Thankful--the kids at church

I am so thankful for my kiddos at church.  I love my job for the fact that I get to pour my life in kids.  It is what I was meant to do!  It's what I was born for!  I'll show you a little reason why tonight.  I asked the kids to write down what they are thankful for and here is what they wrote:
I am thankful for...

• Mom and dad are going to get me something.  Grandma and Grandpa are going to get me something. -4 yr. old
• My dad, my swing, my friends, my house, my family, my cousins, the trees and plants, my food, my toys, myself, my clothes, my mom and dad and sister. --4 yr old
• playdoh, myself, my house, my classroom, my daddy, my mama --5 yr old
• my friends, puppy, mom, dad, my baby, my toys, my ball --5 yr old
• my mom is getting me smething, my eyes, my bed, my house, my mom and dad, my sister, my mouth, my teacher--4 yr old
• family, grandma and papa, my friends, my aunt, toys--4yr
• God--1st grade
• dad, mom, friends, miss Trinity
• for how the Lord sent his son and died on the cross for us--3rd grade
• for Thanksgiving!--kindergarten
• grass-5th grade
• I'm thankful for God. Oh, and don't forget icecream--5th grader
• I am thankful for school--2nd grader
• house, earth, food, friends, dad--2nd grader
• Maggie, Hudson, chickin fried steak, William--2nd grader
• dad, friends, my dog
• family, life, food, friends, God, Jesus, and air--2nd grader
• I am thankful for my friends and Jesus--1st grader
• My family and cake--4th grader
• Mom, dad, Jake, God, Jesus, family, food, friends, teachers, church--2nd grader
• My home keeping me safe--1st grader
• God, Jesus, mom, dad, grandma, papa, brother, everybody--2nd grader
• dad
• My mom, my dad, my sister, my brother, my church, my goat--2nd grader
• I am thankful for family, friends, food, and that we have God as our Savior.--5th grader
• I am thankful for family--1st grader
• I am thankful for God and Jesus
• I am thankful for the children that will get these gifts--kindergarten
• I'm thankful for friends, my family and house--kindergarten
• I'm thankful for my sister Maylee and my mom and dad--5th grade
• my family, my friends, and my God, my house, my life--5th grade
• family, friends, animals--2nd grade
• dad
• I am thankful for Jesus, God, and church--1st grade
• I'm so thankful that we have programs that let us give to the ones that don't have anything like our operation Christmas Child--5th grade
• I'm thankful for cheesecake!  And Pam and David, Maggie, Hudson, Emma, Summer, Rylee, Trinity, Kinsey, Ashlyn, Autumn, Miss Bonnie, Miss Judi--5th grade
• I am thankful for Thanksgiving!--1st grade
• I am thankful for my mom and dad! --5th grade
• I am thankful for my sister, my brother and dad and mom--3rd grade
• everything--kindergarten
• People who fight for our country and freedom...cheesecake, church and family--5th grade
• I am thankful for our veterans who fought--4th grade
• I am thankful for people--4th grade
• I'm thankful for Thanksgiving, Beth, and Katlyn--4th grade
• I am thankful for my dog--3rd grade
• I am thankful for my friends and family and God and our house and food--5th grade
• For my friends, Luke, Jake, and Preston, etc.--5th grade
• I am thankful for my life--1st grade
• I am thankful for God--kindergarten
• I am thankful for my PS3--3rd grade
• I am thankful for air!--1st grade
• friends, my tree, house, family--kindergarten

Thankful......Day9

H-my dogs
A-My teacher
M-my book I'm reading
S-Our friend Staci, W, baby H and Staci's husband

Autumn--I'm thankful that I get to get an icecream coke at Sonic every Wednesday, and that I get to have popcorn every Wed. with Emily and Trinity.

Trinity--I am thankful for Mama C.  Sometimes I really have to work on my attitude about Mama C, but I have come to be thankful for her, for without her, we would not have the blessing of having the girls.  I am thankful she had them, I am thankful she still loves them from wherever she is and I am thankful we have them...that they are safe, happy, and making a difference in the world!

Thankful....Day 5, 6, 7, and 8

Yes, I am way behind on my thankful days, so get ready, you get 4 days in one!

 I just took pictures of the girls, so get ready to see a whole bunch of them in the next bunch of posts...sorry if you already saw them on facebook, but I'm really excited about them, so I will post them!

 Thanks to the W family for letting us use their land...we love your place!  Oh...and to my cousin Emily...don't worry, I have your post in my head...I just need to write it down! 

And to our thankful things.....
Day 5
Trinity--I'm thankful for sisters...I seriously don't know what I would do without Bethany and Autumn...I love them so much and can't imagine life without them.  And I love love love it that my girls have each other...there is no better friend than a sister!
Autumn-B, our nephew...we love him
M--Maggie and Hudson (our dogs)
H-K and B (two of her good friends!)
A--friends
S--my teacher, Mrs. Sprague

Day6
Autumn-Trinity (yes, she really said that, I didn't make it up!)
Trinity--B, my nephew.  This little fella is the absolute best!  I LOVE HIM!!!
H-Branson (we love to go there on vacation)
A-Maggie and Hudson (dogs)
M--cheesecake
S--people in Florida...I don't know their names...oh wait, it's Africa and they are brown people and we are sending them things for Christmas

Day7
Trin-my parents...I think I have gone on and on in previous posts in detail on what my parents mean to me and how they have impacted my life in so many ways, but today I am thankful...so thankful for them.
Autumn-my nook (she really does love that thing like I love my camera!)
S-Skippy, Becky, Casey and Carter (our very good friends...Skip has always been S's buddy)
H-Joyce (Joyce is a gift from God and is H's buddy...she is really like another grandma for H)
A-Autumn and Trinity (awww..)
M-Chicken (she really does love chicken!)

Day8
Autumn--my dog (Maggie is really hers and Hudson is supposed to be mine, but both think they are hers because she is the main one to take care of them.  I miss our old dog and would rather Hudson be Autumn's...so she was sure to say my DOG, not dogS!)
Trin-the girls' teachers...the girls come home excited to learn, and their teachers care so much for them!  I can't even begin to tell you how thankful I am for Christian teachers who show God's love to their students on a daily basis!
M-David and Pam Bennett (each girl has different people who really invest in them...I am so thankful for each of these!
A-broccoli soup
S-Mr. Cook and Mrs. Cook (another one of those sweet families who invest in them!)
H-cupcakes


Did anyone notice that I get bored easily with repetitive things and so I switched up the initials of the girls to spell different things?  I did.  I like to switch things up!

Thankful....Day4

Autumn--I'm thankful for the girls. (Autumn is a girl with not a lot of words)

Trinity--I'm thankful for my camera.  I really am.  I get to look at the world through a whole new perspective behind that lens.  It is amazing to me to be able to freeze time and totally capture that one moment in time.  I love it!  I also love that my camera has given me so many opportunities...opportunities to meet people, to get to know people, and totally connect with people that I would otherwise not be able to.  Yes, I am thankful for that camera!

M--I'm thankful I get to go to basketball practice tonight and I get to go to computers today at school.

