Now one for my mom...

I posted these pictures in a slideshow in an earlier post but felt I really must share! I probably even told the story of how Mom brings this book with her everytime she comes and the girls all LOVE it! They can recite the whole thing! It's awesome! I am so pumped that I caught the ever-explosive "... WAKEFUL flea?" on film (or digifilm or whatever - is there a techy term for that I wonder?).

And, I couldn't leave Mom out of the scrapping now could I?!

Tyler & my dad!

I have a feeling I may be sharing many of our memories through the scrap pages as I create them as I can't resist sharing. Anyway, while Mom and Dad were here, my dad spent a lot of his time babysitting. It was a busy week. In that time, he and Tyler became the best of buddies!

For you Dad! So, so, so thankful for the memories for the both of you! What a fun Grandpa you are! Love you!

Okay, be honest...

What do you think of my new header? Too much?

(Once again, thanks for the inspiration Valinda!)

Must...go...to...bed.........

New Look & Siggy Test

Just testing out my new look. Thanks Valinda for changing yours and inspiring me to beef mine up a bit. And, I put a siggy on here! Pretty cool! Off to see what else I can do!

My latest layouts!

I am so excited! I worked on scrapbooking for over two hours last night without any trouble from my computer. I was able to finish two pages and do another from start to finish. I can see that I am going to have to discipline myself or I could do this all day long!

Just wanted to share! Remember, I am a novice at this so...

Amazed at my God!

I don't really have a whole lot to post. Yesterday I had my computer worked on so hopefully I can start scrapbooking at break-neck speed and without my computer locking up on me. We'll see. Now I just have to find the time to DO IT!

I just had to share that I am so loving my girls in school. And it's not the usual "Oh, I can't WAIT for them to be out of the house!" kinda thing. I still don't like the idea of someone else spending more hours in the day with them than me on the days that they are in school but... I am quite comfortable with where they are and who they are with! That's a blessing all by itself. But added to that blessing is that they are loving it! And more blessing is that I get to spend quality time with my two little ones without the stress of feeling like I have to get schooling done. This morning we dropped the girls off, went to the grocery store for a few things and then went to the park. And, we were back home again by 9:3o am. Tyler played all morning and Dani even got to play with playdough at the kitchen counter while I putzed around in the kitchen. Those of you who know me know that playdough is a rare sight in my house.

I am just so thankful that I finally woke up to the fact that homeschooling is not for me in THIS season of my life. The doors are definitely not closed, especially with the prospect of tuition for FOUR kiddos! But, God has never not provided for us so we'll see what He has in store down the road. All I can say is that I am once again enjoying my role as wife and mommy even with the time on the road to and from school twice a day! You would have to ask my hubby but I feel like I am a much more enjoyable person to be around! Oh, and we had a family from our town ask us to carpool. Turns out they are just down the street from us! No coincidence! God is so good and so faithful!

Wonderful, miraculous news for Erica!

Please take the time, if you can to check out Erica's update on her CaringBridge site (access info. on the sidebar). You are sure to be blessed! God is so good and faithful!

As Promised!

I finally got my poop in a group to post some pictures and videos for all of you curious readers! ;)

While I've already posted the story of how the girls' first morning went, I really MUST share pictures! But first I have to share my hairy morning. We don't live in the same town as the girls' school. I am pretty familiar with the main roads in Greeley but other than that... well... Just let me say that the road right in front of the school is completely closed and that threw me into a major tither this morning. I tried both ways to get there that I knew and finally called Keven in a panic. He suggested, as any rational human being would, that I call the school. Oh, yeah, there's always that! So, we finally made it and the girls were only 5 minutes late with an excused tardy! Whew! For this Type-A, control freak that just about threw me over the edge but I made it!

So, here are some pictures from yesterday!

While the girls were at their first day of school, Mom and I took Tyler and Dani to the park! What a fun time. I found out that Tyler LOVES the slide! What a treat for all of us!

Here are a couple of short videos from the park:





After the park and lunch, we took Dani to get her hair cut. Remember she missed out on Monday due to a huge fit?! Well, it turned out so cute. She wanted to get it cut "short" like her sisters. Oh my goodness... the child is too cute for words! We're in trouble now!

