Random

- Last weekend we got to say goodbye to our friend Doug. His funeral was amazing! Sounds strange to say, but it was. Our auditorium was packed with family, friends, coworkers, and church members. Jarod lead worship with a full praise band and lead everyone in an amazing worship set. It's what Doug would have wanted since worship was such a big part of his life. I was sobbing during "I will Rise" and couldn't sing the words. It's a song all about Jesus overcoming death and the promise of eternal life. "I will rise when he calls my name. No more sorrow. No more pain." To think that Doug was in the presence of God singing right now, and watching his family lifting their hands praising, was amazing! There was laughter, tears, and worship. I'm so thankful for hope and for God's promise to those who love Him.

- I took Sean to a birthday party at the roller skating rink last weekend. That place is crazy! They had like five different parties going on at the same time. I told Jarod it was like Chuckie Cheese except on roller skates! Wow. Too crazy for me, but at least Sean had fun!

- Anyone watch 'Biggest Loser'? I am so ready for Conda to go!!!!

- So for spring break I am going to get to meet my two new nieces!! We are traveling up to Emporia for the first weekend of spring break, and the kids will stay there while I travel to Iowa to see Adam and Heidi. I can't wait to see family and get to snuggle with some sweet, little girls!

- Nat has started walking. He is doing a really good job! He can walk all the way from our living room to our kitchen. He gets really proud of himself and giggles while he walks!

- The kids are doing great at school. The boys got straight A's last quarter and Kaitlyn got all S's. The boys are getting to go down to the kindergarten rooms and read with some of the students who are struggling either socially or with reading. It's like a little mentor program. It's really good for them to help out these kids and be an example for them.

-Today was my birthday. I am now 33 years old. At least I'm not 40 yet! ;-)

Fabulous Weekend!

Labor day weekend was so great! It started off with Ethan having 2 friends, Bryson and Jackson, come spend the night for his birthday. They were so much fun and so well behaved. That age of boys is fun b/c they are crazy but still so sweet. One of the presents he got was a book of "Ducktogomy" which is a book of things to make with duct tape. His friend Bryson got that for him as well as 4 different kinds of tape. It's pretty cool. You can make anything from a mask to a wallet to even a shower curtain. Ethan loved it! We had a good time making homemade pizza, eating cake, and playing.

Saturday we took the rest of the day to rest, do chores, and spend time as a family. Sunday started off with our Northside peeps at church. Then we got invited to go to the Drillers(Tulsa's minor league team) game. One of our elders won a suite through his work, so they invited a bunch of us to go. It was so amazing! We had the best time! The suite was so great for having our kids with us. It had chairs and a tv and also all the hamburgers, hot dogs, and pop you could want! Our seats were right along the firstbase line. One cool thing was that the Driller's were playing Northwest Arkansas Naturals and they happen to be the Royals minor league team. So before the game we went down to get an autograph (Sean really wanted his baseball signed) from one of their top prospects Will Myers. Here he is signing Sean's ball and card:
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I think Jarod was just as excited if not more than Sean! What a blessing it was to get to go and have such a great night as a family and also with our friends!

Monday we had our fantasy football draft with our small group. I'm teaming up with my friend, Nichole Anderson. Our team name is "Better Halves." We will see how it goes! It was one of those weekends that I just didn't want it to end! I love my family and getting to spend time with them!

Here we go....

-Summer is over and the kids are back in school. They had a great first day and seem to really like their classes. It's very quiet in the house with all 3 in school all day. But it has been nice to have one-on-one time with Nat.

- Nathaniel said 'dada' for the first time yesterday! It was so cute! He was looking at Jarod and started saying it. Now he says it all the time. I love that he is starting to say things. I can't wait to hear all the things he has to say!

