Missed me?

Sorry if you have missed me out there. I have been having computer problems for the last couple of days--before that I had not had time to post anything. Right now I have been fighting with the computer for so many hours that if it blows up I do not care. So I am done for the day. I just wanted to let you all know we have not fallen off the planet and everyone here is fine. I will get back to this in a day or two when I am not in the mood to smash the computer with a hammer.

Sunday Psalm

Trust in the Lord and do good;
dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Delight yourself in the Lord
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
trust in him

Psalm 37:3-5

Wild animals and wild kids

This week is spring break. Yesterday we had to go to Austin for an MRI on B's jaw. Since we had to drive all the way down there, I made the kids go outlet shopping with me. To make up for that, today we went to the zoo in Waco.

It is a pretty good zoo. Not very big, but still good. The kids enjoyed it very much.

This picture was almost at the end. B looks a little bored by now.

She just looked so cute sitting up on that fence.

And I love this picture of E.

Here you get a rare picture of me. Don't laugh at the hat!!! It kept me from getting burned.

This is K's rhino face while in front of the rhinos. B and E use to say she gets mad and acts like rhino--I don't know where they came up with it. This is her mad face she says.

We need one of these in the back yard.

In one aquarium part...

Just a cute one.

The otters are one of my favorite things. This slide that went through the otter tank was their favorite part. The barely even watched the cute little otter play.

It's a bear!

Maybe they should put these wild kids IN the zoo...

We were all so COOL...

Okay mamaws, don't forget you can click on the pictures to make them bigger!

Sunday Praise

Praise the Lord, O my soul;

all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Praise the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits--

who forgives all your sins

and heals your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

The Lord works righteousness

and justice for all the oppressed.

He made known his ways to Moses,

his deeds to the people of Israel:

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

He will not always accuse,

nor will he harbor his anger forever;

he does not treat us as our sins deserve

or repay us according to our iniquities.

For as high as the heavens are above the earth,

so great is his love for those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west,

so far he has removed our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion on his children,

so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him

Psalm 103 1-13

More yard work for me

I really should have known better. I made the mistake a couple of posts back in mentioning that it was only a few weeks until Luke comes home. That was the first time I have started to count down.

I really should know better by now. Last time, the same day the kids said at the bus stop to all of the neighbors "Daddy will be home in 30 days!!", he called to tell me he had gotten extended.

Well. Yeah. It may be the first week of June now before he gets home. Maybe not that long, may be. We will see as the time gets closer.

He sent me these pictures this morning. I did ask his permission to put them on the blog--because he hates pictures of himself and he does not like being on the blog at all. He said ok, but not the one by himself because he was talking and looked funny. Yeah, that is it right below. He looks fine. You can't even see him that well anyway.

He also said "Just don't embarrass me or anything--like none of that my hero junk." Hehehe. He is not able to access the blog anymore. So here I am sharing my hero with you!

Noah didn't have weather.com

Our warm spring weather is gone. For a few days at least. It is raining here. Raining good. Rain the state needs pretty badly. My kids have not seen rain for a while I guess. This evening E got really worried and kept asking me if we are going to have a flood. He insisted I get on the computer and check to see if it is going to flood.

It has not even been raining for one day yet.

Spring

I love spring. I love it getting warm. I love to see the trees budding and the flowers coming out.

I do not like the allergies starting. I do not like the weird weather--81 for the last 3 days and 50 tomorrow. I do not like the time change.

It is very hard to get kids in bed by 8:30 when they are still outside playing at 7:30.

Still, I love spring. I miss spring back home. Once again, I have no trees to watch come out from my yard. All I see is cedar. All I get to watch is the weeds coming out in my yard. And that is what I like least about spring this year. Time to start yard work with my husband still not back!

Only 8 or 9 more weeks to go!

Sunday word

The Lord is with you when you are with him.

