Merry Christmas!

The kids had a great Christmas. Phillip got the guitar he wanted and has been playing it almost nonstop :) I am so glad he has a desire for music. Katlyn got quite a bit of clothes and that is what she had wanted. Austin was happy with his Wilson basketball and football as well as a digital camera. Nathan was happy with everything. He enjoyed Phillip's guitar every time it was put down within his reach. Matt and I enjoyed a day at home for a change without having to run to town. My parents bought our whole family tickets to Sight and Sound for the Christmas Story. We will be going on the 28th. The kids are very excited about this. We have been to several other shows and we know we will not be disappointed. They make the Bible really come alive.

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to!

It's my Birthday! I actually don't feel like crying. I have a wonderful life full of suprises around every corner. I have been blessed with a good home and wonderful family. God has been good to us. I will be 38 years old tomorrow. I am happy for all God has blessed me with and am looking forward to another year serving Him.

Oh Deer, Oh Deer, Oh Deer

Matt called on his way home about a week ago to inform me he was bringing home a small buck that he had seen at a customer's home. It was on the customer's back patio and when it saw Matt, it came right up to him and allowed him to pet him and licked his hand. The customer said she didn't know where it had come from and Matt wanted to show the kids so he picked it up and brought it home. Mistake #1. The kids of course loved it and had a lot of fun over the next few days feeding, watering, and petting this deer. Matt had called for a permit to keep it first thing but this permit didn't come right away and he soon decided he needed to alert the Game Warden. Phillip had claimed "Buddy" as his pet since Austin and Katlyn have ponies. The Game Warden came this morning after the kids were off to school and Matt off to work. I went out and showed him the deer in the fence with the ponies. The deer came running right up to me and nuzzled his nose on me. The Warden was very reserved and not so trusting. He asked if there were any kids around that would get upset if he used the tranquilizer gun. I told him no but he didn't need to use it. I would hold the deer while he administered a shot. He wasn't too sure if that would work but was willing to try. I fed "Buddy" an apple and the Warden was able to get a quick shot in before he jumped. It didn't take long and the deer got very sleepy. I asked him what they planned on doing with the deer and he said they would take him to a rehab and then try to reintroduce him into the wild. I'm not so sure that is a wise thing but who am I? The truth is, it was fun to see a friendly deer up close but this deer will be a completely different story come next fall. There will be no sign of the calm demeanor. The Game Warden suggested if we wanted to raise a pet deer we should get one from a deer farm at birth and have the kids raise it from birth. We have the permit application now and I guess we'll see what happens. We do not live on a farm!!!! At some point we are going to have to stop taking in any and all types of animals. I do not like indoor pets although we do have lizards and fish. During this last ice storm Matt and Austin went out to put the ponies in the barn with some straw but the deer would not stay in. It kept bolting outside. Matt just let it stay and the next morning they found it asleep under a big pile of leaves. It was happiest in it's natural habitat.

Renaissance Faire

We were guests at the Renaissance Faire yesterday for A Christmas Carol. We really enjoyed it and had alot of fun. The actors met our family since we were the first to arrive and find seats. They took Katlyn right up on stage to help them tell their story a few times. Nathan was another contributor. They would talk right back to him during the performance when he had little outbursts. He was pretty excited about the whole thing and would just yell out. They named him Tiny Nathan (one of Tiny Tim's unknown little brothers). I am still trying to figure out my new camera so I'm not sure if I'll be able to get the pictures online right away or not. This was a performance that was really nice for kids. We chose to go during a school performance so it would be geared towards children. I'll post more when I figure out the camera.

I've had an accident

That is what I plan to tell my husband when he calls to check in while he is out of state hunting. I am going to tell him There's been an accident but the important thing is we are all okay. I've already had everything fixed and it only cost him $300! The accident began when I got up on Black Friday morning. If I had only stayed in bed we could have saved $300. I need to tell him about it while he is out of state so he'll have plenty of time to simmer down on the drive home. :~) We are a one income family with 3 children in Private school so money is always carefully accounted for. This is a very unusual thing for me to do but boy was it fun! I have been able to substitute a few times this year and I guess I'd better get out there and do it some more. If any of you locally need help with your holiday baking I am doing that again this year too. I have Chocolate Bread, Pumpkin Bread, Banana Bread and Pumpkin rolls. Mini loaves are $1.50 and regular size loaves are $4.50. Pumpkin Rolls are $6.00. It would be nice to have another one of those shopping sprees before Christmas.

Black Friday

I hesitate to tell this because I have been accused of bragging and I never meant to do anything of the kind! What I did was confer with my sister-in-law in North Carolina and my sister in Arkansas and we all planned to hit the stores early in the morning trying to get a laptop computer at a great price. I planned to go to Staples since that was closest to me and they planned to go to Circuit City. They were there and in line one at midnight and the other at 1am. I didn't think that was necessary so I slept until 3am and went in by 4am. We were on the phones to each other talking about how cold it was and we had chairs and blankets trying to stay warm so we could be one of the first customers. My sister said some had portable heaters and had even built fires to keep warm. I was number 10 in line and the only fires we had were at the end of cigarettes! That was so nasty! I would cover my head in my blanket when they would light up so I wouldn't gag. Anyway, I got the call that my sister-in-law didn't get a voucher at 5am after waiting all that time. She left and went to another store eventually getting what she needed. She had a friend with her and was going to get one for me if she could but now I saw that was out. A little bit later my sister called to tell me she didn't get one either but shortly after that they came out and I got the voucher. My sister had stayed there all night waiting to get me that computer. She didn't need one herself but was doing that for me! I was so thankful. I am also glad that I went in myself too and am now the new owner of a laptop computer! I have never had a laptop and the computer I've used for years is a compilation of several computers that my brother built for me. This was all so exciting for me that I guess I over did it and shared my enthusiasum one too many times and made someone feel like I was gloating. (They have a laptop and 2 computers themselves!) If they had bought one I know I would have been happy for them and not thought much more about it. I am thinking of inviting my dad over for dinner tomorrow. ( I need someone to show me how to hook up the wireless connections and the new printer I got for free with the laptop but don't tell anyone. I don't want to brag) I need to go work out my dough now, I'm baking rolls tonight. We went through 5 dozen on Thanksgiving day and my kids are wanting more so I'll do up another 5 dozen and hopefully be able to freeze some.

