Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the king's horses and all the king's men

Couldn't put Humpty together again.

WAIT! That's not how the story goes!

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

Humpty Dumpty jumped up and shouted "AMEN!

God can put me together again."

Today, the pre-k classes performed in chapel for the elementary, junior high and high school kids. As you can see from the picture, Nathan was Humpty Dumpty, and he did great. He did everything he was supposed to do and even hammed it up a little for the crowd. I am trying my best to get the video uploaded in a format that I can post on here, so hopefully, you can see it for yourself soon.

Once again I found myself making a costume during a crazy week. As homeroom mom, I was responsible for planning Nathan's class party for Valentine's day. I made phone calls, picked up pizza, put together goody bags, made sugar cookies and all the stuff that has to be done for a party for 23 four and five year olds. I also had to make chocolate covered strawberries for David's class party. We had a service night in place of home Bible study, and I made a bunch of cookies for that too. Add in work and some family time, and it was already a pretty busy week.

To top it all off, I am not much of a seamstress, and I was scared to death of what Humpty Dumpty was going to look like. I sort of worked out a pattern on newspaper using a shirt and a pair of pants and then started cutting out Humpty. I can't sew real straight, and Humpty is not the most symmetrical egg. If you look too close, you will see MANY mistakes, but it worked and made Nathan happy.

Even though I am not the best at sewing, I will admit that I have really enjoyed being able to make the Humpty Dumpty costume for Nathan and the indian costume for David. The costumes had a lot of flaws, but both boys have been so grateful that I took the time to make something for them. They proudly wore their costumes and told everyone that their mom made it for them. I am realistic enough to know that they won't always want me involved in everything in their lives and that at some point, they will be embarassed by their mom's "sewing" skills. So, for now, I will cherish every moment where I can see that excitement and pride in their lives.

Box Car Derby

I am really late with this post, but I am desperately trying to get caught up on my to-do list this week. A couple of weeks ago, the Kindergarten classes at David's school had a box car derby. I had never been to a box car derby, so I only had David's word on what was an "acceptable" car. We did get a note from school that suggested the cars be small in size because the kids had to run four laps wearing the box.

In the time leading up to the derby, I had a hard time getting David to decide what kind of car he wanted. I was thinking a simple car decorated like a race car or something like that. I imagined Brian, David, and I working together to make a fun little car. Welllllllll......enter Dad into the picture. I am not sure what it is about Dads, but they tend to have grander ideas when it involves a car in any form or fashion. He started throwing out suggestions for different types of cars (like a corvette), but his very last idea sparked an interest in this naive little kindergartener. My dear, dear husband suggested that David have a Star Wars landspeeder. From that point on, my idea of simple flew out the window.

To make matters worse, because of a very crazy schedule, we were unable to begin the landspeeder until the afternoon before the box car derby. We went into the garage in search of a good box to use and Brian pointed out one that he thought would work. I mentioned that it might be too big and he said, "No, that will work great." So, we emptied out the box and got to work. We cut. We molded. We painted....well, I spray painted it outside in the FREEZING cold. We duct taped. We created a masterpiece....a HUGE masterpiece.

I must say that I protested the landspeeder the whole time we were making it. I am just a simple girl, and I didn't see the whole fascination. By the time it was done, Brian admitted that it was large, and I think he was also a little concerned that it might be too heavy. I made Brian walk in with David, so that he could tell the teacher that it was not my idea and I participated in making it under protest.

While I thought it might be a bit overboard, I was pleased that David was so proud of it. As he and Brian walked down the hall with it, other kids were talking about how cool it was. David's teacher thought it was pretty neat too. The funniest thing was that several dads came up to David after the derby was over to tell him how neat his landspeeder was. (I think they wished their wives had not talked them out of their idea for a great vehicle for the derby.) One guy even offered to buy it, but David told him no.

The car derby was pretty neat. They had a parade of cars where all the kids walked around the track single file and showed off their cars. David's smile was great during that part. Then they put them in groups of three to actually race. They would run a lap around the "track" and then stop to get their windshield washed. (Some six grade girls sprayed water on their face and wiped it off.) They ran another lap and then walked through tire inner tubes. They ran another lap and then stopped for a pit stop (glass of water), and then ran one more lap to finish the race.