A--I'm thankful for the new girl at school.  (She went on to explain the girls' heartbreaking situation...I'm thankful that A is sensitive and caring...she thinks about other people and I pray she can be there for this new girl!)

S--I'm thankful that I get to go to school, and for my family, and I get to eat at school!

H--I'm thankful M gets to go to basketball practice,   I'm also thankful I get to see my friends.

Thankful...Day 3

M--I'm thankful we get to eat at school this morning.

H--I'm thankful I get to go to basketball practice tonight!

A--hmmm....my family...and God.

S--My family...cause they take me to church.

Autumn--I'm thankful for a peaceful morning so far!

Trinity--I am thankful for Autumn.  It is my day off today, so instead of making me get up to get the girls ready, she just does it.  Seriously.  I'm pretty sure I get a lot of credit for things she does a lot of times.  I'm pretty sure people have no idea how much she does behind the scenes.  I'm thankful for her!

Thankful...Day 1 and 2

People have been playing this little game on facebook where they post each day of the month of November what they are thankful for.  I thought I would not only play on facebook, but I would get my girlies involved and play on here too...and maybe it will get me in the habit of posting everyday!  Here we go...day 1 and 2:
(Please remember as you read these that I asked them for these in the van on the way to school...not all girls were in a great mood...just know that).

Trinity--I am thankful for the hugs I get from four little girls, for with each hug my heart is filled.  And with each hug, I thank the LORD that he chose Autumn and I to get those four blessings!  I love them so!

M-I am thankful for having my first basketball practice last night!  It was awesome and I'm glad I get to play!

H-I'm glad I get to go to school.  Not all kids do.

A-God (can you tell who was in a bad mood?)

S-I'm thankful for my family.

Trinity--I'm thankful for coffee.  I know it sounds shallow, but I really do love it.  (Remember we were on our way to school with some not-so-happy children...yes I sucked that coffee down.)  I am very thankful that I can buy my favorite kind of coffee for no reason, and I love my coffeemaker, and it is kind of sad that I can write so much about coffee!  boo.

Autumn--I'm thankful for the weather cooling down.  I like the cooler days.

M--I'm thankful we get to go to church tonight.  I like church and its good we get to go.

H--I'm thankful for the kids that will get all the prizes and that they get to get all of that stuff. (Our church is participating in Operation Christmas Child and trying to get enough stuff for 100 boxes!)

A--Black people  (I asked to clarify, and yes, she is thankful for black people...she likes them and likes their skin.)

S--I'm thankful we get to go to church, and play when we get there, and go to school, and come home, and....(I lost everything else she was saying...it was along the same lines, but we had an unhappy camper, one trying to practice spelling, and she was close to getting dropped off at school...sorry S.  It was a long list though!)

Have a happy day!  Hope you enjoy the thankful game...I'm pretty sure we will look back at this and be thankful we played the game!

Lessons I've learned from the J-man

This blog is about my crazy journey through life...the ups, downs, and definitely funny things that happen along the way.  Today is a little different.  I want you to meet J. 

 J just turned 11 and I have had him in children's ministry the whole time (boo, this is his last year!)  J is pretty much a celebrity in our quaint little town, and as you read this post you will realize why.  J was born with achondraplasia, which means he is a little person.  Before you say, "Aww, poor guy," just read the rest of the post...you won't be feeling sorry for this fella for long.  Being a dwarf has caused a lot of obstacles both physically and emotionally, but J has not only overcome many obstacles, he has taught so many along the way.  I want to share with you some of the lessons I have learned from my little J-man!

1-Life is not fair, but God is sovereign.  No...life isn't fair.  It isn't fair that J has had to endure 16 or more surgeries ( I forget how many exactly there have been).  It isn't fair that his back hurts consistently.  It isn't fair that his neck hurts because he has to look up all the time.  It isn't fair that people are rude out of ignorance.  It isn't fair that he can't physically keep up with the other kids in playing.  It isn't fair.  Well, that is what we (all of those who know and love J) think.  J, on the other hand, chooses to embrace who he is.  He chooses to remember that those people who say rude things just don't realize it hurts his feelings.  He chooses to remember that God CHOSE to make him like he is, and though things are difficult, there are so many blessings and opportunities that come from our hard times.  J doesn't get upset that he can't see over a big crowd, he just uses his extra space down there to zip right through a crowd like a superhero without ever being noticed!  Now, he is a kid and he is human, so yeah, he gets discouraged, but the difference is, he does not stay in that place.  He chooses to move on.  To see this fella praise the Lord in his hard circumstances brings me to my knees.

 2-Be patient, the world doesn't revolve around you.  Not only is J a little person, but he is also the youngest of four siblings.  Yes, our whole town knows J and caters to his every want (you should have seen his hospital room after a surgery just because he said all he wanted were balloons...I forget how many he had, but I'm pretty sure it was well over 50!), but again, he has 3 older siblings who are very involved in every activity under the sun, which means J has to just be patient.  Now, I know that ever kid has to learn to be patient.  It is a part of life we just have to learn at some point.  However, when you are a little person and just need a little more help (he needs much much less help than he used to of course), people sometimes forget, and patience is needed.  Yes, I have seen J yell at his family, but it was only used to be heard.  It is hard to be patient and I have seen him display it wonderfully.

 3-Be a good friend.  There have been times when I have seen J discouraged with his friends.  Now, J's friends are wonderful to him.  They help him, yet treat him like a regular guy.  However, because none of us have been in J's shoes, we just don't know what it is like to see your friends run outside and not realize you can't keep up.  We can't understand how it feels fully to notice people who don't know you staring and trying to figure you out.  We just don't understand.  Now, I want you to hear my heart in this.  I am in no way saying that J's friends have done anything wrong at all...they are great friends.,.I am always so encouraged to see them with him.  I just know that when I get left out accidentally or purposefully, when people talk about me, or when I get my feelings hurt, I may not be as gracious as I have seen J be.  He is a great friend!

Oh, and the picture below...that is not snot coming out of his nose...it is some weird lighting with the photo...my fault.

 I am so thankful that M and J are such good friends.  It sometimes brings tears to my eyes to think of the difficult things both of these kiddos have been through and how both have overcome so many trials!  I am blessed!

 4-It is ok to ask for help.  I sometimes have a hard time asking for help.  I would just rather do it myself than ask for help.  I don't know if it is pride, or not wanting to bother people, or maybe a little of both, but J is a great example of graciously and kindly asking for help.

As you can see in the picture, he also has no problem beating his friends up!  Hahaha.

 5-Like who you are.  Sometimes I have a hard time liking who I am.  I play the comparing game way too much.  I think things like, "I wish I could take pictures like________.  I wish I was quiet and gentle like ______.  I wish I had it together like ______.  I wish I was patient with my kids like _____."  Those thoughts that are quick to come to my mind can be so destructive if I choose to let them.  J could find reasons to wish he was different than he is, but this is a conversation I recently had with him in Sunday School:
Me: What is one thing you would change about your family...if you could change anything at all?
J:  I would make them all small like me.  It hurts my neck to look at them all.
Me:  You would make them small?  If you had a choice, would you make them small or make you tall?
J:  I would make them small cause it hurts my neck.  I like being small.  It's fun to be different.  And when I am in a big crowd, I can get where I want to go faster than anybody!