Still here

I have been so busy lately and haven't been able to keep up with the blog. Matt's leg is pretty much healed. The cyst has dissolved on it's own and did not need surgery. Maybe we can have a break now from doctors. I have teacher's conferences today for the kids. Next week I will return to the Nazarene School to teach 4th grade for a few days. My Sunday School has picked up to 25 children! I was happy when it picked back up to 19 but we are still growing. We have 28 chairs so we may need to swipe a few from another room before long. We are learning Isaiah 9:6 right now and they are doing a wonderful job.

Playful Ponies

Matt, Austin and Katlyn are gone for a few days so the joys of taking care of the ponies fell to Mom. I got Phillip off to school yesterday and then went about my day. After a couple of hours I needed something from the car so I went out and on my way back in I heard a loud whine from the ponies. I turned around and they were trotting towards me and their empty hay trough. I told them I would be right back after I took something inside and boy did they get louder. I went out and loaded up their trough and talked to them for a bit. They were so cute. Latter when Phillip was home and he and Nathan were playing outside, the ponies whined again so we gave them their sweet grain. This morning I went out right after putting Phillip on the bus and they were already at the fence waiting on me. Matt has the camera with them so I'll have to wait until they get back to put some pictures up.

Austin has the All Clear From Lyme

Austin had his doctor appointment today to follow up on his Lyme Menengitis. They found no problems or complications so it looks like the antibiotic was given quick enough and was effective! Praise the Lord! He has finished Soccor and is ready to sign up for Basketball.

Update on Matt

Matt went for his doctor appointment on Friday and they would not sew the wound because of the continuous ooze coming from the infected area. They told him it would be a few weeks before they would be able to close it. He is scheduled for a consult from a doctor in Hershey to see if they agree with his doctor about removing a 4 inch section on his leg. They say he has a cyst that needs to be removed. He is still in alot of pain and now the other leg is getting more of a workout and is now becoming painful. The Hershey appointment is November 8th but they are insisting he come back to his regular doctor every 2 days for a recheck. All of this is okay except we are getting a little concerned about what is going to happen with our insurance. We are only covered for a limited number of visits per year and the hospital coverage I believe is only if he's admitted and they kept him in the Emergency Room for 2 days and never admitted him. I guess we will soon find out. So far the weather has been so rainy, Matt would not have been able to do much roofing this past week. Thanks for all your prayers and emails of Get Wells.

Fundraisers. Ugh!

I just have to say I am not a big fan of the fundraisers where the children have to ask everyone they know to order something. Our school is doing one of those right now and I understand the need to raise funds to keep our SAFE EYES program for our computer lab and there are several other projects going that need money to continue. With three children all asking people it is getting embarassing. They had an early bird contest and all three wanted to win but 2 of them came up short of orders for the first deadline. Their Uncle Jamie came through for them. He ordered several calendars and then called some of his trucker buddies and told them they needed to buy a calendar to help out his nephews and I believe he has sold most of what he's ordered so far. He ordered 10 items! They now need to sell 5 more items each to earn another prize so they are at it again. When you have parents like us who don't work in a factory or office where we could get orders for them, it becomes quite difficult. Thanks to those of you who did order and if you haven't ordered yet and would like to help the children out please go to www.christiancollection.com and check out what they are selling and email us an order to laurielc@ptd.net and we will be so greatful! All orders must be placed by October 31st and the money is due when the items are delivered around Thanksgiving. Hopefully the spring fundraiser will consist of some other type and we won't be bugging people to buy things they probably could do without.

On the Mend

Matt appears to be on the mend. He still is in pain and walks with a limp. He has had infection in his leg so bad that there is a hole. Not that you wanted to know that but there is. They think they will be able to sew it shut on Friday if it continues to drain and looks good by then. We are optimistic and hoping the worst is now over.

Duh!

I just discovered I did not buy Austin a new scope for his bow but in fact I bought him a new grunt call for hunting. Matt thought it was pretty amazing I was able to get something like that and asked me how I knew what to get. I told him it was easy. Austin was standing right next to me pointing to it. I didn't even know what I was looking at. Now we have deer calls all through the house and it is driving me crazy.

Happy Birthday Austin!

Austin turns 12 today. He had a soccor game last night that was an away game and they didn't return until after 9pm to the school. I stopped by Walmart on the way home and asked him to pick out a treat to take to his class the next day for his birthday and he wasn't really interested. He said it wasn't any big deal. He finally picked Swill Rolls (one of his favorites) and when I asked him if there was any particular present he wanted he asked for camaflouge duct tape. (I don't know if that is spelled right) Can you imagine that being a child's wish for a birthday gift? I did buy it for him along with a new sight for his bow. With Matt unable to get around just yet it is highly unlikely they will be going on their hunting trip. Today is packed with things to do. Tuesdays I am the librarian at Austin's school, then it's off to doctor appointments for Matt and Katlyn and hopefully we'll have some answers.

One thing that happened yesterday boosted Matt's spirits a bit. He had a roof off and there was call for rain today so he was very concerned about getting that roof in the dry. He has a man that helps him out from time to time but he is not very dependable and doesn't have a phone. Matt wasn't sure if the roof was going to get taken care of so he called another roofing company (Gibbles) and asked the owner if he would go by and check on his roof at the end of the day. The man said he would and when Matt told him to bill us he said absolutely not! He said that's what friends are for. Thanks Russ! That meant alot.

Making Lemonade

The last couple of days have been difficult ones for our family. Matt noticed an infected area on his leg on Saturday morning and by Saturday night it had probably tripled in size. His doctor sent him to Hershey Medical to have it check out and they cut it open to drain it and then sent him home with an antibiotic. On Sunday he stayed home from church and by afternoon it had again increased in size and was now quite painful. Upon confering with his doctor again they sent him back to Hershey and this time he was put on an IV antibiotic and a culture taken. They kept him overnight and when they made their morning rounds they were not satisfied with the his progress so they ordered another round of the antibiotic and kept him the rest of the day. In the afternoon an intern came in and told him he would be going home with an oral antibiotic and he would be having to change the bandage on the wound two times a day. They actually have his leg cut open with a flap and he has to stuff gauze in this to help it to drain. It is very painful he says. Anyway, they still do not have the results of the culture but I have noticed a change in the coloring and I think it's looking better tonight.

A friend from church, Cindi Fox, sent me a poem today and I liked the first line. She didn't even know what I was going through this week but I thought this was fitting.