David started out strong, but tragedy struck as he rounded the first curve. He was busy smiling at the crowd cheering for him and he lost control of his landspeeder. The landspeeder was a bit front heavy, and he fell and flipped over just like you would see on a cartoon. It was tragic and extremely funny all at once. The crowd gasped. I looked at Brian and I could tell that we were both thinking the same thing. David's sweet little heart tends to get embarrassed very easily, and we were both afraid that he wouldn't want to finish the race. However, that determined little boy got right back up and kept running as hard as he could. He made up some serious ground, but one more fall on the back side of the track and a heavy box slowing him down keeping him from regaining first place.

After it was all over, I told David how proud of him that I was. I told him that it is hard to keep going when we fall down but that he did the right thing by getting back up and continuing the race. I told him how doing that was the mark of a true man. Nathan came up to David a little later and asked him if he won the race. David said, "I came in second, but I fell down and got back up and kept racing. That is all that matters."

You know, people can tell me all they want about how it is better to have a small car so the kid has a better shot at winning. Honestly, I agree with them. I was the one who was totally against the landspeeder. However, I would not trade the lesson David learned for anything in the world. As he gets older, life is sometimes going to be a little "heavy". He might take his eyes off of what he is supposed to be doing and looking around at the crowd. He is going to fall down. When he does, I hope he remembers a day in January of 2008 when he fell down in front of a lot of people and then got back off and ran the race of his life.

Here are some pics of the big event:

A very proud boy sporting his landspeeder.

And they are off!

A determined (but a little weary) David coming out of one of the pit stops.

David booking it around the track.

David with Mrs. Kiihnl at the pit stop.

David coming through the finish line.

David's Proverbs & Nathan's too!

My friend Cindy forwarded me an email listing out the beginning of well known proverbs that were completed by first graders. For example, it said, "It's always darkest before" and the first grader filled in "before daylight savings time." It was pretty funny so I decided to have David complete the list too. Here are his proverbs. A few don't make much sense, but some of the others are pretty good.

Strike while the……clock ????

It’s always darkest….at night time

Never underestimate the power of……the devil

You can lead a horse to water but……not lead it to badness

Don’t bite the hand that…..is God’s

No news is……..newer than God

A miss is as good as a ……………. Bad catch

You can’t teach an old dog new ……things

If you lie down with dogs, you’ll…… be warm

Love all, trust…….in the Lord

The pen is mightier than the……devil

An idle mind is …….. lazy

Where there is smoke there’s …….a fire alarm

Happy the bride who……is with their husband

A penny saved is ……..one cent

Two is company, but three is…….not

Don’t put off until tomorrow what…….you need

Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and…….you are pouting

There are none so blind as ………the devil

Children should be seen and not…….be mean

If at first you don’t succeed……..read

You get out of something what you……can get stuck in it

when the blind lead the blind…..that means sin

A bird in the hand is ……. Food

Better late than …..night

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I added Nathan's proverbs too. All I can say is "Oh my!" He needed some help understanding what I was asking so my explanations may have confused him on some.

Strike while the…… force is with you

It’s always darkest….when the lights are turned off

Never underestimate the power of……the force

You can lead a horse to water but……you can’t feed him to much

Don’t bite the hand that…..hurts

No news is……..not exciting

A miss is as good as a ……………. ball

You can’t teach an old dog new ……tricks

If you lie down with dogs, you’ll…… be eight

Love all, trust…….me

The pen is mightier than the……pencil

An idle mind is …….. nothing

Where there is smoke there’s …….fire

Happy the bride who……gets married

A penny saved is …….. for the Senior girls to go to Africa (his class is collecting coins to help the senior girls go on a mission trip.)

Two is company, but three is…….nothing

Don’t put off until tomorrow what…….clothes you need

Laugh and the whole world laughs with you, cry and…….you get a shot

There are none so blind as ………us

Children should be seen and not…….get a lot of toys out

If at first you don’t succeed……..you should burp

You get out of something what you……put in the sack

when the blind lead the blind…..that is not staying home

A bird in the hand is ……. A robin

Better late than …..staying out

T Week

This week is T week in David's class, and it seems very fitting to talk about the things I am thankful for during T week. So here are some of the things that I am extremely thankful for today.

