Africa

This was the latest itinerary provided to us. We have been told to be flexible, so these things may change, but I wanted you all to have an idea of where we are going each day so you could pray specifically for the children we are with.

Thank you all so much for your support of this trip, I will try to update while I am gone, but no promises!

FYI: Ethiopia is nine hours ahead of Nashville.

Dec. 30th: DEPART the States for Africa!

Dec. 31st: Arrive in Addis Ababa, head to the Ethiopia Guest Home to sleep.

Jan. 1st: Head to Addis Ababa airport and depart to Entebbe, arriving at 12:45 PM. Proceed by bus to Jinja (3 hours with Entebbe traffic). Check into King Fisher Lodge and head to Katie Davis’ house to help assemble the food and shoes for the feeding program the next day.

Jan. 2 – Amazima all day!

Jan. 3 - Church with Katie from Amazima, afternoon with Canaan’s Children Home.

Jan. 4 – Feed Karamajong people with Amazima and then head to Canaan’s Children Home. (Thompson Station group will depart for New Hope Uganda orphanage in Kisana/Kiwoko).

Jan. 5 – Spend morning packing and visit source of the Nile. Head into Entebbe or Kampala (depending on route) for quick shopping, arriving at the airport by 3:30 for our 6:30 PM flight out. Arrive in Addis and head to Ethiopia Guest Home.

Jan. 6 - Mother Theresa’s HIV orphanage.

Jan. 7 – Ephraim’s Post Office Street Kids (soccer and meal) and children living in the dumps.

Jan. 8 - Kingdom Vision International orphanage. Afternoon with America World Transitional Home. Group 1 departs for the States at 10:00 PM.

Our Buckaroo

The middle buckaroo turned three years old today!

We celebrated with a wild west party complete with some oversized stuffed horses, thanks to the lovely Hanks family. They were definitely the hit of the party. And I promise, I kept a close watch for clean hands before mounting the horses!

We did some lasso-ing. Glad Daddy Bill was around to show us the real way to tie a lasso rope! And we corraled the "cow" balloons. And, of course, we ate cupcakes. A couple of times...

Happy Birthday, sweet Silas!

Merry Christmas

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and hope that you go to bed tonight in awe of the amazing gifts we are given and content in the knowledge that Jesus Christ is all that we really need.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God, Everlasting Father,

Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

New toys

I cleaned out the closet under the stairs a few weeks ago and moved the vacuum and all its many attachments to this newly open space. Today the big boys found the attachments and they were a big hit for the rest of the day.

I love that their first adventure was to Africa, as they emerged from the boat (aka the closet) the conversation went something like this...

Caleb: We finally made it to Africa.

Silas: Oh no, I forgot my Bible!

Caleb: That's okay, we will use our telescopes (vacuum attachments) to find people to help.

Shortly there after, the closet was a pirate ship and by the time Daddy got home all of the attachments were guns. It was sweet for a moment, but I suppose boys will be boys.

Sweet Sleep

Corey and I went to see Blind Side this weekend. It was a great movie about how much of a difference one family can really make, even by helping just one child. The story is about an affluent Memphis family who took in a homeless kid, and when they gave him his own room he said...

I've never had one before.

What? Your own room?

No. A bed.

This young man is definitely not alone. There are millions (yes, millions) of children who go to sleep each night on a cold floor or muddy ground. There is an organization called Sweet Sleep who is working to provide what we would consider a basic necessity for children in northern Uganda. Please take a moment and read the story of this amazing ministry. They have some great Christmas gift options, and they also need some non-monetary things such as prayer and notes of encouragement for the children.

For nearly 22 years northern Uganda has been in a war. The LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) would attack villages during the night. As they attacked, LRA soldiers would kill as many adults as they could and they would force the children of these villages to kill their parents or be killed themselves. From there the children were kidnapped into the LRA army and forced to become child soldiers. These children have lived through tremendous atrocities.