Here are some pics from last night - my parents' last night here! :( Just a brief explanation is needed. You will see pictures and a video of Dani and Grammy reading "The Napping House". If you've never read it to your little ones, please RUN to the library and get it. It is the cutest book ever! My mom brings it with her every time she comes and it is quite the tradition now!

Sorry - I know it's picture and video overload but, believe it or not, this is a pared down version of all that I wanted to share! We had such a great time!

Hopefully now I can find a little extra time to scrapbook since Dad got my computer all straightened up - hopefully! Oh, and have I mentioned that he turned out to be a great babysitter? He watched Dani and/or Tyler for four of the seven days that they were here! What a trooper! Miss you guys and love you bunches!

Go get him!

Oh, I just HAVE to share this story that my cousin shared with me at the family reunion! You will crack up. I hope I get it right Chris!

Chris was watching some news coverage of the election and Isaac (5 years old) was apparently in the room or watching with him while his little sister Isabelle (4) was playing nearby. So, he asks his dad who he likes or who he is going to vote for. Chris answers that he will be voting for McCain 'cause he doesn't like Obama. Isaac asks why Chris doesn't like Barak Obama. Chris tries to explain as best as he can to a five year old that when Daddy works the government takes some of his money to pay taxes and that Obama wants to take MORE of Daddy's money.

Later, Isabelle is at school and Logan, her classmate, his dad comes to pick him up from school. Logan's dad is a police officer and came in his full uniform to pick up Logan. So Isabelle walks up to him and says something like: "Hey Logan's dad. There's this guy, his name is "Arock Obama" (like to throw "a rock"! ha ha ha). He's going to take my dad's money. You need to go get him!" Is that the most hilarious thing you've ever heard!

Thankfully, Isabelle's teacher wrote is all down for Chris and Val for posterity and they will never forget it! I just had to share! Hope you got a chuckle!

Where'd my babies go?

We made it through the VERY first day EVER of school for my big girls! I am so proud of them. They were up early, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready for the day! We got to school, went in, hung up their backpacks and lunches and headed to the playground. They just mosied around for the next few minutes. Then the whistle blew. You could tell my girls were the new kids because they didn't know what to do. Well, Hannah, in her typical way just looked at me like "Hmmm... what next?" and just waited for the cookies to fall! Marlie was another story! She couldn't figure out what to do and had a meltdown. Bless her little heart! So, I went over to her to comfort her and help her find where she needed to be. Some other little girls pointed out the third grade girls' line and by this time she was in bigtime tears. So, the monitor said "Okay girls! Marlie is new here. Can we be good Christians and help make her feel welcome?" I LOVE a Christian school! About that time another lady came up to her to comfort her and I took that as my cue to get outa there. I was fine until we walked out of the building and then I lost it. Just for a moment, but I lost it. I think I would've been fine if Marlie hadn't broken down. But, I pulled it together and managed to only think about them and worry about 1/2 the day. Wanna know something really funny? I cooked WAY too much lunch! Oh, this is going to take some getting used to. Anyhoo... I picked the girls up and Marlie came out first. I asked how her day went and she said "I LOVE school!" Praise God! I told her, "See, God is so good." to which she said "Yes He is!". He sure answered this mommy's prayers. And Hannah, she loved school too! Of course she did! She even told me a story of how she helped another little girl who skinned her knee on the playground when other kids were running away from her! That's my girl. They are both really excited to go again tomorrow. Who wouldn't be, it's PIZZA DAY!!!!!!! ;)

Anyway, I have TONS of pictures and a couple of videos to share but am too tired to do it tonight! I'm sure I can find time to do it tomorrow!

Man that hurt!

Today was another fun outing for us girls! Oh, except Dani who ended up having to stay home with Grandpa because she pitched a nightmare of a fit because her dress wasn't just right in her carseat. See what I'm dealing with here! ;) But, other than that minor set-back we had a fun time today. First we went to get a fresh haircut for school which starts on WEDNESDAY! NO! I'm not ready!!!!! That's me shouting, not them! They look adorable as usual! Hannah went shorter than ever and her do is WAY cute! Then we went to Claire's to look for fun hair stuff and jewelry for the girls. They each took their own money and bought some of the stuff themselves. FUN! Finally, we went to Wal-Mart to get Marlie's ears pierced!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Claire's only had one person working so they couldn't do it while we were there). So cute!