1. I am thankful for my new nephew, Trevyn Zane. I still haven't seen a picture, but I have heard that he is a cutie and a sweet little guy. I am thankful that he is doing well and that my sister-in-law sounded phenomenal on the phone yesterday, even with sleep deprivation and being the mom of 4 sweet kiddos.
2. I am thankful that Brian is home from a leadership conference with some of the teens in the youth group. I love my husband immensely and miss him a lot when he is gone. We have a joke that every time Brian leaves, things fall apart. I would love to say that we made it this weekend without a hitch, but I will have to say that we ALMOST made it without a hitch. Sunday afternoon the boys were playing and Nathan fell and hit his head on the corner of his bed. So now, between his eyebrows he has a little bump (much smaller than on Sunday) and a nasty scrape.
3. I am thankful for good friends with medical experience who don't judge you when you call and ask exactly what type of head wound warrants a trip to the ER.
4. I am thankful for a very sweet David. David has his moments where he can be a bit.....ummmm, shall we say, stubborn and argumentative, but there are so many more times where he is such a deep thinker and loving. On Saturday night, David asked that if either Brian or I were to die if the one that was living would remarry. I was caught off guard because it was out of the blue. So, we talked a little about how sad something like that would makes us and more. I tried to find out why he was asking the question, but never really got a clear answer on that. At the end of our conversation, he said, "Well, if somebody has to die first, I hope it is dad because I want you to live forever." Gee, thanks....I think.
5. I am thankful for a very sweet little Nathan. I don't know how a child can get into so much stuff but still keep you laughing. His new request is that we call him Mr. Nathan. He said he was baby Nathan when he was a baby. Then he became Nathan Andrew when he was 3 and 4. Now that he is 5, he is Mr. Nathan.
6. I am of course very thankful for good friends and all of my family. Words cannot even begin to express how much all of my family and friends impact my life on a daily basis, so I won't even try. :)
7. Most of all, I am thankful to my great God for blessing my life and for sending His precious son to die for my sins.

There are so many more things that I am thankful for, but those are the highlights. I hope you have a very thankful T week too!

It's a Boy!

Noooo...I am not pregnant! :)

I got the call this morning that I have another sweet little nephew! I wish I could make a quick trip to Nebraska to see him, but unfortunately, it is a little too far away. So for now, I am waiting for pictures!

My brother told me that our new little guy weighs 8 pounds, and we are not sure how long because they had not measured him yet. When I asked him what his name is, my brother told me to call back tomorrow because they were still in negotiations about that. (My nephew, Tyler, thinks his name should either be Mack or DJ from the Cars movie!) I talked to my mom after she took my two nephews and niece up to meet their baby brother. She said he has a ton of red hair just like Tyler and looks a lot like Tyler. Maybe he should get to name him then! :)

For right now, it sounds like everyone is doing well....tired, but well. I will post a picture as soon as I get one if it is okay with my brother and sister-in-law.

Building Birdhouses

The boys started back to school today, and I must admit that a quiet house was kind of nice...for awhile. However, I sort of started missing them and the noise they create in our house.

I knew they would be kind of tired when they got home after a long school day, but I wanted the whole family to spend some time together since it was Brian's day off. After we picked the boys up from school and made a quick trip to Wal-Mart, Brian and I sat down with the boys to put together some birdhouse kits that the boys got for Christmas from Grandma Barbara.

Our family project began with the boys trying to tear open the boxes while I tried to convince them that we needed to do it carefully so that the pieces would not break or get lost. Let's just say that we met somewhere in the middle. Once the boxes were open, we started looking at and following the directions. It took Brian and me about 2 minutes to determine the instructions were worthless, and we branched out on our own.

We glued. We nailed. I was helping Nathan, and at one point in the building phase, he said, "This is man's work!" Unfortunately, when you see the picture, you might agree.

It was all going great until it came time to put the roof on the birdhouse. Somehow, the sides of Nathan's birdhouse were a little too high for the roof to lay flat. (Hmmmm...I wonder how that happened?) Needless to say, Nathan and I had to use a seriously huge amount of glue to get the roof on his birdhouse.

Now, I try to be a cool "boy" mom by doing "boy things" with them, but this event did not do much to build my credibility. In addition to Nathan's "man work" comment, David kept telling me that I was not real good at hammering or building. My sweet husband did stand up for me though by saying, "She might not be a builder but she does know how to fix a car."

I guess from now on we will skip the family building projects and will spend our family time giving the car a tune-up.
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I will have to add the pictures later. The camera battery is dead, and I can't take a picture. Once it is recharged, I will add a picture of the architecturally challenged birdhouse.

Happy New Year!

Why is it that we always have to start the new year out so tired? I desperately wanted to go to bed about 9:00pm last night; however, an unnamed father told his six year old son about the ball dropping and the six year old decided that he REALLY wanted to see this happen. Since the unnamed daddy was at a lock-in with the youth group, this tired old mom forgot about being tired and watch movies with her two little boys!

