To do....

Things I need to do...

-clean out Bryson's room
-move Bryson into Cason's room
-redecorate Bryson's and Cason's room
-paint baby room
-find curtains for baby room
-find comforter that matches baby bedding to go on day bed in baby room
-fold ALL the laundry on the bed in baby room
-finish addressing Christmas cards, stuff them and get them in the mail
-finish parent gifts for my kindergarten class

Things I did today...

-slept in till 9:00am
-cuddled on my bed with Cason and watched a movie
-played "restaurant" with Cason
-folded SOME laundry on bed in baby room
-added more clean clothes to the pile of laundry needing to be folded
-laughed with Bryson at the AFV episode he has watched 1000 (no joke) times
-cleaned the bathroom

I'm considering this to be an accomplished day... :)

It's a Girl!!!

We had our sonogram today and we are having a girl. The boys are very excited. They have both said from the start they want a sister. All is well here...our life is just very FULL right now. Wade has been working ALOT of hours lately. He worked for 6 solid weeks without a day off. That is 84 hours a week! Business is good, but we are all ready for a break and for him to be home. Things seem to be slowing down some, which is good.
I am enjoying teaching kindergarten, but it is very time consuming. All that and I'm tired,too! I have finally, just in the past two weeks, stopped being sick and weird with food. The good news is that food, Diet Coke and coffee taste good again. The bad news is I'll will start packing on the pounds now. I think the good out weighs the bad (no pun intended).
Bryson and Cason are doing great and loving school. Bryson is busy with cub scouts and Cason has been playing football. I PROMISE we will post pictures soon.
Blessings to all!

Prayers for Ella

I promise I will post soon with all of our "goings on." We are just busy and VERY tired. Please go to this link to find out about sweet Ella's story. I grew up with Amy, Ella's mom and have been praying for this sweet baby for many months now. God is good!

Clicking on the title "Prayers for Ella" should link you there, or use this link
http://thecarderfamily.blogspot.com

Back Post Alert

I added a new post that somehow got "stuck" in the computer. Just FYI. Wouldn't want you to miss any of our adventures. :)
Just scroll down a bit and you will see some fun pictures from our time with the Cashes.

Letter to a friend...

Dear Diet Coke,

This is just a little note to let you know that I have not forgotten about you. I miss you terribly. I'm so sorry that the taste and even the smell of you make me sick right now. It has been six long weeks since I have experienced your joy. Please know that I still think of all the good times we have had over the past 20+ years. I feel sure that this is temporary. I know that Sonic misses me just as much as you do. But, for now, all my precious little baby will let me stomach is cold water, iced tea (!?!) and lemonade. I hope to see you soon, my friend.

Love and regrets,
Cherise

P.S. Please let your good friend COFFEE know that I miss him too. However, the actual thought of him right now makes me violently ill....

**Sigh**

Bryson's 9th Birthday

Bryson's Match game / swimming party.

Bryson James turned 9 on July 27th. We had his party on Monday at the church swimming pool. Over 20 kids showed up to enjoy the fun and celebrate our young man.
Bryson is still a game show junkie. His favorite game show right now is Match Game. This is an OLD game show from the 70's that plays on Game Show Network. Our friend Jolie did an awesome job on the cake, as usual. We enjoyed swimming, pizza, chicken nuggets from Chick-fil-A and cake. Bryson came up with menu. :)
We are so proud of Bryson and all he has accomplished in his young life. He is growing and maturing into a wonderful, godly, young man.
Happy Birthday, Bryson. You are so very loved!!!!

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Cousins

They're here!

Just stumbled across this blog, somehow we forgot to publish. The saddest part is they are about to return to Africa.
We loved having them here. We are going to meet up with them this week-end for one last fun and activity filled time.
I love the pictures of "the cousins". I love that even though MANY miles seperate us for long periods of time, the relationship continues to grow and get stronger.
We love you, Cashes. Hurry back! (February, maybe...:))

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Surprise!!!

I have never had a surprise party. However, I have always loved surprises. Well, about 4 weeks ago, I received a rather big surprise. Come the end of February, our little of family of 4 will become a family of 5!
I went to the Dr. on Tuesday and we saw our precious little gift and the heart beating away. One downer is that I am not as far along as I thought I was. According to "the chart" I should be 10 weeks along. However, my body did not obey all the rules and I am actually 8 1/2 weeks along. Only 10 days behind. Oh well. I spend my life "behind" so I don't know why that info "surprised" me.
This has been the sickest I have ever felt with a pregnancy. That is all I will say about that. I know that is a sign of a healthy pregnancy and for that I am thankful. I did get some great pills at the Dr. so I have enjoyed life a little more the last couple of days.
I have lots of fun stuff for the blog. We have been having a great time with my sister and her family... "The Cousins" as Cason refers to them.
We also had Bryson's birthday party on Monday. He turned 9 on Sunday. I have lots of emotions about that one. I'm sure none of that has to do with the hormones of pregnancy. :) I will post all of that soon. But, for now, I am off to bed.
Blessings, friends!