Earlier this year God called our organization, Sweet Sleep (www.sweetsleep.org) to work in Uganda. In March, Sweet Sleep was contacted by an organization working in the Gulu region of northern Uganda ---the center of the impacted region. 10 huts had been burned down and there was an urgent need for beds for the children. We responded to this need and in July, while working in other orphanages in Uganda, I had the opportunity to travel to Gulu
to see what Sweet Sleep had provided and to understand what more we could do. What I saw and learned that day has changed my life, and the ministry of Sweet Sleep.

There are far too many things to share about that day. However, I do want to tell you one story: In Gulu I spent the day with 5 teenagers who had either been child soldiers or who had lost their parents, they took me from camp to camp showing me huts and some of the beds Sweet Sleep had provided. I had never been in a hut before and focused on taking in everything I could. Actually, it was a little crazy to think I was in a hut in the middle of nowhere in east Africa. At one point in the afternoon we ducked through the doorway into another small hut. I looked around and saw it was just as all the others: a hard dirt floor, curved walls made from mud and little rays of light coming in at the top where the wall met the simple straw roof. I stood there and looked at the contents of this hut: one little bed with a pink blanket and one toothbrush somebody had woven in and out through the straw of the thatch ceiling. That was all. I asked a question I’d not yet asked, “Who lives here?” The answer that followed rocked my little world.

The teens told me that a 14-year old girl and her five younger brothers and sisters lived there.

I heard their answer, but I didn’t understand it. So, I asked, “Where are her parents and why have we only given them one bed?” The answer that came was dumbfounding to me. I learned that in the Gulu region there are still one million displaced people—people who have lost their homes and everything they owned---because of the war. I learned that three-quarters of those people are children living in child-headed households. Yes, read that again. That’s about 750,000 children with no parents or grandparents or even orphanage to protect or care for them.

This information struck something deep inside me. Spending the day watching and studying those 5 teenagers struck something even deeper. I kept asking myself what in the world our ministry could do there. I knew we couldn’t give them back what had been taken away from them---we couldn’t give them back their parents. I knew we couldn’t take away what had been forced upon them---those children had watched as their families and villages had been brutalized. What could we do? God and I wrestled with this for weeks and weeks and weeks. One of our driving verses at Sweet Sleep is Proverbs 3:24 which says, “they will lie down and not be afraid; they will lie down and their sleep will be sweet.” Here, in Gulu, this verse just did not make sense to these children.

In the months that followed, God showed me another verse, also in Proverbs, that says, “Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act.” The answer, I realized, is that I had seen and had learned and was responsible to share their story with all of you so that you, too, would know and be able to respond. The answer for Sweet Sleep was that we respond just as we have always: we work together with everyone we can in order to find resources that will bring beds and hope to as many children as possible. This is the good news. It’s such good news that hope is coming to these children in the form of a bed which communicates to a child things about God’s promises so that peace can slowly begin to come to their hearts.

So, we are moving on to bring true sweet sleep to these tired and traumatized little ones. We face a challenge before us that is greater than ever. It is our ministry’s responsibility and challenge to connect the message of God’s hope, His love, grace, forgiveness, protection, provision and redemption, to the beds which we will provide. And, to equip those children with scripture that they can begin to learn and memorize which will enable them to push out the fear that grips them at night----the time the rebels come. If they can lie in their new beds and know they are loved and protected and then claim a verse reminding them of this knowledge, they can begin to have little victories over the fear that grips them. And, peace and hope and love can slowly come to their little hearts. This is why I desperately need your help.

My hope is you can help me find people who want to do something great this Christmas. We are providing 450 beds which will go to “heads of households” and thus, provide beds and nets for 2,000 children. Of those 450 beds we need 218 more. A bed in Gulu consists of a straw mat, a mattress, sheets, blanket and a mosquito net, for a cost of $88. Of that, $8 is for a treated mosquito net to help prevent children from being bitten by a life-threatening mosquito infected with this disease. In Uganda, malaria now kills more people than HIV/AIDS.