Here are some pics and a video! Bare with the video, it's WAY long but my mom was running the camera and didn't know how long the process was going to take or how to work my camera!

Anxiously waiting... Doesn't she totally look like she is forcing a "smile" through her nerves? She did great!

The finished product.

And, our blue-eyed girl! Cute hair, eh? She didn't get her ears pierced but did get some cute magnet earrings. Ever heard of such a thing? They are neat but I wonder how long it will take to lose them?

If you're wondering...

It seems I am on my way out of the desert. Am doing better in my walk. I've been up nearly every morning in quiet time. Nothing earth-shattering or mountain-moving but still time spent. Thanks for your prayers, they are working. I am learning about the fruit of faithfulness in my study and our God really is FAITHFUL and true!

More Summer Fun!

We have been having so much fun outside the last few weeks. It's amazing how much fun kids can have in a sprinkler! Just sharing some of our memories! This was a couple of weeks ago already!




Well... Mom and Dad made it here safely on Thursday! Yeah!

Friday Mom, the kids, and I all went shopping. Dani has been DYING to get a boy Barbie as she's resorted to using a blue stuffed elephant to stand in the place of her OWN boy Barbie. So, Grammy bought her a BOY Barbie that she named David! Of everything in the store, Marlie and Hannah each picked out new Barbies too! That should shoot our total number of Barbies into the high twenties I'm sure! And, of course, we couldn't leave Tyler out so he got a new little people car wash. LOVES it! Another fun boy toy in the house. Although, Hannah was having a great time scooting the little car across our NEW kitchen floors tonight! :) She IS our tomboy after all!

Saturday was a mini family reunion in the mountains. So good to see so much family! Here are a few pics.

Isaac, Marlie and James. I just HAD to snap this picture. It seems Isaac is a little smitten with his cousin Marlie! So cute! What's neat about it is that Isaac and his family live in AZ and this is only the second time that Isaac has even been around Marlie. Still, they love each other to pieces!

Dani and Isabelle (Isaac's sister) playing Barbies together in one of the cabins. I think they spent about 1/2 the day doing this VERY thing.

Isaac, Marlie, and Elise. My cousin Chris (Isaac and Isabelle's dad) thought of this picture. Chris, Tracy (Elise's mom) and I were all born within an 18 month time period and really grew up more like siblings than cousins. So we took a picture of all of our oldest kids as they are our spitting images. The only difference is that Chris was the oldest, I was second, and Tracy was the youngest of the three of us!

Dani, Hannah, James, Isaac, Marlie, Isabelle and Elise. ALL of the spawn of Chris, Tracy and me (less napping babes Tyler and Kylie)! That's a lot of kiddos! Can you tell we told them to be silly?

Tracy and I were commenting on how our kids are now making some fun memories like we have of being kids. What a fun time!

My heart is a dry and weary land!

Okay, so I've been absent lately! Not just on my blog but in life in general it feels like! Ever have those times? I'm speaking of life in general. Little motivation to cook meals, do laundry, clean house... Oh, it still gets done, but my heart's just not been in it. What's up with that? Oh, gee, could it be that I've not been motivated spiritually for say... gosh, I don't know, months probably? I guess you could say I'm in a dry time... a time in the desert on the way to the promised land I guess! Confession time here! I can't even remember the last time I had a meaningful quiet time. ANY quiet time for that matter (not counting the short one yesterday morning!). And my prayer life? Pretty much non-existent! Well, not NON-existent!

I'm probably going to ramble so I hope you can follow! I'm going through one of "those times". I'm not depressed. Been there, done that. It's not that. It's just a dry time. I don't know how else to explain it! I really don't. I have no desire or motivation. I WANT to spend time with the Lord in study and prayer, sorta! But, other things take precedence. I don't MAKE time! Wait that's a sin isn't it? Nothing like piling more guilt on myself. Here's the thing... I know the Christian life is not about guilt. But, it IS about obedience and I've not been obedient to what I am called to do as a woman of God. Sure, I am taking care of my family, but with what attitude? What is the attitude of my heart? I'm not even sure I'm good at faking a godly attitude! I'm pretty easy to see through generally!