Lake Brownwood

So sorry that I have been a bad blogger lately. Things have been wonderful, but busy. My sister and her family arrived around midnight last night...YEA!!!!!!!!
This summer has already been very eventful! :-) Stayed tuned to here why...
For now, here are some pictures of the our week-end lake trip. We had an awesome time. I love Lake Brownwood. Many of my best childhood memories are of our time with family at my grandparents place there. We had a great time swimming, riding the jet ski and hanging out.
Probably my favorite thing was our worship service on Sunday morning. The boys planned the service. Bryson was the worship leader, Alex was the preacher and Cason served communion. It was precious...and of course, I did not get any pictures of it. Oh well...

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Respite

Respite- a period of temporary delay; an interval of rest or relief.

The boys and I are about to leave for a much needed respite. The only downside is that Wade has to stay and work. We are going to the lake with our friends Trisha, Alex, Katy, Elijah and Olivia. (Mr. Ben has to work, too.) The change of scenery will be refreshing for all of us.
I am loving the thought of sitting on the patio with a Diet Coke, overlooking the beautiful lake, visiting with my sweet friend. I am also excited because a friend of Trisha's is going to meet us there. What is so exciting is that Jana is also one of my sister's dearest friends. I have heard so much about her, but have never been able to spend time with her.
Cheryl, your ears will be burning! We will be making many plans for your arrival in the Lone Star State. That will be in 18 days!!! Not that we're counting or anything. :)
Happy week-end, my friends!

Update

Wow, it has been a while since I have posted. We have had a busy start to a fun and full summer. School was out on May 23rd. We were in the pool for our first swim of the summer on May 24th. We have been in the water just about every day since then.
Cason started T-Ball. That has been quite an adventure. The games are too fun. Cason seems to be enjoying himself and is quite entertaining. :)
We are full steam ahead on planning our summer kid's program at church. "Backyard Buddies" will begin this Thursday. This is our version of VBS. We will meet every Thursday for the next 8 weeks. After each meeting, which is from 10am-12pm, we will have family swim time from 12-2. God has blessed our church with a beautiful and BIG backyard...and a pool. It is these little treasures that make children's ministry so fun!
Here are a few pictures of the end of school and our summer so far.
Happy Summer, friends!

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How Do I Love Thee...

...I could count alot of ways! On May 4th, Wade and I celebrated 12 years of marriage. I have been composing this post in my head for a while now, but due to a hectic end of school year, am just now getting it posted. Since we have been married for 12 years, I will list 12 reasons I love and appreciate my husband:

1. He takes care of me. When I am sick (or the boys are sick) he will go to the store at all hours of the night for medicine, 7-up, soup, crackers, you name it.

2. He always gets up for church on Sunday, even when he has worked all night and will only get 3 hours of sleep before he goes back to work.

3. He protects our family. One of Wade's friends in college once said that Wade is the type of guy who would never lose a fight. I feel safe when he is around.

4. He loved me when I was fat. He loves me now that I am "thin". The way he treats me has never changed.

5. He loves and gets along well with my family.

6. He loves and gets along well with his family.

7. He is a romantic. He wins in this area. He is much better at this than me.

8. He never complains if the house is dirty or if dinner is not ready. He has never placed demands on me.

9. He does the laundry.

10. He is an awesome daddy. He loves children, but none more than his own. He was made to be a daddy.

11. He loves the Lord and is teaching our children to love the Lord.

12. Nothing but God will ever come before his family. I am sure of this!

I thank God everyday for you, Wade. Happy Anniversary, honey. I love you!

Perfect and Not So Perfect

I was dreading today.
Today was our Grandparents/Special Friends Day at school. What that actually translates to is this: a day with a special musical program that involves costumes and lots of preschoolers; and 700 "special" guest at school and a huge feeding of the people; and a day where the kids are totally out of routine; and moms and dads and aunts and uncles and grandparents are all on the premises; and lots of staff and faculty in a bad mood because it is not only 2 weeks till school is out but it is a "special" day...You get my drift.
Well, I was really dreading today.
But then I woke up. I walked into Bryson's room. I turned on the light and said "good morning, sunshine." He sat up in bed, gave me a sleepy grin and said, "good morning, beautiful."
A perfect start to a not so perfect day.