Good point J...like who you are!

 6-Don't give up...keep going and find a way.  Obviously there are physical obstacles to overcome in the little, everyday tasks, and while J is good about receiving help, he is also very independent and has a drive to do things on his own.  He has great endurance for sure!  I'm pretty sure I might play into my weaknesses and get all the help I can, but he doesn't.  Yes, he is in pain, but he keeps going.  He can whip around on his bike faster than some kids his age.  He doesn't not give excuses.  Things are often a lot tougher for him and he has to work a lot harder, but he doesn't give up!  Recently, I was in his house for something, and he wanted a drink of Sprite.  Instead of asking for one from one of the 3 adults standing there, he got the sprite out, then did his tricky climb onto the counter, reached up high, got his cup, did his tricky decline, and got his drink.  You might think this is no big deal, but I though it was a great accomplishment! 

 I know I have written a LOT about this guy today, and there are so many people in my life that I have learned so much from, but this is what God laid on my heart to write.  I hope you heard my heart as I wrote these things.  I know J is not perfect.  I know he has his imperfections, but he is also very inspirational in my life and God is using this little fella in a HUGE way to show God's love, grace, and power to SO many people!

 Thank you Lord for letting me know this J-man and his family!

Our last 6 and a 1/2

Our last six and a half birthday has finally arrived!  Happy 6 1/2 to our sweet S girl!  Why in the world would we celebrate 6 1/2 you may ask?  Well let me tell you a little story...

It begins in March/April of 2006...we had just picked up a wild little foster girl and were trying to wrap our minds around how to do the whole parent thing.  In the middle of getting clothes, hygeine products, enrolled in school, and getting to know the new person living in our home, we were exhausted and overwhelmed as we constantly tried to figure this girl out, explore her past and determine her needs for the present and future.  Our feisty little M needed the two to one ratio our home allowed at the time.  She was 6 at the time and woke up one morning saying she was 7.  That was it, she just decided she was 7.  So, we spent the next few days figuring out when her birthday was and when they entered the dhs system and so on (yes, it seems this would take one phone call, but it took several days...that's a whole different story).  While talking to the workers to figure everything out, M's worker started laughing and said, "Oh..that's funny!  M was removed from the home ON her birthday!"
There are some wonderful dhs workers, and we have had several workers who go beyond their job.  This was NOT one of those.  No, miss worker lady, it is NOT funny that a child was torn away from everything they know on their birthday!  That is not funny at all!!!  And, on top of it, this worker wasn't even right.  M was removed a couple of days BEFORE her birthday, which meant she spent her 6th birthday in a shelter, sleeping in separate quarters from her sisters, and being woke up in the night to comfort her sisters because they could not be comforted by staff.  Don't get me wrong.  I do not want to paint a terrible picture of the shelter.  This shelter is a really big one in the city and I'm sure they were packed.  They did not mean to ignore her birthday, but it just went unrecognized.  They are just trying to take care of basic needs, so things like birthdays might go unrecognized, and maybe they try to celebrate birthdays when they can (I know our local shelter does), but they just missed M's.  And as far as we can tell, the girls had no significant celebration of birthdays, which is the total opposite of how we were raised, so it just made us so sad!  No wonder M just woke up and decided she was 7, that's what happened when she turned 6.  She woke up one day and someone said she was 6!  Unlike the worker, it bothered us so much.  We were unsure that we would have her when she turned 7...I remember how distant 7 seemed!  My goodness, getting through one day was such an accomplishment, and we were preparing M to go back home soon, so the possibility of having her til she was 7 seemed so unrealistic to me!  It is pretty funny to think of now...we are planning her 12th, yes 12th birthday!  But at the time, 7 seemed so so far away, so we planned a 6 1/2 party!  Our friend RaeAnn's actual birthday was about that time, and we were visiting her, so we had a party, got a cake and had a little party, with our family and hers.  M loved it, and in our minds, that might be the last celebration she would get, BOY were we EVER WRONG!!!  Six months later, we celebrated her 7th birthday with a royal princess party (shared with her uncle Jarrod, yes he had a princess party)!  Six months later, with three extra kids, M remembered that it would be her 7 1/2 birthday!  We realized right then that this little situation was going to be pretty long term, and that would be a LOT of half birthdays to keep up with, so we better just stick to 6 1/2. 

And there you go...we now celebrate every one's 6 1/2 birthday.  One of the girls came home from school one day very sad that her friend didn't get anything for her 6 1/2 birthday...sorry parents if we caused any trouble there!

 And that brings us to our smiley S.  We got her when she was 2 1/2ish and I just can't believe we are already celebrating her 6 1/2...our LAST 6 1/2!!!  Maybe I will convince Bethany to let us do 6 1/2 for B, my nephew!

You might think that being the baby of 4 girls, S would be dependent and used to being bossed around by sisters.  Think again!  S is one independent girl and can boss with the best of them!  She loves to help people and seriously makes people smile when she smiles at them.  She is smart.  She sees needs and tends to them.  She is loving and sweet and let me tell you, she can hold her own against pretty much anyone!  Just a piece of advice, don't mess with S's sisters...she will come after you!!!  Happy 6 1/2 sweet S!!! 

Just that kind of day

I've noticed that I have put only stories with no pictures, so I decided to put a few pictures up to enjoy admist my stories.


Our days are full of ups and downs. I am trying hard to be more calm during the meltdowns, but I fail often. However, when I am actually calm during a meltdown, there can be some humor in it. We have to see the humor in all sorts of situations or we could go crazy around here! A few weeks ago, S was having a meltdown in the car about something...I have no idea what the fit was about, but it led to this:

S: I don't like this day!!!!

Us: Sorry...

S: It's an UGLY day!!!

Us: Sorry

S: This is an S-word day!!!

That's right...it was an s-word day! Sorry about having a stupid day S! We laughed and made the best of the situation. Hope you have a great day!

19 years ago...

Wow...19 years seems like a really long time. Truth is...it IS. When a person is at a job for 19 years, it is a big deal. When a person lives in a home for 19 years, it is a big deal. My 19 years....my mom has been gone for 19 years. Wow...19 years! That's a long time. While last year I felt the sharp pain on the anniversary of her death, this year the pain is in a different way. Let me see if I can explain this.

Last year, I missed my mother. I wanted to spend time with her. I wanted to hear her laugh. I wanted to taste her cooking (cause she really did cook so good). I wanted to do something crafty with her. I wanted to play with her hair. Get the idea? I wanted to just be with her. While I still dearly want those things this year, it seems to be a bit different. This year...I want her to bake cookies with my girls. I want my girls to rub her feet. I want her to pick out presents for my girls. I want my girls to call her on her birthday and sing to her. I want her to sing all of the fun kids songs to the girls.

I am so so truly blessed with my stepmom, aunts, and so many friends who fill many parts of the role of my mom and especially in regards to my girls, but I miss having HER fill that role. No one can do things like her. I miss that. My heart hurts...it really does.