- Last week we went on the staff retreat to Grand Lake. It was so much fun! I absolutely love the staff and spouses, and it was great to get away and relax. Jarod and I got to go out on the seadoo together and also on the tube. I've never done either one of those, and it was hilarious! We took Nat with us for the weekend, and he even went on his first boat ride! He just leaned against Jarod and was so peaceful. I think between the wind, the motion of the boat, and the sound of the water he couldn't help but just relax. I'm already looking forward to the retreat next year!

- I've been having the kids do chores once a week. They have their normal chores such as feeding the cats, putting away laundry, and picking up their rooms. Once a week we deep clean the house, and they get to help out. It's amazing how much gets done when we all work on it together! Why didn't I do this years ago? :-)

- I have been blessed with a great friend here in Broken Arrow. She and her husband just moved here this summer, and I am so thankful! We have a lot in common, and the more time we spend together, the more I see God's hand in this friendship. I can't explain it, but I am so thankful to have her and here family here!

- I am ready to start preschool again. We've all been working on our rooms and getting them ready for next week. We have open house Monday night and our first day on Thursday. I am ready to love on some babies!

Random Things

- Nat is growing so fast! He is 6 months old this week, and he is definitely developing a personality. He is super sweet and loves anyone who will talk to him. But his favorite people are Mommy, Daddy, and especially brothers and sister! As I write this he is laying on the floor next to Sean talking and trying to get Sean's face. So cute!

- We are making a Kansas run a week from Tuesday. We are going up to KC on Tuesday after I get off work and staying till Friday. Then we are going to Emporia to celebrate our nephew's first birthday! We are excited to see as many people as we can!

- It is so hot!! I've never seen this many days in a row over 100 degrees. Today it hit 105 temperature with heat index of 110. Needless to say we are staying indoors a lot lately. I am so thankful we have an ac unit that works now. It's amazing how much a new unit helps :-)!

- It's been fun working at the preschool this summer. The 2 year olds have sure kept me busy and worn me out! They are so stinkin cute and sweet and crazy all at once. My favorite part is getting to chat with the other teachers. I've gotten to know some new people this summer and definitely make some new memories with them! But I am ready for the regular preschool year to start so I can be back in the baby room with our sweet babies!

- VBS starts tomorrow! It's a huge endeavor for our church, but it is such a great ministry opportunity. I look forward to it every year. This year I am not helping out in the special needs class. I felt like I needed to see and experience what our kids get to do. So I am going to be an elem. crew leader for some 2nd grade girls. It's going to be a blast! I will let you know all about it later this week!

Time flies!!

Wow how time flies! So much going on and not enough time to write about it! (But I'm going to try!) Sean got to go on his field trip this year. Jarod went with his class to the Broken Arrow Police Department. Sean was so excited and had a blast. Here's a picture of his class(Sean is the second kid on the left):


Right after they got back from their field trip we left to go help Jarod's parents work cattle. We really enjoy going back and helping out. This year Jarod and Nathan (Mindy's husband) really stepped in and helped which freed Roger to do other things too. It was great seeing them work together, and they got all the cattle worked and out to the pastures. One of the cows gave birth to a little boy calf, and Kaitlyn got to pet the calf when it was about 12 hours old:



On our way out of town we stopped and saw Nathanial. We wanted our Nathaniel to meet the man he is named after. It was such a great moment! Nathanial is such an incredible man with such deep faith. It meant a great deal to all of us for this moment:


The school year is winding down, and soon we will have a 3rd grader, 2nd grader, and a kindergarten kiddo. Kaitlyn had her program at preschool a couple of weeks ago and "graduated." As they walked across they asked what they want to be when they grow up. Kaitlyn said "A princess." Too sweet! Here she is with her teachers Ms. Lisa and Ms. Michelle:



They are great teachers, and Kaitlyn had a great year. I am so blessed to work at the preschool with so many godly women. I am thankful for that job. This summer I will be teaching 2yr. olds at the Moms Day Out program. It will be fun!

We've also been busy with renovations, but I will post pictures of that soon! For now, it is off to bed!!