Random Saturday Thoughts

I so dislike having our blog lay dormant for so long, but it has been so hard to find time to post. There is alot going with the end of school and the move upon us. Yes, I said move. Not out of MOJO land, mind you. Just down the street a few blocks. A few weeks ago, we decided to take the plunge and buy my Grandaddy's house. That is all I have the energy to say about that right now. I am very excited, however, very overwhelmed. I promise to post more of the details soon. (I'm sure you are all sitting on the edge of your seats...:)

When I got up at 6:00 this morning to let the dogs out, my mind started racing with all that is going on right now. Nothing too major, just alot of "stuff". So in my typical fashion, I started making a mental list. So here goes...my random list of thoughts for the day:

-I sure hope that this lady wants to buy our house so we don't have to put it on the market.

-I wonder how long our freshly cleaned carpet will stay clean.

-I sure hope the lady makes it over to see the house while the floors are still polished and cleaned.

-I wonder how much the renovations on Grandaddy's house are going to cost.

-I really wish that it was possible for me to fly to Houston next week to see my sister.

-July still seems like a long time to wait to see my sister.

-July will be here before I know it.

-I'm ready for school to be out.

-I hope we have made the right decision about waiting another year for Cason to go to kindergarten.

-I love this house.

-I think I love Grandaddy's house more.

-I want Robbi and Sherman (our neighbors) to move with us.

-I hope Bryson deals with this change well.

-Wade and I have been married for 12 years...I wonder if we are buying presents for each other this year or will just go out and celebrate.

-I will suggest we just go out to celebrate. I have been trying too hard to de-clutter. I don't want to add anything new at this point.

-I need to get with Trisha this week and figure out exactly what needs to be done for our summer kid's program at church.

-I am excited about our summer activities at church.

-I am ready for school to be out so that I can focus on children's ministry.

-I really, really can't wait to see my sister.

Well, there you have it. Random thoughts for the moment. I'm sure there will be more added to the list as the day progresses.

Happy Saturday, friends!

Cason's Birthday!

Our baby just turned 5! We had Cason's party at Astro Golf & Games.(neon glowing golf, where everything is lit by black lights.) We used lots of glow sticks and glow-in-the-dark paint. It turned out really cool! In fact, the owner was impressed with our efforts. She asked if she could borrow some of our ideas. The kids just loved that everthing glowed! One little boy told his parents Cason had the coolest house, because everthing in it glows. Of coarse, we had a Power Rangers theme as well...by request from the birthday boy!

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NASCAR

I have been sitting here for a while trying to think of something to say about our week-end. The fact of the matter is, there are just no words. It was unbelievable. I hope that you enjoy the pictures. The video clip at the bottom is of the first full throttle to start the race. The sound and force of that moment is indescribable. It literally took my breath away. One funny story. On the video you see the back of this guy who was sitting next to us. I'm not sure how many beers he consumed before sitting down, but you will see a picture of how many he consumed during the race. He liked us. He wanted to be our friend. At one point he handed Wade is IPhone and asked him to type in our name and number so he could keep in touch. Then he took a picture of us to put with our number. The kicker was when he handed Wade his IPhone again and left. He was gone for 45 minutes. I'm not sure what all Wade typed into the guys phone, but he was having fun. That poor guy is going to sober up and wonder who in the world those people are and why he has our number:-)

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It was my first NASCAR race. It was certainly not my last.

IF YOU WERE A LITTLE GIRL IN THE 1970'S......

IF YOU WERE A LITTLE GIRL IN THE 1970'S......

You had that Fisher Price Doctor's Kit with a stethoscope that actually worked.



You owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a plastic basket with flowers on it.



You learned to skate with actual skates (not roller blades) that had metal wheels.



You thought Gopher from Love Boat was cute (admit it!)



You had nightmares after watching Fantasy Island .




You had either a 'bowl cut' or 'pixie', not to mention the 'Dorothy Hamill'.
People sometimes thought you were a boy.



You had rubber boots for rainy days and Moon boots for snowy days.

YEAH! You owned a 'Slip-n-Slide', on which you injured yourself on a sprinkler head more than once.



You owned 'Klick-Klacks' and smacked yourself in the face more than once !