Nathan, unfortunately, conked out at about 9:15 pm. So, I carried him to bed. David made it until about 10:40. I turned the TV to an east coast station and woke him up right before 11:00 so he could see the ball drop. He watched it and immediately fell back asleep, so I carried him to bed. This morning he woke me up early and asked why I didn't wake him up so that he could see the ball drop. So, if anyone taped the ball dropping, we could use a copy of it here at our house!

You may be wondering when that unnamed daddy told that six year old about the ball dropping, right? (Okay, probably not, but I was trying to transition into a discussion about their trip to the Independence Bowl!) Brian and David got home yesterday afternoon after cheering Alabama on to victory over Colorado. This was not only David's first Bowl game, but it was also his first Alabama game.



If you have read this blog for very long, you will remember that David got sick and was not able to go to Alabama's game versus Arkansas a year ago. He became pretty bitter about the fact that he didn't get to go to the game and decided he liked Arkansas more than Alabama which broke Brian's heart. However, when boys at school started saying that Alabama was a bad team, our competitive little guy realized that crimson runs through his blood and now he is a die-hard Bama fan.

When Brian asked for tickets to the Bowl game for Christmas, I asked him if it would be okay if he just took David and left Nathan and me home to spend time hanging out with each other. Nathan and I both like football, but Nathan's attention span would have gotten us through the first quarter (maybe) and then I would have been wrestling with him the rest of the game. So Sunday, David and Brian set off on their dream of a life-time, and from the reports they have given, they had a really good time.

I asked David what his favorite thing about the game was and he told me two things:

1. Alabama won.
2. Colorado's buffalo running on to the field.

He then told me, "Daddy said I was never supposed to say this, but there was a crazy man saying really bad stuff that God doesn't want us to say. And the bathroom was just filthy! It had words written on the bathroom walls and dad said that you don't read in the bathroom. Don't say anything about it because I am never supposed to talk about this stuff with anyone and I cannot repeat a word of it!"

Oh my!

Wrapping up 2007

It is the last day of 2007, and I am doing what I do best: catching up! I must say that this year has been a growing year for our family. Some pretty big things happened in our family during 2007:

• David's first day of Kindergarten


• Nathan's first day of Pre-K


• David lost his first tooth


• I drank my first cup of coffee ever (and liked it!)


• I graduated with my MBA in December


• A fun trip to Disney World


• We bought a used Ford Taurus (something we thought we would NEVER do, but now we fight over who gets to drive it)


• Brian and David went to their first Bowl game together to root on Alabama to a win over Colorado

We have experienced a whole lot more than that, but those are a few of the fun things we experienced. I am now finishing up 2007 by getting organized and getting rid of a lot of stuff we really don't need. I must say that it feels really good to pass on old toys and "stuff" to others who will hopefully get more use out of it.

I am excited about the new things that 2008 will bring. I am sure there will be many firsts and big events, but I am even more excited about the little things that make life with my two boys so much fun. I am not the hugest fan of New Year's resolutions because mine usually only last until mid-February, but I am setting some goals for 2008. I won't bore you with all of them, but I will share one. I plan to be a whole lot better about blogging during this year. We will just have to see how that goes! :)

I wish all of you the best in the new year. May God shower blessings over each of you and may He provide wonderful opportunities in your lives in 2008!

Our Christmas Adventures

I must say that our boys are at such a fun age when we celebrate holidays, and Christmas was no exception to that. It was so fun to see their eyes light up when they open presents and how excited they were to give presents to others.

Christmas Eve was a laid back day at our house. Brian had to work so that a minister could be at the office, so I spent some of the day baking and getting stuff ready for our Christmas lunch. The boys helped decorate some reindeer cookies for Santa and played with all of Nathan’s birthday toys. I also ran a few last minute errands without the boys since Brian’s mom was there to watch them for me.

David decorating cookies in his pajamas.

(Yes, we were THAT lazy on Christmas Eve!)

Nathan showing that he used a lot of brawn to decorate his cookies.

One of the finished products.

Another finished product.

The night before Christmas the boys watched some Christmas shows in their pajamas after supper. Then we had some special carolers come by the house and sing for us. The Adams family came and sang for us, and Savannah and Lauren sang a special song for the boys. It was wonderful and made our Christmas Eve complete!

After the Adams left, the boys sprinkled their reindeer food on the front yard and then headed to bed. At one point, Brian dropped his keys on the floor and both boys exclaimed, “Santa is here! Santa is here!”

