Sad and Frustrated

I really wish we had grandparents that lived near us. Enough said....

My April 27th 2008

Nothing real exciting "Just Life". I have not felt like posting in a while and wrote my mom this letter and thought..hey I will post that since it's already written and I have not blogged in a while.

We got up early, or should I say the kids got us up early and we went to early church. Matt and I teach on a three month rotation, throughout the year, during second service so we never get to sit in on "big people church". But we decided to go yesterday. After church they had a teacher appreciation luncheon. It was a backyard, rodeo, BBQ theme. We had potato salad, chips, beans, and brisket with desserts. The brisket was really good.

The Bauman’s picked Jack up from his Sunday school class and took him out to lunch and to a birthday party for a little girl in Jack and Hannah's class at school. It was a skate party. He was gone the entire day. I guess they had a lot of fun. Jennifer called me after dropping Jack off and said he would probably be sore because he would not give up until he figured out roller skating. So he fell AlOT and hard! He is covered in bruises and bumps. I think he is also coming down with something. He woke up yesterday barking so I gave him a breathing treatment. That cleared him up for the day but then in the evening he started complaining his throat hurt. He woke up this morning complaining of a sore throat and wheezing again. After a hot shower and sucking on a Halls he seemed better.

After church Matt and I came home with the two girls and put them down for naps. We watched a little TV then we read. Matt read in the Bible and I started reading a book called "Against the Tide". It is a book on how and when to tell your kids about boys, girls, sex, intimacy, etc. We took a class on it at church but never really did anything with it. But we are way past time with our older kids in some areas and we need to read up and take a refresher course.

I went down and started dinner for the family because I had to be back up at church at 5 for a meeting. Avery and I are going to go through this program called Secret Keeper Girls. It is for mothers and daughters (ages8-12). It is a really neat thing where you go on 8 dates with your daughter each one focuses on something different and unique about how God made her and I and how special and unique she is and how beautiful she is. It helps teach young girls about True beauty and modesty. Each date has a challenge activity, key verse, key thought, and suggested challenge setting. For example the first date is a tea party the verse is Isaiah 64:8. The key thought is her and I are God's masterpiece. And the suggested challenge setting is a tea room that serves tea out of real china. She and I both have our own Secret Keepers Date Journals. Hers talks directly to her and mine talks directly to me but both cover the same material so we can go through it together. Sounds like it will be something fun and important to do with each of my girls. The group of moms that was there yesterday will be the "support" group we will be doing this with. Even though we will each be going through this individually with our own girls there are some dates that require friend participation and so we will go with these other girls who are in the Secret Keepers club. Then at the end of the program all the girls and the moms go spend the night at a hotel. Then a couple months later we will go do a weekend girl's getaway and have special speakers come talk to our girls about true beauty and modesty. These special speakers are usually college age girls! I am going to give the whole Secret Keepers Ddary and Cd's to her for her birthday.

I got home and ate dinner. Matt played outside with Jack and Mallory, while Rachel and I hung out inside. We watched a little TV before bedtime, sent the kids to bed and went to bed ourselves abut 20 minutes later.

Jenny?

Marker Bandit

Here are some of Rachel's latest hieroglyphics. This is a daily event at our house. Rachel hunts down markers like a bloodhound...or anything that you can use to draw with.

It does not matter what punishment she receives she is still determined to draw on herself and everything else in the house. Just when we think we have all the markers and writing utensils hidden she comes up with one. Or one of the older kids come screaming through the house "Rachel has a marker!!" "Rachel's drawing on the wall!!!"

Today I found her in the kitchen putting "lipstick " on. She discovered a pink highlighter in the junk drawer and had put it all over her lips like lipstick. She was so proud.

I still have not found where the marker from this wonderful portrait is hidden!!! Exciting!

Side note: I just realized the last two post have been about Rachel getting into stuff. I want everyone to know...I really do watch my children...there is just so many of them...lol

Mime

Rachel is looking in to becoming a mime. She needs to work on technique. She also needs to work on her make-up skills. She hasn't figured out the white paint goes on her face not her hands!

For real, she got into the Desitin. I was downstairs folding laundry and came upstairs to put some away and discovered her and the couch covered in white. The whole time I was downstairs folding, I was thinking to myself, "those girls are being awfully quiet". As I came up the stairs I could smell the Desitin. I immediately went into the toy room and there she was! She kept clapping her hands together because she liked the way it felt, squishing her hands together and giggling. The amazing part is Mallory was on the couch right next to her oblivious to what was going on!!!