Your Holly Hobbie sleeping bag was your most prized possession.


You wore a poncho, gauchos, and knickers.


You begged Santa for the electronic game, Simon.


You had the Donnie and Marie dolls with those pink and purple satiny shredded outfits, or the sunshine family

You spent hours in your backyard on your metal swing set with the trapeze.
The swing set tipped over at least once.


You had homemade ribbon barrettes in every imaginable color. (Oh yeah!)

You had a pair of Doctor Scholl's sandals (the ones with hard sole & the buckle). You also had a pair of salt-water sandals..





You wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder really bad; you wore that Little House on the
Prairie-inspired plaid, ruffle shirt with the high neck in at least one school picture;
and you despised Nellie Oleson!




You wanted your first kiss to be at a roller rink!


PONG! ('video tennis' ) was the most remarkable futuristic game you've ever heard of !

Your hairstyle was described as having 'wings' or 'feathers' and you kept it 'pretty'
with the comb you kept in your back pocket.
When you walked, the 'wings' flapped up and down, looked like you were gonna 'take off'

You know who Strawberry Shortcake is, as well as her friends, Blueberry Muffin and Huckleberry Pie.

You carried a Muppets lunch box (or Annie!) to school and it was metal, not plastic.
With the thermos inside; some were glass inside and broke the first time you dropped them.




You and your girlfriends would fight over which of the Dukes of Hazzard was your boyfriend.



YOU had Star Wars action figures, too!



It was a big event in your household each year when the 'Wizard of Oz' would come on TV.
Your mom would break out the popcorn and sleeping bags!



You often asked your Magic-8 ball the question: 'Who will I marry.
Shaun Cassidy, Leif Garrett, or David Cassidy?'




You completely wore out your Grease, Saturday Night Fever, and Fame soundtrack record album.



You tried to do lots of arts and crafts, like yarn and Popsicle-stick God's eyes, decoupage,
or those weird potholders made on a plastic loom.



You made Shrinky-Dinks and put iron-on kittens on your t-shirts!

You used to tape record songs off the radio by holding your portable tape player up to the speaker.



You had subscriptions to Dynamite and Tiger Beat.


You learned everything you needed to know about girl issues from Judy Blume books.
(Are you there God, It's Me, Margaret.)


You thought Olivia Newton John's song 'Physical' was about aerobics. (?? its not??)


You wore friendship pins on your tennis shoes, or shoelaces with heart or rain bow designs.

You wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer.


You drowned yourself in Love's Baby Soft - which was the first 'real' perfume you ever owned.


You glopped your lips in Strawberry Roll-on lip-gloss till it almost dripped off.


PASS THIS ON TO ALL OF YOUR 30 OR 40-SOMETHING GIRLFRIENDS.
IT WILL MAKE THEM SMILE TOO!!!









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Worship

I have found it difficult to write about personal spiritual experiences. It always seems too hard to express in words. I have had some thoughts rolling around in my head and heart for a while now. So, I am going to attempt to put these thoughts into words.

When I look back at my growing up years, I think my greatest moments of worship were the "mountain top" moments. These moments actually happened in the mountains, around a campfire. Whether it be mission trip in Taos or Permian Basin Christian Camp in Guadalupe or Sacramento, these times singing around the campfire stick out in my mind. I can remember being so filled with the spirit and so revived. I loved the way the youth would express ourselves in worship. Whether it be clapping (gasp) or closing our eyes and lifting our voices to God, we were somewhat uninhibited in these times of worship.

I love my heritage of faith and worship. However, I would also say that in corporate worship, growing up, worship for me was inhibited. There were rules. No clapping. No hands raised. No kneeling. I can remember returning from camp or mission trip and feeling so confined in worship. Back to the old routine.

For the past two years, Wade and I have been working and worshiping with a church that is completely uninhibited in worship. Although our worship is acapella, we do have instrumental music played at times. Also, our worship leader does on occasion play the guitar. Clapping, raising our hands, kneeling, laying on of hands, etc. are common in our church home. I have loved and appreciated this freedom I have in worship.

One of the things that I was looking the most forward to at the conference in San Diego, was the praise and worship time. It was awesome. That first night we were there, I was overcome with the power of it all. It was the first time that I had ever worshipped with a full praise band. It was so neat to sing along with the songs that I sing everyday in the car as I listen to Christian radio. I remember feeling so free to sing as loud as I could because the music would cover up my voice.