Christmas finally arrived (at 5:15 in the morning!). Presents were opened, and the playing began. Well, the art of removing toys from packages began. [A note to all of you toy packagers out there….It should not take me an hour to remove the toy from the package. If you have any mercy at all, please do not put so many twist ties in the packages!] Once the packages were opened, boys started playing and I started cooking. The rest of the day was spent being lazy and enjoying each other.

I hope all of you had a Merry Christmas and enjoyed time with family!

Nathan Turns FIVE!

Wow! My baby is now 5 years old. It is amazing how fast time flies. It seems like yesterday that we were bringing him home from the hospital for the first time. He was such a little guy and made such a dramatic entrance. Since then he has been a little ball of fire always on the go. He keeps us laughing without even trying and never ceases to amaze us with his ability to destroy things or cause close to a natural disaster.

Since his birthday was on Sunday the 23rd, our original plan was to let him have one present before church and then open the rest after lunch with cake. However, Nathan's dear sweet brother woke him up before 6:00am to tell Nathan that he was 5. So, plans changed and he opened his presents before church.

At church, Nathan walked around telling everyone it was his birthday. He received a lot of birthday wishes and even had some pretty girls sing for him! :) He said he wanted to eat lunch at Chili's, so his wish was our command. After lunch, we came home for a piece of Darth Vader cake and ice cream. Then he and David played with his new toys all afternoon.

After church Sunday night, we went to the park and rode in a carriage with Santa. I am not a big fan of malls, and Christmas time magnifies that dislike. So, for the past three years, we have gone to one of our local parks where Santa gives carriage rides. It does cost to ride, but the boys love it and get Santa's undivided attention during the ride, and Brian and I get to enjoy watching them and hearing all that they have to say to Santa.

So, Nathan's birthday was a good one. People always feel bad for him because his birthday is so close to Christmas, but right now he doesn't really mind. At some point, we may start celebrating a half birthday in June to let him have a little more attention on him. For this year, it was perfect just as it was though.

Nathan with his new workbench

David and Nathan with the Darth Vader cake.

Nathan blowing out five candles.

My Sweet Husband

On Tuesday, my husband walked in the door with 2 dozen roses for me. Before we got married, he used to send me flowers every month (if not more). I loved it, but I always felt kind of guilty that he spent his hard earned money on something that would die and was kind of frivolous. Although I am a pretty practical person, I must admit that I still love it every time he walks in the door carrying flowers for me.

I will be honest with you though. As great as the roses are, he gave me an even better gift eight years ago. On December 11, 1999, he gave me his name and made me a promise that he would hang out with me forever. The journey has been kind of crazy at times. We have had some ups and we have had some downs. However, we have done it all together, and that has made the road of life a whole lot easier to travel.

Brian is my best friend, and the one that makes me laugh in spite of whatever is going on around us. I love to watch him read to our boys, defend himself during a light saber attack from two little Jedi's in training, joke around with the teens, and just be a great dad, youth minister and husband. I couldn't ask for better and would say yes all over again if he asked.

Pictures from Disney World

Nathan was chosen to drive a boat during one of the rides.

He took the task very seriously! :)

Michael, Tyler and Kylie listening to David read a Bible story.

Such a tired little boy and such a sweet big brother!

Almost all of the Tucker family! (Steve, Rachel, Michael and Tyler)

Grandma Sandy with Nathan and David

Grandma Sandy with Nathan, Kylie, Tyler and David as we rode

the ferry on our first day at Disney World.

The four youngest grandkid on the first day at Magic Kingdom

Nathan and David with Mickey Mouse

Thanksgiving Wishes

I am slow posting this because I have been trying to add pictures, but blogger has not been cooperative. I am going to go ahead and post it and try to add pictures later.

For Thanksgiving, we were blessed to get to go to Disney World! My mom had promised my oldest nephew that she would take all the grandkids to Disney World when he turned 12. Well, he is only 11, but my sister in law is expecting a baby and thought it would be much easier to go to Disney World pregnant rather than with a baby. So, we got a wonderful early Christmas present.

Out of the group, Brian was the only one who had ever been to Disney World before. My mom had been to Disneyland, but it is quite a bit different. The trip was fun and very tiring! The best part was just getting to see family and watch the kids enjoy the different parts of the parks. I must confess that we traumatized all of the younger ones by taking them to a frightening Bug's Life 3-D movie and a few other "dark" rides (and I am not talking about lighting), but there was a lot of stuff they enjoyed too.

As soon as I can, I will add some pictures of some pretty cute kids!

Not a Princess!