So, here’s what I still need, you can determine which opportunity suits you best:
I need a team of people who can commit to praying for me and for the work I’ll be doing ·

I need notes of love to give to a child I encounter. They can be notes of love, encouragement, your favorite scripture, whatever. Mailed to Sweet Sleep. I’ll pack and take and hand deliver to a child I get to spend time talking with.

218 mosquito nets. 8,320 Ugandans will die of malaria during the 26 days I will be gone. I will purchase these in Uganda for $8 each. Malaria kills more people in Uganda than HIV/AIDS.

Mattresses for 218 children so they will be able to sleep up off of the ground for the first time in their lives. Mattresses are $50.

Can you imagine not having a blanket to warm you during these chilly nights or sheets to sleep in? 218 more children still need to be able to be warm and snuggly. They can for just $30.

In this last home stretch it’s anything goes. Yes, we’ll welcome your donations. Yes, we’ll encourage you to bring these opportunities above to your office, church, small group, Sunday school class, college, school, running group, book club…anywhere you live your life. And, yes, we welcome your gift donations that you make in honor or memory of someone you know. We have fun card options you can choose for Sweet Sleep to send to your recipient, letting them know about the gift you’ve made on their behalf. Visit our site for more on this: http://www.sweetsleep.org/getinvolved/givethegift.html

Any checks can be made to Sweet Sleep with a note for “Gulu” in the memo line. Our mailing address is PO Box 40486, Nashville, TN 37204.

Packing List

My trip to Africa has some very specific packing requirements. I am supposed to check two 50 pound bags of items to give away to the children at the orphanages that we are visiting, and I am supposed to pack all of my items for our ten-day stay in a 15 pound carry-on. Is that really even possible? I guess I will find out soon enough!

More importantly though, I need your help gathering the supplies to fill one of the checked duffel bags. We would like to give each child a box of crayons while we are there, and we are hoping to collect at least 500 boxes!

If you see any of the 8-count boxes of Crayola crayons while you are out doing your Christmas shopping would you pick them up for me? Especially those of you who live in a different area than I do - or are traveling to a different area over the holiday! I have bought the local Target, Wal-Mart, and Publix out of their packages and they are not too quick on the restock.

Remember due to weight restrictions and the number of boxes we need, they have to be the 8-count box!!

Influence

I believe that the purpose of influence is to speak up for those who have no influence.

Rick Warren

When I started this blog about a year ago, I never imagined myself a sidebar advertisement kind of blogger. When you only have ten readers that seems a little worthless. But you all are part of my small sphere of influence, check out some of the ministries Corey and I support and see what God might be calling you to do.

And luckily for those ministries, the ten of you are not my only audience...

Many of you have read the story of Michael from Katie Davis's blog. A hungry, neglected little boy that she took care of for awhile. Katie had to eventually him home, and a few weeks later she wrote, "I think of Michael who is back at home with his step mom, healthy now, but more than likely still mistreated. God knows that as a single woman I cannot legally adopt a little boy, how could my heart be so knit to his."

I had wondered why she did not just keep him, and when I read her reason I fell apart. I immediately went downstairs to my reading corner and fell on the floor sobbing. Uncontrollably crying to the point that Corey came from some other corner of the house to see what was wrong.

I told him that if we were there, we could take him. Oh, how I love little boys and I would take another one in a heartbeat. But I felt hopeless and frustrated that I could do nothing for that little boy at that moment.

God was not impressed with my brokenness. And he quickly reminded me that I had failed to even pray for him.

From the first time that I read about him September, my heart had ached to go and do, but I had failed to stop and pray specifically for Michael. Because I am not the answer.

But I have influence. Influence with the King of kings. Influence with the God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and the God who knew Michael by name before the world was formed. I am a child of the King, and I have influence. My prayers are powerful and effective.

So for Michael, and the other 147 million orphans, I pray. I pray that they are loved and nourished, I pray that they know how much Jesus Christ loves them and how much He gave for them that they too might have influence with the King. And I humbly pray that he would use me, and my family, and my church, and my few faithful blog readers to be some of the ones to tell them.