I could not help but be in awe of the people surrounding me. There were over 3000 people. Many of these people were very active in their worship. From the first note, they had their hands held high, singing to our savior. It occured to me that this was normal for all of these people. As new as this experience was for me, this was not new for the majority of the people in the room. There were people from all denominations, from all over the country. It made me smile. I thanked God for bringing me to this place for this new experience.

God provided a moment for me. On the second night we were there, it came time for praise and worship. We all stood and the band began to play How Great is Our God by Chris Tomlin. This has become one of my favorite worship songs to sing in church. Now, although raising hands in worship is commonplace at church, I have never quite felt comfortable. There have been a few moments that I have found myself lifting my hands in praise, but it is not "natural" for me. Standing there singing this beautiful song about my Father, to my Father, I found myself in one of those moments. There was no other place to go but "up". And then it happened. This one moment. At the end of the song, the worship leader began to sing How Great Thou Art, and the instruments stopped. All you could hear were 3000 voices singing to God. It was my heritage. Everyone was speaking my language. I felt God wrap his hands around me. I heard my voice. I heard His voice. It wasn't until the song was over that I realized that I was standing with both hands held high above me, my head lifted back, my eyes closed. Just me and God. He took me "back" to bring me closer to Him. He took me back to my roots of acapella worship, to lead me to being free enough to express myself as I speak to him.

As I have said before, I believe in the power of all worship to God. I believe that God is honored by instrumental praise. I also believe that my love language with God is acapella music. He will lead me to Him, no matter what. He will listen, no matter my voice.

God speaks. All I need to do is listen.

Easter Sunday

Having boys we don't have to worry about Easter bonnets & dresses; but, their Nanna made sure they still looked good for church.

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Easter in Friona

On Friday (3-21-08) we went to Friona to suprise my Grandmother (Grambie) for her 80th birthday. So of coarse, we celebrated Easter while we were there.

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Look what the Easter-bunny brought!!

Easter morning always starts by seeing what the Easter bunny brought.



Cason in his underwear, excited about getting underwear (Power Ranger Jungle Fury underwear!)



Cason got a Power Ranger coloring/activity book.



The Easter bunny must be a Tony Stewart fan!



Bryson got some Tony gear too!



Bryson got a pirates coloring/activity book.

Spring Break

Darla, Brylie, & Lawson came to Odessa to hang out over "spring break".

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San Diego

Ahhhh...it is good to be home. I had an AMAZING trip. I am still trying to process all I heard and learned. I'm sure it will take several posts as I form these feelings and thoughts and try to put them out there.
I would love to share some pictures with you. However, I forgot to take my camera! But, never fear, that is what disposable cameras are for, right. Well, I purchased my overpriced ($15!!!) camera and commenced to take picture after picture of all our adventures.
Funny thing about those cameras. If you leave them in your purse as they go through x-ray at airport security, all of the pictures disappear! What a neat trick, huh! :-(
So, let me take you on a virtual tour for just a second. Picture with me...

-the beautiful Pacific Ocean
-palm trees
-the Hotel Del Coronado (The Del)
-In-n-Out Burger (yes, I ate a hamburger and fries...okay, half a hamburger and fries. It was delicious!)
-the street sign that read "Sassafrass"...just for you, Nicole :)
-Trisha standing in front of a Pepsi machine with a frown on her face. (the resort we stayed at only served Pepsi products. We had to leave and drive to the nearest store to stock up on Diet Coke)

Everything went off without a hitch (except for that whole Pepsi thing). However, when we arrived at the airport, we were informed that our flight had been cancelled. All flights into DFW were cancelled due to SNOW. What!?! No worries...Trisha called her daddy, who told us he had free tickets on Southwest we could use. His secretary had us booked on a flight within 15 mins. Instead of going through DFW, we went through Phoenix and Albuquerque. We did have to stop in both places and change planes, so our poor luggage did not arrive home until 12 hours after we did. Oh well.
It was a great trip and I can hardly wait to go again.

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

...but I do know when I'll be back again. I am leaving in the morning to go to a Children's Ministry Conference in San Diego, Cal. I will return late Thursday night. My parents are here to help care for the boys while Wade works. The substitutes are in place to take care of my kids at school.
I don't know which excites me more...the exciting adventure of a trip to San Diego or the sweet time I will have with my sister/friend, Trisha.
We are not quite sure what we will do with ourselves without our children and responsibilities. However, I'm sure we will think of something. :-) I'm also sure that "something" will include wonderful conversation, a long nap on the plane, and alot of Diet Coke.
I do know that we will come back spiritually fed, ready to tackle a summer full of ministry opportunities, and ready to see our families.
Have a great week, my friends!

