employment

there's a stream that runs right through the building.
it's a re-done warehouse by some very old railroad tracks.
the boys love to look in the stream to see what's heading under the building, under the road, across the street.


i think it's a cool building.
hip, urban, modern looking.
starkly contrasting the quaint, old town where it sits.
founded by moravians many moons ago.
stay tuned for more pictures of this picturesque town, lititz.

for mom

so sorry i forgot to post this picture sooner! here's willie, just turned 14, and me, ahem... quite a bit older. tall, huh?

happy 17th birthday, haley

i'm posting pics later than i wanted, but have a few days of the computer crashing every time i tried to upload pictures and people saying they want to buy your house and then not calling back or returning your phone calls, and 4 parties in 3 days, and that's what you get.

we celebrated by having friends meet us at long's park.......

for shaving cream/silly string/water balloon fights.

katie and haley (and just barely jack's shaving creamed head)



rachel, kirsten, haley and jack




nick, patrick, katie



nick, rachel, jack, patrick

rachel, kirsten, bekka and katie

the whole gang

haley (with help from ian) blowing out pretend lit candles (it was too windy to light them)

we attempted to make a tie dye cake, but the colors were kinda gross pre-baked

but once it was baked it turned out great. unfortunately, i didn't count the number of people attending, and there wasn't enough cake to go around. and haley didn't get any. i made a cookie cake for her the next day, but she didn't get any of that either...... i'll make it up to you, honey!

flag football-spring 2009

the 2 middle boys have had fun in spring flag football.
jack's coach was our neighbor and local sports announcer, mike.
his assistant coach was his dad :)


mike's coach was jahn, and assistant coach, dad :)
they had so much fun playing their last game under the lights at the "quad"
the quad is 4 artificial turf soccer fields divided into 6 football fields.
it's usually off limits to just anyone, so it was a big deal to get to play there.




nick went around taking pictures,
haley stayed home for some alone time (can't blame her for that!)

teacher appreciation

simple, cheap, easy. consummable and most of all... appreciated!
that, to me, describes the best teacher gift.
how many ceramic apples that say "#1 teacher" does a teacher need?
we bought notepads, covered the tops with fancy scrapbook paper (used elmer's glue) and added 3 dimensional stickers from the scrapbook aisle at target.




here's a close up view:


mike made his own, and olivia loved it so much, she wants to make them as party favors for her birthday party this year.

church softball

years ago robin played on the softball team for our church, grace baptist.
never in all these years did we dream he'd one day be playing for the church again, only this time, joined by his 15 year old son.







he doesn't run as swift as a gazelle like in the old days, but he's still good.
these boys know it's all about where you place the ball, not how hard you hit it.
i think he pulls a different muscle every game he plays.
but it's still fun to take care of him after all these years.

yup. happy 20th anniversary, honey.
you still look good and are fun to watch.

looking forward

i know the plans i have for you, says the Lord
plans for welfare and not calamity
to give you a future and a hope.
jeremiah 29:11

muffin tin lunch

once in a while we make lunch in a muffin tin to make it more fun and exciting.
it's a sure way to make the whole meal disappear.

i'm such a dork

and since making fun of parents runs in our family (we don't laugh *at* you, mom and jerry, we laugh *with* you.....) i'll post this just so the kids remember what they can make fun of me for years down the road.

we're getting karis' graduation announcements ready to send, i'm making a collage of pictures of her whole life, plus planning haley's birthday party, a camping trip and returning home to florida the day after graduation. it's a busy month. lots on my mind. i love that you can order pictures from costco online and pick them up in an hour. robin's mom had requested a prom picture, so i ordered that too.

i decided to get 20 wallet size pictures of karis' senior picture (that i took at maclay gardens in the fall) and a few wallet size of her prom picture because it's such a great picture.

only, i didn't read the fine print and see that each wallet size order was actually 4 wallets per sheet.

so now i have 24 wallet size pictures of prom instead of 6.
and 80, yes EIGHTY wallet size of her senior picture.

i offered to use it as wallpaper, or stickers on the drinks at her party, but she thought that was a bit much. :)

new life

i love working outside.
we have great soil here.
3 days is all it took to bring new life to long neglected flower beds and landscaping.
all a reminder of the long awaited promise of new life in Christ.
He makes all things new.
indeed.

7 things seen this weekend

1. 3yo helping with mountain of mulch


2. forgiven puppies post-baby-bunny-catching
(still upset by that scene)


3. game of wiffle ball with friends
(check out that dew cap!)


4. proud grandparents sending granddaughter off to prom


5. unihibited pre-teens singing "ymca" complete with motions


6. sister love


7. beautiful girls-almost women

prom 2009

karis and t.j. carr
(his mom was maid of honor in our wedding)
(the prom was held at the hotel/resort where i worked to put myself through college)


the computer is working so slow, so a collage is going to have to do for now.
they went with kara hammill and austin vanblargen
they are all in our youth group at church
karis and kara are school friends too

sunday scripture

"and the LORD will continually guide you,
and satisfy your desire in scorched places,
and give strength to your bones;
and you will be like a watered garden,

and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
isaiah 58:11

time moves on

today karis goes to her last prom in high school.
she graduates in 4 weeks.
haley celebrates her 17th birthday in 2 weeks.
where has the time gone?
the saying is true when you're deep in child raising:

"the days are long but the years are short."

hug those babies

(train track in montreat, nc)

spring

a favorite poem for one of my favorite flowers

"Daffodils" (1804)

I WANDER'D lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the Milky Way,

They stretch'd in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

By William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

we studied nature

we found a bird's nest (empty)
we wonder how long ago they made it


it was in this box in the garage!
to the best of our knowledge, the door has been closed for 3.5 months.
but the pool guy and the neighbor have access.
hope the birds weren't too discouraged all that work for nothing.

we went swimming in the pool

pete
3 years 7 months

mike
6 years 2.5 months

we golfed... often

got some new playmobil

all their toys and most books are already packed up.
this is so confusing for a 3yo.

trampoline boys

i took so many pictures of things the boys were doing while we were in florida with the intention of posting them daily so the rest of the kids and robin would be able to see them each day.

unreliable internet is no fun.

the only thing i could bring up was gmail and fox news.

no blogs. no picture sites. no editing. no fun.

so for the next few days i'll be posting all that florida fun.