But I think about what the Lord did on this day several years ago (I wrote about it last year on September 23), and I KNOW and REJOICE in the undeniable fact that God has made new life. He has restored this once gloomy day and made it a day of new life. God has given me so many blessings in my life. So many. One of the things that many people say to Autumn and I all the time is "Wow...I am so glad you took these girls, I just don't know where they would be without you."

I never know how to take that. I never know how to respond. Part of me thinks, "Man, I know...where would they be if they were still in that situation." Then the other part thinks, "Are you kidding? Autumn and I make so many mistakes!" Then, I realize what the truth of the statement is...."WOW...where would these girls be without the Lord rescuing them from the terrible awful place and restoring them anew."

What a beautiful picture of what the Lord CAN do for us all, if we choose. He takes us from our dirty sin and restores us and makes us new. I am amazed when I look at my girls and see this tangible picture of God's restoration. Because, these girls weren't just saved and now they are doing just ok...they have overcome so many things, risen above them, and are now using those same terrible experiences to minister to others. Just this week at the dinner table, the girls brought up the fact that a lot of kids often ask them about their past. I asked them how they handled it, and I had nothing really to add except for encouragement. They were handling it the right way! Thank you Lord!

Anyway...I know I have rambled on and on, but my point being, that on this day that I specifically remember the worst day of my life, I also rejoice in God's grace and mercy. I rejoice in the fact that he makes things new.

Oh...and the pictures were taken over a year ago, but I love them. Each girl got something of my mother's to take her picture with ....LOVE them!!!!!

A Tinsley Girl's Thoughts on Football

I love football season. Cool air. The whole town showing up to support the team. Cheering fans. The band playing. Visiting with all of my friends. Cheerleaders with their hair perfectly done cheering their heart out. Food from the concession stand. Oh yeah, there's a game too right? I like the game too, but I can't always understand what is going on, but don't worry, I just stand and cheer when everyone else does! Well, as you can see, I'm not as into the game, but I love football season. Unfortunately, our girls have taken after us and don't know a ton about any sports, although they do now know the correct name of the sport we are going to see...most of the time. While most families have Superbowl parties, our female family gears up for a Miss America party! With all of this said, I will share with you A's thoughts on football.

Remember, A is the girl that asks a million questions about anything...really...a million. You can just see the wheels turning in her eyes, and I love to see the world through her perspective. As this one-of-a-kind girl sits and watches a football game, the wrinkle of her eyebrows totally gives it away...she does NOT see any reason at all why someone would actually CHOOSE to play football. "Why do all of those boys just run around on the grass and hit each other? Are they mad at each other?" It just does not make sense to her. The more she watches, the more she doesn't understand..."I just don't know why they want to get hit...or hit each other!" Me either A...I don't get it either!

Don't get me wrong, she loves to go to the game, although the concession stand takes priority over the game anytime! A conversation we had while watching a game:

A: Do girls play football?

Me: Well, a few have, but they don't usually.

A: How come? They aren't mad enough?

Me: Well, I guess it's just a rough game and they don't really want to...I'm not sure

A: Well it would be a better game if girls played.

Me: Oh yeah?

A: Yep. Girls would make it better.

Me: How so?

A: Well girls can't throw as far, so those guys wouldn't have to run as far to go get the ball. See...now they have to run all the way to the end of grass, but if girls threw the ball they wouldn't have to run as far. And girls don't hit as hard, so they wouldn't get hurt!

Makes perfect sense to me my little frog girl....perfect sense!

One Saturday evening we didn't have a lot going on, so the girls went to the living room and turned on "Anne of Green Gables" (one of my all time favorite movies). I, however, decided that I would turn on the big football game since the rest of my state would be talking about the game the next day. A came with me to my room to watch the game. Well, watch is a rather loose term in this case. The game was on...I was editing photos while kind of listening to the game and looking up every once in a while. A was watching the game and again, talking about how little sense it makes for all of those boys to hit each other all the time.

A: Trin, I think that guy is hurt.

Me: (still not paying a lot of attention) hmmm...

A: Is he? Is he hurt?

I look up at the TV and don't see anyone hurt.

Me: I don't think so...I think everyone is fine.

A: I think that guy hurt his hand! Did he break his hand?

Me: I really don't think so.

A: (She is really worried now and getting very persistent to solve this mystery) But that man said it...that man said they guy broke his hand!

Me: Well they aren't showing it..let me rewind it and see.

A: That man said it, I KNOW he did!

Me: Okay, what exactly did he say?

A: He said, (in her best announcer voice) "And he took the hand off"

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!! Poor girl...I laughed so hard before I could explain to her that taking the hand off had nothing to do with breaking his body at all! Oh I love her perspective! Needless to say, I do NOT think I have a football fanatic on my hands!

I forgot how to do this...

So I'm not going to make a whole post about all the reasons why I haven't posted in over a month. All of the excuses just sound like excuses because that is exactly what they are, so I am going to just start posting and try and catch up with all of the news and stories that have happened since I last posted. As you can probably tell, I am an avoider. If something feels overwhelming, I avoid it. That is why I haven't posted, and that is also why my laundry piles up and my house is a mess...how's that for honesty? HA!!





On to the story. On Sunday we found out that one of A's classmates was in the hospital with asthma (she is now in the children's hospital ICU...pray for her please!!!), so I decided to drop off Autumn and the other 3 girls at home after church, and A, A's friend O and I went to visit her in the hospital. We of course had to stop for lunch, so we dined at Wendy's. We don't get the chance to just take one sister out at a time, so it is a fun treat when we do, even if it is with a friend! As the three of us ate, I noticed two policemen in full uniform were also eating with what seemed to be one of the men's wife and son. When the policemen finished their meal and passed by our table on their way out the door, I noticed A's eyes grow wide and I could just see the wheels turning in her head. To my surprise, she was silent as they passed by the table and out the door. Just as I thought she wasn't going to make any kind of comment or ask a question about the police, she looked straight at me and stated matter-of-factly, "Well, what are you going to do?"


Me: What?


Her: Well, aren't you going to do something?


Me: About what?


Her: Those polices just came by and TOOK that kid with them!!! You can't just go around taking kids! You have to do something! I almost jumped on them!

Oh my goodness...can you imagine if she really jumped on the police? I mean really, what would I do? How in the world would I explain....I'm sorry officer that my daughter just burst out of her seat and attacked you like a wild animal, she thought you were stealing this darling child that seems to be your son...oops! Yeah, I don't think that would go over too well. I could see the lightbulb go on in her head when I explained that the child with the officer was probably in fact his son. She had never thought of that. She said, "I didn't know polices had a wife and kids."

Her eye for detail amazes me. The girl went on to describe the men, boy and lady in complete detail. She definitely could have drawn them or described them if we needed to catch them. I thought about that incident all day long. It was just so strange to me that it would bother A enough to remember exactly what they looked like and to want to jump on them and want me to do something about the police. I couldn't figure out what that girl was thinking...it bothered me.

That evening I talked to A again about what had happened at lunch that day. That's when it all came clear.
Me: "What did you want me to do for that little boy today?"
A: "I wanted you to find a home for him."