I Believe: Part Two

I know this post has been a while in the making. I have had to really think about what it is I believe in now. I really do not have any profound or inspirational things to say to begin this post. I will just begin...

-I believe Jesus is the son of God.
-I believe he died for my sins.
-I believe God is who he says he is.
-I believe God can do what he says he can do.
-I believe I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
-I believe God's word is alive and active in me.
-I believe I am saved by grace.
-I believe there is an active spiritual world and battles that I do not see.
-I believe I am safe, protected by the Holy Spirit in me.
-I believe God adores praise and worship.
-I believe God is honored with instrumental worship.
-I believe acapella worship is my love language.
-I believe each person has his/her own personal relationship with God.
-I believe in the love I have for my husband.
-I believe in the love my husband has for me.
-I believe we will be together until death parts us.
-I believe in the incredible power and brilliance of an autistic mind.
-I believe Bryson has abilities that many will never have.
-I believe Bryson will form precious relationships in his life, will get married and have a family.
-I believe Cason is the happiest child in the world.
-I believe Cason seeks pure joy in life.
-I believe in precious friendships that last for ages.
-I believe in the power God has as he reconnects people throughout our journey on earth.
-I believe my parents did everything right in raising children. I want to parent like they parent.
-I believe my sister is and always will be my hero.
-I believe every person has what it takes to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle. It is a choice.
-I believe in the simple pleasures of diet coke and coffee.
-I believe a hot bath can cure a bad mood.
-I believe in Mojo football :-)
-I still believe in the power of a song.
-And I will always, for the rest of my life on earth, believe in "real" mashed potatoes.

When I write it all out, it sure does not seem like much. I know that I believe in so much more, I just can not put it into words...yet. Part of me is a little afraid of the reaction of some of things that I may believe in. I know that I still have a lot more growing to do.

Valentine's Day and a Meme

Happy Valentine's Day friends. We had a big day with all of our parties at school. Bryson is sick now, so the party has stopped. The boys are in bed and Wade is at work, so I decided to spend some time catching up on the blog.
I promise that the second part of my "I Believe" post is coming soon. However, I decided to throw my hat into the meme ring. Melanie tagged anyone who had not been tagged yet and I guess that would be me.
There are rules, but I am too lazy to post them. Here are 5 non-important habits/quirks about myself.

1. I love white noise. It is so comforting to me. I love to go to bed with the sound of the fan or my sound spa machine. The sound of the hair dryer makes me want to crawl up under the covers and take a long winters nap.

2. I have this incredible memory when it comes to music. I can usually sing a song from memory after only hearing it one or two times. I can also remember all of the words and moves to every single one of my masterfollies shows. What is even scarier is that I can remember most of the words from every Alpha Chi and CD show from when I was in school. Yes, it gets worse. My sisters shows. Yes, I can sing through all of my sisters masterfollies shows as well. I know. I'm a nerd.

3. For a long time, my dream was to become the first female football coach. I seriously considered this while career planning in high school.

4. I count when I am sitting still. I count the number of ceiling tiles, chair legs, etc. I can not tell you how many times a day I count the number of slats in my plantation shutters in my living room, or the number of tiles and light fixtures in my classroom. It is very OCD. In fact, if the number turns out odd, or a number I don't like, I will add something to make the number come out "right".

5. I have unusually short legs. I hide it well because I wear heals and long pants. I do not own a pair of true capri pants. All of the capri pants that I have bought hit me at mid calf or right above the ankle. My legs are so short that there is not much difference in my height when I am standing and sitting. Most restaurants I go to, my feet don't touch the ground and I look like a giant sitting with all of my friends. So, I slouch alot while sitting.

Well, there you have it. I tag Cheryl, Tania, and Monica.

Pinewood Derby

One of the most exciting things about cub scouts is the annual pinewood derby. This is our second year to enter a car. Bryson is more into the theme of the car, than if it's fast or not. We finished 2nd over-all last year, but were 4th in our division this year. We went for style rather than speed! (lol)



Bryson finished 4th in the wolf division (2nd grade)



Bryson and Cason both had a car this year. Cason is our junior scout "mascot".



Bryson's Elvis car! (We had a Tony Stewart car last year.)



Cason's Power Ranger car!



Pack 91, pinewood derby contestants.

I Believe: Part One

Not too long ago, I came across my journal from Dr. Blassingame's Freshman English class at LCU. One of our assignments was to make a list of all of the things that we believe in. I remember being puzzled by the assignment and, of course, put it off until the last minute.