I don't know what I'm really trying to say here. But, God is so good. I took a sermon with me to listen to on the way to my in-laws. I've had it forever but have never listened to it! It was awesome and about this great job and responsibility we have called PARENTING. That was motivating. It was about modeling what we want for and from our kids! Wake up Ang'! Can't stress the importance of daily devotion, prayer, and hiding Scripture in your heart if you're not doing it yourself! So, now I have to somehow let my kids see that in me. Oh, I am such a work in progress. Oh God, please help me raise these kids in spite of ME!

I've often been confronted with this verse in my own head!

"He who is not with me is against me"... Matthew 12:30

Now, I know that I am "with" Him, that I'm sure of! But, sometimes I feel like I am serving two masters. One is my life, the other is my desire to serve Christ. Does that make any sense? I am such a busy mom. Granted I'm not going constantly, but my head sure is. It's always something whether planning meals, my next step of action for the day... you ladies know what I'm talking about. I know that I just need to make the time. Pray for the time. Pray for His guidance. But, my day gets away from me and another day has gone by without any time for Him.

Thankfully, I KNOW that He is here even when I don't make time for Him. That's a promise I can stand on!

Why am I sharing this? I don't even know!? Does this make any sense to anyone else besides me. Another thing I don't know! I guess I just ask that you pray for me as you think of it. Pray for me to develop a more meaningful, eternally-driven relationship with my Savior! I am so thankful for Him, but I take Him SO for granted! I've known Him for over 11 years and sometimes feel like I know Him no better than the day I met Him. What would my marriage be like if I said the same about Keven? Pitiful!

When I am faithless, He is STILL FAITHFUL! Two more things came out of my drive home today! First is this verse in Jeremiah:

15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Jeremiah 24:15

You have no idea how many times I've heard the latter part of that verse. I even have it in my house in several places. But it's the first part that struck me today! Who will I serve THIS DAY!? That's my new verse! And, I only have to worry about THIS DAY! I need to put every effort into serving Him THIS DAY! So, when I wake up in the mornings I have to ask myself, who am I serving? The alarm clock for extra sleep? In the afternoons when the couch is calling my name for a quick snooze, have I spent time with the Lord today? In the evenings.... ooooo, this is gonna hurt. Before I sit to watch something on the boob tube, get on my message board, do some scrapping... am I serving that TV or computer?

On that note, God also blessed me with a song on my drive home! It was really encouraging and His timing is always so perfect. I've included the lyrics and here is a link if you are interested in listening to it for yourself. You should be able to click on "Play Song". It's called "All of the Above" by Mercy Me! Hope it blesses someone else. It sure did me!

Stuck in a day
Like a runner with no race
Are you afraid
Your joy has been misplaced
It's been a while
Since I've seen you smile
How easy you forget
So roll back the time
And there you will find
What never left

[CHORUS]
The day heaven found you
The day the angels sang
Praises to the Father
Who called you by name
The moment you surrendered
The moment you were saved
Life as you knew it forever was changed
And all the above rejoiced

Remember the day
When God forgot your sin
Remember the way
That joy came tumbling in
There will be times
When you cannot find
A reason to stand and sing
But let this remind
You time after time
You're a child of the King

[REPEAT CHORUS]

See them dancing
See them singing
All of heaven is rejoicing over you

[REPEAT CHORUS 2x]

Still Alive!

Yes! I am still alive! It's been awhile huh?

No reason not the post lately really! We've been having lots of fun outside in the new baby pool. Yes, I said baby pool! And, yes, ALL four of my kids will get in it at once AND have fun! Crazy, I know!

I've been at my in-laws for the past couple of days. Friday we got new carpet upstairs and on the actual stairs. SO NICE! And yesterday and today we left so Keven could install new flooring in the dining room and kitchen. How awesome is that?!

So, it's not that we've had nothing going on or that I've been SO BUSY scrapbooking or something (I wish, but my computer can't handle it - more on that later), I've quite simply not been in the mood! More on that later too!

My parents will be flying in on Thursday to visit for a week. It worked out wonderfully as they will be here for the girls' first day of school EVER! That's next Wednesday already. Can't believe it! Dad is planning on getting this computer set up for the kids' use and probably a new one for me. Yeah!