GOT IT! This whole time I thought that A thought the police were stealing that boy. That's not at all what she thought. You see, she associates children with police meaning that the children are being taken from their home and put into foster care. She wanted me to find a home for that little boy. She wanted to jump on them I guess because it stirred up so much emotion in her that she could just explode.

Wow....

My girls have been through awful things. They have been through traumatic situations. They have chosen to use their experiences to help others.

Wow....

What an example! We all have big issues we have faced. We all have things that have been difficult in our lives. What will we do with those things? Do we choose to sit and just let life pass us by, or will we choose to jump on it (but not on people!) and use the bad things to help others! Thank you Lord that you can use any and all things to bring Glory to YOUR name!





I sweetly (ok maybe I was laughing) suggested to A that the boy was probably one of the men's son and they were probably just having lunch together. That had never occured to her! Poor girl can walk into a room and notice the teeny tiniest detail and totally miss the obvious!!! After giving a short lecture about how inappropriate it is to jump on people when you think they are wrong, or jump on anyone for any occasion really.

60 Candles

Happy Birthday Dad!!! I can NOT believe you are 60!
So...in honor of dad's 60 candles and 60 years of life, the girls and I have come up with 60 reasons we love dad/grandpa, or just some fun memories! It will be long....enjoy!

These are in no order, and I had the girls write them down on their own, so I kept their spelling on them.

1. He helped me when I fell down.--S


2. He taught me how to do the puzzle--M


3. I love his movies about Popeye and Betty Boop--H


4. He lovs God--A


5. He is the same at home as he is in public--Trin


6. He dances funny--H


7. He holds the door--M


8. He let us sleep in the tent--S


9. He gives good advice--Autumn


10. He has cool moves--M


11. He has a good and prity bathroom--A


12. He does fantsy dinners--H


13. He is a good cook--A


14. He is funny--S


15. He seeks the Lord--Trin


16. He has good reasons and lessons--H


17. He is healthy--M


18. He does great planning--M


19. He has very good manners--M


20. He gets the dogs when they bark at us--H


21. He is fair--Trin


22. He is trustworthy--Autumn


23. He is vary good at playing his gootar--A


24. He is strong--M


25. He tells funny jokes--A


26. He loves to watch tv with us--H


27. He plays watergun fights with us--H


28. He makes the best hot dogs--A


29. He is a great husband--M


30. He is a great deacon--M Am I really only half way done???


31. He helps us cook breakfast--S (he always makes a good breakfast--me)


32. He lets us watch a lot ov tv--A


33. He lets us sleep in a tent--H


34. He tells jokes--M (I never get them)


35. He plays with me--M


36. He let us ride one of the busses--M


37. He is a cool grandpal--H


38. He is fun to swim with--H


39. I love the thangs abot him--A


40. He has a funy mined--A


41. He cooks good hot dogs--M


42. He cooks good smors--M


43. He has good movies at his house like Betty Boo and popeye...I like her hair down--S


44. He is a good teacher--M


45. He is the best grampa--M


46. He lives what he preaches--Trin


47. He has funy nabers--A


48. He has funny jokes--H


49. He is nice--H


50. He lets us ride the bus--H


51. He is a good cook--H


52. He is fun to play with--H


53. He is fun an grate--A


54. He has good food--A


55. He is a great person--M


56. He helps me--M


57. He loves me--M


58. He cooked hot dogs--S


59. He is a great person--M


60. WE LOVE HAVING HIM AS OUR DAD AND GRANDPA!!!!!--All of the girls

We love you and hope you have a GREAT birthday!!!!!!

How do you spell that?

Autumn and I are pretty much opposites in most ways possible. I mean, we have the same core values, but other than that, we are completely different. I'm outgoing and get energy from a crowd of people, she is an introvert and would rather just have a one-on-one conversation. I am creative, she is logical. I am more emotional, she is even-tempered. I am dramatic, she is calm. Get the picture? It is really funny because for a long time, we if there were chores to do or in getting food, we would each think of what we would like to do/eat/get, and then we would leave that one for the other person, thinking we were doing them a favor, but we both like opposite things, so turns out both of us would get our least favorite thinking we were doing the other one a favor! Like taking a cookie....I like the soft chewy ones, so I might take the kind of burnt one thinking I was leaving Autumn the best, but it turns out I took her favorite. That used to happen all the time, but we have learned that pretty much on everything, we like total opposite things. Pretty funny. Autumn is smart and usually right. I am not dumb at all, don't get me wrong, but I do not remember facts, and I care way more about people and experiences than tasks and facts, so she is right most of the time. I am a little spacier than she is, which is why I MUST share this story. There aren't a ton of ditzy moments for Autumn, so I just have to share this one.
Flash back to high school...1994 I think. Autumn was a sophomore I think when this happened. When I have a question, I am NOT afraid to ask. When I need help, I am NOT afraid to ask. When I mess up or goof up, I am usually much louder about it than I really need to be. Again, Autumn is the complete opposite. If she has a question, she tries to research or use logic to figure it out. You get the idea. Autumn was in science class and got put in the lab group with two boys, so she had the responsibility of writing the lab report for the group, which meant she had to write every one's names down.
So there she was, sitting in the science lab with a dilemma: what in the world are these guys' names? Now, I would have just asked. I would have said, "Oops, sorry I totally forgot your name even though you told me a million times". Not Autumn. She came up with a much more clever plan. So.....she asked how to SPELL their names. Great plan, EXCEPT for the fact that the one guy answered, "P-A-T"
Hahahahahaha!!!!! It makes me laugh just writing about it. I mean really, how many ways can you spell Pat? Hahahahaha!! Good one Autumn!

Father's Day/dad's Birthday

Unless I think of another story to put on here, this is your last one dad. I'm so glad you enjoyed reading these (he told me he did!). I'm glad I wrote some of these stories down...I just feel so much better with my favorite stories written down. It makes me feel like I (well and my stories and experiences) won't be forgotten as easily.

We are going back in time 19 years. While some of you might think that would put me as an infant (hahahaha), I was 12 years old, almost the big 13! We had spent some time visiting family in Oklahoma, and since my aunt and uncle (mom's sister) was moving, mom and Bethany got to stay and help move while Autumn, dad and Snuggles LeeAnn our dog and I came home. We travelled on July 4th and spent the night in a hotel and watched fireworks from the hotel parking lot. It was a great time even though the whole family wasn't together.

Dad's birthday is July 11, and Bethany and mom were still in Oklahoma, so Autumn and I decided to try and make this day memorable for dad. Of course dad wouldn't say anything about it being his birthday and he wouldn't make any big deal of it, but Autumn and I came up with a plan. Dad had something to do the day of his birthday, so we went and stayed with a friend, Miss Leona. When we asked Miss Leona if she would help us make a cake, we had no idea that she was a "real" cake decorator. I mean, to me, she might as well have been the cake boss, even though that show did not exist back then. I was SOOOOOOO excited that I could hardly stand it. And I just could not believe that Miss Leona went to our church and we didn't even know that she could make roses out of icing! I also could NOT believe that she would take us to the store and actually buy the ingredients for the cake, AND a card! Autumn and I gathered our money up and put $12 in the card. I wonder why I can't remember whole events in my life yet I remember we put $12 in the card.

