family.
On Monday morning I will be having Oral surgery. For those of you who are hoping that it is to sew my mouth closed you are not in luck. I actually have a tooth that keeps getting infected. Antibiotics are no longer taking care of it so I have to go in. Trust me, I have procrastinated as long as possible. The dentist is the worst for me because I never numb all the way. Just pray that it goes quickly this time. Last time it took three hours. They did more last time, but I always get nervous. Anyway, I hope you are all having a good day.

Playtime

2008-11-05T21:42:00.000-08:00

On Friday the 31st Cyndi invited us to go with her out to the base for an evening of fun. For $5 each we were able to go skating, bowling, play miniature golf, and run through the playhouse. We all had a blast. The girls had a blast playing with the DeGarmo boys and trying out new things. We were the only people there so they really could do whatever they wanted.
More of the playhouse
Cyndi playing in the playhouse (rescuing Carter)
Monty helping Hailey with the bowling ball. Rachel did
bowling too, but she didn't sit still long enough to get a good pic
Natalie skating. She did well for her first time on a rink
This was Hailey's favorite part. They didn't have skates for the younger kids so they just ran around the floor in their socks chasing the lights. Monty would pick them up and skate with them. They liked going fast and it was so fun to hear their giggles. I only got a few pics because it was so dark. They turned on the lights for me to get the few that I got. Once again, Rachel was hard to get a picture of. What a turkey. She is going to ask someday where all the pics of her are. I will have to tell her about her very active self. I hope you all enjoyed the pics. Have a great day.

Kidneys vs "Kid Knees"

2008-10-27T21:13:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I am just amazed at how the mind of a child works. My children bring me some of the greatest joys. Tonight Natalie was asking me about her stomach. She put her hand just under her neck and her other hand at the bottom of her torso and asked, "Mom, is this how big my tummy is?" So, trying to be educational, I said "No, Natalie, your tummy is right here under your heart and only takes up this much space." Of course I showed her a much smaller area than she had asked. She said " Oh, my tummy is here and my stomach is over here" and pointed to the other side. I explained that the stomach and tummy were the same thing and then I added that there was much more in there than just the tummy. I told her that there was her heart and her liver and her kidneys. When I told her that her kidneys were in there she got a strange look on her face and said, "Mom, my 'kid knees' are right here" She was pointing to her knees. I was laughting hysterically. How do you explain Kidneys to a 7 year old? Anyway, I know I have blogged a ton this week, but I thought you would all enjoy that story. Have a great day.

Fall Weather

2008-10-25T19:13:00.000-07:00

I Love Fall!!!! It is my favorite time of year. I love the crisp, cool mornings and the breeze in the afternoons. The trees are beautiful with their colored leaves. It was time for us to clean up alllllllll thoses leaves so I thought I would take a few pics. The girls love being outside "Helping us." Sometimes they can be vey helpful, other times it is not such a help. They really enjoyed themselves today though and it was great to be outside enjoying it with them.
Hailey looked at me for the picture for about 2 seconds. Natalie saw
the camera and started posing. Rachel just couldn't move
The girls helping daddy bring the leaves from the back yard. There
is this really cool truck that vacuums up the leaves if you put them
in a pile by the street.
Natalie in her picture pose.
Rachel's way of helping was to be in the middle of the pile
Hailey was singing in the leaves. I think she filled up the purse too. I'm
sure I'll find out later when I'm cleaning things out.

Well, I hope you are enjoying fall as much as we are. I did help with the leaves too, but I had to pause for those picturesque moments. All for your enjoyment of course. Bye for now.

2008-10-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have been tagged. I'm not exactly sure what that means, but I'll give it a try. Amy gave 7 random facts about her life so I guess that is what I will do too. Now I have to think of them. UMMMM!!!

1. I was born in Nashville TN and was the biggest baby in the nursery weighing 2 pounds 2 ounces. (Yes, it was a specialty nursery)

2. I was in track and field in High school for about two weeks. (Way too much work for me and the uniforms were ugly.)

3. I worked in a children's hospital in OKC during college. (I loved bugging the Respiratory Therapist. I wanted to learn everything I could from the pros.)

4. I always told my dates that we would only be friends. I wasn't interested in a long term relationship. I forgot to tell that to Monty and look what happened.

5. I always promised I would never go to Bible college or marry a preacher, but I did promise to marry someone RICH. I should have said wealthy too. (By the way, I did go to Bible college, I married a preacher, and he is a RICH)

6. I hate seafood (I'm running out of ideas now)

7. I love reading mystery books, but they have to be very intense.

Well, if that wasn't what I was supposed to do please enjoy these random facts about me and then someone can tell me what I was really supposed to do. If it was the right thing then you can pat me on the back and tell me good job next time you see me.