One thing that immediately came to mind while reading this long lost list was my precious friend and roommate Stephanie. She too was taking this class. I remember staying up most of the night, sitting on my bed, as we made our list. She found the assignment easy and as she began reading her list, I too, got on a roll. We laushed and cried and had a wonderful conversation, while trying, in our "mature" 18 year old minds, to figure out what exactly we believed in.

Not too long ago, I came across a scripture in my church small group Bible study that struck me. It is the story of the boy with the evil spirit whom Jesus healed. The verses are in Mark 9:22-24. The boy's father ask Jesus that "if he could" to heal his son. Jesus stated, "If you can? Everything is possible for those who believe."

Now this is the part of the scripture that struck me. The boys father EXCLAIMED, "I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!" Even with the strong belief I do have, there are still ways that I need to believe God more. I am still learning this. One of the greatest spiritual growth opportunities that I have had recently was to take Beth Moore's "Believing God" Bible study. So now, I have decided I need to make another list. I have been searching my heart as to the things I believe.

My list is still in progress and I will share when I complete it. For now, I want to share some of the things that I wrote down when I was 18 years old and a freshman in college. On that night, when Steph and I were making our list, I will never forget two things that Steph wrote on her list. One was that she believed that Jesus was the Son of God and that He came to save her. My precious little friend is with Jesus now. She sits in Heaven with him because of her belief. The other thing she wrote down that I will never forget was she believed in "real mashed potatoes". :-)

Things I Believe In (1993)

-God
-Jesus is the son of God
-Jesus died to save me from my sins
-because I have obeyed Him, repented of my sins, confessed His name and been baptized I will go to heaven to be with Him someday.
-Christian education
-my parents love for me
-my parents love for each other
-my sisters love for me
-my grandparents love for me
-Mojo football (I know...deep!)
-a single red rose
-true friendship
-there is such a thing as the perfect roommate (Steph and I both put this one)
-true love (Wade and I had just started dating and I was smitten)
-the power of a song (I was a little dramatic)
-home is where the heart is

There were more, of course, but I think you have the idea. I obviously had alot of growing to do. I remember how grown up and mature I felt. I no longer feel that way about myself. I feel that even though I have grown, I still have much work to do.
So, my friends,what do you believe in?

Happiness?!?

Okay, so I NEED to be working hard on preparing for my Weight Watchers meeting tomorrow. However, I read a HILARIOUS story on my sweet friend's family blog yesterday and I just have to share. This is a true story about a conversation between my friend's brother and his 2 yr old son. On Friday, "dad" was driving in the car with all of their 5 children and praying with them. It was "2 yr.old sons" turn to pray and here it is as "mom" recapped it on the blog:

Dad: Thank you for Jesus.
Son: Thank you for Jesus.
Dad: Jesus is our Joy.
Son: Jesus is our Joy.
Dad: Jesus is our Peace.
Son: Jesus is our Peace.
{there were more, but we will fast forward}
Dad: Jesus is our Happiness.
Son: Jesus is our Happy penis...

"Mom" said the prayer ended there.
I thought you all would enjoy this.
I am off to save the world from weight issues.
I hope you all have a HAPPY day tomorrow!

Racing and Random Thoughts

First of all, thank you to everyone for your prayers and sweet comments on behalf of my family. Please continue to pray for my Aunt Jean and cousins Patricia, Rick and Vickie as they deal with the aftermath of the tragedy.

This week was a much better week. Just more of the same as far as our life goes. On Thursday, the boys and I got to go to my Mom's retirement party. It was there that she FINALLY got to open her gift from Cheryl and I. You see, I have been dying to shout from the rooftops...of my blog..that MOM AND I ARE GOING TO A NASCAR RACE IN APRIL! Oh, Dad and Wade are going to. I don't think they are nearly as excited about it as Mom and I. We are on the FRONT ROW, in the FRONTSTRECH, right across from the exit of PIT ROAD. I will clarify for all of you NASCAR lay people that those are REALLY GREAT SEATS!!!! My wonderful sister-in-law has already agreed to watch the boys for us that day. They live in the metroplex, so it has all worked out well.