I can't remember if we gave him the cake when he picked us up from Miss Leona's house or if we somehow snuck it home and gave it to him, but I do remember he had a good reaction when we gave him the cake, but an even better reaction when we gave him the card with the $12. I was so excited that I could tell he was excited. Remember I told you that he doesn't ever have a big reaction when you give him a gift, so the fact that I could tell he was excited was a very big deal to me. However, here is what was an even bigger deal to me. This is what stood out so much and I doubt dad even remembers this next part. What made me speechless (I know that is hard to do) is that he took that $12 and went to the store and bought US cherries!!! We love fresh cherries in the summer, and I just could not believe that he would take his birthday money and buy us cherries! That meant the world to me. It is so funny because of all of the things my dad has bought me through the years, one of the gifts that stands out the most is Bing cherries bought with his birthday money on his birthday! That's a birthday that I will never forget!

Father's Day--part 5

I know it is past Father's Day. Yes, I realize that, but here is the thing...I have a couple more stories to tell, and dad's birthday is in a few weeks, but it is the first day of VBS and I will be so busy with that, so I am just calling this Father's Day/birthday posts....sorry dad.
Speaking of Father's Day and dad's birthday, that leads right in to my story.
We will go back to college days once again. I am not actually in this story, but it is so funny and describes dad so well that I have to share it. It was summertime. Bethany and I were working at Glorieta, and Autumn was overseas on a trip with students from OBU. Autumn's trip was about 6 weeks, and for many reasons, the team was only to call home maybe once, if at all. Autumn can't remember if she called for Father's Day or on dad's birthday, but she decided to call on one of those special days and talk to dad for just a minute. She figured it would be special to hear from all of his daughters, even the one on the other side of the world. The conversation went a little something like this:
Dad: Hello?
Autumn: Hi dad....happy (father's day or birthday)
Dad: Thanks...who is this?
(He really does know his daughters, but is thrown off when we call and he isn't expecting it, which he was NOT expecting her to call all summer)
Autumn: It's Autumn (she is so understanding...I would have been offended right away!)
Dad:oh......ummm.....Where ARE you?
Autumn paused and just laughed. She could see exactly what he was thinking. It threw him off so much that Autumn called that he lost track of time all together and though it was the day that he was supposed to pick her up from the airport. He panicked just for a second thinking she was sitting at the airport waiting for him....nope, just calling to wish you a happy day!

Father's Day--part 4

I didn't post yesterday, so I will post a story today, and maybe the next few days, depending on how many stories I think of. Today is officially Father's Day...HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DAD!!!! I hope you have enjoyed and continue to enjoy this tribute to you in the form of stories. It is hard for me to think of good gifts for dad because he is just content with what he has. And speaking of gifts and dad....if you ever give him a gift and he doesn't make a big deal of it, it does NOT mean he doesn't like it. He most likely will not say much of anything, he will not scream or make an animated face. He will just open it, look at it, say oh thank you. This means that he really likes the gift. I have learned this lesson over the years. Dad and I react much differently to geting gifts...neither is wrong or right, just different.


Well, that is a rabbit I did not expect to chase. So...on to the story. This story takes place my freshman year in college. I was at OBU in the freshman dorms, and Bethany and Autumn were just across campus in an apartment, and my parents were in Colorado. Now this was before everyone had cell phones (yes, I feel very old saying that). We all had a phone in our dorm room and to call a number on campus, you just press the 4 digit extention. So to call Bethany and autumn, I would just press 7920, or whatever the number was. But to call off campus, you had to press 9, then push your 7 digit phone number. And to call off campus AND long distance, you had to push 9, then your 10 digit number, then wait for the tone and put in your 5 or so digit long distance code. Because hardly anyone had cell phones, and if they did they really were just for emergencies, the campus circuits were always very busy at night...I guess that was the most popular time to call home. So, many times, you had to try several times to be able to get the call to go through off campus or if you were off campus calling on campus, it sometimes took several



tries to get through. I know that seems like a lot of weird information to be telling you, but stick with me, I have a point to all of this, and it is really funny.



One evening, I was homesick and just wanted to talk to my dad, so I called, but all circuits were busy, so I called again...busy...tried again, and got through. Dad said he would call right back, so I waited while he tried to get through and finally, my phone rang a double ring, which meant it was an off-campus call. I picked it up and happily talked to dad, told him all of the things that were happening in my life (don't have a clue now what they were, but I'm sure they were important then) and then I hung up. A few minutes later, my phone rang again....it was another double ring, which meant it was an off campus call. Here is pretty much what the conversation was:
Me: Hello?
Autumn: Trinity?
Me: yeah....
Autumn: Oh....that's weird, I thought called dad.
Me: What? That's weird....you know, it did have a double ring...hmmm..
Autumn: Hmmm....I don't know....maybe I DID dial you on accident.
Me: ok...talk to you later.
Autumn: K...bye

Now remember, to call my room just across campus, she would only have to push 4 numbers....FOUR, but she called my dad, which was 9 + 10 numbers + the long distance code...obviously way way more than 4 numbers.
Another minute or so and my phone double rings again.
Me: Hello?
Autumn: Trinity?
Me: YES!!
Autumn: I KNOW I dialed dad this time....what in the world?
Me: I don't know.

I'm pretty sure Autumn tried it out one more time before we decided it was just too silly to pay long distance for her to talk to me across campus. We weren't for sure what had happened, but some how I was getting dad's calls from Colorado! My parents did not have cell phones yet, so I called the church thinking maybe they would go there, but they didn't. So I had no way of telling them I was recieving their phone calls in Oklahoma! A few minutes later:
Me: Hello?
Caller: Pam? You sound different.
Me: Umm...no
Caller: Stacy? (my step sister)
Me: No...this is her step-daughter Trinity
Caller: Oh...I didn't realize you were visiting.
Me: I'm not...I'm in Oklahoma and somehow I am getting their calls.
Caller: You are in Oklahoma?
Me: Yes, I'm in college here and I don't know how I am getting their calls, but if you give me your name and number I will tell them to call you when I finally talk to them.
Caller: Ok
We laughed, and I got out a notebook to start keeping messages for my parents in Colorado while I was in Oklahoma.
A few minutes later:
Me: Hello?
Caller: Stacy?
Me: No...Trinity
Caller (who happened to be Stacy's boyfriend): Trinity? what? Are you in town?
Me: No....I don't know what happened, but somehow I am getting all their calls.
Stacy's bf: Oh...ok...well we are kind of fighting, so will you tell her I called when you talk to her?
Me: hahaha...yes I will.

I'm pretty sure that was the end of the calls for the night. The next morning, I got a double ring, so I grabbed my message notebook to answer Colorado calls.
Me: Hello?
Dad: hello?
Me: DAD!!
Dad: Who is this?
Me: DAAAAD....it's Trinity
Dad: Trinity who?
Me: DAAAAAAAAD!!!!

So went on to tell him how I had gotten a few calls and something had happened where I was getting all of their calls. We laughed and laughed and laughed. Apparently before dad called me the night before, he tried to stop call waiting so we could talk, but he instead forwarded all of his calls to me. And when they would get a call, it would do a half ring, but when they picked it up, it was dial tone...well that was because it was FORWARDED to me!!! So......in that night the following happened:

• Stacy was upset cause her boyfriend wasn't calling her


• Autumn AND dad had to pay for long distance several times just to talk to me across campus!