2008-10-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe how quickly time has flown by. We are already nearing the end of October and it seems that Summer was just here. Life has been a little crazier than usual and so keeping up on everything hasn't been easy. If you could look at my house right now you would understand exactly what I mean. After the Candy sale and visiting with family it was time to concentrate on Ladies Retreat. What a blessing it was to once again go up to Camp Lota Wata and see what God is doing. I look around every time I go up there and marvel at the beauty, but I also try to comprehend all the lives that could be changed there. It will be an exciting future I'm sure. Being at the Ladies Retreat was wonderful. I was reminded that in all the business of serving God that I cannot forget about the relationship. Really the relationship is what the Christian Life is about. If our relationship is right, God is more than able to handle keeping everything else in order. I'm looking forward to enhancing my Christian walk. I don't think it will always be easy and I know I won't always do it the right way, but I trust that God will be there every step of the way to see me through. I hope all who read this are doing well. Thanks for stopping in and viewing a little of what is going on in my heart. Have a truly blessed day.

Jackie

Friends and Family.

2008-10-08T17:11:00.000-07:00

The Party begins
Natalie opening present
Daniel Opening his presents
The kiddos eating lunch before going to the camp
Lydia (I'm cute and I know it)
The whole gang. (Not easy to get 8 good looks at once)
We joined them for a few pics.
Grandma and all the little ones (minus little guy still cooking)
Wow, Life here has been extremely busy. In case some of you didn't hear, Natalie won first place in the candy bar sale. She works so hard and we are very proud of her. One of the teachers at school has Hermit Crabs in her classroom. Natalie loves them so that is what she picked as her prize. We bought the tank and 4 crabs with all the bells and whistles to go with it. She picks them up and watches them tuck back into the shell. When they start to come out while she is holding them she freaks out a little, but it is funny to watch. I'll have to get a few pictures of the crabs to post later. At the end of the sale my whole family converged in on us. What a house full!!! I loved every minute of it though. My mom had to leave on the 6th. This was the last time we will see her before she heads off to Africa. Saying good bye was very hard, but God will bless. It wasn't any easier to say good bye to the Goodman clan. The kids grabbed my heart the minute they stepped through the door. I hope I spoiled them sufficiently. Ron and Jeannie are wonderful family, but they aren't just family. They are my some of my closest friends. I cannot explain how proud I am to have the family that I do. Part of the fun while they were here was celebrating Daniel and Natalie's birthdays. They are only 4 days apart. Daniel is now officially 10 and Natalie is 7. Hard to believe. I hope you enjoy the pics. Thanks for stopping in.

Busy Busy Busy

2008-09-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

Well life here has been very busy. We have been candy selling every day for the past two weeks. Natalie is doing great. She gets lots of compliments on her outgoing attitude and of course her cuteness. Rachel and Hailey have struggled with a stomach bug of some kind this week. Hailey has bounced back quickly, but Rachel has been slow to mend. I got a few more liquids in her tonight so I'm feeling a little better about things. They spent the day relaxing at Grandma's while we went out. I thought I would just post a couple pics of a rare moment of down time during these weeks. We are almost done and my family is coming next week. I can't wait to see them all. It has been such a long time. I'm so glad that God has chosen to use people in my family to serve Him, but there are sacrifices for all of us. In the end it will be worth it all though so I can't complain. I hope all is well for everyone. I'll let you know what the final on the candy sale is. We are continuing to work hard. Bye for now.
Haily snuggling with Daddy. It didn't take her long to fall asleep.

Family pics

2008-09-06T18:56:00.000-07:00

The whole gang. I can't believe we managed to all look pleasant at one time

Natalie is the poser of the group. Once she knows a camera is near she strikes a pose
Rachel was in constant motion, but Cara did incredible getting some good pics of her too.
Hailey had a slightly longer attention span than last year. 60 seconds makes a big difference.

I hope you all enjoy these as much as I do. Cara did such an incredible job and the girls love her. They were only slightly disappointed to find out that she didn't bring the ice cream truck with her and she can't magically make it appear either. She made up for it by buying ice cream at the mall. What a blessing to be able to spend time with her. We missed not seeing Craig, but with all these busy lives it is hard to get everyone at once. Have a great day.

OUCH!!!!

