This One Hit Home....

Prayers going out to the people of Haiti....couldn't even imagine. My problems are so very small.


Thursday, January 14, 2010

When You're Worried
From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
— Psalm 61:2Without question, life is full of troubles. We have concerns about our future, concerns about our health, concerns about our family, concerns about our finances, and the list goes on. Things happen that scare us—and sometimes even terrify us. There are things that concern us, things that alarm us, and things that cause us to be filled with anxiety.Everyone worries a little. We all have anxiety. I admit that I worry, and I don't say that proudly. Worry is not a virtue. In fact, it can be a sin in which we are failing to trust in God. So I have a suggestion: the next time you are tempted to worry, pray instead.Prayer is the way by which God helps us to overcome our anxiety and worry. We are told in Philippians 4:6–7, "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus" (NLT).Maybe God will take your problem away. That is possible. Then again, maybe He won't. But here is what happens: you get perspective. You see God for who He is, and thus you see your problem for what it is. If you have a big God, then you have a relatively small problem. But if you have a big problem, it may be that you have a small God, because you are not seeing Him in His glory and for what He can do.Prayer gives us His peace and His strength to help us get through whatever it is we are dealing with. That is what God does for the person who will call on Him.

Just the Girls....

Go Inferno....GO GO Inferno! Kansas and Trinity had their first basketball game this weekend. All the girls are in Kansas' grade but they needed another player so Trinity offered to play. Even though she is playing 2 age groups up, she held her own!

Little pre-game speech by Coach. I just love watching my kids play sports! How cute are they getting in their huddle!

Kansas getting ready to steal the ball again. We lost 8-10 but we did well for the first game. Kansas scored ALL 8 points and Trinity did well handling the ball. Kansas is wearing my shoes in this picture and they are a size 10!!!! She has grown out of her basketball shoes that are practically brand new. I almost don't want to buy her a new pair for this short season because she will probably grow again before the next season!! By the way...I could never be a sports photographer....everytime I tried to get a picture of Kansas shooting....I would get just the wall or just the basket...hmmff! :)

The girls are working on their game faces in this picture. I think they are ready to play some ball! If you haven't noticed already, there is someone missing. Yep, the little man, Logan was hanging out with his friend Devin. The girls and I had a blast hanging out together. Daddy was hosting a basketball tournament so he was busy with that. It was just us girls!

We stopped by my office before the game to check on the MS tournament and see Daddy. Me and my sweet Trinity....geez...she is getting so tall also! Before I know it, I am going to be looking up at them. Not ready for that!!!

Me and my oldest, Kansas. I am so proud of both my girls. They did so well in their game! As soon as we got in the car they were telling me they can't wait for their next game. Sports are in their genes!! Gene and I both were athletes and we obviously both coach so it is neat to see our kids loving it too! It's also fun to watch my girls play together. What a blessing!! Hope 2010 is going well for everyone!

Many Blessings,

Happy New Year!!

Oh yeah....it's 2010!!! Can you believe it? Don't these two look so fired up!!!

And then you have these two....what is it with guys and not smiling for pictures? I don't get it!

Now us girls know how to smile! :) Me and my girlie Amanda enjoying the NYE party.

(dang crutch had to get in the picture!)

Oh wait....is his mouth curled up a little....I promise I didn't have to threaten him. Not this time at least. haha

Our friend John hosted a NYE party for the baseball/basketball boys and of course their parents were allowed to attend! We decided we would make a homemade pinata and let the kids go at it. Well I didn't think that plan all the way through and we just ended up letting the kids punch it instead of using a bat. Look at Gene taking one for the team and putting himself in harms way. What a trooper!

BEFORE....

AFTER....there was soooo much candy!

Here are the crazy kiddos about to ring in the New Year!

Logan and Cam toasting in 2010!!!

I hope 2010 brings everyone much love, health and happiness!!

Many Blessings,

Surviving Christmas 2009

At first glance you would think....wow...that fire seems so nice. How peaceful it must be to sit there and relax. Well in front of that fire and behind the camera was 4 couples, 6 grandkids, 4 dogs ....an no partridge in a pear tree! I had hip surgery on the 22nd so my family decided to come to us so we didn't have to travel. We couldn't wait to host everyone!


My mom and I about to head to the hospital for my surgery. We had to be there at 6am in Dallas....ugh! I am so thankful that my parents came in early to help Gene and I juggle everything. Gene is in basketball season and with 3 kiddos...I could use all the help I could get.


After I returned home, I received a yummy cookie bouquet from my All Saints' Family. It was outpatient surgery but it took 3.5 hours to get all the junk out of my hip socket. I would post the picture that they gave me of what they took out but it would gross y'all out!