If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

Roller Skating

Katlyn's best friend since Kindergarten has a birthday the day after Katlyn's and she wanted Katlyn to go roller skating with her today to celebrate her birthday. I let Katlyn go not thinking she really hasn't been before. Needless to say she will not be feeling like sitting down for a while. I guess she had many a fall. When I went to pick her up she wan't quite ready to go and had a question for me but was afraid to ask. I figured she wanted to stay longer but she wanted permission to ride with Mr. Marrie on his motorcycle. Now with a nic name of Mr. Magoo I hesitated for a moment but did let her go. She enjoyed it and I hope she's had her fill of motorcycle rides for many years. Matt does have a license to drive one but he hasn't owned one since we've been married. Katlyn and Megan always have fun when they get together.

Phillip has been making a mental note of all Katlyn has done this week of her birthday and says he gets to do all of those things too. Grandpa and Grandma took Katlyn out to breakfast today and Phillip got all bent out of shape. Never mind he has had trips to the donut store with Grandpa more than once and Grandpa lets him play on his computer but Katlyn probably never has. There is plenty of love to go around!

Happy Birthday Katlyn!

It is Katlyn's 10th birthday today. She is so excited. Her party will have to wait until next week due to revival at our church all week. Her day started out with going out to breakfast with her dad. This is a special treat all the kids love. She took a brownie treat to share with her class and we will have a cake tonight before church. He birthday wish was to get her own CD player and I think that will happen. I can't believe she is 10 already. Where has the time gone?

Finally Fall!

I feel like it is finally fall. It is a little crisp in the mornings. I love it when it begins to get cooler. My poor husband can wait.

Field Trip

We arrived back in town just in time for me to make it on Phillip's field trip to the Herr Farm. They gave a wonderful presentation of the Phil Haven Dairy Farm. We had a guided tour of the farm with lots of information. This was a kindergarten trip and they informed the kids of all the different products in which milk was present. On the following day I wasn't thinking too much about it I guess and sent chocolate pudding in for Phillip's snack thinking this was a good thing. His teacher made him bring it home as they are only allowed healthy snacks and not sweets. What did she give him in place of the pudding? Animal Crackers! Shame on me for sending something he was not allowed.

Going Away

We will be away from the blog for a few days. A friend's daughter just lost her 21 year old husband in a car accident Oct. 4th and we will be headed down for the funeral.

Pastor Appreciation Month

This is Pastor Appreciation Month and I must say I am very fortunate to have 4 of the best pastors around. They each have their unique way of ministering. Our lead pastor, Barry Arnold, has been faithful to call on us and pray with us and for us. Our Youth Pastor, Dwight Rine, has worked endlessly on the building project and has been there for countless activities always upbeat and ready to go. Our Spanish Pastor, Frank Vega, pours his heart into his church. He shows an attitude of love for people. The Mission Pastor, Robert Booth, works hard trying to reach the people downtown. I can't even beging to tell you all these men have accomplished but I will say they have made an impact on the city of Lebanon and continue to do so. That said . . .

The Pastor's Wives deserve Appreciation as well!!!! They work right alongside their husbands and are a vital part of their ministry. Take time this month to do something nice for your Pastor and his family. They have given so much to us. Give them a gift certificate, have them over for lunch, drop them a card, make them a meal, send them flowers, fill their car with gas, I'm sure you can think of plenty more. One of the best things we could do for them is be regular in our attendance to church and bring people with us.

I've Been Tagged!

I've been tagged by Dorcus Bishop and now must tell 7 random things about myself so here goes. . .

1.) I grew up in the south from age 11 and had quite the southern drawl. It now only takes a phone call to a friend back home or a trip down there to visit and the accent comes right back.

2.) I was in the Air Force JR ROTC program in our High School and worked my way up the ranks becoming the Squadron Commander my senior year. We had about 100 cadets. I won a scholarship from this organization and had the chance to continue in the Air Force in college and I would have been an officer. I chose not to continue but went on to receive a Bachelor or Arts in Elementary Education from UNC-Charlotte.

3.) I always had an interest in music and my parents did sign me up for lessons when I was about 8 years old. I never made it out of the first book. I learned to play by watching and listening to the evagelists when they came to our church. One particular person that took a little bit of time to help me get started was Sr. Betty Case. She showed me a few runs and then gave me a music tape of their family. I played that tape over and over and copied the piano pieces.

4.) I have many friends but probably the longest and closest friendship has been with Maresa Davis. I think we have been friends for about 27 years I think. I live in PA and she lives in NC but commucate almost every day by phone or email.

5.) I am working on and am almost finished with crocheting an american flag afghan.

6.) I enjoy going on camping trips with my husband and children in our camper.

7.) I am hoping to go see Dino in April! I could see him sooner if I could talk my husband into going to Branson this fall for one of his concerts. I just love listening to his piano playing and Greek humor.

I now tag Leora

$20.00

A well known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $20.00 bill.

In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $20.00 bill?"

Hands started going up.

He said, "I am going to give the $20.oo to one of you but first, let me do this."

He proceeded to crumple up the $20.00 bill.

He then asked, "Who still wants it?"

Still the hands were up in the air.

"Well", he replied, "What if I do this?"

And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe.

He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty.

"Now, who still wants it?"

Still the hands were up in the air.

My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value.

Many times in our lives we are crumpled, dropped, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.

We feel as though we are worthless . . .
But no matter what happens or what will happen, you will never lose your value.

Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to those that DO LOVE YOU.

The worth of our lives comes not in what we do or who we know, but WHO WE ARE and WHOSE WE ARE.

You are special don't EVER forget it!

My Class is Growing!

It is exciting to see the Sunday School class growing. We had 19 this past Sunday. My group is just 8 year olds. About 8-9 years ago my sister in law and I team taught this class and at that time it included 7 year olds as well. We started running 50-60 children every week and that was way more than we felt we could handle. We had to have several "bouncers" passing out quiet seat prizes all through the lesson just to keep the crowd under control. After a few months of this we spilt the class and the 7 year olds went to a class of their own. I don't know exactly what the reason is but when we did this the attendance dropped tremendously. Now between the 2 classes we usually only have half of the students we used to. Some weeks I feel like we still have the same distraction problems as we had when we had the larger numbers. Other times we are able to get into discussions with the children that would have been difficult with the larger class. I pray we are making a difference in someone's life. My desire is to show them the plan of salvation and give them opportunity to accept Christ each week.