2008-08-30T20:23:00.000-07:00

I thought I would just quick share what happens when you get your arm caught in rope while its moving. Natalie and Rachel were taking turns twisting the swing at Grandma's so they could twirl around. Natalie somehow got her arm caught while whe was untwisting. Not pretty, but she really was brave while I cleaned it up. She has asked if she can wear the bandages at church tomorrow. I asked her if she thought they looked cool, but she said that they were comfortable. I will have to keep them covered, but I thought it was funny. Bandages always bring comfort and attention so I'm sure she'll live it up while she can. Have a good day and keep your arms safe.

2nd grader

2008-08-26T16:04:00.000-07:00

Well here she is, the official 2nd grader. She grew about and inch and a half this summer. Praise the Lord, her uniform still fits for now. Her new one should be in right after Labor Day. Natalie is happy to be in school with her new teacher (Aunt Christie). I think it will be an exciting year for all of them. Natalie came home and told me about her three new friends that joined the class. What a blessing to have a daughter that loves to be friendly. I will start working at the school tomorrow. I love being there so I'm very excited about this year as well. The teenagers are such a blessing to me. God has really given me a heart to want to help them. I'm sure they will keep me on my toes with their questions, but it will be fun. I hope you all are having a great day. Love Ya

The rest of the room pictures.

2008-08-25T14:56:00.001-07:00

Teacher in her Sunday best.
WAY smaller than last year.
It fits nine students very well. Any more would be hard but not impossible.

She has some new things in her room this year.

2008-08-24T15:26:00.000-07:00

New BIG file cabnet. We got it free from Safeway.
These are instead of lockers this year.
This is her reading area.

Miss Semperger's Room

2008-08-24T15:16:00.001-07:00

She has the big room I had last year. She is starting with sixteen students. I had thirteen of these last year.
Cool Board.

My Class Room

2008-08-24T15:06:00.000-07:00

One of the new teachers has the ability to make vinal letters to put on walls,doors, and boards.

I just realized I don't have pictures of my room, just my boards. I will get pictures tonight at church.

God knows even the little things we may need.

2008-08-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

Sometimes a blogging moment comes with no pictures or extra frills. That was yesterday for me. Let me first say that things could have been much worse than they turned out. I got up a little later than I had planned to so I went out to my van with the girls at about 9:20. I opened up the doors to let the girls get in and quickly realized that someone had been in the van before us. There were papers from the glove box dumped everywhere and also the center console was emptied. The CD's and papers were everywhere. Unfortunately one of the things I saw setting on top was my account number from a deposit slip. I called the bank and they suggested that I change my account. They hot carded my debit cards (as a precaution) and closed the account. That took the entire morning. There was nothing stolen to my knowledge. My guess is they were just looking for cash. (They definitely chose the wrong van to look in.) It was annoying and of course I have to say that I was feeling somewhat violated. The thought of someone invading what is personally yours doesn't set well. Anyway, we got to the church at about lunch time. That went well, but it was a long day. I stayed until music practice since it would have been a waste to go home. On the way home we were starving so I decided to stop and get dinner. I pulled into Zips and ordered my food. It was as I was pulling up to pay that I realized that I no longer had an easy means of paying for it. I pulled up and asked if they took checks since my bank had given me new ones until my ordered ones could come in. No, they didn't take checks so I went against what I normally do and decided to use my credit card. I pulled it out and she immediately said, "We don't take Discover, do you have a Visa?" Well, no I don't have a visa at this point. She went back in the little window and I heard talking. A minute later the lady popped her head back out and said, "We are buying your dinner tonight." The non-crying person that I am had a very hard time not breaking down. They had no idea what kind of day I had. God knew that I was at the end for the day and took care of the details I hadn't thought of even if it was only $9.79. I brought dinner home and we told the girls that God had bought dinner for us. It was wonderful too.

Bedroom Redo.

2008-08-18T19:06:00.000-07:00

Well, We have made some changes. We decided that since our heating bill is so high in the winter we didn't want to heat the upstairs. Natalie and Rachel were in the upstairs bedroom so we brought them down. The dressers will still be up there but they won't have to brave the cold for long each day. If necessary there is a small heater in the room up there so we can heat it. Anyway here are a few pictures of the new room.

Hailey thinks her new "Big girl" bed is very cool. She looks so small on it, but I'm sure that one day she'll grow into it.

Christy's room now.

2008-08-09T19:46:00.000-07:00

The white shelves she just got at the thrift store. A great find.

She plans to put her father's painting on this wall. She has done a great job of making this formerly dark room into a sweet little room for herself.

Christy's room in the making.

2008-08-09T16:44:00.001-07:00

This is the room ready to be painted.

Summer cleaning time

2008-08-09T16:32:00.000-07:00

This is the left side of the laundry room.
This is the family room.
Finally my school stuff is organized, for awhile.