Random

- Well I'm glad the surgery and recovery are over. I'm one week out from surgery and feeling pretty good. I'm so thankful for Jarod and his mom. They were amazing and let me rest and heal. It was a very quick surgery. I was taken back to the operating room at 7 and was home by 9:15. I think the surgery itself was only 35 minutes. I was very light headed and nauseous when we first came home. I don't remember much of Thursday b/c I slept all day. Jarod was great and helped me move and get in and out of bed. Jacqui took care of Nat and even kept him overnight for 3 nights so I didn't have to get up with him. By Monday I was feeling pretty good, but I would just get tired quickly. Now I feel almost normal and have a little more energy. I'm just glad it is over and done with!

- Nathaniel has been sleeping so well these last few nights. For a week now he has been sleeping 6-7 hours at a time at night! He has been moved to his crib in Kaitlyn's room, which Kaitlyn is thrilled!

- Nat has been so sick lately. He got a cold a couple weeks ago. It started with just a bunch of green snot. Then it moved from his head to his chest. He started having a barking cough and just getting worse and worse. I took him to the doctor on Wednesday and she put him on steroids to help open up his airway since he was croupy. So far it has not helped. He has taken 6 doses of it and he is still barking. It makes me so sad when he coughs cause he whimpers after he does. So sad! He is such a sweet boy, and I hate seeing my little man hurt. The doctor said to call her if he doesn't improve by the end of his medicine, so I may be calling her back Monday. Please pray he gets better!

- I love my church family! I think as I grow in my faith it becomes more and more clear to me the need to be a part of the church and having community with other believers. Jarod and I have been blessed to be a part of 2 great churches: Wyandotte and Northside. We have been loved, encouraged, corrected, blessed, and supported by some incredibly godly men and women. We cherish these relationships, and it breaks my heart when Christians don't get the importance of belonging to a church family. When forgiveness is not given and grudges are held, and people leave a church over this. We need each other. We are called to love one another. We are called to forgive. We are called to worship and serve together. I love God's church and His people. I have dedicated my life to ministry and serving His church. I don't know what my exact point to this is other than I need God's family.

Howdy!

Wow- time to catch up! Life is flying by with a new baby in our house! After missing 2 weeks of school, the kids did manage to make it back into the classroom. They were pretty excited to see their friends again. Sean got picked for Tiger Cub this month from his class. The character trait he got picked for was kindness. I'm proud of my Sean and the way he has been showing God's love to his friends!

My friend, Dana, got to come down for a weekend. She wanted to come meet Nathaniel and hang out. It was so good to see her and catch up. She is such a blessing to me and such an encouragement! I'm so thankful God brought her into my life! Here she is holding Nat(she enjoyed snuggling that boy all weekend!):


Another big event was chopping my hair!

It's the shortest my hair has ever been, but I really like it. Not sure if I will keep it this short but perhaps maybe :-).

I started back at preschool this week. The last 6 weeks flew by! It was good to be back and to get into a new normal routine. Nathaniel did really well on his first day of preschool. :-) He is getting bigger and has started smiling. His eyes really light up when you talk to him, and he does coo every now and then. I love this little man!

My Dad got to come visit for the weekend. It was nice to have him here, and he got to meet Nathaniel. Tomorrow Jarod's mom and sister and her family are coming. So I better go clean while the little man is sleeping! :-)

This and that

-What a week in our house! The kids had 2 snow days a week ago Thursday and on that same day Sean started running a fever. Ethan soon followed, and for 8 days they had temperatures over 100. They had a cough and congestion in their chests. Sean got really sick and went to the doctor on Monday. He had the start of pneumonia and got started on antibiotics. Kaitlyn threw up and started a fever that same day. Fortunately they are all over this nasty stuff after 8 days of fever, 2 boxes of Kleenex, 1.5 bottles of Tylenol, 5 days of missed school, and lots of Lysol. We kept Nathaniel away from them and used tons of hand sanitizer. So far he has kept away from it, but we will keep an eye on him.