This past week, the boys have been extremely tired and seem to whine at the least little thing. Since I teach on Thursday nights, I knew that yesterday evening was going to be a bit trying for Brian, especially since it was the end of the school week. So, on the way home from school, the boys and I stopped and rented a couple of movies for the afternoon and evening in hopes that everyone would kick back and relax a little bit.

On the way home, David asked me what my favorite movie is. I pondered for a little bit and said I liked Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella. Then the favorite one hit me: Anastasia! David did not know about Anastasia, so I started to fill him in about Russia and my love for that country after my trip there. I also tried to explain how the name Stacey comes from Anastasia. Well, he didn't really get that. So, I said, "David, it is about a girl that doesn't know she is a princess, but she really is. Just think, maybe I am really a princess and just don't know it. Wouldn't that be great?! Do you think I could really be a princess?"

I looked at him in the rear-view mirror, and he had a very serious expression on his face. He started shaking his head and said, "Mom, you are definitely NOT a real princess!"

Gee thanks son! :)

I also told you I would fill you in on the fruit tray story. The day that Brian left for the conference, he called and told me that he forgot to pass on a message that someone had called about the shower. So, I called the person organizing the shower and explained that I could still bring something but that Nathan was sick and Brian was out of town which would keep my from being able to actually be at the shower. She said that was fine and asked me to bring a fruit tray with apples and kiwi. We usually have apples, because Nathan really likes them, but I generally do not have kiwi in my fridge. (Okay, I pretty much NEVER have kiwi at my house.) Ironically though, this time I actually had kiwi in my fridge, which definitely was going to make my life much easier.

Unfortunately, I soon realized that I only had 3 kiwi, so I knew I would have to get more. As the weekend progressed, Nathan started acting like he was feeling much better and quit running a fever. On Sunday, I actually thought we would be able to go to church....until he threw up that is. This left me trying to figure out exactly how I was going to make this fruit tray because I did not want to take a chance of him throwing up in multiple aisles of the grocery store but I knew I really needed more kiwi. So, I decided to improvise.

At this point in the story, my husband is just shaking his head because I have a tendency to improvise in the kitchen on a pretty regular basis. Sometimes it turns out great, and other times it turns out...well, we just won't go there.

So, I cut up my apples into slices, soaked them in lemon juice so they would not turn brown, and then put them on my tray. Then I cut up my three, little kiwi, and they just looked kind of sad on the tray. I still had a huge gap that I needed to fill. So, I found a jar of cut pineapple in my fridge, and added that to the tray. My fruit tray still looked kind of sad, so I decided that I needed to make a fruit dip. The only problem is that I didn't have all the ingredients for any of the recipes I could find online.

That only left me with one choice; I had to make up my own recipe. So I got out some cream cheese, added some powdered sugar, a tiny bit of brown sugar, some real butter, a tad of vanilla and a couple big globs of cool-whip. I didn't measure a single ingredient. It might sound a bit scary, but it was pretty good. I will admit that it was a take-off of a Chocolate Chip Cheesecake ball recipe that I have and really like, but I did add to it and take away from it (partly because I was stuck only using the ingredients I had on hand and partly because I needed it to be a bit different consistency for the fruit).

I know that it would have been much easier to just go to the store and take the chance that Nathan would not throw up. However, it is in those moments of improvising that I have come up with some of our favorite recipes. Granted, I can't always make them the same because I don't measure stuff like I should, but the concept of a great recipe is there.

Raising Leaders

So this past weekend, Brian was out of town at a Youth Minister's conference. We have a little joke that every time Brian leaves town, things fall apart at our house. In the past, I have had extremely sick kids, arms out of socket (David's...not mine), the washing machine has overflowed and flooded my kitchen, lizards, mice and other varmints have invaded the house, etc. You name it, and it has probably either happened or come close to it. So, when Nathan got sick the day before Brian left, I was thinking, "Oh great! Here we go again!"

Thankfully Nathan was not extremely sick, but he was sick enough to stay home from school on Friday and cause us to stay home from church on Sunday. I was supposed to be helping with a baby shower on Sunday, so I did have to load the boys up in the van and head to the church building to drop off my fruit tray (which is another funny story that I will save for tomorrow).

When we got to the building, I had someone watch the kids in the car and ran my fruit tray in real quick, and then we headed home. (And yes, for the worriers, I did not leave the keys in the car even with Nathan feeling bad. I did not want to tempt him even in his sickened state!)

On the way home, we were talking about how sad we all were that we didn't get to go to church and how much we missed being able to worship and go to Bible class. David then said, "You know, I heard that some people go to Home Church." I started to tell him that some people did do that, but he interrupted and said, "Wait, I am wrong. I think they may go to a Home School." I kind of chuckled to myself and then said, "David, we can have church at home since we missed it. That is a great idea."