It has been a long time since we saw the floor in the bar area.
This will not mean as much to thouse who never saw the 'before'. Cheri will sure understand.

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth

2008-08-03T20:57:00.000-07:00

There she is! No more front teeth. Pastor popped the second one out this morning.
She did great. No tears at all even though she admitted that it hurt at first. He has given her an IOU for the tooth this time. He didn't have any money with him. Grandma gave her some money though so that helped make up for not getting the other right away. I guess it will probably be harder to eat apples for awhile. Have a great day.

Backyard camping trip

2008-08-02T21:05:00.000-07:00

Whose says that you have to spend a lot of money to have a great time. The girls have been asking to go camping. We decided that we would sent up the tent in the back yard and have a camping trip there. We got great gas mileage on the way there. There was a bathroom and a shower. Can't beat it if you ask me. I didn't even have to deal with any campers next to us being to loud. The girls were very excited about being able to be on the trampoline in their pj's after dark. Anyway, enjoy the pics. We had a great time.

Reading before bed. I tried to make things very comfy
We even had smores. Sticky, but good
Wrestling with Daddy on the trampoline.

Miss Toothless.

2008-07-30T21:49:00.000-07:00

Do you see those eyes sparkling? Natalie has lost her third tooth. This is the first one from the top though and she is finding it a little hard to bite things. The one next to it is almost ready to come out as well. Of course she won't let me do anything but wiggle the tooth. The privilege of taking them out belongs to Pastor. He pays a dollar for every tooth he pulls. It is fun seeing my girls have the same privileges I had. How many Pastors do you know that act as dentist on the side? Natalie took her tooth around the church to see how many people would pay her for it. So far there have been three. She wants to take it back to church in a baggie on Sunday. If everyone I knew would pay a dollar I might take a tooth too. Somehow I don't think I would get as much money as she will get. I guess I will save the tooth showing for Natalie (and Rachel and Hailey in the future).

My kiddos are growing up.

2008-07-25T19:27:00.000-07:00

Well the time has come for Natalie to learn how to ride her bike with no training wheels. Monty is so patient. I'm glad the girls have such a great Daddy. Monty started lessons yesterday on Rachel's new bike (before we switched the training wheels over). She did a great job. Before too long she was zipping around everywhere.

Balancing lessons (above)
No more help for this girl. (above is now her bike with the training wheels
off)

Rachel is happy to have her bike to herself now
with training wheels on of course.
Hailey couldn't miss out on the fun. Daddy adjusted her bike too so she could reach the peddles. All the girls were feeling very proud of themselves by the time they came inside. Hailey needs practice staying out of the bushes, but that will be the next lesson. Have a great day.

The gangs all here.

2008-07-19T17:48:00.001-07:00

Michael has admirers.
In order by age.

Before the accident.

2008-07-19T17:35:00.000-07:00

Beautiful day at the ocean.
Christy and Cheri
Christy and James
Grandma and James
Christy and Auntie Mom

accident

2008-07-19T15:35:00.000-07:00

Small damage to the front
until it hit the window.

The downed sign we hit.
Where we got hit.
Both sides were damaged.

The car is a total loss.

Be Careful! They might repeat what you say.

2008-07-16T21:31:00.000-07:00

Hello family and friends
I just thought I would take a quick moment to show you all the cute shirt that Aunt Christie brought. Hailey was so proud to be wearing it at church tonight. One of the things that I am always saying to the girls is that "it is ridiculous". Most of the time that is in reference to how long something is taking. Well, as you can see, Hailey was working on buckling her shoe. Not her favorite task, but she was trying. She got very frustrated that it wouldn't go through right and she put her foot in the air holding the buckle and said "Mom, this is redickerous" (Translation: ridiculous) It was so funny to hear her saying my words. What a great reminder for me though to watch what I say. They can and will repeat it. I hope all is well with you. Enjoy your day.

2008-07-14T19:13:00.000-07:00

Picture by dirvish

Cara,

From all of us to YOU! Happy Birthday.