Fruitful Christian or "Religious Nut"

This is my next lesson series for my 8 year old Sunday School class. We will be studying the Fruits of the Spirit as well as some "nutty" behaviors or attitudes such as selfishness, impatience, proud, etc. Hopefully we will discover how to be a fruitful christian and refrain from being a religious nut. IITimothy 3:11 (I think this is the right reference. I'll have to go look it up again.) Pray for my class. I had 17 children in class last week with only one of them from an actual church family. (There should have been more church family children. Where are you guys?) The other 16 came from the bus routes. Thank You to all who help bring them in each week. You are helping to spread the Gospel.

One of Life's Lessons

I am a teacher so I know some of the situations teachers are put in and things they have to deal with. I am also a mother of four and sometimes I just don't know which way to go with things. Austin brought home his weekly folder with his papers and tests from the week. They are full of minus 1pt for the name or title being on the wrong side of the paper, minus 5 points for being turned in a day late, and one had a mius 10points because he accidently took the paper home in a folder that he should have left at school. All of this is off graded papers so I am now wondering if when I get his report card I will be seeing grades that reflect bad habits or academics. I understand the need for them to learn to turn things in on time and to follow directions. I'm just wondering if we should be taking points off from tests and graded papers for this. Maybe it's just one of those hard lessons they have to learn. I am not there in class but I do know my kids have problems following directions at home so if taking points off a test will help them with that I guess it's worth it. By the way, Austin is in 6th grade. I am holding my tongue for now because I feel the teacher is trying to establish a sense of responcibility here but I will be so disappointed if Austin misses the honor roll for this.

God is Able

I really believe that. I have some very close friends who are going through one of the roughest points in their lives right now. They lost a 2 year old son over 11 years ago and now another one of their sons is fighting for his life with cancer. You often wonder why and what will be the next thing they will face but all we can do it trust God and this point. If you can spare a moment please pray for this family today. The son's name is Allen and he is just a teenager. I went to North Carolina to see him when he went in for an operation on his brain to remove a tumor and it has been a whirlwind from there. He has been through alot to this point and is feeling really down right now. There are 5 other children in this family. They are all going through this together. Thank you in advance for your intervention on their behalf. There is power in prayer!

I told you I was sick!

I haven't felt well for over a week now and I kept thinking it would go away soon but it didn't so on Monday morning Matt informed me if I wanted to keep saying I didn't feel well, I had to go to the doctor. He made the appointment for me because he knew I wouldn't. I have seen enough doctors for now and have no desire to go back for a long time. I went to the appointment and discovered I had a temperature of 101.3 and had some sort of virus. See! I told you I was sick. I was given 3 perscriptions along with another sample medicine that I was to take for 5 days. I already take 2 for my blood pressure twice a day and now I have these others. One of them has to be taken 3 times a day and dissolved under the tongue. I feel like a druggie. It is now Friday and I have to say this is the first day I have felt better. I still don't feel completely well, but better. My sister was able to stop in for a few hours this week but wouldn't you know it, she was not feeling too well either. She did go with me to get my perscriptions so I wouldn't have to do that with 4 kids under tow. She sat down and took her blood pressure and it was BAAADDDD! I hope she is able to get that under control soon. Hopefully I will be back in full swing by next week and be able to post some pictures. Check out Leora's blog to see a great camera. I can't wait for my birthday. December 20th. That is the kind of thing I buy Matt and then "borrow". He wouldn't think of getting me a camera. Our first Christmas he bought me a rabbit skin to hang on the wall!

Yard Sale

I don't know why I bother to ever have yard sales. It is always so much work with so little pay and you are tied up for the days you have them. I decided to have one none the less and so I have today to look forward to getting it all out again. I started it yesterday morning and worked for hours putting everything out and pricing. I made a whopping $40! I had to gather the things together onto one table to tarp for the night and bring in other things so now I am dreading setting all of that up again. Matt is not in for yard sales at all. He would rather set things out with a FREE sign or tote it down to the local thrift store which is what I will be doing later today. I thought I was doing some clutter control and cleaning out the kids toys and clothes but when I took a look around the house last night I can imagine where all that stuff in the yard fit into our house. Our house still looks full. I think I need to go through again. Austin has the very first stuffed animal he was ever given along with every stuffed animal since. He just likes to collect them. He used to sleep with all of them but he has outgrown that and they reside around his bed on the floor. Well, it't 7am and I need to be out there setting things out again. Katlyn had a sleepover and they are already up so I think I'll put them to work.

Flat Tire

Matt has babied his truck for some time now and it seems like something is giving out on it every other day now. Today it was a flat tire. No biggie right? He was about 20 minutes from home so he called to see if I could save a tow truck fee by coming and getting him and taking him to get the tire changed. He called again before I left and asked if I would run into Manheim to get a tire and bring it to him. I did that and it took 30 minutes for them to get me on my way even with him calling ahead and telling them I'd be right there to pick it up. I was on a time crunch because I need to be home to get Phillip off the bus at 12:15pm.

Well, I finially was on my way towards Matt. I called to tell him I'd be there soon and he asked me to be on the lookout for a service station along the way so he would know where to take the old tire to exchange it off the rim. I forgot to look until I realized I was right within a quarter of a mile of where he told me he would be. I slowed down to turn into a parking lot where he was parked and then I glanced across the street from him and there was a full service station just a booming with business. Here he had sat for about an hour waiting for help to come and it was just across the street. To his credit there were several trees making it hard for him to see exactly what was over there. I waited for him to put the tire in and then taxied him across the street! We had a good laugh over that. They even had the very size tire he needed too. I told him he just wanted Nathan and I to come be with him while he fixed his flat tire. I raced back home to meet Phillip's bus which came within minutes of when I got home.

That was not the end of the excitement of the day. Austin played his first soccor game and they won! I was a proud mama. He played very well I thought. It was 90 degrees out there. I'm not a big cheerer because I'm always afraid I will be cheering for the other team. The games move so quickly. I feel like when I start to clap and yell they have already moved on to the next play and it may be the other team having the upper hand. At this point I'm ready to cheer for both teams. I think anyone that will play in this heat deserves some support even if it's from the opposing team. The kids all had great attitudes and they seemed to be out there to do their best and represent their schools. I like team spirit.

