Caleb got to meet one of the Greenbay Packers wide receiver Jordy Nelson.  He was a former K-State football player too.  So double bonus in our family.  He was at a new store that opened here in Wichita (Mernard's).  So, I stood in line for 1 1/2 hours while Daddy walked all the kiddos around the store waiting to get an autograph.

He was surprised that Caleb wanted him to sign the underneath of his ball cap.  Caleb did get to go around to the other side of the table to get a side-by-side picture.  But, by the time Daddy snapped the picture Caleb was walking away.  He really wasn't very friendly and wouldn't look up at the camera.  

Easter 2011

My kiddos! Aren't they so CUTE? I think so.

These were the things they left for the Easter bunny.

Grace left him a note and a sack full of smarties that she got from the egg hunt earlier that day.

Checking out their goodies!

Getting ready to go hunt for some eggs with the cousins.

Caleb's 8

Caleb turned 8 on April 22nd. Which was also Good Friday and Easter weekend.  So we had kind of mix the two.

He still LOVES his Packers!

This was his cake that he had after everyone ate Easter dinner.

Excuse the mess from everyone.

Hello!!

Well, I can't really say that I am doing much better at this blogging thing this year.  I told a friend a few weeks back that I really just didn't feel like writing a bunch of "happy" things when I really haven't been feeling "happy".  Then I realized that this is my blog and if you only like reading "happy" things this is the wrong blog for you.  I do not mean for this to be hurtful, it's just that in my life it's not always "happy".  So, I have decided to share a few of my "unhappy" moments because God has shown me some amazing things in my "unhappy" times.

Although I feel like I have been in the dumps since January God has continued to show me His wonderful grace and grown me into a deeper relationship with Him.  I just finished a wonderful bible study (with some amazing women) called Breaking Free by Beth Moore. I can say that I truly yearn for God more and more each day.  When I don't make time for Him I miss Him.  At one point in our study us women talked about the relationship we should have with our Lord.  I said,"it is like a marriage"  you wouldn't go days on end without speaking to your husband.  If that happens your home probably isn't working very well.  So why do we go days with out talking and spending time with our Lord?  I have many,many excuses for this.

About a month ago I hit a very low point (not pretty at all).  I cried A LOT that day(more then the average of any given day) and cried all the way to study that evening.  Then I sat in my car and cried some more.  Thinking that I would get all my tears out before I went in.  So much for that!  I went inside sat down and feel apart.  The ladies that night hugged me and let me get all that I needed out.  I felt like a new person and realized that I had been listening to many lies from the evil one.   He had been keeping me silent for some time(which was totally not like me).

Well, the next day was terrible again  I ran into MANY road blocks. (My husband calls them stones not blocks).  I felt like they were boulders! I was sooooo ready to go to bed that night and did early.  Then, the next morning I got up wrote in my journal and thought to myself ,"why don't I look in a old bible I used to use and see if I can find any scripture in that might be encouraging to me now".  So, I flipped through the pages and seen some pink highlights.  I stopped and turned back to them.  It was Psalms 32:3-5

 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.  For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of the summer.  Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity.  I said,"I will confess my transgressions to the Lord"- and you forgave the guilt of my sin.  Ps.32:3-5

At first my thought was oh, I did this the other night with the ladies. I wasn't silent any more as I had been for weeks.  Then I read it again and a HUGE overwhelming feeling swept over me.  I started crying so hard and just kept saying," oh, yes Lord you have said these things to me".  I have been silent from You.  You have been putting your hands heavy on me.  I have been groaning day and night.  I was very weak and ask my God to forgive me.  Even through all my groaning He still loves me and shows me daily in so many ways, but especially in His word.

Well, fast forward three weeks.  We finished our study on Monday April 18th.  We were to discuss our last week.  I hadn't finished days 4 and 5 yet so I had know idea what they were about and we did not discuss day 4 as a group.  We just skipped over that which I realized later in the week.  On that following Wed. I decided I was going to start on day 4.  I had just wrote in my journal and was writing about fasting.  Our church was doing a church wide fasting and I was journaling about that and the things I do and do not know about that subject.  So, I start reading my study and behold it was somewhat about fasting.  Which was very cool in itself. I felt like this was an answer from the Lord about a question I had just asked Him.  But, as I was reading the scriptures Isaiah 58:6-12 I came across this verse:
The Lord will always lead you, satisfy you in a parched land, and strenghten your bones.  You will be like a watered garden and like a spring whose waters never run dry. Is.58:11

I felt like this was God's answer to my prayers over the verses above.  His promises to me!  He will always lead me, satisfy, and strenghten me.  I once felt drained as in the summer heat and He tells me He will satisfy me in my parched places and I will grow like a watered garden. Ahhh. AMAZING! I LOVE His word.  While I was not looking at all for a answer to this prayer of mine.  He gave me one in the midst of searching for an answer on fasting.  He is such a good Teacher!  I can't say I'm the best student to work with.