The Rich Jr. Update

2008-07-06T21:06:00.000-07:00

What have we been up to you ask. Well, you may not have asked, but I'm going to tell you anyway since that is what blogging is all about. Life has been very busy around here. Monty had the 4th off since there weren't very many trucks. That made is easier to go up to the camp for the church picnic . I absolutely love it up there. The girls had a blast running everywhere and playing. They love the bridges and would play on them all day if I didn't get so worried about them falling in. We did go out in the raft, but I don't have pictures since I didn't want to ruin the camera in the water. They really enjoyed that. This is the girls favorite bridge and I can't blame them for thinking its wonderful.We spent most of Saturday home, but not without is dramatic moments. I don't think a day without drama would fit in our home. Rachel was in the play room and went over the bed and fell into a wooden box on the other side. It left a nice little mark on her forehead. She enjoyed showing off her war wound at church tonight.
Hailey is our little dancer and was showing me her beautiful messy face while twirling around the kitchen. I thought I would share it with you. Did I mention that our house is dramatic? That shirt will need some bleach!
Like I said, Saturday was a day at home, but we worked hard. Last week Dad told mom and I about these file cabinets that Safeway was getting rid of. I have a ton of paperwork that I would love to keep out of view so of course I wanted one. Monty and I had to get this thing into the basement. It took awhile but we finally got the drawers out. Its a good thing because it was heavy without them. I thought I was going to be a squished Jackie at the bottom of the stairs. Monty and his muscles kept that from happening and it is finally in place. I now have my own little office nook in the basement.
This is where the girls TV was. Don't mind all the papers. I couldn't move them for the picture because they are in a certain order and I didn't want to chance dropping them.
Well, that is about all for the weekend. I hope all is well with you all. Christie, I can't wait to see you. Natalie doesn't know you are her teacher yet. I will introduce you when you get here. She will be so happy. To the rest of everyone, Have a great day. Love ya

LOTS of company

2008-06-30T08:23:00.000-07:00

Well hello everyone. I am up this morning before my girls. They are absolutely worn out from last night. We had a whole bunch of people over from our Sunday school class and a few more. When we actually counted there were 33 kids and 18 adults. That is a grand total of 51 people. For the most part everyone stayed in the back yard so clean up isn't bad at all. My trash guy is going to faint when he comes on Wednesday, but he'll make it through. We had a great time visiting. Here are a few pictures I thought you might enjoy. Have a great day.James has all of Hailey's cake in his mouth. She really did not appreciate it, but I got her a new piece.
Scott and Karla are so cute
Dan grilled the hot dogs for us. Thanks Dan
Belinda. What a great friend. At least she posed for me. I always turn away from the camera.
LOTS AND LOTS OF KIDS.

2008-06-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

Ice cream finished every day off right
I thought they looked so cute.
Hailey working her way up to the wagon slide
Rachel enjoying her ride

Natalie posing. She loves the camera.

We had a great time today. We took a couple of hours and went downtown to have some family time. We went on the carousel first. After that they played at the Red Wagon for awhile. We walked all the way around the river. They enjoyed being on the bridge will all the gushing water right under us. It is very beautiful down there. After we made it around the girls were tired from walking, but they could endure one more airplane ride. I was nervous for Hailey. I think sometimes I don't want to admit that she is growing up. She had a blast being so high up in the air. To top off the day we went for ice cream at Wendy's. We needed a day out. When we got home it started raining. Praise the Lord for good timing. I hope all of you are having a good day. If you haven't been to the Burkholders blog, you should check it out. Their new little baby girl is sooooo sweet. Thanks for checking in.
Jackie

Some things come from Daddy.

2008-06-16T20:27:00.000-07:00

There are some things that you know your children learn from
daddy. There is no question in my mind where Hailey got her love for reading on the toilet. She didn't want to go to bed and said she had to go potty. I told her to go. She promptly grabbed the Best Buy paper and went her way. It was hilarious. I'll have to keep these pictures for her future husband. Have a good day.

What are you doing mom????

2008-06-13T08:13:00.000-07:00

Photo by BITZy Nature's Bounty in Bloom

Aunt Sylvia and Uncle Gary,

Happy 45th Anniversary!!!!!

I love you both very much and look forward to being a part of your daily lives again soon.

Love Christy

Basket for the bride and graduation

2008-06-11T11:31:00.001-07:00

This is the fun gardening basket I made up for one of my co workers shower.
Pretty little ladies at graduation.

2008-06-11T11:25:00.000-07:00

2008-06-09T18:16:00.000-07:00

Monty working hard to get it done right.

The week before Memorial day we bought a table and chairs. We got a great deal on them at a yard sale. The one thing that I didn't really like about them was that the chairs were upholstered. Upholstered chairs are not exactly the most practical thing when you have three kids. (Especially one named Rachel). Anyway, we saw a sale at the fabric store this weekend and decided to go ahead and change them. We bought a vinyl that is very easily cleaned. They look much better (the other material was stripes) and I'm much happier now that I won't have to shampoo my chairs after every meal.

School has come to an end.