All for one, and one for all

Musketeer 1Musketeer 2 (with goldfish in his teeth) Musketeer 3
Three Musketeers...Musketeer 2 was sad because Musketeer 1 was messing with the feather in his hat! But Pop and Nana came over and cheered him up, and they all had a great time at the Fall Festival!

who gave that child a paintbrush?

What once was lost...

Several months ago, I lost my engagement ring in the car. I have a bad habit of playing with my rings, and this time one came off and fell somewhere into the deep unreachable crevices of my seat. Corey and I have both looked and looked and looked for that ring.

I had accepted the fact that altough I might not ever actually find the ring, I would not be able to vacuum out or sell my van until it was found.

All those car snack crumbs accumulate quickly, and several months of no vacuuming plus a couple of weeks of laziness in not picking up the trash made for one disgusting van. Everytime I got in there I was irritated. And I will admit that when I am irritated, I typically find a way to take it out on my husband.

I had been wanting to really let him have it about the disgusting van for about a week now..."why do you not take care of this, don't you think I have enough to do already?" I like to deem the cars as his job...okay, really I like to deem any job that I do not want to do as his job.

But then today God prompted me to just clean the van out myself. I let the boys play outside, and I picked up almost an entire trashbag worth of trash off the floor of the car. And then...

I move the front seat all the way forward, and tilted it up as high as it would go. As always I am looking for my ring but find nothing. I walk around to the other side of the car to put some trash in the trashbag. As I walk back around to finish cleaning out under that seat, I throw up a half-a-second "sure would be nice to find my ring" prayer....

And there it was! Laying in the middle of the floorboard, the same place where I had just been cleaning and had seen nothing. Like someone had come along and just laid it down in that spot. And as I bent my head down to say "thank you" to the one who answers even the smallest of prayers, I was reminded once again that God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

And humbly doing whatever it is myself, is always a better idea than getting mad at my husband.

The details

You got the emotional reason for the trip, now for some actual details!

We will leave on the 30th of December (just enough time for Christmas and a birthday party for Silas) and be home on January 9th.

Angela, Alicia, and I are traveling with an organization called Visiting Orphans, and we are three of a 28 member team.

We are going to Ethiopia and Uganda. While in Uganda we will work with the following organizations...

Amazima Ministries

A ministry started by a now 20 year old girl from Brentwood, TN. Katie lives in Uganda with the 13 orphan girls she has adopted. She has given up life in Tennessee with a loving family, a boyfriend, college at Belmont, and the American Dream. She gave it all up, for pursuit of a calling to life more abundantly.

This ministry feeds around 1500 people twice a day, and has arranged sponsorships for around 400 children. These sponsorships provide children with school fees (there are very few public schools in Uganda), a uniform, socks and shoes, two hot meals a day, school supplies, and any minor medical care needed. The children are also discipled by the Amazima staff.

She is what we call "sold out", and I cannot wait to meet her and hear the sweet songs that are sung at her house on Saturday mornings when all of the sponsored kids come over.

Please follow the link to the right and learn more about this ministry and ways that you can support Katie and her work in Uganda.

Canaan Children's Home

According to the website, "Pastor Isaac Wagaba and his wife Rebecca began the children's home in 1996 with two abandoned children.

During the reign of infamous Idi Amin, when Pastor Isaac was laying on a heap of bodies, shot and left for dead, he heard a voice "Isaac, I have saved your life so that you may save the lives of my fatherless children...Isaac, I will be the father of those children through you."

Strengthened with energy from God, Pastor Isaac crawled from the pit and ultimately God fulfilled his promise, beginning with two abandoned children.

Today, in Buziika, near Jinja, Uganda, Pastor Isaac serves God who saved him to be a father of the fatherless, by directing a growing and vibrant orphanage and home for destitute children -- the invisible children of Africa."