There are five things on "my list of things to do" that I am saving, praying and planning for. This is actually the first to be marked off of the list. It was just such a perfect time with Mom's retirement. The other four things are:

1) Take the boys to Disneyland or Disneyworld
2) Go to a Dallas Cowboy Football Game with my Dad
3) Visit my sister in Africa
4) Go on a cruise with Wade

Anyway, we are really excited. This morning we got in the racing mood with the annual Cub Scout Pine Wood Derby. Pictures will be posted soon. Wade and the boys(mainly Wade) worked really hard on cars. Cason got to participate in the family round even though he could not offically compete. I love to watch Wade and the boys interact in these fun ways. He is such a good Daddy.
I guess I will leave it at that for now. Oh, and while I am "randoming", I am watching the Miss America Pageant. It is very...different this year. Odd, really. Oh, and mercy on the talent competition. Simon Cowell would have a stroke!

Family

No school today! It is 10:00am and I am still in my pj's, drinking my second cup of coffee, at the computer. (sigh....) I decided to post about my week last week. It was a hard week. For reasons that we still do not know, my Uncle Wilson chose to take his own life on Tuesday. He is my dad's oldest brother. Uncle Wilson has always been a part of my life, even though I did not see him very often. As the priest said at his service, he was a very "quirky" man. He was also very loveable. The blessing of all of this is the sweet time we spent with family on Friday.
Now it feels kind of funny to hear myself say this. You see, I have not always enjoyed going to family reunions of any kind. I have always been annoyed by all of these strange people, talking all at once, about all the things they did when they were little. We as the little children are supposed to laugh merrily and pretend to know exactly what they were talking about. Well, the tide has changed. I caught myself, being a strange person, talking at the same time to everyone, about all the things we did when we were little. No matter how different we all are (and seriously, there are several who are REALLY DIFFERENT, think Christmas Vacation)we are FAMILY. And that is precious. We left Friday afternoon, all with a strong resolve to get together this summer when Cheryl and her family are in the states.
On a less serious note, we were all standing around at the cemetary and decided to take pictures. This was the first time that we have seen one of my uncles and his family since my Grandpa passed away in '95. We all gathered around and took pictures and did not think anything of it. Yesterday, my dad posted this pictures on his blog. What we did not realize is that my Uncle Wilson's casket is in the background of all of the pictures. Ahhhh...family:-)

Oh, Bella!

One of my students gave me a Pekingese puppy for Christmas. Here are some pictures of our furry new family member.




Our new daughter.





It was love at first sight!




Okay, so I know SHE is a dog and all, but I finally have little girl to put bows in her hair. Her signiture color is PINK!

Science Fair Project

Yeah, another project! Bryson had to do a science fair project about John Glenn. Actually, it's more like a biography done in a science fair format. He was excited! He told us, "Be sure and take a picture so we can put it on our blog." So here it is.



They had a Q & A session where parents could come in and ask questions about their project.



His teacher was impressed, he actually knew so much about John Glenn.



Busted! When I was downloading these pics I found a bunch of pics of things like the TV, computer, toilet, ect.... We were puzzled as to who took them till we came across this one!

Santa was good to the Procter boys

Slow as usual, you can see it's well after new year's before I got the pictures from Christmas posted! We had a great Christmas, and made it back from Sterling City & San Angelo safely. The boy's made out like bandits! Call if you ever have a question about power rangers or are stumped by a question from a game show. I've spent every free minute since Christmas becoming an expert in these subjects thanks to my kids. If you want to know about Elvis skip me and go straight to Bryson or Nana; I'm still lacking in that area.



The boys discovering the stash left by Santa!



Bryson and Cason playing with their toys on Christmas morning.



The boys both got a Nintendo D/S ; wish we'd thought of this earlier they were captavated and quiet for hours!



Can't think of the last time Cason was this still or quiet!



The Nintendo D/S was a hit with both boys, still waiting for them to let me have a turn though!

Christmas day at the King's house

This year we to Sterling City to have Christmas at the Money's (Nana & Papa) house. Christmas day we all went into San Angelo to spend the day at Tommy & Pat's (Cherise's uncle & aunt).



Lynn and kids, sang for everyone. Papa, Bryson, Cason, & Jaron (Carlon's son)



Bryson, Cason, and Jaron help sing all our christmas favorites and a few more.



Cason & Jaron enjoyed entertaining Graddaddy!



Papa putting on a show.

Family pictures

One of the biggest downsides to having a house full of family on Christmas is that someone always wants a picture! LOL! It's always an adventure, especially when kids who'd much rather be playing with their new toys are involved.



The King Family.



The Cousins! Tanner, Jeff, Cherise, & Carlon (you were truelly missed, Cheryl)



The Cousins are now all married! Tanner & Joanna, Jeff & Rebecca, Cherise & "that guy", and Carlon & Raven