What's new?

*So summer is here! Ethan finished Kindergarten and is now a first grader! He had his program this last week, and he did a great job saying his parts in the program. He has grown up so much this year, and we are so proud of him! Here in a couple weeks he gets to go to sunday school and wed. nights with the big kids (1st through 6th grade). He's pretty excited for that.

*We took the kids to see "Up" tonight. It was really good and was pretty funny. I would give it 2 thumbs up! The kids enjoyed it as they snarfed down a big bucket of popcorn. One of the movies they showed a promo for was "Cloudy with a chance of meatballs." I'm so excited! Matt gave the kids that book a couple years ago b/c my siblings and I read that book when we were little. It's a fun book and should be a fun movie- the kids were giggling at the preview.

*We leave for camp on Sunday. Jarod is leading worship at Camp Sooner (near OKC) and we are going along for fun. My friend, Lori, and her husband are the camp managers there. It will be a fun week of swimming, playing, sunshine, and family time. The kids are super excited to go. I'll let you know how it goes!

* Jarod and I went and test drove trucks last week. It was a lot of fun getting to drive and ride in the different trucks. We drove a Chevy Silveraldo (a 08 and 04), an 06 Ford f150, and a 06 Nissan Titan. Our favorite was the Titan followed by the F150. Our van will be paid off soon and when the whole house thing is figured out, Jarod will get a truck. I'm really excited for him to get something new to drive- don't get me wrong. We love his 91 buick sweetness as he calls it!

* I'm loving going for walks! I've been walking around the neighborhood with my ipod in, and I love it!

* My final story is about Sean. We were at JC Penny's yesterday while I was shopping for a swimsuit (ugh! I hate doing that!). Sean found one of those hooks that they use to get clothes down off the wall and he yells (in Sean's not so quiet voice) "Look Dad! A hooker!" He continued to say it over and over till Jarod told him to stop! Too funny!

Our show...

So Jarod and I have a show that we watch when the kids are in bed. It's quite awesome- we watch it to make fun of it but also b/c sometimes it's mildly interesting. It's History channel's 'Monsterquest.' It's a show where groups of researchers go hunting for proof of different 'monsters.' My favorite one, so far, is when they were searching for the Skunk Ape down in Alabama. It was so funny hearing peoples accounts of hearing this monster breathe outside their windows or seeing this monster. We've watched them search for bigfoot, giant condore, giant 60 foot shark, New Jersy devil, and other ape-like monsters. The funny thing is that they never come up with proof of these monsters. They set up tons of cameras and traps but never have proof.... and yet we still watch the show! So if you're looking for some fine entertainment, catch the history channel around 10:00 at night.
We're dorks, I know! But it's an awesome show!

9 Wonderful years!!!

9 years ago today I married the love of my life! Jarod is just amazing! I am so thankful for him- he is a wonderful husband! He knows me better than anyone else on this earth, and he still loves me so! When I was in high school, I prayed for my future husband. I prayed for a godly man who would love the Lord above all else, who would love me for who I am, who would be a great Father for our kids, and someone who would make me happy. I got that and more in Jarod. I love you Jarod with all my heart! I look forward to so many more memories and years together as we raise our children and serve the Lord together! Happy anniversary!

Waiting....

It seems like we have this huge weight on our shoulders right now. We are praying for wisdom on what to do as far as housing goes. The guy never showed to look at the house, so we are back to square one. We know God has called us here and will be faithful, but we don't know what we should do. I love the song by John Waller called "While I'm Waiting." It was written for the movie 'Fireproof' and says how I feel right now and so many other times in my life when I just have to wait for the answer. Here's the lyrics:

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Takeing every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint, I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait

Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord


While I'm waiting for the answer I will serve you, Lord and I will worship you, Lord!!

What to do, what to do...

Well since we moved I've been trying to figure out where I can serve and use the gifts God has given me.  I've done little things here and there and have more planned. What I'm trying to decide is where I am going to start volunteering.  One place is a school for children who have special needs. I love those children and would absolutely love to work with them.  The other is a preschool for deaf or hard of hearing children.  If you know me at all you know I have a special place in my heart for deaf people. This place is opening up a new school in Broken Arrow next spring. So I'm taking a couple of weeks to pray about it and decide and go for it.  I'm excited to do either one! I'll let you know which way I go!

Jarod and I also found out today that the couple who lives in the house we have been staying at is coming back in mid July. We knew it would be this summer but this is a little earlier than previously thought. We are so thankful for the generosity of the family and want to be sure we are out in plenty of time. So that means we are to be out of here end of June (next month!!) or very early July. We have complete trust that God will take care of us and help us figure out what to do. We have someone looking at our house on Sunday who is interested in the house. He's already been inspecting the outside of the house and has talked to the neighbors. So there is potential there. We will be praying for God to show us what to do! I'll let you know how that goes, and we would love your prayers for this as well!

This and that

* It has been raining like crazy the past week! The poor kids were trapped inside for 5 days straight, so I decided to let them play outside in the rain and mud one evening! They had a blast! I'll try to post some pictures after I get the camera cable from Jarod's office! They had mud (red mud) up to their knees and were soaking wet but it was a blast! After Kaitlyn's lips and fingers turned blue, I brought them in for hot showers and baths. They didn't make a sound at bedtime and slept so good that night!

* Jarod took Kaitlyn out on the back porch and sat and watched it rain one night. She cuddled up on his lap, and just the two of them sat and talked. It was so precious to see through the window! She loved that special time with Daddy, and I know Jarod liked time with his little girl!

* Only 3 more weeks of school and Ethan will officially be a first grader!! Crazy!

* I am so eager for our house to sell! I'm trying to be patient and wait for God's timing! But I anxiously await a place of our own with all of our stuff in one place!

* Sean came up to me the other day and randomly told me: " I wish I didn't have bones like an octupus so I could squeze through a tiny hole." Okay.... not sure how to respond! :-)

* I finished my first week of watching my friend's baby. Her name is Ellie and she is 8 weeks old. She is so sweet and a really good baby. But I forgot how much time a baby takes up and how much work! :-) It's been good, though, and I enjoy watching her!

A barrel of laughs!

This weekend was the ministers and spouse area wide retreat. Almost the whole staff was able to go, and we had a blast! The retreat was down in Ardmore, OK, which is almost in Texas. We all rode in the church van together on Thursday and came back this evening. In the morning and in the evening we had a worship time with the message being preached by Jim Johnson. He is the lead minister at Sunnybrook CC in Stillwater, OK and he was a professer while we were at Ozark. It was such a blessing and encouragement to see him and get to talk with him. His messages were challenging and encouraging as he preached the book of Phillipians. It challenged me in ways that I wasn't expecting but needed to hear.
But the best part of the trip was spending time with the staff from Northside. I absolutely love them. They are wonderful, godly men and women. They are incredibly fun to be with, and I laughed so much this weekend! We had a lot of time together playing games and chatting, and while the guys played golf on Friday afternoon, the girls went shopping at an outlet mall just inside the Texas border. We stayed up each night talking, snacking, and enjoying getting to know each other even better. I am so thankful to be a part of what God is doing at Northside and to be surrounded by such a great group of people!