Kidneys vs "Kid Knees"

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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!!!!

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

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.

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