A couple days later...I'm feeling a bit more mobile. I'm not good at sittin still so this has been really tough for me. I can always find something to clean or organize. My mom made sure I didn't do anything....but take a goofy picture in front of the fireplace.haha

The before picture....when all 6 grandkids got a hold of this room...it was Mayhem at it's finest!

A few of the kiddos getting ready to partake in the snow.

And there's the snow....we had a white Christmas! It's not a whole lot but enough to play in for 10 minutes or til they couldn't feel their hands! I had to take pictures from inside cause I wasn't allowed out with the crutches...hmmff!

The kiddos getting into their stockings. Logan is a TCU and Texas fan. Hopefully when he is ready to graduate from high school, he will get to pick from wherever he wants to go!

Logan with his Big Buck Hunter so he can practice bein a hunter likes his cousin Cody and his Papa. The first thing he said when he woke up Christmas morning was "It's Jesus' Birthday!" that made me smile!

The girls and their Printies....sleepy smiles...just love em!

Well as you can see, we didn't get any family pictures this Christmas. Things were so busy and I think I set the trend with hanging out in sweats and no make-up cause of my surgery. Hopefully I will be up and around soon and able to clean house and maybe even do my hair. I am very thankful for my family. My mom was a huge help and Gene and I are so glad she and my dad were here to help. Hope y'all had a Merry Christmas!

Christmas Break Is Finally Here!!!

I think they are fired up that Christmas break is finally here! That has to be the goofiest smile I have ever seen on Kansas! haha

Logan and his classmates making crafts

The kids had their Christmas parties but before that they got to have Pat Green sing Christmas carols to them. How cool is that! He is a really nice guy and I love his wife...she is so sweet. That was really nice of him to take the time out of his hectic schedule.

Our school helps with an orphanage in Kenya and two of the girls were able to come visit us. What a long journey!They even sang in chapel for everyone and their voices are absolutely beautiful!

Kansas and her friends enjoying their lunch in all their festive wear! It feels like just yesterday this group was in Kindergarten. Where does the time go?

Gene and I had to bounce between classrooms. He didn't want a picture because he just came from practice and was all sweaty....yuck! :) So he took a picture of me and my sweet middle child. I love her scarf....I want to find one big momma size! :)

Now that's the Kansas smile I know and love! :)
We are officially on Christmas break!!! Next week our family will be in town to spend the holidays with us. We can't wait. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and safe travels!

Happy Holidays!

Shopping for Juan

Every year the Kindergarten class sales "Angel Pops" (aka the popsicles in a tube) to raise money for their Angel Tree person. Logan and his group of buddies had a little boy named Juan to shop for. Each of the kiddos had certain items they had to pick out for Juan. They were so excited every time they found what he wanted. My friend Vicki and I were in charge of 4 boys and man they kept us on our toes! Above, Logan is showing off the list he made for Juan's presents.

The boys finished shopping and Mrs. Yater gave them the money that they raised to pay for the Christmas gifts for Juan. They look pretty darn proud!

And now they are back to being just plain goofy kinders! Before we took them shopping, we stopped by The Love Shack for some yummy burgers and hot dogs! If you are in the Fort Worth area, you've got to check it out! Thank you to the Love Family for taking good care of us!

Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Adjust Your Sails

Sometimes these devotionals don't get to me but most of the time I feel as though they were written just for me.....

Adjust Your Sails
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.
— 2 Corinthians 4:8–9
Sometimes people think they will have smooth sailing as long as they are in the will of God. But that wasn't true of the apostle Paul. He seemed to face every kind of adversity imaginable, from enemies who tried to destroy him to physical suffering to being shipwrecked three times.We all will have shipwrecks in our lives in some way, shape, or form. The reality of life is that we are either coming out of a storm or we are going into one. That is just the way it is. There are times when we will have smooth sailing. There are times when the sky will be blue and the sun will be shining. There will be beautiful moments in our lives in between the storms. Thank God for those moments.But the reality is that we can live a prosperous life in the will of God and still face conflict. Paul went through a shipwreck on his way to Rome, but he had a prosperous journey by the will of God because of what it ultimately accomplished. That is a different definition of prosperity than we may normally think of.It has been said that you can't direct the wind, but you can adjust your sails. I cannot control the world. I would love to if I could. Nor can I control the circumstances that come my way. But I can control my reaction to them. I can redirect my sails and adapt.We all will face storms, difficulties, and even shipwrecks. So it is time for us to develop our sea legs and not focus so much on how to avoid storms, but on how to get through them, how to survive them, and how to learn the lessons that we can only learn in such places.