Although, I/we are still in the midst of decision making for our family and praying very hard for some clear answers( which I know He will give us) I am growing closer to my God and learning to TRUST Him. Which used to be a minute by minute thing and now is a hour to hour thing. 

I hope and pray that this will give you encouragement and help you realize that our God is very much alive and active.  He LOVES you!  He gave His son for you and He has RISEN!

Our Friend

This pass Friday we lost one of our family members.  Our dog "Montana".  I'm pretty sure it was just old age.  He was 10 1/2 years old.  Which is old for a German Shepard.  Although we are all sad and will miss him.  I am very thankful for the timing of it all.  The only bad part was Ernie was out of town.

Jonah went out to feed the dogs and He noticed Montana was not coming to eat.  So, he went looking for him and found him laying down up by our house under some tree's.  Jonah looked at him and said,"come on, get up you old man".  Then he realized that something was wrong because Montana just looked up at him and didn't move much.  So, Jonah came running in the house and told me frantically that something was wrong with him. But, by the time I got outside he was gone. He just laid down and put his head between his front legs and went to sleep.

Although, I was home alone with the kids, I am so very thankful that Jonah did not find him already gone.  I am also thankful that we found him right when he passed.  We had plans to not be home much that day and when I let him out that morning he seemed fine so I wouldn't of looked for him before we left.  I am thankful that it was a beautiful day for us to dig a grave, and that my brother-n-law(Neil) and father-n-law came to dig the grave.

There are many reminders of him but, I think the ones we will miss the most will be him not running up and down the front yard when we leave in our car, and coming home and not having him meet us at the car door.(as annoying as this was to me at times) This is definitely harder then I thought it ever would be for me.

He had been a part of our family as long as I have been a Momma!

Basketball

Caleb has been playing basketball this Winter at the Y in El Dorado.  He played his last game this last Saturday.  This was also the last time he will be able to play basketball through the Y.  When you enter into the 3rd grade you have to move up to the rec. center in town.  BooHoo! another milestone of him growing up way to fast. 

 These are a few pics of him at his last game.  He was a bit under the weather.  He has been sick this last week with a really bad cold.  Lots of coughing which he was trying so hard to keep under control.  If it hadn't of been his last game I probably would of kept him home.  We all realized when trying to decide if we should let him go play that he is having a "last game syndrome".  What I mean by that is, at his last football game he didn't get to play because he got strep and at his last baseball game summer before last he broke his arm.  Which I made him play the entire game before I took him to the Dr. to have him checked out.  I promise I had a very good reason for that!

Before each game at the Y all the kids have to say a good sportsmanship pledge.

He is serious about his defense!

And his offense!

This is one of his coaches giving him his medal.

His team.

After each game the kids get snacks.  This was our turn to bring them and Grace was helping hand them out.

Our Family Valentine's

In our family we make Valentine's Day a family ordeal.

We don't go crazy buying a bunch of chocolate's and flowers.

I do LOVE chocolate and like flowers, but on Valentine's I think these things are very over priced.

My hubby says,"It's just a Hallmark making money day". I would agree.

So we just hang out as a family and do a few fun things.

Now, with the comment I said above. This year I did support "Hallmark" and bought the kids these little bugs.  I thought they were very cute and I can reuse them through out the year to just leave a little something special.  I put a little bit of candy(which I just bought regular candy not valentine's candy) in each one, made them a valentine and clipped it onto the bug.

This is our Valentine's tree.  I LOVE Christmas so much it really depresses me to take down our tree.  So, a few years ago I decided to leave a small tree up and decorate it for VValentine's.  I bought the red lights last year at the after Christmas sale, then made heart shape ornaments out of foam sheets.  After Valentine's I am ready to take down the last tree until I put it back up in October.  HA! Just kidding!  I wait until November 1st.

Grace and I made some heart shape cookies while the boys were out side playing.  She always trys to eat the dough.  I have NO idea where that came from. LOL!

She is my little baker.  She loves it!  But, she informed me that she knew so much about cooking because Aunt Sheila taught her.  She has been telling me this A LOT about her Aunt Sheila lately.  I'm not sure what she is learning from me right now.

This was our dinner.  I always go get a heart shape pizza at Papa Murphy's.  It's only $6.  Can't beat that.  I bought some plate's, cups, napkins, and the table cloth all in the dollar spot.

Ready to dive in!  We set everything up downstairs so we could watch our movie while we ate.

With Daddy!

Me

Grace with her little bug.

Jonah with his.

And Caleb.

I love these family moments we have.  I hope that these are the things they will remember when they grow up and realize the importance of having family time and not just on a special occasion, but all the time. 

 "The family is one of God's masterpieces"