- Nathaniel has a gooey eye. I think it's just a blocked tear duct. It gets crusted shut when he sleeps and is just gooey. Has anyone else had this with one of their babies?

- I took him to his 2 week check up yesterday. When he was discharged from the hospital and at his appointment 2 days later he weighed 7lbs. 1 oz. In 10 days he gained almost 2 lbs. He now weighs 8lbs 12 oz. I'm guessing he is getting enough to eat :-)!

- I'm ready to cut my hair!! I've been growing it out for Locks of Love, and I have to have 10" to donate to them. I'm really close and so ready to cut it. I haven't had my hair this long since high school. It's hit the length where it just hangs there and does nothing. I will probably chop it in February and just have short hair for a while :-).

- So I'm already ready to fit back into my clothes. I've lost 23 lbs since he was born but have another 27 to go. Not all of that is from pregnancy- but I did gain 45 lbs. So I will be starting that lovely journey soon so that I will have clothes to wear and be healthy :-).

ummmm... that's it for now!

Randomness 12-13-10

- This last weekend we got to go to 2 Christmas parties. One was for the staff of Northside. It was at Rob and Sandy's house, and they catered Olive Garden. Ummm.....yum! Then we played games and got to chat. It was a good time as always! Last night was the Christmas party for the preschool I work at. We got to go to see Tim Hawkins perform. It was stinkin funny! My face hurt so bad from laughing! It was just a good night hanging out with some great people!

- We are just about done buying presents for our family. We need to pick up one more thing for Kaitlyn and Ethan. Jarod and I just told each other what we wanted :-). You know it makes it easier on each other! I wanted to go see Chris Tomlin when he comes to Tulsa in March. So it is a delayed gift but so worth the wait!

- My brother is coming down here for Christmas!! I can't wait to see him! My Dad is suppose to but it all depends on when his gallbladder gets taken out and if he can recover from that in time. He has had quite the last couple of weeks with this. He was in the hospital for a week and ended up with them having to do a cath and balloon on his heart b/c of a 90% blockage in his heart. So the surgery for his gallbladder was moved to sometime this week. They will have to cut him open since he is on a blood thinner that he can not live without. That way if he bleeds they are already in there and can stop it. Keep praying for him and for peace for him through this.

- I am almost to 35 weeks. It's always good to reach that milestone (when Ethan was born). We are so ready to meet this little man!! I am definitely in the 'I'm ready for my baby' stage. My belly is big, I waddle, I look tired, I'm swollen all over, and I can't breathe or sleep. :-) I know it's worth it, and I will endure it for my little boy! I just can't wait to see him and hold him oh and kiss on his sweet face!

- This is the last week of school before Christmas break! I am excited to have the kids home and for me to be home too! Jarod is going to take some vacations days the Tuesday after Christmas, so he will have all that week off! I can't wait!

- Still trying to sell his truck if anyone is interested! :-)

- Ummm........ I think that is all!

Preschool and stuff....

* Kaitlyn started preschool this week. She is going to the pre-k class at our church preschool while I work there. I am in the infant room, rocking babies in the morning. She loves her class and her teachers. I love the people I work with, the environment, and that I get the rest of the day with my family. I also will get to take our baby with me to work when that time comes. It's a blessing to our family.

* We are headed to Kansas this weekend. We are going to Emporia first to see Jarod's family and meet our new nephew. We are going to have a birthday party for Ethan (his birthday is on Tuesday) which will involve a camo cake, water fights, and homemade ice cream! Then we are headed to KC to see family and friends. It's going to be a great weekend.