2008-06-06T21:05:00.000-07:00

I truly believe that God blessed my life the day the Bro. Donley asked me to work in the high school. As they were receiving their awards tonight I couldn't have been more proud. Some may have not received an award, but they accomplished their own goals and I'm proud of them just the same. Tonight they gave me a huge bouquet of flowers to thank me for something that I love to do. I just praise the Lord that I was able to help them to some degree.
Natalie also finished a great year. She averaged a 4.0 for the year and was given a medal. I am proud of her. I've seen her struggle but work through it. I pray that she continues to work hard. We are all happy to have a break. I hope all of you have a great day. Thanks for checking in.

Jackie

A little help from friends.

2008-05-30T23:07:00.000-07:00

Well, We have had some dramatic times with our van this week. After all the shaking and rattling and belts falling off on Thursday we drove it home tonight. So far it seems to be working well. Janet and Ryan Hay are friends of ours. Ryan does all kinds of work on cars and helped us out tremendously. We were looking at having to buy a new engine. We may still have to do that in the future, but praise the Lord, at least for today we have only spent $45. Of course, while the men were out working on saving our poor van, Janet and I were working hard at socializing in the house. She has 6 beautiful children. Her little boy, Conner, had a great time scaring Hailey. He is three and such a riot. Their youngest is little Seth. I fell in love with him. Here are a couple of pics of him crawling around. I love being able to still have such wonderful friends from my childhood.

2008-05-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

I thought I would start actually trying to post pictures once in awhile (Now that I have found my camera). I'm pretty proud of my first attempt at entering the new era of technology. The girls slept in curlers on Saturday night. They love to have curly hair for church. I hope you are all having a wonderful day. Love ya
Jackie

Cheri

2008-05-19T17:53:00.000-07:00

Just to let everyone know, Cheri's Computer is dead. She can not play Scrabble or anything. She is taking it to someone tonight. He said she will likely lose her pictures for the last year. Love you all Mom/Sylvia

2008-05-12T19:51:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends and family,
Life has been very busy around here and most likely won't slow down until the end of the school year. I wouldn't trade it for anything (Except for a full night of sleep). I love what I do. In my wildest dreams I wouldn't have guessed how much I would love working with the teenagers. They have absolutely blessed my life.

I do have a story for you. (my real reason for writing tonight). For those of you who know Rachel, you will know that this is very typical for her. For those of you who don't, please enjoy a laugh and know that my life is very interesting with her around. First let me say that I have no idea why she has been getting up in the night, but she is getting hard pressed for good excuses to be out of bed at three in the morning. I'm not at the peak of my patience at three in the morning either. Well, I had already been up at about one because Hailey had made a river out of her bed. (That is not an exaggeration either.) I had gotten her cleaned up and by then of course she was in my bed. Having Hailey in bed doesn't make for the greatest sleeping accommodations. She kicks all the blankets down and we spend the night pulling them back up. So you can see that by the time Rachel made it down at the lovely time of three I was not in the mood for anything. Rachel came in crying (as usual) telling me that she wanted in my bed. (Did I mention that Hailey was already taking up three fourths of the bed) Anyway, there was no way. She proceeded to tell me how scared she was. I asked her what she was scared of. (I'm not completely heartless, I was slightly concerned). Rachel told me that her cheek was making noise and it scared her. I guess it doesn't matter what time it is, it takes awhile to process many of her statements so I asked that stupid question, "What did you say?" She said, "My cheek is making noise, Listen." She made some noise and started crying. So tell me, What would you do? I sent her to bed and told her I would listen again in the morning. she never did go to her bed. She slept on the couch. I guess her cheek was quieter downstairs.

Happy Mother's Day Moms!!!

2008-05-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day, Mom, Cheri and Jackie.

I love you all very much.

Resident Writer!

2008-05-05T07:53:00.000-07:00

I have to brag again about Scott!!
I was just reading the weekly Oak Harbor school district breifs and saw this:

WIWA Announces Contest Winners Oak Harbor student writers did well in the annual Whidbey Island WritersAssociation (WIWA) 2008 writing contest for middle school and highschools. Awards were made in poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. Winning submissions are displayed in a special binder at each Sno-Isle Library.Oak Harbor winners included: Grades 9 through 12: Fiction - 1st SCOTT McPHERSON (OHHS), 3rd Cristin Lode (OHHS). Non-fiction - 1st Adrianna Royal (Home Connection) Poetry - 1st Samantha Beville (OHHS), 2nd Adrianna Royal (HomeConnection), 3rd William Hammond (OHHS), HM Meijiao Jachning (OHHS).

I did not even know he was entered in a contest!! I wonder if he knows, he has not said anything! I'll surely be asking questions tonight!!

Birthday Celebrations!