So we got home, and the boys began setting things up for church. I overheard David tell Nathan, "Now Nathan, we are boys so that means we must be leaders during church." And let me tell you, they did a great job.

Our church service started out with Nathan leading a few songs. David failed to mention to sing church songs, so he started off singing the cowboy song from his grandparent's day program, but we convinced him to sing some more appropriate songs for our church service. So, here was our "Order of Worship".

Song - Jesus loves me without the me's led by Nathan. (This is a big thing here and I can't figure out what the deal is with it)

Song - Jesus loves me with the me's led by Nathan.

Song - Blue skies and rainbows led by Nathan.

Prayer - by Nathan (but preceded by the Read your Bible and Pray everyday song that Nathan must sing to start EVERY prayer)

Song - Jesus loves the little children by David

Song - Deep down in my heart by David

Prayer - by David

Passing of the collection plate. I was given a play $100,000 bill and asked to place it in Nathan's yellow construction hat. Then it was taken out and I was asked to do it all over again about 4 or 5 more times.

Song - March in the Infantry song led by Nathan

Prayer - by Nathan (once again preceded by the Read Your Bible and Pray Everyday song)

Sermon - Daniel and the Lion's den by David

Communion - led by both David and Nathan

Communion was by far one of the best moments I have ever had. David prayed for the bread and thanked God for it and that it stood for Jesus' body, that his body had been beaten and hurt by the people and that He did that for all of us. Nathan prayed for the grape juice and said, "Thank you that Jesus didn't really die for good God." I was absolutely moved beyond what I can even describe in words and so touched by the precious hearts of my 6 and 4 year old sons.

Then church was over. At one point, David did say that we needed two songs and a prayer to end church, but after communion, they were ready to be done.

I will be honest with you. There are days that I shake my head and wonder if I have totally messed up as a parent. However, on Sunday, I caught a glimpse into these two little boys that made me think that Brian and I haven't totally messed them up and that there is still hope for them to turn out pretty decent!

Superstar David

David was the superstar in his kindergarten class for F week. All week the attention was on him, which if you know David very well, you will know that he LOVED it! On Tuesday, our whole family got to be in his class while he shared his F circle that had all sorts of pictures and things that start with the letter F on it. (I have a video that I will try to add later.) He dressed up as his Favorite Football player, Luke Tribble. On his circle above their picture together he wrote Favorite Friends. (Luke Tribble, you are an awesome hero to our little guy!)

David got to introduce his family, and then I read his favorite book Chicka, Chicka, Boom Boom. The boys and I have a special way that we read this, so we got to share that with the class and it was pretty neat.

All in all, David had a great week and was a very super superstar!

Happy Halloween from our Star Wars Guys!

For some reason Nathan felt the need to raise up his arm in almost every picture.

David thought up this pose and I think it is my very favorite!

Can you tell he loves being Darth Vader?

And we can't forget Jenga Fett!

It's Been a Long Time

Wow, I knew it had been awhile since I had blogged, but I didn't realize exactly how long it was since the last post. Honestly, during the whole time, things would happen and I would think to myself that I needed to blog about it, but I think I was suffering from blog burnout...or maybe I just needed a break. I think that sometimes I think this blog is supposed to be about funny little stories and entertaining the friends and family, and while I have enjoyed a lot of sweet things the boys have done, there are a lot of things running so much deeper in my heart right now. For some reason, I haven't felt like I can write what is deep in my heart. After all, most people who read this are wanting to hear stories about the boys, right?

Well, I do want to share the neat things that the boys are up to and how much they are learning about life, but I also want to share my journey too....my journey of becoming a better mom, wife, person and most of all, a better Christian. So, here goes....

Lately, life has been a mixture of really good things and some trials that have really made me grow a lot. I have had many realizations about myself, and I must admit, not all of them have been good ones. I have realized that few people truly know me, and that I tend to not let people get to see the real me. Instead, I show them what I think they need to see, and my husband's profession probably doesn't help with that. Don't get me wrong; I love that Brian is a Youth Minister, but that makes me want to be a good Youth Minister's wife who is everything to everyone. In the past six years, I have learned that is impossible, but for some crazy reason, I keep trying, and that can make life very stressful at times.