Budding Musicians

Austin has been taking guitar lessons for a few years now and has done pretty well. He started I believe in kindergarten but then took a year or two break before he decided he did want to learn after all. Katlyn is beginning piano lessons this week. When I told her I hoped she would learn well so she could play for church when she was older, she told me she was going to practice so she could play like Kim Collingsworth or Dino! Yeah! I love it! Katlyn is almost 10 and just starting and Kim started at I think 3 or 4 years of age. Hopefully she'll get further than I did. I never got out of the first book. When I was in college I met a man one night as I was waitressing and found he played piano for a large Methodist church and gave lessons. I thought maybe he could help me and I would be more committed than I had been in elementary school. I went to a couple of lessons and he was very strict about the timing which I just could not do. One day he asked me to stand up and let him play something and I thought he was going to play the lesson for me so I did but he played a song then stood up and asked me to sit down and play that same song. I did and I don't know how but I was able to play just what he had just played. He looked at me and said, "I hate you!" and walked out of the room. I didn't know what had just happened. He came right back and said he didn't know how to play a single thing unless he had the notes right in front of him or he had previously memorized the piece. Apparently I had just played something that took him a little time to memorize. I don't really know how to play a whole lot but I have been able to copy styles and songs over the years and it has helped me in my children's ministry and even one night when we were at the jail service and the guys started singing a song and I was able to pick the tune up and play it along with them. I was so thankful that night that I could do that because the guys really seemed to appreciate it. I did quit my piano lessons with that man because I felt I just couldn't do what he wanted me to do. Practice!

Anyway, now it is my daughter's turn and I hope she does well.

Mistakes

The last blog should have said, "He said he didn't have any friends" not I said . . .
Also there is a Problem with lizzad blog and hopefully you figured out it was lizzards. It is late and I haven't figured how to edit my posts yet so when that button to publish is pushed, I have to just live with it for now.

First Week of School

Okay I don't know what happened with those pictures on Tuesday. I had rotated them but when I actually put them on the blog they somehow went back. Oh well. On Wednesday I had a small problem on my hands. Phillip woke up and decided he did not want to go back to school. I said he didn't have any friends and the kids were not nice to him. He also thought there were too many rules. Welcome to the real world kid! I told him I would take him to school and we would talk to the teacher and just see how it goes. I had to take Nathan to Grandma and then Phillip and I marched into school. I had to push him into his classroom. He was determined he wasn't going. I helped him get settled in and start on his color paper and then I asked him if he would be alright staying with his class if I went to Walmart to return his backpack that broke before he could even use it. He said he guessed it would be alright. I then asked him if he would be alright coming home on the bus and I would meet him back home and he said yes! I was out of there and there were no tears. Phillip has been somewhat of a shy child and has not had an easy time making new friends. This has been a very difficult week for him. Today he said he had a pretty good day except for a little girl in his class whispered, "I don't like you!" to him. I asked him what he had done to make her say that and he says nothing. It was the principal's daughter! They will probably become best of friends. The mom in me wants to protect him from all the mean hurtful things other children say. Tomorrow is another day.

Back to School

There was much excitement around here yesterday and this morning let me tell you. I had the kids get their backpacks ready to go yesterday in anticipation for their first day of school today. As he was getting his ready, Phillip came up to me and gave me a big hug and kiss and told me goodbye. I told him he wasn't going until the next morning and he said he knew but he was going to be pretty busy the next morning and probably wouldn't have time to kiss me goodbye so he was doing it now. When Matt came home from work that evening Phillip did the same to him.

When the bus pulled up this morning Phillip was out the door so fast I couldn't even get a picture so the bus driver told him to get back off the bus so I could get a snapshot. We have a wonderful bus driver. She pulls right into the parking lot that is connected to our driveway making it much safer for the kids getting on and off the bus. She literally picks them up at our front door. They are very blessed to have her.

I went and picked Phillip up from school at noon and just as soon as he got in the car he declared they didn't even do school today. All they did was color some papers, listen to all the rules, took a tour of the school and the teacher read them a story. Can you believe they didn't teach me anything? I told him to try again tomorrow. He said he doesn't need to go back because they don't do anything in Kindergarten. Oh boy. It's going to be a long first week it looks. He was impressed that the teacher had gone and fixed all the labels with his name on it. At Open House Night, we noticed she had spelled Phillip's name with one L. Somehow it was mispelled at the office and handed down to her this way so it wasn't her fault but Phillip noticed this right away and then came home today and said she had already fixed his name. Katlyn came home on the bus at 3pm and Austin will be done with soccor practice at 4:30pm so they each are able to have one on one time to tell me about their day. It worked out real nice.

Encouraged

I teach the 8 year old class at our church and really enjoy doing so. For some time now I have felt burdened to try and teach more scripture through songs and memory games. A few weeks ago I came to class hoping to play a game of review with some verses I was sure everyone already knew. I picked John 3:16 as my first verse and quickly discovered not one child knew this verse! I was shocked. These are 8 year old children. They do not all come on a regular basis but I still thought they would have heard this verse along the way somewhere. I was wrong. Well, I now had a starting point and we spent our memory time learning that verse.

Each week since I have had them repeat that verse and I have refered to that verse more than once through each story telling them God So Loved Them. And He made a way that we could have everlasting life! I told them last week that if they could say that verse they may choose 2 pieces of candy from the basket as the left the room. As they each said the verse I had one child that attempted to say it over and over and the more he tried and failed the more upset he was becoming. I finally took him aside and told him if he could answer the questions I was going to ask him, he could choose 2 candies. I started the verse, "For God
Child - "For God"
Myself - What did God do?
Child - "He loved the world"
Myself - "He so loved the world that He did what?"
Child - " Gave His Son"
Myself - " Who did he give His Son for?"
Child - "Whoever believes in God"
Myself - " Whosoever believeth in Him shall not what?"
Child - "Perish"
Myself - "What does that mean?"
Child - "Die"
Myself- "Will not perish but have what?"
Child - "Everlasting life"
Myself - "And where in the Bible can someone find this verse?"
Child - "John 3:16"

Now this may sound very basic but this child has a learning disability and is diagnosed ADHD. He has a very hard time sitting still in the class but with those helping in the class we try to engage him in as much of the activity as we can because he learns better with full envolvement. For some reason that I do not know, he was simply unable to repeat the verse word for word even though he has had plenty of review and always knows what word comes next. I was very encouraged that he knew the reference and knew the meaning of the verse. I feel like we have taught him John 3:16 even though he can't say it the way most children do.