*We had an all church picnic this last Sunday. It was held at a local park, and so many people came. We had a potluck style dinner with grilled hamburgers; an egg toss; a pie eating contest; a 3-legged race; and the ministers and elders got pies in their faces to raise money for a missions trip. Here's a picture of all the ministers and elders after getting pie in the face(Jarod is standing up with a black trash bag on):

I love that a church this size does picnics together. It's a lot of work putting it together, but it was so much fun!

* 2 weeks from Friday we find out if we are needing to buy pink or blue baby stuff. I'm excited to know who it is that's in there! I've been feeling pretty good and starting to grow. It's fun to see my belly getting rounder, and I can feel the baby move now too. So thankfully all is going well so far!

Howdy!

I am closing in on the end of the first trimester! Woohoo! Today I am 12 weeks and looking like I'm 4 months along :-)! I love my pooch, though. I am already so in love with this child and excited to see who it is God is creating inside me. I am eager for when I can feel it move- just so I can fall in love even more. It's going by quickly.

Speaking of going by quickly, the summer is flying. I start working at the preschool in just a matter of weeks. The boys start school August 12, and I feel like there is still so much to do before then. It's been a good summer. We haven't done much or gone on any fancy trips, but we've just spent a lot of time as a family. I love my family! Even on boring, rainy days like today, I cherish them.

We get to participate in VBS next week. It's going to be a lot of fun. They have put a giant ship on the stage- and it takes up half the stage (which if you've been in our auditorium you know how big it is!). The theme is "High Seas Adventures." We are all looking forward to it!

We had a good 4th. We spent the first part of the evening swimming and grilling out at Rob and Sandy's house (the preacher here). Our kids absolutely love spending time with their kids. They swam for almost 3 hours straight and were so well behaved and had a good time. It was nice to sit in the beautiful weather and just chat. Then we went over to our friends David and Michelle's for fireworks and more hanging out. It was a lot of fun and we were all there till almost midnight. The kids did amazing! They got tired at the end but were troopers. We got some waterproof black cats (they burn slower) and all 3 of our kids lite them! Big stuff! :-) Then we all came home and crashed and slept in the next morning! :-)

It's July!

* Hey world! It's been a while, I know. I've been busy and honestly, when I have a moment to write, I am either too sick or too tired to do so. But thankfully the nausea has eased up, and I can eat food again. The tiredness is in full effect, so I don't get as much done during the day as I usually do. But that's okay- it will pass soon enough.

* This week I've been watching 2 more little girls. They are 3 and 4 months old, so add that to my own kids and Ellie, who is 16 mo., and it's a busy household. I'm one tired chica from that alone! They are all good, it's just a lot of little hands to watch. It's a blessing though. We have to prepay my OB by October and watching them the next couple weeks will pay for over half of that. So I'm thankful for that.

* We got to go see Jarod's family a couple weeks ago. Jarod and I stayed at Mindy's house and our kids stayed with Grandma and Grandpa. It was great to get to see Mindy and Nathan's house. She is sooo cute pregnant! She is due at the end of this month, and she is stinking adorable! I can't wait to meet little Nate!

* Our kids took swim lessons last week. They did great! Ethan is swimming on his own now. We still have to watch him, but he can jump in the pool and swim to the side and swim all over. He is part fish I think! Sean took some giant steps this year. For a boy that was so scared of water just a year ago, he gained so much confidence. He was even swimming (not using his arms but floating and kicking) on his own. He even put his face in the water! Kaitlyn was working on kicking and pool safety. By the way, she is so tan- she definitely got Jarod's skin tone and not mine!

* We have VBS a week from Monday! The kids are excited! It was one of my favorite weeks last year, so I am pumped! Can you believe it's already July??

This and that

* Morning sickness (rather, all day sickness) is no fun! I know it's a good sign and for a good reason, but I can't wait till I can enjoy eating again! I really love food, but right now I force myself to eat so I won't feel as sick. The baby must be growing strong with how yucky I feel. It's not too bad to handle, but this week has been hard. Jarod has been leading worship at camp, so he has been gone since Sunday. Fortunately he comes home tomorrow night, and I am so ready for him to be home. I have found cooking dinner really grosses me out- especially if it has hamburger in it. Friday I will be 8 weeks along, so only 6 more weeks till I should feel some relief :-)!

