Make a Smilebox slideshow

Back to work!

My new job is great. its been a crazy week because I'm soooo tired. I was even falling asleep in church on Wed. soooo bad...but my body has got to get back into shape! Well I was very proud of Caleb, although the mommy side of me was hungry for just a little bit of seperation drama..but my little social butterfly was ready to fly. Each day I dropped him off he simply waved and ran off to the play. After work I hurried back to the day care knowing this was quite a long time for him to be away from his mommy. I had visions of Caleb running to me(in slow mothion of course) Leaping into my arms, and hanging on for dear life. ------Noooo. Noooo Noooo...not even close. . it was more like a teenage wave, not quite a full wave "hey mom!".. slowly and cooly striding up to me and taking my hand. I leaned over and he hugged me...but no drama what so ever! What is up with that?. Now he wasn't begging to stay..mind you..but showing no anxiety at all. He didn't need to ..mommy had that covered. He loves it. Soooo all in all I guess he was much more ready for this than Mom. go figure!

Actually, I was ready too. being off for a year I had almost forgot how much I loved teaching. The kids are great.....and my teacher friends are right it is different teaching other kids. And I apprectiate home even more now.

So got thru my first week. well half a week it is so nice going in on Tuesday. I don't leave home until 8:30 and I'm home at 3:30 on TUes and Thursday, On Wed. I don't go in until 10:30 sooo theres none of that tearing my kid out of bed at 6 am....and picking him up at 5 in the afternoon. and
I have Friday thru Monday off...now it doesn't get anybetter than that....unless, of course, if I were rich and didn't have to work at all.......hmmmm now thats a thought.

(my son the dare devil.....)

Wow! God is good. So much has happened since my last blog. I got a new job. Enrolled my son in daycare. Its a great job...teaching vocal music and band. and my son thinks he is going to school.

too funny. He wants a backpack and everything. What does a two yr. old know about school?...hmm.

Anywaz. I took him over there to sign papers. he walks in sees the kids, toys, and leaders and waves good buy and takes off with the kids. Just like a pro. tomorrow he'll ask for the car keys..and I'm history.

Its kind of nice to know he's not shy and fearful..but that mommy inside me is a bit sad.

heres the latest pic of my precious angel.

church...whats it all about

Church. hmm.....
Anybody out there get just a little bored with their church. Not that you don't like your pastor..or the people in general but just kind of thinking....Are we missing something. We worship, take up an offering listen to a Word..and go home....and come back next week or on Wednesday and do it again.

We do outreaches...give to the poor, and have a wonderful foodbank ministry. But I feel disconnected with the church. It is as if we are coming to work do our job and go home ot our seperate private lives.

Some of the traditional churches have far too much fellowship and no outreach. We have lots of outreach but not too much fellowship. I think there should be more of a balance. Am I alone? There must be others. If I'm feeling disconnected maybe others are too.

So I think I'm going to start connecting us. Sorry, but i needed to get this out. Sometimes when I write things..I can make better assesments and more quality decisions.

Well our trip to the local county fair was great. Caleb rode his first carnival rides and he glowed! Flying airplanes, driving a big rig, and riding the carousel. it was so fun just like I always dreamed. WE ate some great bbq pork sandwiches..it was reeeeeally gooood! We paid for it later..trust me....turning 50 does have its set backs ....and watching what you eat is a very important issue....lol..

anywaz back to Caleb. we took him or should I say forced him through the barns to expire our parental duties of giving him barnyard experience....and then through the chickens...but his face did not light up until we hit the tractor exhibit...then bam! he came alive!

TRACTORS! his favorite...so yes we could have skipped the barns and gone directly to the

tractor store or home depot and he would have been satisfied.

it was a beautiful day 78 degrees with a slight breeze. (Just enough to blow the barn smell the other way) I may love the country but its air....is not as fresh as "they" tell us. :)

At the fair with Papa and grandma

We went to the Jackson fair today.