I want to drill them in as much scripture as I possibly can. If anyone has ideas on review games to help them learn scripture I would love to hear from you. My favorite way to teach them is through song so I would also like any scripture choruses you might know as well.

Lizzad troubles

One of Austin's lizzards seemed to be having trouble eating so Austin decided to help it by feeding it by hand. This lizzard wasn't moving very fast and the other lizzard seems to be getting to the food first leaving none for the other one. Austin currently has 2 anoles and has caught most of their food for them. We still have to buy mealworms every now and then. If I can get the camera to work I will show you a picture of our 15 year old fish that apparently is feeling his age and spends most of his days "laying" on the bottom of our fish tank. He's been acting pretty silly lately and we figure it's because he's so old and tired.

Austin is bouncing back slowly

Austin is trying to play soccor this fall. Hopefully he will be able to do this after having to spend most of his summer vacation tied down in bed. The doctor said he could try to play soccor. He is wanting to get some training in this year so he can play better next year. He is in 6th grade and usually they start in 7th but they are letting a couple of 6th graders join in. Please pray for the kids as they go back to school. Phillip is very nervous about starting Kindergarten.

I Just Love School!

Is it time for school to start again? I am soooo ready. I love my kids but they are constantly wanting to spend time with this friend and that friend and go here and there. Once school starts they are so busy all of this other slows down a tiny bit. I will only have Nate at home this year and I'm thinking about signing up to substitute . I haven't done that in a couple of years but I like to keep in the swing of things so I might work some part time. The other three will be back at Lebanon Christian Academy which we have really loved. They really take time with the children and I have felt like the student body is like a family looking out for each other. This year will be quite a bit more as we will have 3 in school now but we feel this is a worthwhile investment in our children's future.
By the way, the ponies are doing great. We have now fenced in the majority of the back yard and they love it. Matt put the fence up in the pouring down rain and I felt bad about him being out there by himself so I went out with a baby blanket over my head and stood there while he dug a few post holes. Of course umbrellas are no where to be found except when it's NOT raining.

My Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!

I feel like I am spinning in circles. Matt has been out of town for almost 2 weeks and just got home last night around 11pm. Trying to keep track of 4 busy children has been a challenge. It is almost a full time job just keeping Austin from doing the things he isn't suppose to do while on his treatment for Lyme. He is to have the PIC line pulled tomorrow and we are all happy about that. I was doing some cleaning yesterday morning and had the kids all cleaning in different rooms and I thought I would push the self clean button on my oven and get that done while I was mopping the floor. As it got further into the cleaning I noticed the air was getting smoky and it really smelled terrible. I finally had to go to another room it was now burning my eyes.

Austin's nurse came to change the dressing on his PIC line and I told her we would have to do it on the porch because of the oven and she went in the kitchen to wash her hands and thought the oven was on fire. I wasn't sure but asked her if she would hit the cancel button which she did. By the time she was done with everything we went back into the kitchen and opened the oven and indeed something had been on fire. I had left a casserole in the oven the night before to keep warm for Austin who hadn't eaten with the rest of us and forgot about it. I had to throw away the dish and everything! We left and went out for lunch leaving the windows all open to air out. I was having a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Right here in Manheim.

An AWESOME concert

We were able to hear The Collingsworth Family friday night and they did an outstanding job. They sang for the Lord and you could see it on their faces. They know what they are singing about! It made me excited about Heaven and encouraged me by reminding me God knows exactly where I am and what I'm going through and He alone is all I need to carry me through. We enjoyed ourselves and Kaitlyn Ebersole went along and had a great time as well. She is to the right of Phil Collingsworth and Matt and Austin. Austin was exhausted but enjoyed the service very much. He is such a trooper through this Lyme Menengitis! We have one more week of treatment and then the ordeal should be over. Thanks so much for all of your prayers. The doctor told Austin that it was the prayers and medication that helped him to recover this quickly. He has regained his facial movement and we are so glad. We didn't realize that when he couldn't close his eye he had a possibility of blindness if his retina wasn't kept moist. They had given him a thick liquid to put in his eye but he didn't like it and didn't want to do it. They told him why it was so important and that he could go blind if he didn't do as they told and that made it alot easier to get it into his eye. Fortunately he is blinking now and doesn't need it. I say PRAISE THE LORD. I have so many questions and problems that I put before the Lord each day and sometimes I wish I could just put all of that aside and focus only on the blessings which are many in our family. It has been so hard for me this year to TRUST JESUS for EVERY part of my life. Pray for us.

Vacation Bible School in Arkansas

I don't have any pictures to post but you will find some on my sister's blog, www.truckingteeds.blogspot.com . It was alot of fun and I enjoyed working with the teens. The church had a great group of children attend each night and it took every adult helping. Everyone pitched in and helped making it a smooth success. Keep the New Hope Holiness Church in your prayers. They have a great group of teens that is growing. Leora carries a burden for them and she is doing a wonderful job. They have a great deal of respect for their pastor's wife.

This church also has a beautiful brand new roof! Matt put on almost 70 square in 4 days. We watched a church down the road get a new roof starting at the same time Matt did and I counted 6 men on that roof working one day and Matt finished before they did. They might not have worked as steady as Matt but I was pretty proud of Matt's work. On Sunday night he sang some of the songs from his CD at the church.

Our "Horse Trailer"

This is called thinking outside the box. We used an old van. Matt and Tim took out the back seat and the ponies fit right in. We got a few chuckles along the way.

Pictures of the Ponies

Matt gave them a little break and got them out for a run. He could only handle one at a time so the other one would stomp and whine in the van until Matt brought their buddy back.

Guess what we brought home from Arkansas?

Here is a sneak peak at what we brought home from Arkansas.

We made it home!

We had a wonderful time in Arkansas. Austin made the trip just fine. He was able to rest but still be around everyone and he really liked that. I think it helped him to get better quicker just being around so many people and watching the kids at the VBS. He went with us every night but one and was able to lay down in the pastor's house coming out into the fellowship hall when he felt he could and also outside while the children did their outdoor activities. The VBS lasted almost 3 hours each night and it went very well. I will try to have some pictures from it soon.

Can you believe it?