* I go to the doctor next Tuesday for my first OB visit. I'm supposed to have another ultrasound done to make sure all is still okay. I'm excited to see how much it's grown in 3 weeks.

* We've started talking about names for the baby. I'm having a really hard time finding a boy name that I love. I have a couple girl names, but boy names are hard for me. Any suggestions?

* Ethan went to day camp last weekend. He was so pumped and absolutely loved it! He got to go on the "blob" in the lake and get launched into the air. He got to swim in the pool and eat lunch there. They also played games and worked on some Bible verses. Buddy is already excited to go to camp next year. :-)

* I've been growing my hair out for locks of love. You have to have 10 inches to donate. I've got about 5 so far so hopefully by November we can chop it. My hair hasn't been this long in years!

* Next weekend we are going up to Emporia to visit Jarod's family. All of his family is going to be there (aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins). It's going to be a lot of fun. And I'm excited to see how big Mindy's belly has gotten! Have I told you how cute she is pregnant? I can't wait to meet Nate Jr!

It's been a while....

Hey world! It's been a while since I've posted anything. We've been pretty busy, and honestly in the evenings I really don't feel like blogging. But here we are with a little catch up. Mother's day weekend was so wonderful! We didn't do anything fancy, and I didn't want any gifts. Rather I just wanted to spend some great time as a family. First Friday Ethan's class had a Mom and Me tea party. They escorted us to their seats, ate cookies with us, and had a video of each kid saying why they love their mom. It was precious and more than I could ask for! Here's buddy and I at his tea party:

Then Saturday of that weekend we went to the Rooster Day parade in downtown Broken Arrow. It is a big thing here. We got there a little early and lined up along the street and watched the parade. The kids have a great time b/c all the floats hand out either candy or fliers (and Blue bell passes out popsicles!).After the parade we loaded up, ate lunch on the way, and went to the zoo. The kids were so excited! It was a blast with them at this age! They loved the animals and asked questions and didn't get worn out until we were all done. I love the zoo and seeing all the beautiful and unique animals our Creator made. Here's Sean being a chimp:




Then Sunday after church we came home, and I got an awesome nap. Jarod grilled me some bruschetta chicken for dinner. It was so nice to just be with our family and feel loved!

Now the kids are out of school, and summer break is here. Ethan is really getting into the whole notion of sleeping in. He has slept in every morning till about 9:30 or so. Awesome! My family is coming here this weekend to spend Memorial Day together. We are very excited to see our niece and nephews!! It's was so much fun at Christmas and at least this time there won't be a blizzard!! :-)

The buzz....

* A few weeks ago I said I was praying for some things and waiting for God's timing. Well I can share one thing that He has answered. Starting in the fall I am going to be working at the preschool up at church (Lord's Little Army or LLA). I'm really excited about this! I will be working in the infant nursery and the one year old room. It's 3 days a week for 4 hours a day, and Kaitlyn gets to attend for free. So she is super excited to get to go to school and be in the 4 yr-old class. I still get all day Monday and Friday with Kaitlyn while the boys are at school. The plan is for me to keep on watching Ellie on Mondays and during school breaks. I'm excited- it will be a change in routine; get me out of the house more; and be around a lot of wonderful, Christian women.

* I can't believe school is almost out. Only 3 more weeks! Then we will have a 2nd grader and a 1st grader!!

* A boy from Ethan's class at school lives just down the road from us. I've met his parents before on field trips and at class parties. Ethan and Sean are down at his house playing right now. This is the first time we've had a friend live down the road from us that they can go play at their house and they can come play at ours. We are hoping to really get to know his parents and have opportunities to witness to them. They are really nice people.