I have heard that these kids can give an impressive reception so I am excited to see it for myself!

This orphanage recently had a major fire break out in their girl's dormitory and while no children were hurt the building was completely destroyed. Please pray for them as I can only imagine what a loss that was for those girls.

While in Ethiopia we will also visit an orphanage called Kid's Care, a Mother Teresa orphanage for children with HIV, and participate in a ministry to the street children. I do not know as much about these, but I will pass along any information I get.

Please prayerfully consider supporting one of these ministries!

And if you feel led, you can also support our trip by clicking on the "Donate" button to the right. All donations go into the same "Big Nanny and friends go to Africa" fund and any money that we raise over travel costs will be donated to one of the ministries listed above.

the story of me

It was spring of this year when I went to a friend's house to watch a Beth Moore video. There were about ten other women there that night, some that I knew well and some not so well.

We were watching a video about Esther, and getting a brief glimpse into the life of a Jewish girl who became the Queen of Persia "for such a time as this."

Esther was an orphan raised by her cousin. Beth Moore wanted to be sure that we all completely understood what that meant and began to talk about how hard it would be for a little girl to lose her mother. My heart started to pound and the lump started to creep up in my throat. But I held it together relatively well, and thought I was in the clear.

But she was not done. Esther was an orphan, she had lost both of her parents. And again, Beth Moore wanted to be sure that we all understood the gravity of that and so she relentlessly repeated phrases like, "Can you imagine anything worse? Can you imagine what it would be like to lose not one, but both of your parents?" She told stories of funerals, and drove a dagger through my heart.

Because that is something I can imagine. It will be twenty years this month since the plane crash that left my brother and I as orphans. This is not something that I think about everyday. And yet, it is a loss that still wrecks me at times.

Like when I brought home my firstborn baby and realized that there was no one who could tell me what I was like as a baby. No one who knew when I got teeth or crawled or if I was happy or fussy. There was no one who looked at me, like I looked at that little boy.

And like that night of Bible study. When I eventually had to get up and leave the room.

A friend rode home with me, and as soon as she got out of the car I was crying. Not so much tears of sadness, but of anger. I questioned God angrily,

What was that? WHAT WAS THAT?

I kept asking over and over, wanting God to give me some reason that He would open up this old wound in a room full of people. A wound that is not from sin in my own life, but from something that He took away from me.

I know that my parents died. I know that it sucks. Why beat me over the head with it?

I did not get a specific answer from God that night. But the same answer I had gotten from him when as a new mother I had questioned His love for me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." A reminder that all I need is His forgiveness in my life. His salvation is more than I ever deserved. And the more I need Him, the more He can use me.

That night Beth Moore also said, "you cannot amputate your history from your destiny." Looking back now, I believe that was the beginning of a new chapter in my life. And God has slowly been turning the pages to reveal how my loss could be used for His glory.

Corey and I had already sponsored a child through Compassion International, but soon after that night of Bible study I decided to sponsor another child. This time I searched for an orphan.

I know what it is like to miss your parents. I know what it is like to have a longing inside you that you know nothing this side of heaven will actually fill.

I do not know what it is like to be without hope. Because for as long as I can remember I have had the amazing hope that comes from faith in a heavenly Father who promises, "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." I have hope in a God who sent me an adoptive mother at the age of twenty six, so that my children would have a home in my hometown. I wanted to sponsor an orphan who also needed that hope - along with food, and clothes, and a chance to go to school.

We actually ended up with twin boys, Dawit and Yohannes. I mean, really, how could I support one and not the other? They live in Ethiopia with their aunt. I write to them, send them stickers that they will probably never use because they are considered such a precious gift, and occasionally a little extra money for their family.

But lately when I see their faces, and when I hear the stories of orphans still on the streets, still without food, and still without hope I am overcome with the desire to do more.

And I am humbled that I would ever think my load is too much to bear.

The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Looking at my life, He has done more giving than taking. I am blessed with healthy children, a darn good husband, an amazing family and friends, and even that adoptive mother who is willing to take a week off work to watch my babies as I travel halfway around the world.