This week has been such a trial. Austin had a very bad headache Wednesday and Thursday and after his allergy medicine didn't work and he started getting funny feelings in his face, we ended up at Hershey Medical Center. That is cutting a long story short. He has seen his regular pediatrician, a Neurologist, Numerous Residents, a Surgeon, and 3 doctors in the last couple of days. He has a CT Scan, blood tests, Spinal Tap, and a PIC line put in. We are now home and he will be on antibiotics for the next month at least. Matt and I both were trained in on how to administer the meds each day. Austin has been through such an ordeal. His diagnosis is Lyme Menengitis. We were to leave for Arkansas Friday but we will be running a couple of days late. Austin feels he's ready for travel and they have set us up with enough meds to last the trip. The Doc feels it's okay for him to travel. The nurses don't think he should. We asked Austin how he felt and he said he really wanted to go so we're going to try it. He is going to undergoing alot in the next few months. I'm sure he would appreciate a card in the mail. I'm hoping he will use some of this time to draw. He used to draw alot and loved trying with different pencils but school was real busy the last 2 years and he hasn't done as much as he had.

We are back for a few days and then we will be leaving for Delaware sometime on Saturday. We have been asked to come sing for a service at a Nazarene church on Sunday. Matt has a roof to do in the area. I will come home before he is done so I can get ready to go to Arkansas on the 14th of July. We have been wanting to visit my sister, Sharron, and she says she will be home on July 16th and has helped us to get a roof lined up for Matt to do while we're there. I'll have to post the camping pictures later.

Relaxation Time

We will be camping for the next couple of days. We're taking a much needed break and getting together with some of Matt's brothers and their families.

Minds at Work

Cindy and Sheri look like they are planning their escape. Debbie is helping the kids with their craft in the background.
This is Jim's bus ready to go home on Friday night. We missed Jim and Denise this week. Jim's sister died suddenly and they had to make a quick trip to Michigan.

Donnie is ready to drive these kids home. If you look real close you'll see someone standing on the steps just inside the bus. This is Travis Mull and I think he is contemplating making a quick exit should things become too hectic. Actually he is probably standing there because as we drop the children off they will just dart right out into traffic if you don't catch them and guide them to their front door. Some have to cross the street and Travis is needed to see that they make it safely.

This little fellow is really liking whatever it is Cindy is doing.
I think Bible School is starting to get to Cindy.
Nathan just adores his Nursery teacher, Brenda. He is moving up to the next class next Sunday. Brenda is so kind to keep him while I ride the bus taking the children home each week. Thank you Brenda!

Grandma has been a great help this week in the nursery. This is Grandma Sherman with Noelle. My mom has helped watch mine and Jonathan and Sheri's babies for a few years now so we can teach Bible School. Brenda is in the background with Gideon.

Grandma Arnold has helped us for several years now taking care of the babies while their mommies teach Bible School. She hasn't lost her touch as you can see by Noelle's face.

Jumping Kingdom

This was a big hit this year. Matt was so nice to buy this for the kids and he set it up each evening and took it down after the last group had a turn.

More Bible School Pics

We are so thankful for those that prepared meals each night making our days a little easier this week. Dorthy Umberger, Patty Clarke, Betty Kratz, and Janice Miller prepared a nice spread each evening.


This is Randy and Noelle Sherman posing as King and Queen with Kevin Sherman helping Noelle.

Lashandra Martzel enjoyed this puppet theater

Kidz of the King

I have been so busy with my group of Preschoolers that I haven't been over with the main group to see all the fun they are having. I hope to do that before Sunday and have some pictures of that side too but you can glance at the ones we have with the little guys for now.

VBS Pictures

Sr. Shuey has done a great job in the Kitchen of the castle. They had play food to "cook" and a checkerboard rug and a few other things to use in between their story and verse.
Karen and Cathy have had a great week with their group in the castle. We had stick horses and a horse dress up suit and a large horse to sit on. These kids used their swords and shields and rode off into battle.
We couldn't have done this without these precious ladies in the nursery. Brenda Habecker is such a natural with the babies. She has Nathan here and he is asleep. Sr. Arnold and Grace Shifflet and my mother have come every night to watch 3-4 babies. It gives us mothers a break and allows us to do something we really enjoy. Teaching!
This is the throne room and Susanna Shuey has been in charge of this room. They had a puppet theater and castles and blocks to play with. I noticed Susanna sitting in the "Queen" chair reading a story to the kids and they were either sitting on the pillows or on her lap. I didn't have my camera that night.

Sheri Sherman (my sister-in-law) and I have both been telling the Bible stories each night. We have 4 rooms and we each show up at 2 of them every night. We tell a story and then go over the verse. You can't see the poster too well in this picture but the one against the wall on the left is a picture of a christian boy and we have to "put on" his armor each night. This has helped the children to remember the 6 different parts of armor. When I think of all the work that has gone into this VBS I feel exhausted but just seeing the children this week and how much they have enjoyed themselves AND the high percentage of children that have already said Ephesians 6:11!!!!!!!!! Makes it all worth while. I feel this age group is so important. I want to teach them at a young age to live for Jesus. We have had maybe 5-10 children that have been to church for the first time this week. Some of those didn't even know what the Bible was or who Jesus was. I hope they not only learned but are able to go share what they have learned with others. Tomorrow will be a bitter sweet night in that it is the last night for this age group. We sit in with the older group on Sunday morning for the ending program. A HUGE thank you to all that have helped this week. Cindy has been my right and left hand it seems this year. I don't even need to tell her what I need. She just seems to know. She has been behind the scenes helping to keep things going smoothly. A BIG thank you to you Cindy!

More pictures of VBS. I really don't know how to turn that picture of Nathan on the spring horse. This first picture is Vicki Bubb in the courtyard with her group of children. She does a wonderful job with the kids. The next picture is Josiah England and Makayla Arnold putting on a puppet show.

Fun with balloons

Kathy was so skilled at twisting these balloons into swords for the kids. We made 40 of them!
Debbie is hard at work stenciling in Armor of God on each of the kid's shields. All of the helpers this year are simply amazing! They come with great attitudes and are ready to jump right in and help. I am so thankful for all of the help this year. Especially in the Nursery where the ladies are keeping the ones to small for Bible School. I'll try to sneak up there tomorrow night and get a picture of them.

Kidz of the King

These are a few pictures of Bible School.

Bible School has begun!

The first night has come and gone with great success. I feel like the children were really learning something about this being a battle of good against evil. They really got into it when I showed them pictures of several different people all dressed in clothing that protected them against something like the snowsuit, the fireman, even a child in a seatbelt. I then went on to tell them that God knows all about the tricks of the devil and he created something that will protect us from this evil and that is the Spiritual Armor. I am pleased with how the first night went and am praying the next 4 days go as well. I was too busy for pictures last night but hopefully I will get some tonight to post. I wish my sister could be here to share this exciting week. Where are you sis?