I have also realized that I do not have a real big circle of friends. Well, I do have "friends", but I don't have a lot of FRIENDS. Does that make sense? You know, those kind of people who you can totally be yourself with and who won't make fun of you when you are gone or tell someone else that they think you have lost your mind. For the good friends that I do have, I am so thankful because they have liked me in spite of myself. For the others that have tried, I am really sorry to have missed out because I was either so caught up in other things in my life or I was trying once again to be all things to all people that I never just showed them me.

However, what grieves me the most is that in an effort to be what I thought others wanted me to be and to be involved and (if I am honest to myself) way over-committed to "stuff", I sort of lost my way and became very little for God. Now please understand that through that, I truly loved God and wanted to be so much for Him, but I just couldn't seem to see how I was supposed to do that.

What is neat though is that in the past few months, I have started to really SEE God. I have seen Him work through prayer. I have seen Him work through others, and I have even seen Him work through me. And you know what, I love it! I love spending time in prayer with Him. I will admit that I was not always the best at praying in the past, but now, I have found it to be such a refuge for my worries and the things that burden my hearts. It makes me sad for what I missed out on before, but I am so thankful for the gift He gave us through prayer. It has helped me deal with some yucky health issues I have been having. It has helped me not stress so much as a mom. It has drawn me closer to the God that I really do adore, but most of all, it has sort of brought me back to life in a sense.

There have been so many things that I have been doing half-way for awhile now, and while it takes time to correct those, I have started the process of being anything and everything for God. I wish I could snap my fingers and make it all happen now, but it takes time. So, I am patiently (well...okay...not so patiently) plugging along and praying that I correctly prioritize the things and areas I need to improve.

So, that is what lies deep in my heart right now, but two special little boys and a very special man are not too far behind. So, let me share some neat things about them too and get you all caught up on us!

The month of August in Review

All I can say is that I am very behind....AGAIN! This seems to be a perpetual state of being for me. I know I promised a video, but I had some technical difficulties with it. Since I can't get that working, I will share pictures of the boys' first days of school.

David started Kindergarten on August 10th. He was quite worried he would not know how to do all of the homework, but so far he is doing really well. As you may remember, we had a really hard time deciding whether or not to wait a year on kindergarten last year, but we are so thankful that we did. He has so much more confidence and is just not so timid as he used to be. Socially, he has matured so much, and we are very thankful with that decision now.

David on his first day of school.

David and Nathan together on David's first day of Kindergarten

Nathan did not start school until August 13th. This is his first year of Pre-K. He went to Carpenter's Kids last year, which would be similar to a Mother's day out program. However, now he goes every day, and he has done so well. Many of you know that we were told that Nathan may have Asperger's Syndrome. Our big thing is that we don't want to label Nathan and fit him into this mold of how he should act or behave because of a diagnosis. We have spent a lot of time researching and talking to people who can give us information, and we have been praying for help. It has made all the difference in the world!

Nathan's teachers have been great with him. They are very proactive in dealing with his sensory needs. When he loses focus, they take him outside to run. At recess, they have him run before he comes back in and it helps him to focus so much. I am so thankful for them and for how he is doing. He did leave class one day and showed up in the office of another person one day. That is pretty typical of this escape artist! We are very pleased with how he is doing and know that during this year, he will make great strides and improve any many areas. Here are pictures of his first day.

Nathan on his first day of Pre-K

"You do know that I am going to cause trouble today, don't you?"

Best Buddies....most of the time!

We are so excited about all that the boys will experience and how much they will grow this year. I know there are a lot of people who get sad when their kiddos grow up, but I must say that I love the watching them learn new things and achieving so much. These two boys are such blessings, and God is so good for sharing them with Brian and me.

We have had a lot of other things going on too. In the next few days, I will pass all that on too. If I can ever get the video fixed, then I will try to add that at some point.

Taking Care of Daddy

The other day, Brian woke up sick. Having Brian home when he normally would be at work kind of throws our day into a loop. The boys were very concerned about why their daddy was home and what they needed to do to take care of him. At one point, I heard them in our bedroom, and I heard Brian asking them to leave him alone. So I went to the door and told them to come with me and to leave poor ol' dad alone.

A little bit later I went into our room to put something away. Brian was sleeping and he had a teddy bear in the crook of one arm and Nathan's alarm clock by his head. I wish I would have thought to take a picture of him. I guess the boys fixed him up pretty well.

On another note, school is about to begin, and David is eagerly anticipating finding out who is teacher is. We will be able to find out Friday at 4:00pm. Until then it is top secret. We have gotten all of his school supplies though. For the record, it is not cheap to buy school supplies!

Tomorrow, I will have a fun little movie clip of David to post, so keep watching for it!