• Dad had to pay long distance for everyone who called him...cause it went to me in Oklahoma!


• Yes, I got offended that dad asked Trinity who. I couldn't believe he wouldn't even know his own daughter!

We laughed and laughed about that night!

I love you so much dad!!! Happy Father's Day! Sorry that Father's day is almost over before I even posted this!!!!

Father's Day--part 3

Ready for another dad story? Ready or not, here it goes. We are going to flash back to my kindergarten year, so I was 5 years old. Dad, I'm sure can guess what story this is going to be. My mother taught school in a town a few (don't remember) minutes away, and my sisters went to that school as well. I, on the other hand, went to a private school kindergarten just half a day, so I got to go to my favorite babysitter, Sonja's house after school. Well, we were getting ready to head out the door one morning, and dad had forgotten something in his room and asked me to run and get it. My parents' room was like a loft in the den and had a spiral kind of staircase going up to it. There was not wall, just chains, so you could see up into it from the den. My dad could reach up and touch the bottom of the floor, so we used to sit down on the floor of their loft room, scoot to the edge between the chains, and jump to him. I hope I am explaining the room and everything right...that is how I remember it anyway.


So dad asked me to go up and get whatever it was he needed. I said sure, and asked if I could jump to him. So he went to the edge of the loft and waited for me. I eagerly and excitedly ran upstairs, got the thing (I think it was a book), gave it to him, then sat down to jump to him. The thing that was different about this time than any other of the hundreds of times I jumped to him was that I was wearing a cool vest this time. Not just any vest. I was wearing a jacket vest. Remember that it was the 1980's, which was the coolest time in fashion (hahaha). My cool jacket was a winter coat that......get ready for this......if you wanted to.....you could unZIP the sleeves off to make it a vest. And you BET I was proud of that thing. I loved it, and on this particular day, it was obviously too hot for the full jacket, so I zipped those babies off and went for the vest.
Sitting on the edge of the loft looking down did not scare me. I had jumped to dad a thousand times and he caught me every time. So....one, two three....jump! And that's when my fashion statement of the year failed me. My lovely jacket/vest got caught in the chains, which turned me upside down and sent me plunging to the ground...head first! Yes, head first. Lucky for me, my dad is very quick to react. He grabbed my leg and saved my life (that makes the story better to say he saved my life), only my left arm hit the ground right at the moment he caught me by the leg. I cried of course, and he layed me on the couch, put ice on it I think and then asked me to squeeze his finger. I remember laying on the couch thinking it was so mean that he would have me squeeze his finger with my hurt hand...what was he thinking?
Apparently, I squeezed the finger good enough not to go to the doctor, but not good enough to go to school, so dad took me to Sonja's house for the whole day! I also remember a not so happy mom coming to pick me up...she took me to the doctor and yep, it was broken! And when we got home that evening...me and my broken arm, dad told Autumn to go get up in the loft and show mom what happened and why I fell. In my memory, mom wasn't so sure that was a good idea!
So why, you ask, would I share the story of when dad broke my arm for Father's Day? Ok, well dad didn't break my arm, but you know what I mean. Well, here is the cool thing about that whole story. My dad was a pastor, which meant we as his children were always used as sermon illustrations. Now, dad never used things that would make us angry...he was considerate in that. Dad used that broken arm story several times as an illustration of trusting the Lord. After breaking my arm, I (and my sisters) got back on the loft and jumped to him again...trusting him fully. What I got from the whole story....is that my dad is not afraid to be seen as a real person. I know of many pastors who feel like they have to put on a front for people. They feel like they have to live up to this person that people build up in their minds...that they can't fail or make mistakes. What I remember from this broken arm story...my dad isn't perfect, we all know that...but he doesn't pretend to be perfect. He takes his not perfect life and uses it to point others to Christ. I LOVE him!!!!

Father's Day--part 2

I love seeing life from different people's perspectives. I think that is why I love my camera so much...I can capture life from a different perspective. I can capture a moment that might otherwise be overlooked or forgotten. I love sitting with my four girls after we have done something or gone somewhere and let them each tell me about it. Hmmm....kind of like the Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the Bible....each of them giving their own perspective sometimes on the same things. Anyway, I love hearing my girls talk about something we all experienced together because sure enough, each of them saw something, talked to someone, or did something that I didn't. Each of them had something different that was special or important to them. And then you have A who will have a thought about the whole thing that NO ONE would have ever thought of!


We are pretty spoiled. We get passes to everything and we always love to go and do things. My aunt Jan will call and get our schedule of events just to laugh at me because after I have named of 50 things for one day, I usually say, "We're not doing a whole lot...just a little of this and that." We love going to plays, movies, amusement parks, etc. What is so funny is even experiencing all of those fun things, the things we spend money on are not necessarily what stands out the most to them! With all of the places we have gone to and things we have done, place we have eaten at, and things we buy, one of the stories the girls bring up the most is when I ate a mushy mango at lunch one time and got it all over my face. Yeah...great for me huh? Of all the things we do together and they remember the messy mango? You know why? Because we laughed and laughed and laughed at that mango. We had so much fun just enjoying the moment together, and that is what they remember.


So you are probably wondering how in the world this is a Father's Day post. Me too! Just kidding. Just in case you are wondering, I get an idea in my head of a post I want to write, then I just start writing, so that is why they end up a little crazy and all over the place sometimes. So.........on to the story about dad that I want to tell. My dad obviously did so many things for us in life. He took us places, taught us things, explained EVERYTHING to us very logically, but one of the things that makes me think of him.....butterscotch pudding!


You might be thinking that he ate butterscotch pudding every night, or at least every week. Nope. Dad isn't much of a sweets eater. He loves a good chocolate pie, and in MY eyes, butterscotch pudding is his favorite. Let me tell you why I said MY eyes.


When I was probably in the eighth grade (I'm thinking it was pretty soon after mom had passed away), dad decided we were going to make a snack together. The way I remember the story, he was so excited to make butterscotch pudding for us because it was his favorite thing as a kid. He took us to the store and got the ingredients, then made butterscotch pudding on the stove top, NOT instant. He put nilla wafers in each of our bowls then the pudding. It was the best pudding in the world!
So a few years ago, I had butterscotch pudding somewhere. I don't remember where I was or who gave me the pudding....I don't even remember eating the pudding. I just remember calling my dad and the conversation went something like this:
Dad: Hello?
Me: Hi dad! I'm having your favorite thing to eat right now!
Dad: Oh...ok (ugh...he never shows much excitement the way I do!)
Me: Guess what it is!
Dad: ummm...tamales
Me: nope...it's a dessert
Dad: umm....chocolate pie
Me: No...it's your FAVORITE....you used to eat it all the time as a kid!
Dad: ummm....I have no idea.
Me: BUTTERSCOTCH PUDDING!!!!!!! (I was very excited about it)
Dad: oh....I didn't realize butterscotch pudding was my favorite. I guess I do like it.
Me: DAAAAAAD. You LOVE it...remember? You made it for us and cause you had it all the time as a kid and you LOVE it. It's your favorite!
Dad: Oh, I guess I vaguely remember making it for you girls one time. Yeah, I do like it, I just don't remember that it was my favorite.
Me: Well I remembered for you and it IS your favorite!
Dad: haha....ok

And there you have it...dad loves butterscotch pudding....it's his favorite, just ask me. I laugh thinking about that butterscotch pudding and for some reason that memory really stood out to me. Loooking back at it, I'm thinking that we had just experienced a really hard and traumatic time with my mom having just passed away, and dad had decided to have a fun experience together. I'm thinking that was probably one of the first times after my mom's death that we just relaxed together and had a good time and our hearts were happy. I'm thinking that is why the butterscotch pudding tasted so good. Yep, I love butterscotch pudding....it's my dad's favorite!!!

