Pic of the Day: Through the Storm

I did not take this picture but I am so happy that someone took it. This is David on a daily basis. He works so hard and still manages a smile at the end of the day. I am so proud of him. He is moving on to another job in the next couple of weeks and I know that, in a way, it is hard for him. You know, when you have dreams that go unfulfilled it hurts. He has handled what hand we have been given with such goodness. He is always kind. He is a wonderful husband. He is my best friend and I pray that this new job is a great blessing to his life and to ours. When you go through tough times it is so hard to hope for anything good. The plans that you have made have failed so many times that you resist the urge to hope because that hope gets squashed. I am purposing to hope for him. Please pray for David. He is giving up part of his dream and I know this is hard for him. While I know we are probably going to have it easier, it's even hard for me to see this part of our life end. We have learned so much through it. God has proven Himself time and time again. He is always providing in the most creative ways. He has shown us that even without worldly success, we have managed to make some unbelievably good friends and how to be gracious under extreme pressure. I look back on our life with gratitude now instead of asking God why He did not let this dream happen for us. I know that I want His dream for us much more than I want ours. David is on the top of my list of hero's. I just want to be like him. Somehow he always manages to have the right attitude about every situation. Oh how I would love to have just that one trait. Anyway, I am proud of him and know that he is going to be blessed in this new job and do proclaim that this time of our lives is going to be good and flourishing and full of the things of God! Thank you God that though life , at times, has not been easy that I have been blessed enough to share it with the love of my life and a great man in my eyes. Through the storm he has smiled and seen You!

Pic of the Day: Who Is This Person?

O.K. so as a fun activity for me and Lili I bought both her and Samuel these big boxes of sidewalk chalk. I thought it would be something fun to do on the days where we were not at the pool or running around doing various summer activities. This evening I wanted to challenge Lili's artistic side and mine. I thought we could draw portraits of one another. Fun Huh? Who would have thought that it would test my self esteem to the core? Just kidding. She is only five so I don't know what I was expecting. I am almost finished drawing her portrait down to the last detail and she declares to me, "Mom, I don't think I am that tall." Looking over at the very detailed portrait she drew of me ,I say, " Well, I don't think I'm that fat." She laughed and said she did the best that she could and I told her it was wonderful! I dragged David out to see it. Thought he would like to see who his wife had become. He laughed and told me that I definitely needed to start working out more. Hahaha!

Pic of the Day: Two Teeth in Less Than Twenty Four Hoursbytheweekend

My Belle has lost two teeth in less than twenty four hours. If she keeps going at this rate she will be toothless by the weekend. She is sooooooooo proud and is lisping when she talks. Let's just pray that they come in straight. Last night I heard what sounded like a train coming through their room and then high pitched screaming. I was on my way in to deal with the matter when Lili flew out of her room carrying a very little tooth. She shrieked with delight, I losthed my tooth." I love my life!

What's Your Favorite Color?

This last weekend me and my kids went up to Fort Worth to see my sweet grandparents. My brother and sister n law went with me and brought their awesome kids too. It was hard to go this time , I had to leave Abigail behind with David because she was sick (before you say that I am a bad mommy David made me go). I like being there when my kids are sick. I never had my mom to take care of me so being sick was kind of lonely for me as a child. Anyway, I felt like I was supposed to go. You know those little feelings you get that poke you right in the tummy and make you feel silly if you don't follow through with whatever it is you feel like you're supposed to do. I had one of those feelings. Well we get up there and are embrace at the door like we always are. We are fed more than we should be, like we always are. We are given items that have been purchased, that we don't need, I might add, at the many garage sales that my grandparents frequent. I keep thinking that one of those items is going to show up one day on the Antiques Road Show but I am disappointed weekly. While we don't need the items that have been given, we love the Barbie Van with all the stickers peeling off because it means that they have been thinking about us while we are away. They love us.

In the middle of all the food, hugs and garage sale items, we all found out that it had been my Mema's 80th Birthday on April 29th and us ungrateful grandchildren had all forgotten. I felt so bad I cried. I was telling April ( my sister in law) you know these people all your life. They have shaped the very fabric of your being and you don't even know what their favorite color is. My Mema's is blue. I found that out after we gave her a present and sang Happy Birthday to her and after many very sincere apologies. My Dandy's is turquoise. I laughed because if you knew my Dandy you would never have guessed that. On my way home later in the weekend, I started calling all the key people in my life. You know the ones who had a hand in why I am the way I am. I asked them what their favorite color was and oddly enough I found out an awful lot about them but also about myself. I also led to a nice conversation that just meant the world to me and them. So I ask you people out there... What is your favorite color? Mine is green like the green in Abigail's eyes.

Pic of the Day: Arrows in the Hand of a Mighty Warrior

Psalm 127:4 says

As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.

There is no better time spent than that time you take out of your day to teach your children about God. He is ,after all, the Lover of their soul. They can either be arrows of the enemy or arrows for the Lord. It is our choice. They have to be taught!

Pics of the Day: Easter in Mason

Sam frantically looking for eggs

catching baby goats

coaxing baby goats

going to feed the baby goats

Sam, Madee and Mason looking for tadpoles in the cistern

reaching for the prize

Cowboy Sam

Cowgirl Lili

Every year since the kids have been around we have gone to Mason, TX to Aunt Carol and Uncle Bob Al's ranch. It is a beautiful and rough landscape strewn with mequite scrub and Come Here bush. The bush with thorns that don't let you go so it is called "Come Here" bush. We have a huge family meal that always has orangello and spatzle, two Carpenter Family dishes that are present at every family gathering. There are always hugs and good conversation.

We started with Samuel and now have Madee, Lili, Mason, Hayden, Abigail, Warren, Blixen ( yes that really is her name) and the newest member of our family , hopefully forever, Christian. Rob, David's cousin and his wife Shannon are hoping to adopt him soon. It is so fun to see how the children have grown since we saw them last on Thanksgiving. They are so sweet and kind and all of them are beautiful. At the end of the Great Feast a few of the adults sneak out of the house and hide the Easter eggs. There are always a ridiculous amount of eggs to be hidden and you can imagine this takes quite a while to do. When the door finally opens, the kids poor out the door, running to the nearest egg. Abigail went on her first Easter Egg hunt this year and as soon as she realized what was in those eggs her little legs took off and she grabbed every egg in sight. The kids always have about 376 to each basket and I am always cringing at the amount of candy that they devour. God please protect their teeth. Oh well, Easter comes but once a year. You know what? We say that aboout Christmas, Valentine's and any other holiday that happens to pop up during the year.

The kids always get to hold baby goats that run as fast as they can away from them as they see the children approaching the fence. Poor things. They also get to ride Chip the wonder horse. They feel like real cowboys. Uncle Bob Al is about as close as you can get to a cowboy so maybe They become cowboy's by association.

There were also brand new baby kittens that were living in an old metal water cistern. They got to see an unusual breed of dog called a Wippet, named Snuggles. If you saw this dog you would wonder why in the world they named it Snuggles. Love is blind.

In everyway I love our trips to Mason. There is such a peace out there. You feel like you have gone back in time and that the world just got a little slower paced. You sit on the front porch and drink sweet tea. You watch the sun dip lower in the sky and the children running. Every year they run a little faster.

The Purging of the Trees

I'm sorry to all you tree huggers out there but I have officially decided that this entire area must be purged of all pollen barring trees. I guess that means all trees. Hmm... Sorry , scratch that. All cedar and oak. Wait, I love oak trees.... who cares about cedars. Hmmm....I have to rethink this. Get back to you later.