If you seek him, he will be found by you,

but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

2 Chronicles 15:2

Rodeo Day

Yesterday was Rodeo Day at K's school. I have heard that Monday was Texas Independence Day or something and some schools had this kind of day in honor of that. I heard or saw nothing to make me think that was the reason our school had it. I guess it was just fun, or someone in charge forgot to tell the out of state people why we were having the fun.

I went to volunteer. I got lucky this time and did not have to run any events. I just followed the class around and helped the aide keep everyone in line. I did carry several cowboy hats that kept flying off in the wind. It was fun to watch them barrel race with stick horses and have clown racing where they raced to change into rodeo clown clothes. They were pretty cute.


They took some pictures and I snuck some too. This one is a little blurry or something but the best I got. I got some cute ones of the whole class but can't post strangers' faces on the internet.



I stayed until lunch time, so I had lunch with K. They had chili pie. Very healthy. Fritos, meat and cheese--no beans. Corn and cornbread too. I did not stay but they also had made chili and had a chili contest that afternoon. I think everyone won something. But K actually tried chili and liked it-- even though "it looked like throw up".

In the cafeteria I HAD to take of picture of this. Isn't this one of the cutest things you have ever seen??

I really do love Texas!

My favorite book

If you know me very well, you know I love to read. It is one of my very favorite things to do. You also should know how much I love God. So you would think that I have read the Bible. Oh, I read it. I try to have my “quiet time” every day and I usually do pretty well with that. But I have a habit of reading my favorite things over and over. I like all of the New Testament and I love the Psalms.

I have read all of the New Testament, but I have not read the Old. I have read parts of it, whole certain chapters, know lots of the stories, but I have not read the whole thing.

I have started the “Bible in a Year” plans a couple of times, but honestly never even made it a whole week. I get too distracted to read what it tells me to. I doubt that I can finish it, so I don’t try very hard. So that is why my Bible study for PWOC this session is kind of surprising. I chose, Read the Bible in 90 Days. The whole entire thing, every word. 90 days.

I love it!!

The idea that I can read the whole Bible by reading only 12 pages a day is great for me. And the accountability of going to the class every week makes me stick to it. And 90 days is nothing, so I consider it easier to stick to something for only 90 days, instead of a whole year. Also, Luke will be home around that time so it is a goal to shoot for before he gets home (or soon after).

So far it is going very well and I am so excited to be doing it. The Bible is so important to me that it is a little shameful to think I have not read it all. I am kind of proud of myself for doing it. And it is exciting me to read things I have never read before, and even to read the old stories all the way through and get all of it, not just what I remember being preached.

Some of it has been very hard—I can’t lie about that. Leviticus and Deuteronomy kept making me sleepy. And the wars and killing are hard to read. But the grace of God is amazing to read about. Right now I am in 2 Kings—and I AM about 2 days behind where I need to be for class but I will catch up. I will have to keep you updated on the blog as some more accountability!

It is awesome reading. And how pitiful am I that I never knew my son’s name was in the Bible??? Have you read it all? I would love to know, leave me a comment!

Boys

There has been a lot of construction going on in our neighborhood for months. They have been dumping extra dirt and rocks in the empty lot next to us. I assume they will use it later to even out the lot. In the meantime I have not been thrilled with what they have been doing. It looks terrible. Someone who lives here does not care about the view. E is thrilled with the lot next door.

It is a great place to play legos power miners.

I am trying not to think about all the dirt making it back inside with the legos.

I love it when the kids play outside. And there is just something about boys playing in the dirt that I like.

Today they were running and climbing up the rock pile though. I hope I don't end up with another post for Steve with broken bones...

And this simple is title is just for you Amy!

Sunday

Submit yourselves, then, to God.

Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

Come near to God and he will come near to you.

Wash your hands, you sinners,

and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

Grieve, mourn and wail.

Change your laughter to mourning

and your joy to gloom.

Humble yourselves before the Lord,

and he will lift you up.

James 4 7-10