* So Jarod broke his hand. Most people know this b/c of facebook. He has 3 more weeks in a cast then he can get it off. B/c of his cast he hasn't been able to play the piano or guitar which he does a lot when leading worship. I think it's been teaching him to rely on others to help out b/c he can't do some of the normal things that he usually does. His cast is black and we got a silver marker for people to sign it. I put a big heart with J + L in it. Heee hee.

* We went to Jarod's parents last weekend to help them work cattle. We like to go do that b/c it helps them get it done, and we get to be with them for the weekend. It was soo muddy this time. Jarod got his cast dirty from the mud and other brown substance. This is how he covered his hand the second day we worked:
The kids had a great time! The got to come down and "help" the second day when the cows were in the pins. Ethan and Sean got in there with the flags and helped to keep the babies back. When I took this picture I told them to give me their work faces:



* I love my family! I am so thankful for my amazing husband and my incredible kids!!

What's new in Laura's world....r

- Uh, last night's game was INCREDIBLE!! I didn't think Jarod was gonna make it through the K-State game. It was so good and awesome to see the Cats go to the Elite Eight!! Hopefully tomorrow is another victory!

- I think I killed our remote. It fell off the couch right down into a full glass of Dt. Mtn. Dew. It hasn't worked the same since. Jarod is currently taking it apart seeing if he can revive it. It's not looking so good....

- I got a couple of my cavities fixed yesterday. I was there for almost 2 hours having this done. I love our dentist; he is such a kind, godly man. His wife is the receptionist and she is as sweet as can be. They are doing so much for our family, and we are so thankful for them. My tooth feels much better. So now only 6 more cavities left to fix! Ugh...

- Jarod and I are praying about somethings right now. We are trying to follow God's leading and trust in His timing for somethings. I would appreciate your prayers for this as God know what this about.

- Jarod just revived the remote!

- I keep verses on my bathroom mirror that I can look at everyday and memorize. One of them right now is Zephaniah 3:17: "The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." Thank you Lord!

Random happenings

- Sean is reading now- I mean really reading. He has finished all of the homework books for the year and now is starting their AR reading program. When Sean sets his mind on doing something, he is a very determined little boy. He put his mind to learning how to read, and he has soared! We are very proud of him!

- Ethan has learned to tie his shoes. I don't know if this is a little late for that, but we finally made him learn. He does a good job. It's just another thing he can do that shows how much he is growing up!

- I'm glad Spring is almost here! Goodbye winter- I've had enough of you! The weather stations have done their outlook for severe weather this spring. They are saying it is looking to be a very active spring season with lots of tornadoes and severe weather. Bring it on! I love stormy weather and I'm ready for some good thunderstorms!

- The little girl I babysit turned 1 yesterday. I've been watching her since she was 8 weeks old. Crazy how time flies!

- It's hard to see family members hurting and/or making bad choices. I'm praying for some family members right now.

- I took Kaitlyn to buy a new dress for her birthday last Saturday. We were in Target and we had to stop and have a talk about modesty. She wanted a dress with spaghetti straps that cut low on the chest. I told her no and then talked to her about keeping her special parts covered and not wearing things that are too tight. Crazy that I have to talk to my 4 yr. old about this, but she has jumped to girls clothing (not toddler anymore). The girls clothing can be questionable to me: the shorts are crazy short or tight, shirts cut low, dresses designed to be tight, etc. I don't want her to get in the habit now of wearing things that are not modest. God calls us to be modest and the earlier she gets this the better. So she picked out a super cute polka dot dress that she wore with some brown boots. I can so get on a soap box about this. Modesty is not just for little girls or teenagers but for adults as well. You can dress pretty and still be modest. Anyway that's all I say for now on that one! :-)

- I absolutely love my family and I am so thankful for them! And I'm thankful that God has given me a great church family to be a part of too!