"From everyone who has been given much, much will be required."

I do not know what all is required of me, but I know that I have not given all I can give and that God has blessed me with an opportunity to be His hands and feet.

And so I am going (along with a couple of terrific gals from my church) to Africa at the end of December. To bring His hope to the hopeless.

We will be traveling with an organization that partners with orphan ministries around the world, I will give you more information about the specific ministries we will be visiting and how you can help support them in the coming days.

In the meantime, you all just feel free to start praying for me, and for my wonderful husband and Kentucky Nana who will be holding down the fort for the 13 days I am gone!

Expensive Free Tickets

As a county employee, Corey was able to get free tickets to the fair. But $14 in ride tickets, three snow cones, two lemonades, one fried catfish basket, and a funnel cone add up to one expensive but fun-filled night!

Caleb's favorite part of the night was the kids Farmer's Market. They got to feed chickens and cows, pick apples, plant corn, and milk the cows on the pretend farm and then sell their goods at pretend market. The money you got for your veggies could then be used to buy ice cream sandwiches!


Silas's favorite part was feeding the animals. He thought their mouths tickled his hand and he was very brave to hold his hand out flat for them to eat the carrot pieces.

This camel was not afraid to get all up in your face begging for some carrots. He big ol' sloppy lips were too much for me but Canaan and Daddy were sweet to him.

My favorite part was getting to hang out with my four favorite fellas...and eating a big fat funnel cake!

Summer Recap - Hiking

We took a day trip to a state park down the road and took the boys on a little one mile hike. The path was well defined so Caleb could "lead the way", and it was also rugged enough for them to feel like they were actually doing something new and exciting!

I don't really like the outdoors. I have major issues with bugs, and I am not into sweating. The last time Corey and I went on a hike, it was a three day backpacking adventure through the Shenandoah Valley with Mr. and Mrs. Eagle Scout as our guides. I shed more than a few tears on that trip.

But, God in his infinite wisdom still chose to bless me with three little boys, and so as I started the day I had to believe that He would equip me with a happy heart and hopefully keep my whining to a minimum.

Thankfully, there was a cool breeze and minimal bug encounters so my husband was spared a repeat of the previously mentioned bad behavior.

And no, the trail was not stroller friendly. I should have taken Checkers up on her offer to borrow a toddler backpack carrier, but I did not think ahead to just how hard it would be to push a stroller over roots and rocks and tiny bridges. It was useful for carrying our picnic supplies at least!

Summer Recap - the 4th

We had a last minute 4th of July party at our house this year. Normally, we spend the 4th with my family in Kentucky...but my nephew was born in Alabama two days earlier so Nana was at his house instead of her own! That makes five little boys between my brother and I, and I am amazed at how different they all are - I cannot even imagine what sweet Noah is going to add to the mix.



But back to our party. Or basically just the toys from the garage put in the backyard along with a couple of kiddie pools, and a pack of those little snap pop things!



Luckily, we invited friends with yummy pork butts and family recipes to share so there was at least lots of good food to go around.



The boys had a great time playing in the backyard...


And apparently the highlight of the party was when the roller coaster got moved over to the hill along the side of our house...had I known about this beforehand I am not sure I would have gone for it, but it was not until I got these pictures (thanks to my photographers by the way) that I understood what was happening out there.
By the end of the evening Caleb and Silas were tired and cranky and not up for the fireworks which was disappointing because I thought Caleb was going to be very excited about seeing them - maybe next year!

Summer Recap - Strawberries

I have wanted to pick strawberries for the last couple of years, but I was always too late. This year I was actually on top of things and found me a cute little patch down the road. Caleb thought it was pretty fun. Silas was over it in about two minutes, and Canaan did not like that he had to stay in the stroller. But I had a great time, and the strawberries were amazing!