Busy Days

I have been working hard getting ready for our Vacation Bible School. I have been trying to come up with ways to teach preschoolers the importance of having the Armor of God. I am going to try to use a tricycle and have the helmet and knee and elbow pads and try to relate that to protecting us against something harmful. Hopefully they will relate to that and will learn how the Armor of God will protect them against evil. This has been a challenging theme but I think we will be ready come Monday. My nephew, Jeremy, has been a great help this year. He has traced pictures, painted, run up and down the stairs for supplies, and even hung vines from the drop ceiling. He has been a tremendous help.

Is It Time For School To Start Yet?

When do they go back to school? We went to Canaan Grove Camp last week and Sunday we had a picnic lunch at Ken and Audrey's in their back yard. It was alot of fun but I'm sure their fish in the little fish pond will never be the same. Audrey gave Austin a bowl to catch the tadpoles in and he spent a good share of the afternoon doing just that. I didn't know until later that they were then put in the back of the suburban and we now have them at home. We may never get asked back! Phillip decided to use their mulch to make dirt paths on the stone path. Nathan was very intrigued with the fountain in the fish pond and wanted to get in to put his hand under it. I felt like we were constantly calling down one child or another.

1st Day out of School!

Canaan Grove Camp began last night with Bro. Plank as the speaker. It was a very good sermon and a good turn out of people as well. Today we are headed to run some errands and then maybe jump in Jonathan's pool for a swim before coming home. The kids are all packed with their swimming gear just in case.

Diet Weigh In

Ok. It has been one whole week since I started my diet and according to my scales I lost 11 pounds! I don't know that that is correct but hey. I am now gearing up for week 2 . I have a 20 week plan that I made myself and I hope to be able to keep with it. The biggest thing for me is to just not eat when I'm not hungry. That sounds so simple but these days there is always food around and events where tons of food is served and it all looks so good but I really don't need all of that. I'm excited and I keep stepping on the scales to see if they really say I lost 11 pounds and so far it has. I have postponed my next doctor appointment for a few weeks so he can see a change and hopefully my BP and Cholesterol tests will be better. I need someone to diet with me. Hint. Hint. Sharron.

Sunday

I am home from church today with Nathan. He had a little mishap and needs to be with his mommy today. I usually put him in the nursery so I can teach Sunday School and when it's time to take the kids home on the bus, he is usually sleeping so I can leave him with the nursery helpers. I don't think today is a day I can do that. I do want to come tonight because it is the children's day program and Austin is going to be playing his guitar with his friend Nick. He has been up and down with this guitar lesson bit. One week he is all for it and the next he doesn't want to spend the time practicing. I hope this will encourage him to keep practicing and learning. Katlyn is wanting to learn guitar now. I love it when children take an interest in music. I was too impatient when I was young and I learned to play by ear because they didn't teach me the other fast enough. Now I am not able to play a song unless I've heard it before or can follow someone else. I'm pushing for my kids to learn what I didn't.

The Diet Trials Begin (Again)

I have been 4 days now without diet coke. I really want to loose weight so that had to go. With the weather getting warmer, water is a welcome choice. I have tried to do some walking but that isn't always easy with 2 preschoolers in tow. Nathan is the slow toddler and Phillip is Mr. Speedy going along with his skateboard. Life is just about to get even more interesting with Austin and Katlyn getting out of school for the summer. Austin has already signed up for Soccor and Katlyn is planning play dates. It's hard for her to have a play date at our house when there are 3 boys to deal with. Life is Good. Have a great day.

The Heat Is On

It was so hot today and we had to go into Lebanon for Doctor appointments. Our Suburban AC isn't working and it has made things very uncomfortable. Anytime I roll the windows down in the back I seem to find my kids half hanging out of them as we travel. I can't wait to get it fixed. I bought the freon or whatever it was they sent me after and my brother is suppose to put it in for me but I can't seem to catch up with him. Hopefully soon. I pray that that is all it needs too. We are very unfamiliar with this vehicle as it is the replacement for the one that was totaled in January. We are currently looking for another vehicle. If money were not so tight I would really push for a Hybrid. I think they may be out of our range though. Have a great day. Matt has been working in this heat all day. I don't know how he does it.

Busy Sundays

Busy, Busy, Busy is what we've been today. Starting right out with bus ministry at 8:30am and I won't tell you what time we had to get up just to be there at that time with 4 little ones. I will be glad when my head hits the pillow tonight. Until then there is still an evening service to go to so I must scoot. Hope everyone is having a great day and staying cool.

Bobby and Jim are taking it easy at Lake Tobias!

Lots to see and Lots to do. We had a great time looking at and getting closely aquainted with some of the animals at Lake Tobias. Jim is our Bus Captain and Bobby is one of our faithful riders. Not pictured is Cindy! Where in the world are you Cindy? (Bobby's mom) She didn't make the trip with us this time. She was home gearing up to help with all the craft craziness of VBS!

It's Friday

It's Friday! The weeks are just flying by. We went to the Kindergarten Graduation at LCA last night. The children all did very well. Phillip wanted to see what was ahead for him next year. The kids will soon be out of school for the summer. I threatened to call their principal and ask him to extend the school year a little because I'm not quite ready for them to be home all day yet. I'm just kidding. I think Nathan and Phillip are ready for them to stay home. My kids never have slept in though so I'm sure that won't happen. They have always been ones to get up at the crack of dawn no matter where they are. Our relatives can attest to that. We have had to take things for them to do to wait for the others to get up when we visit out of town. Well, I hope today is a wonderful day for you and I am going to enjoy it with the boys by going to the park for a bit.

Vacation Bible School

It's Vacation Bible School time and Phillip has been a big help painting props. The tiny tots will be learning how they can Be a Soldier for King Jesus. Pray for us so we can spread the Gospel to even the tiniest of tots. I hope they can learn at an early age to Seek after God.

Grampa's Boy

Nathan enjoys his Grandpa and Grandma! They are at Lebanon Christian Academy for Austin and Katlyn's Spring Concert.

Lake Tobias

Austin and Phillip having a little break from the animals so they can act like animals at Lake Tobias.

Lake Tobias

Nathan truely enjoyed himself at Lake Tobias.