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- Jarod and I have started watching 'Lost.' Our friends have the entire series on DVD, and we finished season 1 this week. It's actually pretty good. I wasn't sure if I would like it b/c I don't do well with scary movies or shows. My imagination runs too wild sometimes. But this show is just bizarre and has great characters. So we will see how season 2 is.

- Sean had his first cavity filled this week. He did a great job and let them use the "sucker thing" on him. So he goes back next month for filling number 2. Yesterday I went and finished getting my teeth cleaned and go back next month as well for the first of many cavity fillings. The office is just wonderful! It is run by a couple from our church, and they are just fantastic people.

- Only 22 months until Jarod and I have paid off a huge chunk of debt. We did Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace University" program 3.5 years ago. We've worked really hard to pay things off and get to where we owe only money on our home. I feel like we are 1/2 way there. In 2 years we will finish paying on some things that take up a good chunk of our income. It will be great! I love seeing the total come down every month and know that we are one step closer. I can't wait to be out of debt so we can give a lot more money away!

- Have I said how much I love Jarod? He is amazing, and I am so blessed to be his wife!

- The new church website will be up and running in a couple of weeks. Jarod has been working with an outside company to redo the entire website. Yesterday he went and got his picture taken for the website. The whole staff is getting their picture taken so we have matching and current pictures of them.

- I'm really looking forward to tonight. The ministerial staff is getting together tonight and Rob and Sandy's to eat dessert and play games. We even have babysitting for all the kids! I think it's important to be close as a staff so we can encourage each other through the ups and downs of ministry. Plus these people are a blast to be with and are some pretty incredible people.

- I love days I don't have to go anywhere. The boys were out of school today, and I am still in my pj's at 1:30pm! I do plan on taking a shower sometime before we go out tonight! :-)

Here we go!

After 2 weeks, my van is fixed and running again! The alternator went out on it a couple weeks ago after leaving the kids and me stranded twice. Thanks to some great friends, we made it home when it did. I got to drive Jarod's truck while the van was down, and I got to say it is pretty fun to drive! But I kind of missed my clunker of a van :-)! A very generous couple in the church lent us one of their cars so Jarod had a way to get to work. It was such a huge blessing.

The kids and I made a quick run to Walmart last night to get ready for the storm that is coming tomorrow. It's supposed to be a big one! The report last night said 1/2-1"ice with 5-9" of snow on top of that. This morning they were saying most of the ice was supposed to be to our south. Hopefully the worst of the ice goes that way. I can handle snow and being iced in for a few days, but I really don't want to lose power! I know it's kind of wimpy, but it doesn't sound like much fun, especially with 3 kids! So we got some batteries and canned food just in case. We're going to fill up our propane tank tomorrow morning so we can grill some food. Good thing is we have a gas fireplace that will keep us warm if we need. I'll let you know how it goes. :-)

Jarod and I got to go to the Tulsa Oilers hockey game last weekend with some friends, Dave and Charity. I'd never been to a hockey game. It was really interesting to watch and a fun atmosphere. I kept cracking up at the guys who sat down in the front by the glass and would bang on it and yell at the opposing team. I think they had 1 too many beers, but it was funny to watch! There were no fights until the end when a couple of guys went at it. The crowd lit up when they fought. I've never seen a fight in real life, and I don't think I care to again. But it was fun getting to go out kid-free with some friends and have a good time. Dave and Charity are a lot of fun. They came over on Saturday to watch the OSU vs. KSU game (they are OSU fans). Even though we lost, it was fun for me to sit and watch the guys talk smack the whole game. KSU plays KU this weekend! Bring it Chickenhawks :-)!

There will be a day....

My heart goes out to Haiti! What an awful tragedy and my heart breaks for those people. May God be with them and all those working to rescue and comfort. At times like this, I long for the day when God takes us home and restores what is broken. This is Jeremy Camp's song "There will be a day."


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le-TG4sRRiQ


Amen, come quickly Lord! We need you.