Father's Day part 1

In honor of Father's Day coming up on Sunday, I figured I would do a few posts about my dad. I love him. The end....JUST KIDDING!!! Just kidding about the end, not kidding that I love him! I have done a few posts already about my dad...telling you what a great man of God he is...so in these next few posts, I just want to tell you a few stories about him. Oh yeah, and dad, I did get you some really sweet Father's Day cards, but I can't find them right now, but you will eventually get them. Eventually. Sorry about that.


Autumn is very much like my dad and I am very much like my mom. Dad and Autumn are calm, even-tempered, logical, precise, thinkers.....not me. Mom and I, well we are animated, creative, not so logical, feelers. That's just how it is, which is probably the reason Autumn and I do so well living together...we are opposite, but can work well together. However, I did not always understand these differences growing up. I remember lots and lots of conversations where dad would explain how something works and why it does what it does...yeah, well those details never stayed in my brain. It meant nothing to me. However, I now very much appreciate him and people like him who think it is fun to figure those kinds of things out!
Anyway...that is not a story, just some extra information I guess! When I started thinking about stories I wanted to share about dad on here, a few came to mind, but one of the best memories I have of my dad were in the mornings. My mom taught school and usually she taught at a school in a different town than we lived in, so she had to leave the house much earlier than us, which left dad in charge of getting us ready and to school. Remember that I don't have a great memory, so I can't recall who picked out our clothes and that kind of thing, although my guess is mom did, but I do remember a few things about those mornings. I remember dad always fixing us breakfast. To this day I am not a good breakfast fixer...probably because dad always fixed it, so we didn't ever have to. Even when we were in middle school and high school, dad fixed us breakfast. He knew just how to make the oatmeal...how much butter and sugar should go in. He fixed the BEST eggs...he just knew how to fix a good breakfast....I'm sure he still knows how to fix a good breakfast, but with so many of us now, Cracker Barrel fixes a fine breakfast too when we are all together! But breakfast made by dad will always be very special to me.
With three girls to get ready in the morning, guess what else he had to do.....hair! Yes, dad had to fix our hair. I know mom fixed it some, so I don't really know how much he fixed it, but I do remember him fixing our hair quite often. It is so funny to see just how much dad and Autumn are alike....fixing hair isn't her favorite thing either. She does a fine job when she does it, but it isn't her favorite thing. Dad was the same way. Remember I told you that he is precise? Well, even in doing hair, it had to be precise. I loved having my hair done in fun creative ways like pigtails and braids. My dad, however, could only do a few things with my hair: down, low pony tail and parted (exactly perfect) down the middle and low pigtails. I, however, wanted braids or a high ponytail. So...what does dad do? I'm sure he told me no a few times, but decided to give it a go. Not knowing how to get the ponytail high on my head, he made up his own way...he would have us lay down on our back on the bed and hang our head off of the edge of the bed, so our hair would hang down just perfectly where he could gather it together, put a ponytail holder in, and there you have it...a high ponytail!
I laugh so hard thinking about it. I love you dad! Thank you for everything you did for us!

Life in the Ocean

Our sweet H loves random facts. She asks questions about things all the time: how much does that cost? How long does it take to get there? Where were those made? etc. She loves finding out about things and she remembers facts really well. Now, common sense isn't her strong point, but she loves facts. When her class studied the unit on ocean life this spring, it made her eyes bright with excitement to learn more about something. Let me tell you, she has not stopped telling us random facts about whales, and other ocean life. If she is around someone for very long, they too get the joy of learning things about the ocean. Did you know that whales are never fully asleep? Half of their brain sleeps and one eye closes while the other side is awake. Yes, I now know this kind of stuff!
So...the other day we were watching the show on tlc, the Little Couple. At the beginning of the show, they tell how tall they are..."My name is Bill and I am 4 feet tall. And my name is Jen and I am 3 feet 2 inches tall....."
H matter of factly said, "Hmmm....wow....she is just barely taller than an Emperor Penguin!"

Oh man this girl is funny. I love to see things through their eyes!

A Legacy

What do you want to be remembered for? What legacy do you want to leave behind? We went to my aunt's house (mom's sister) this weekend, and she had gotten my grandmother's journal and other things of hers. While going through those things, I started thinking about the legacy she left.


I am one blessed girl. I've said it before on here, and I will say it again. I have been so truly blessed to have Godly parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins....pretty much my whole family. Now, I realize that having family that loves and trusts the Lord does not mean that I automatically trust the Lord. I realize that. I have a choice to make on my own...we all do. We can choose to trust God or to reject Him. However, with the family that I have, I have had AMAZING examples to follow! I could spend so much time talking about each one of my family members and how they have impacted my life in an awesome way, but that would be one super long post, so I won't. So.....back to the things my aunt found...sorry for chasing that rabbit!

I did not get to spend a long time going through the journal and poems that my grandmother wrote, but the little bit that I did get to see made me realize what an awesome legacy she left in all of us. Her heart and love of people and life was so evident in her writings. It was truly incredible. As I sat and read the detailed entries of her journal, I could feel her love in a new way. My grandmother is still with us, but her health isn't great, and we connect with her in a different way now. It was awesome to read her thoughts and read EVERYTHING they did. I mean EVERYTHING.....it told where they ate that day, how much it cost, who they visited, who she talked to on the phone...everything. I realized a few things. I realized that details are important to her. She appreciated all of those little things in life. I realized that their ministry never stopped. They took every opportunity to minister to people and to share Christ with people. Wow! What a legacy! Because I didn't have time to read every entry, I looked at the dates of our birthdays to see what she had written...oh it was so funny. She told what kind of cake she had ordered for us. I found out that (or remembered again) she try to call me for an hour on my 18th birthday, which was my first year at college. She couldn't get through the lines...because we didn't have cell phones. After an hour, she finally got through to the WRONG number! I am so glad she wrote that down because I never would have remembered that!

There was also a pouch of little poems that my grandmother either wrote or found and kept. She was so creative and expressive....I'm thinking I might take after her a little bit! Her love for her family and friends was so evident in her poems. Some of them were funny, and some were kind of sad. She wrote on each one the reason why she wrote the poem at that time....such insight to an amazing woman!

Thank you LORD for this gift! Thank you for the legacy she is leaving in so many people! Thank you that I get to experience your love through her!!!