It was neat watching Calebs face as

he heard the sounds he had only

heard about in books. His eyes got bright and big as the sheep

baaed...the cows mooed

and the pigs oinked...tooo much fun.

You can see him petting some, and holding a baby chick. He came home saying the animals were "noisy". what a joy he is. but all in all his fav' exhibit was the TRACTORS.....we could have just taken him to the John Deer Dealer and he would have been good to go.

Today we went to the Flint hands-on museum. Wow! sooo many things to do! It was kind of a Faux play land for kids. They had a camping room full of tents, campfires and a boat on a lake. Another

room was the activities room left

wher kids could build and watch

balls spin around in big wells, pulleys etc.

The next room was a music room

with a "Stomp" like wall full of trash cans

spoons, washboards and other percussion instruments

for kids big and small to play.

there was a drama room with stage

and costumes princess carriage and puppets.

The next room had

a rock climbing wall and ended up with a grocery strore, house, fire engine, helicopter and lots of things for kids to do. We went with friends Scott and Julie and their sons Samuel and John. too much fun. The kids were running here and there trying to take it all in.We'll have to go back.

STAYcation has begun

Here we are on vacation..but we're STAYing at home to do it. It sure beats the crampiness of a hotel...and saves us from having to socialize with the B&B hosts (although we thoroughly enjoy that too) but this way we have fun than come home and relax...aaand.....if we don't want to go anywhere we can do that too.....ok, ok ,ok..we're broke...but cheap can be fun...smiling

soo our first day of STAYcation involved hanging out at home ...swimming in our olympic size backyard pools!

Caleb had a blast, we h

ad a blast- we all love the water..

.ok..so they aren't "olympic sized pools" but this is Olympics week and we are swimming....Its olympic to us!

Swingset spells home

What is it about a swingset that spells home. We got a swingset for my son. We put it up...well Shawn put it up-thank you honey- and wow!..I lookied out the window at the backyard full of little tikes paraphenalia.....playhouse, rollercoaster, kitchen, coops, wagons etc... but the swingset says it all. It completes the set. It screams "We're home! a family lives here..not a single person who wants to impress her nieces and nephews...not a married couple but a FAMILY!

Its a dream come true. It shouts "God is faithful". He fulfills the desires of our hearts.
Some say it doesn't get any better than this....oh yes it does...In Christ..the blessings get better and better...I'm turning 50 and life is better than its ever been before.

Swingin' Summer nights!

Michigan summer nights...you just can't beat 'em.

Florida may have beautiful winters...but Michigan has a corner on summer. While those below us swelter in high humidity and unbearable heat...here we are= 83 degrees and sunny!

the day is closing and the sun is about to drop our cares into the horizon. there's a slight breeze coming across the field-so perfect. Add to that a wicker swing and a hammock swing under some big old evergreen and bean trees and you've got paradise (yes I love swings-you can never have enough ) .

These trees are very tall and solid. They are strong and tall rocking us back and forth in their mighty arms. So comforting. Almost surreal.

(You don't find trees like this in Florida . nope...ok they may have palm trees but who ever hung a swing from a palm tree?..)

So here we are as a family. Swinging. chatting, and solving all the worlds problems while we watch our toddler run back and forth, swing to swing, hug to hug--laughing & repeating phrases from our conversation-out of context of course which causes us to burst into laughter and forget what the topic was.

Joy. Pure and simple Joy. This must be what God was talking about when He said I came to give you Joy unspeakable and Full of Glory.

I wouldn't trade this for anything!

Birthday party

The Birthday Party went great. the day started with rain and was forcast for an entire day of Yuck! However, God was gracious, and the sun came out and it was an absolutely beautiful! low 80's and lots of Sun...a rare commodity in Michigan....kink of like our job situation. lol.

Anywayz here are a few highlights. We went with the "Cars" theme...not that he's even seen the movie since his attention span is 15 minutes..on a good day...but he loves lightning McQeen and Tow Mater....soooo here is a few pics of the day.