The boys

The big news on Caleb this summer was probably that he made some huge advances in the pool, thanks in no small part to Mr. Matt. I was actually able to sit on the side of the pool the other day and talk to a friend while Caleb played in the shallow end (his being able to touch helps alot!). Something I had not done at the pool in about four years!

Besides jumping in, he loves to dive down and get the diving sticks. And no, I did not take up photography over the summer. Any fancy pictures you see on this blog are usually thanks to Erin!

Probably the biggest news in the house has been that we now have another little boy who is able to stash his plastic pirate sword (when I thought through the rest of the sentence I thought I should be very specific) in big boy undies!! That Silas, marches to his own drum and pretty much just decided on his own that he wanted to starting using the potty. And still sometimes decides against it as well, but for the most part he is doing great!
Oh, and my Canaan. Sweet hurri-Canaan. This child is a destructive, and stubborn force in our house. But he loves a ball in a way that reminds me a Caleb at this age, and he will pick that little ball up and hit it off the tee and keep himself entertained for a good while. Until he notices that I am at the computer, and so he will have to drop everything to come over and pinch me and hit the keyboard buttons and whine at my feet for a good while as well.

But he also gives kisses when you ask for them which melts my heart. Just be careful, he also bites!

my so called life

Did anyone ever watch that show? It was on for about five minutes, but I loved it. That is beside the point really. I guess the point is that. I. Well, I. I have not blogged in awhile. A really long while.

I have pictures, lots of pictures. Pictures from last May, and even some cute videos. They just have not made their way up here. Maybe I am the only one who has not discovered the trick, but my goodness it takes forever to upload anything on here! I hear if you have Vista they have a very cool free feature that makes it all much faster and easier, but our computer is way too old to be uploading some new fangled operating system.

But I am going to try to catch up. Slowly add some pictures of what we have been doing since last spring, as well as be a little better about keeping my five faithful readers who are probably now never coming back updated on what is happening around here.

I am not making any promises, though. I am still working for the church, and I am about to start teaching a stats class one night a week and a geometry class one day a week. Oh, and I do still have those three little boys who like to played with every now and then.

But my family, I love you all and I want to keep you updated on our lives. And my blogger friends, I love you all too. And I am inspired by the way you keep on posting despite having busy lives of your own. I will try harder to keep up.

MontGUMery

Me: Caleb what is the capital of Alabama?

Caleb: (very matter of factly) Gummy worms.

Me: (laughing) Gummy worms?

Caleb: Oh, I meant gummy bears.

Close enough.

My New Best Friend

I have been away for awhile. I know. And my husband is leaving for Russia tomorrow so I cannot promise you all that you will get much from me in the near future.

But I wanted to take a quick minute to tell you about the new best friend that I made while I was away from my computer.

Some of you may think I am talking about Big Nanny. But really people, she thinks you should put babies to sleep on their bellies. And I am rule follower. It would never work between us.

Some of you may think I am talking about Alicia. And while she is great, I think the fact that I go to Dave Matthews concerts will always keep us apart.

Must be that sweet AH who works so tirelessly in the church office doing most of my job for me, right? But no. I think she gets enough of me on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights and holidays when she is supposed to be on a break from work. She is not looking for anything more in our relationship.

So now you think, it must be Checkers. Know that I would be almost worthless in the creative side of preschool ministry without her, and she does bring me near constant entertainment, but she already has a best friend, and I don't like competition.

And no, it is not Erin. I love that girl and would gladly give her the title, but you can't really consider her "new".

Plus none of them ever made me things. See my new best friend made me these (for dirt cheap in my opinion)...

And these (for free I might add)...

Which are waterproof lined, velcro closing, washable little snack bags that make me smile everytime I fill them with goldfish or pirates booty.

And all that was good, and it all brought me happiness. But really, she sealed the deal and became an answer to my prayers when she signed on to be a one year teacher after having been at my church about five minutes and even on the Sunday before the pastor gave the "you people need to be serving" sermon.

Her status, as best friend and teacher, is still pending a background check, of course!