2008-05-04T18:09:00.000-07:00

Saturday Beth and her kids came up to help celebrate John and James birthdays! We had a nice time even though it was raining!! We had pizza and cake and even walked down to the beach for a bit. Here is a group picture of all the kids and Beth!
Today after Church we went to eat Mexican food and the went Deception pass state park and checked out their beach. It was a beautiful day today!!!! When we got home I gave John a berry pie for his b-day. He LOVES berry pie!!!! Enjoy the pictures!!
Pie and Chocolate!!! Ritter Sport Chocolate!!

Someone built a little fort out of drift wood. It was really cool!!

2008-05-01T03:32:00.000-07:00

Tim came over today to do something with my computer and then climbed the mango trees to help us get our mangoes down before they all spoiled up there. While he was up there he spied this very active bees nest and soon decided it would be best to come away and not to disturb the little critters.

Funny Wedding Moment

2008-04-30T14:47:00.001-07:00

Some wedding things evolve to be funny, and one of the things I love is being able to add my own brand of humor to a situation.

While the Bride was getting ready, one of the things that was part of it was having to crochet-hook her into her dress, all 30 buttons worth. As they were doing it, the bride told her sister to make sure that the crochet hook got back into her overnight bag. I said "I think you should give it to your Groom, and make sure I'm there to take photos when you do it." They loved the idea.

So we did just that.
Here's the sister not only giving the groom the Crochet Hook, but also instructions.

And then the bride's just embarrassment into the very EARTH and our laughing our guts completely out when he said.....

"I'm never gonna get this: HOW BAD DO YOU WANT TO KEEP THIS DRESS!"

They were a fun bunch. By the way, these men are all submariners out of Bremerton!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

2008-04-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRISTINE!!
WE LOVE YOU!!!
LOVE, THE MCPHERSON CLAN

Friends

2008-04-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

The boys met some new firends yesterday. They were over playing guns for quite awhile.
I think the little boy next to James looks like Nathan did when he was little.
They got pretty dirty, which is what boys are supposed to do!

Parade

2008-04-28T13:05:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the Holland Happenings celebration and parade. They do this every year to celebrate Whidbey Islands dutch beginnings. Anyway Michael was in the parade with his band. He is the good looking guy with the blue sax!!!

After the parade James and Emily rode on the Ferris wheel. Neither one of them had been on one before and they really liked it!!
We had a good visit with Dad and Joyce and the weather was great for Saturday!

2008-04-25T07:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Aunt Sylvia!

I love you,

Christy

Family update

2008-04-20T15:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here's the scoop. Natalie did end up having strep (I found out after I sent her to school of course). She started the antibiotic that night. Rachel had it as well. The doctor just called in that one for me so I didn't have to pay another doctor bill. They are both feeling much better. Hailey (so far) hasn't shown any signs of sickness since last week. (knock on wood ). As of this moment we will be going about our normal daily business of school and work.

I had a good time Friday night out at the campgrounds. We planned some things and laughed a lot. God has truly blessed us.

Hailey is officially three. I can't believe my baby is getting so big (figuratively speaking). She has almost made it to 25 pounds so she is growing. It is just a slow process. She is going around with 4 fingers up telling everyone that she is "free now". What a turkey! I love them all so much.

Well, that is all the rambling for now. I wish you all the best day ever.
Jackie

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTTIE!!!!!!

2008-04-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTTIE!!!!!!!

Thank-you for making me a Mommy 16 yrs ago today!!!! We LOVE You Bunches!!

Love, Mom and you McFamily

AHHHHHH!!!!!!

2008-04-16T15:46:00.000-07:00

Well, this week at our house has been interesting. It has actually been a little frustrating. I took Hailey in last Wed. because she had the symptoms of a bladder infection. Of course the doctor agreed with me that something was wrong, but there is no bladder infection. If I want to bring her back in a couple of days (and spend another $100) I can feel free to do that. Thankfully her fever is gone and she is doing better. By Sunday afternoon Natalie was very tired and had a high fever. We stayed home Sunday night, but went to school on Monday. Monday after school we realized that it probably would have been better to stay home. Tuesday morning I made a doctor's appt. He looked in her throat and told me how bad it looked and I was right, it looked just like strepp. The thing is that the strepp test came back negative, but in two days they would have the other test in and we would know for sure. In the meantime she has kept a fever and is missing school. About the time the other test comes back NEGATIVE she will most likely be doing better. I love to pay money for someone to pat me on the back and tell me what a good job I'm doing and to keep it up. I could probably get it free somewhere else, but why when you can pay for it. Ok, I think I'm done complaining. I'll let you know what the results of the strepp test is when it comes back. Have a good day.

