Busy weekend

There are common pictures in my mind after weekends like this one. Pictures I take and really don't have a whole blog thought of but they are very much the story of our lives:)

Some things are normal pictures.....

Like John reading....


Jacob working......


This? Not normal!! Mercedez taught Seth a few cheers...the competitiveness in him went to work and he was hilarious, but pretty good at the same time!


Sarah and Lita on the way to basketball practice. Scott and Sarah are coaching Seth's Jr Pro team.


Mercedez as she was about to leave for her basketball game. Actually a make-up game:)


Tasha posing for a picture? Seeming to become VERY common!


And taking turns at the computer? Again, a very common picture of one tiny part of our day:)

FUN family!!

My little kids (haha..someday I will have to stop calling them that because they are very little)love to see these two special people coming our way! Hannah makes the most wonderful cookies!! We all eat way too many and enjoy them a bit too much! Hannah and Stuart arrived Saturday evening with all the ingredients to make cookies and movies for the kids to watch on the big screen. Lots and lots of fun!



After the kids were in bed Hannah played for me (I can tell you in words how beautifully she sings and plays!!). She and Stuart singing songs and gracously repeacting htem for me when I asked for a repeat for Scott and then John. John sat with us and sang too! So much fun!!!



They went to church with us this morning and played this afternoon:) They stayed until after church, a big visit and lots of fun. Always leaves us anxious for the next visit!

Happy 20th Birthday Doug!!

Happy Birthday Doug:) Today is Doug's birthday but he and his friend Nolan came home yesterday to celebrate with us. We had cake and ice cream and then they all played some ball. Sarah humbling the boys just a little bit:) Sarah won two games and Nolan and Doug each one.

I so very much love watching my children grow up. Physically Doug has likely grow up all he's going to, but this young son of mine has grown up more spiritually and emotionally than words can say. I am so very proud of him and knowing Doug, this year will be a great one!

Green grass

"It's like looking for green grass in a desert!"
John Smotherman

Green grass is a beautiful thing. I know when we were taking our family picture with Starla she showed me the proofs and clicked a button that she called "beautify" and all of a sudden the grass was greener and the whites whiter...I agree with the name, it was more beautiful, more eye pleasing. But, the reality was regular old grass and some arrays of whites. It was a GOOD reality.

I have children, currently one in particular, who thinks green grass is a "location". It's not. It's not a real button we can push. My facebook status today was:

"The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind."

Goodness that's true!! If you are the person who CHOOSES your outlook, who chooses the way you spin your day, who chooses the way you react? Then you will find that quote uplifting. IF you are a grass is always greener somewhere else person? It is not encouraging, actually would be a very discouraging quote.

Green grass IS a state of mind!! Green grass is green when nurtured, nurtured by YOU and cared for by you....meaning under your own feet!! We can run to and fro, we can search high and low...and never find the beauty of life. Life is beautiful when we stop, work on it and see the beauty around us!

My NEW lens arrived!!

I feel somewhat like I have a brand new lease on life...lol...a picture taking lease!
My new lens arrived yesterday and my very first new picture was of this sweet sister of mine! Sandy slid in between my meetings yesterday and brought Chance and Cooper. We all lunched at the boys favorite place, McDonald's:)



Last night I took this of my kiddos...apples to apples...the game was sweetly gifted to us from Chelsea, Bo and the PTC kids. What fun!

This picture was of Mercedez as she left for the Football Banquet:) What a sweet girl!

The way it looks from here....

Yesterday Scott and I took Sam to his first day of school, alternative school that is. We sat through the meeting, listened to the rules, signed that we had a copy of the rules, asked questions and left Sam.

A super sad statistic from the Director of that program? They will have 160 kids through their school this year and FOUR will have a mom and dad. Not married mom and dad even, just an involved in their life mom and dad....the other 156? Well, I have no idea but can guess a lot of scenarios and not many of them ideal.

As we left our intake there were two more boys waiting to get in....the boys were talking to one another as we walked out the door and one of them approached the truck his "mother"(cause I have no idea who she really was) and was telling her about the dress code. Students have to wear Khaki pants and a collared shirt, a belt and all shirts tucked. As I opened my door beside the driver/mom/person her reply was, "I don't got no *darn(I substituted) money to be buying dress pants and church shirts!!"


Scott and I sat down in our van and looked over at the truck....this truck pictured above....well, minus the boat and beach...a 2011 Chevy Avalanche. That truck cost as much as every single vehicle Scott and I own...all put together! It says so here!

I smiled to myself, I imagine, the way it looks from here, that mom person could afford a small investment in her child's clothes. The would be a far cry from his saggy jeans, t-shirt and sock cap, but they would be a HUGE step toward respect. It was obvious, the way it looked from my seat, that he had not learned that respect at home.

I find it terribly frustrating that people CHOOSE things and those things are not eternal. Don't get me wrong...a truck does not make you a poor individual! But the attitude that is so prevalent with selfish individuals, the I shouldn't have to pay for that because I don't want to? I just don't get it! I know it all has to do with responsibility....but how can an adult behave as though they have no responsibilities? Hum...I think this is a question that bounces from state to state and border to border...we have a serious problem in our country today with ownership and responsibility.

I do not preach that from a soapbox. I have that problem with some of my children. Last night Sam spent hours raging over this exact point. Name calling, bad words, wall banging (of which he kicked the outlet in his room blowing the entire breaker for that wall and MY whole room...it is not flipping back on and will have to wait on Scott to return home and fix.). Sam's beef? That I was holding events from 5 years ago against him. He was really angry that I did not trust him. Hum. I quickly explained that his consequences today were due to his behavior TODAY. I asked if he came to sit by me when I asked...no. Did he follow me when I asked...no. Did he go to his room when I asked...no. Did he stay in his room as I asked...no. His reply? He was mad! To which I explained that it was very obvious I could not trust him to make good choices when he was mad. He made threats to which I replied (with Scott's advice through the cell phone at my ear)I would call the police if he did that. I would have to. He did threathen to call the police on me. Why? Because I was in his room. The way it looks from here it's going to be a LONG road! He eventually settled down and did stay in his room.

I talk about ownership and responsibility because it is FUNDAMENTAL that our children and adults understand that these two words are truly LIFE SKILLS!

EU Pictures by Denise:)

My dear friend Denise is, in my mind, THE picture Guru! She takes so many picture and does an incredible job!! Last night she sent me her pictures from Friday and Saturday of kids, and adults at EU. I looked through quickly, finding these of my crew:) Above is the Savannah Youth Group (of likely the kids they could find at the time). Below are my loved ones and one of their friends!