I have to give you a little background on this pic and present. well... Caleb loves to follow Shawn around the garage with his tools and 'help" Dad work. He especially loves Shawns welding helmet...sooo of course he wanted one of his own for his birthday...and here it is...can't wait to get a pic of the side by side welders.

Birthday week # 2 !!!

Caleb is waking on his Birthday. He is not sure what awaits him. hehee...

Caleb is 2 and had a blast during his 2nd b-day. I had a blast as well. We started with breakfast at Burger King and a day shopping. Got some garage sale presents...very cool ones I might say. A

forklift, a lounging chair. some cars. we bought a new swimming pool for outside.

We had the classic french toast for breakfast

and got the BK B-day crown...of course it was

broken before we got to the car because he

insisted on experimenting with the paper

connector oh yes...maybe he's going to be an engineer?

Since we were having the Birthday party the following

Sunday, I bought a few cup cakes for the birthday. Lots of fun..now to get ready for the PARTY!

Yep, we've ditched the crib and leaped into true toddlerhood. He is such a joy...he took it like a champ and played and played on the twin bed. No..we skipped the toddler bed altogether. Seemed like a wasted of money. and he loves his bed. Thinks he is big stuff! He sure is in my heart.

Time sure flys when you have a kid. Every moment is precious and to be treasured. God is curtainly faithful.

Look at that face. He is truly that way.,..not just in the picture. He is mister personality. Finds joy in everything.

Country life....wow!

I never knew how much fun this country life could be! mowing...and mowing....and mowing.....mmm ...did I say fun...lol...actually its a blast..got myself a hefty riding lawn-mower..what GO GREEN!...are you kidding...if I did a hand push...non motored vehicle....mmmm
lets see...five acres...by the time I finished...the summer would be over...ok...I would be in great shape.but the gasses I would emit could not only be toxic..but deadly....ok...TMI

anywaz...GARDENING!!! business is going great....got my plants in working on my beds getting tanner...and lovin' it....Caleb likes being outside....and God is blessing. I will be getting licensed soon...and having my first sale. I am soooooo exited. Gardening teaches so much about life. Like seeds. they are soooo sensitive. (I personally like the older plants better) If you do not give them constant attention.such as temperature...lighting, moisture...they are so fragile they will not survive.. kind of like new Christians... they are a lot of work. Maybe thats why I've preferred descipling the rooted Christians. They roots are healty...deep in the soil...when storms come its easy to help them back to health...they are firmly planted. ....back to the newbies...establishing that root system in their spiritual walk...must be carefully...gracefully, prayerfully addressed.
Any strong wind can shake them.

I love gardening...
can't wait too see some blooms.

whats up with church?...booorrrrring....

Church....boooorrrreeeeng.

Gosh...I am ready to slip into a coma! Leaders and Pastors are sooo worried about being politically correct and NOT OFFENDING anyone- that they OFFEND GOD.
I hope God isn't telling anyone to walk around DC 7 times worshipping and blowing trumpets 'cuz that might offend someone!... I guess THOSE walls are not coming down....lol...talk about some news. Just think of it...instead of hearing again about those hundreds of white slaves being tormented..sexually abused...we could actually read about something God is doing...or what about this ....Instead of standing around singing in the pews for 4 hours...lets take our worship teams and start parading around these poligamist dynasties....Lets let God bring it down. If we really believe that worship is that powerful...which I believe it is....lets do it..lets stop talking about it ...and do something...whew! (I'm exhausted....getting that out was work...like a penned up animal)

Oh well........back to reality...church...yes lets sing our six songs...3 fast and 3 slow...some "spontaneous" worship...and pray that God change the world....mmm..that seems to be working for us...doesn't it ;-)

the little things

yes its the little things that make life so precious. today I experienced my first icecream cone. well not my first..but I had the priviledge to witness Caleb's first cone.

the bright eyes that glistened as his tongue touched the tip of the creamy curl. He looked at me with inquisitive eyes. Watching with curiosity as I demonstrated the how-to's of cone licking.(tough job I know ;-) ) tongue, slide, scoop, savor. Tongue, slide, scoop, savor....mmmmmmmm ...the sweet taste of summer

I could sense the anticipation as he watched me swoon and leaned forward to copy-gaining confidence with every lick. You would think he would take the cone and run-but he didn't. It was the sweetest thing-After he would take a lick he would point the cone back to me-sharing! how cool! So I answered. (for you germ conscious people I appologize-but too cute to miss). and we continued-back and forth...licking, laughing-laughing, licking....and humming those mmmmm-good sounds. (such fun!) until we reached the cone. Oh yeah! Crunch time!