Moonlite Memories

2008-04-13T15:28:00.000-07:00

Grandma and Grandpa, honored guests
Grandpa and Katie

Princess Katie and Max

Time with Grandma

2008-04-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

I though you would like to see some pictures of Emily and Grandma planting flowers together. They had a great time and the flowers look so pretty! They even planted some strawberries! Yum!!

We had a great visit and they even survived my cold house!!!

Love Cheri

Missions Conference

2008-04-05T21:05:00.001-07:00

Well, here in Spokane we have made it to one of my favorite times of year. At the beginning of every April we have our Missions Conference. I absolutely love it. I'm always tired at the end, but the time spent is so well worth it. What a blessing this year has been already. Things are slightly different this year because we have four National Pastors here. One is to Indonesia, another from Haiti, the other from Kenya, and the last from the Philippines. Some of their words are hard to understand, but it is very easy to understand their heart. They told some stories tonight about mission life where they are. I don't think we here in America can ever fully comprehend what some of them face and will face so simply give the Gospel. I'm learning to not take for granted the freedoms that we have. I'm so thankful for the reminder that God wants all the world to come to Him and some are willing to pay a very high price. I was pretty upset this morning when I saw snow out the window, but then I found out that three out of the four National Pastors had never seen snow. What an experience for them! I guess I can even be thankful for snow in April. There are three other families here as well. The one couple is here helping the four Nationals get support. The other two are great families as well. I love getting to know each of them. I hope we can be a part of their ministries. The other part that is my favorite is that Spring Break is here. We will spend this final week with my mom before she heads back to the other side of the country. It has been so wonderful having her here and the girls will miss her very much. I'm very thankful for the time God has given for them to get to know her. I know that in the future those extended visits will be few and far between, but God's will is important and must be carried out. He will bless and we will be much happier with His blessing. I hope all of you are doing well. Thanks for listening to me ramble on. I couldn't help it. It has been such a blessing I had to get it out.

Change of Heart

2008-04-01T21:07:00.000-07:00

Wal-Mart has decided to let the woman's family keep the money. I'm so glad!

Warning! Rant Ahead.

2008-03-30T06:54:00.000-07:00

While I was getting ready for work, I overheard This Story on Craig's laptop.

I understand contracts, clauses, doing things within the rights of the company and on and on and on, but here's what I don't understand.How can this piece of paper cross your desk and you go "Hmmm..yeah...this is a good idea, let's go forward with this...." How (if you go to church and believe in God at all) can you add this to your work load during the week and then on Sunday go to church and sit there with a straight face?

If you don't believe in any supreme being, but have been paying attention at all to the universe and understand anything at all about Karma, or the immutable law of getting what you give, can you have any part of this process and not lay awake at night thinking of what is coming down the freeway at you?

How many people are in the chain of approving, rubber-stamping, litigating, and pushing forward this action? I know I wouldn't be a part of it. This is something I'd quit my job over.

As an aside, it's Wal-Mart, but it's probably happening elsewhere. I hope not.

I'll just do the math real quick for a re-cap.
Medical Bills = $470,000 paid by Wal Mart.
Lawsuit Settlement = $417,000. (put in trust for healthcare only).
Money Remaining today $270,000.
Wal-Mart Lawsuit Award = $470,000.
The Family will be in the hole 200,000 after Wal-Mart cleans out the trust fund.

Thank You also US legal system for backing up Big Corporate (and Corporate Lobbyists) on this one! God and Karma has an eye on you too....

I rant about Wal-Mart alot. Lots of people who live in small towns tell me that they can't shop anywhere else because there just isn't anywhere else to shop. I don't live in a small town. I do have a choice, so I use that choice. How can I spend my money to support a company that can do this to a family that has suffered such a blow?

I had to rant. End of Rant.

Easter

2008-03-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

Here is some interesting Easter trivia!

The date of this coming Easter is quite early this year, but I didn't know the details shown below.
Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.

Here's the interesting info. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Here's the facts: 1) The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you're 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!). 2) The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!

Interesting, huh! That means Johns, Grandma Nora was only 11 days old the last time Easter came this early....Not that she would ever be old!

Wishing you all a very Blessed and Happy Easter. (a little early)
Love Cheri

Happy Birthday Cheri!

2008-03-18T00:04:00.000-07:00

I like this cake so much, I thought we'd have it twice! LOL

We love you!

I hope you have the happiest upcoming year ever! You deserve all good things and only good things!

2008-03-17T23:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Cheri!

Love Christy

Website Upgrade

2008-03-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

I've been working like a dog on my website, re-designing everything by hand. It's done and up!

Have a look and let me know if you see anything that's broken!

:)