"Watch this!" I exclaimed...He was a captive audience as I opened my mouth wide and slow. Strategically, and carefully crunching my teeth through the bank of snow into the wall of crrrrrruuuuuuuuuunch. mmmmm can you feel the love...his turn... not to good...he tries again...and again until I hear that sound crunch....then crrrunch....then yes, you guessed it I heard a crrrrruuunch...and you know ....with that sound ..I seemed to lose my turns.
I was ok with that ....because we seemed to both be launched into a new phase. part summer, part toddler. my baby was gone and now I had a new buddy.
An icecream buddy....and that aint all bad. smilling

winter is gone

Although I'm glad winter is passing and spring is here..I did happen to capture some beautiful winter moments in my yard . I hope you enjoy.

fun with elmo

Caleg was playing with his elmo bucket.....and decided it could double as a hat...

it was a hoot! take a look

gotta prioritize...sigh

sometimes I think I want to change the world. I love to do so many things I end up becoming a little scattered...I stay busy...but sometimes I think I want to do too many things. For example, I Love to scrapblog and garden, practicing my sax and piano. and blog, and play with graphics on the puter..and pics. Teach my son. play with my son, cook, bake, sew , take pictures of every breath Caleb makes....not to mention clean, budget, shop etc., etc.c etc......whew! (I'm getting tired just thinking about it)

Oh yeah I almost forgot. Bible study, personal time with God..and PRAYING !..

(big pause for guilt and meditation)

So...I'm going to start using a planner ..you know that thing that I write in but leave at home..misplace and never refer to later. (actually if I write it down I don't forget it)

at least that's the way I used to be..now....turnin' 50....I don't seem to remember as clearly

oh yeah I just realized that is such a neat way to get out of something..."hey...cut me some slack I'm 50."...hmmmmm .....could be trouble...

anywaz...back to the subject....ha!....u think maybe I could be a little ADD???? another thought...

so my goal is to prioritze..use the planner ...and focus on being good at a few things rather than just dabble at a bunch.

Maybe its that I enjoy life ...so when someone asks me to do something..I've learned to make even the silliest things fun...so I think wow! I could really get into this!..so I need to change this thinking...."all things are lawful for me but not all things are expedient"...

Focus....foooocus...FOOOOOCUS!...(little voice inside)

here are some more pictures of my son

good blogging

good morning!

Oh how I love those words. It speaks of freshness. A new start. Yesterday and all its blunders are gone forever-forgiveness saturates the air with exuberance-energy that fills me with expectation. Expectations of adventure-especially when you have a toddler. Wow! now thats a mouthful. Having a todler can open your eyes. It's like having a do over. I get to see the world thru his eyes. His mind is a sponge to and he's exited about the world around him. Everyday is an adventure.

So...I begin this day. Bible in hand. praying and laying the day before the Lord. God help me to see the world in a new way. Guard my heart. Guard my mind (and trust me it needs an Xtreme Chain) and Guard my mouth...the gateway to my soul. I surrender those to you..(or at least I want to surrender and hopefully I'll do a better job than I did yesterday.)

Its a new day. a New morning. Wow! I love mornings!....wait wheres that coffeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Uh- oooohhh.....I hear something....yep...its him...that little guy is waaaaaaaaaaaaakeeeeeeeeeng!
Here we go...we're off! C-YA!

caleb and elmo hat

check this out caleb and his elmo bucket...such a character and such a hoot



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