It's a Fabulous Friday!

It's a great day! Tim had the afternoon off (which I always love!), and later this evening he's taking me out for my birthday dinner at Granite City.

In other great news, I got this fabulous "toy" that I can't wait to start playing with! Tim found it on an online auction and won it for just $12. He said he can smell the bread baking already. ")


Tomorrow I'm getting a visit from my cousin Jenny and her family. Can't wait! The kids (all 11 of them - hers and mine) will have a great time playing. And the adults will have fun visiting! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Wordless Wednesday

Some days are just like this, aren't they?

Wordless Wednesday

I think this photo speaks for itself.
This is an actual flashcard from a set I bought for the kids.
Epic fail!

An Apology

I think most of you know that last week there was an "incident" in our household. Chase (our 10 yr old) ran away. The police were called. He was gone only about an hour and a half, but only by the grace of God. I have a screaming headache today so am in no mood or condition to type up the whole story, but I did want to share this...

In case it's tough to read...
Dear all that prayed

Sorry for running away. Thanks
for praying for me. Sorry for every
thing I did but I won't run away agian.

Yours truly,
Chase Loucks

More on this story later...

Clumsy

This is a word that often describes my attempts to be the woman/wife/mom that God intended me to be. One of my favorite musical artists is Chris Rice. On his album Deep Enough to Dream he has a song entitled "Clumsy". Here are the lyrics:

You think I’d have it down by now
Been practicin’ for thirty years
I should have walked a thousand miles
So what am I still doin’ here
Reachin’ out for that same old piece of forbidden fruit
I slip and fall and I knock my halo loose
Somebody tell me what’s a boy supposed to do?

I get so clumsy
I get so foolish
I get so stupid
And then I feel so useless
But You’re sayin’ You love me
And You’re still gonna hold me
And that You wanna be near me
‘Cause You’re makin’ me holy
You’re still makin’ me holy, yeah

I’m gonna get it right this time
I’ll be strong and I’ll make You proud
I’ve prayed that prayer a thousand times
But the rooster crows and my tears roll down (again)
Then You remind me You made me from the dust
And I can never, no never, be good enough
And that You’re not gonna let that come between us

I get so clumsy
I get so foolish
I get so stupid
And then I feel so useless
But You’re sayin’ You love me
And You’re still gonna hold me
And that You wanna be near me
‘Cause You’re makin’ me holy
You’re still makin’ me holy, yeah

From where I stand
Your holiness is up so high I can never reach it
My only hope is to fall on Jesus

I get so clumsy
I get so foolish
I get so stupid
And then I feel so useless
But You’re sayin’ You love me
And You’re still gonna hold me
And that You wanna be near me
‘Cause You’re makin’ me holy
You’re still makin’ me holy, yeah

Clumsy Fly Music (ASCAP)

The most encouraging part is that God is always going to love us, no matter how "clumsy" we are. Words I definitely needed to hear today!

This is funny... laugh!

Apparently there was an armed robbery and a man-hunt (helicopter search and all!) in my teeny-tiny hometown. When friends posted the news on Facebook I called my mom and let her know. I told her that I realized Dad was retired, but I didn't know he was that bored! She told me to let her know if the 'copter headed north (which is the direction of their house). When I posted that conversation on FB, no one responded...

So, okay, maybe everyone is a little stressed with the whole "man-hunt-helicoper-flying-over-our-houses" thing. But humor should lighten the mood, right? (Come on... please tell me you are at least chuckling a little to yourself at the thought of my dad, the retired Baptist pastor, robbing a gas station and hiding out in peoples yards?)

Like I said, I get that stress could make you overlook the obvious humor in my statement about my dad. But, once the hunt was over, I added this comment: "So I can call my dad and tell him he's in the clear? :P" And still no LOL's.

Is it my delivery?? Seriously, I really do hope you're laughing a little. This is funny!

And just in case that didn't make you laugh, maybe this will...

(Dad being himself at Levi's birthday party. I love this guy!)

Wordless Wednesday

Must have been a great nap to do that to her hair!

9 Months

(I can't believe my baby girl has been in my arms as long as she was in my womb!)

Jericho Faith
*9 months*

~sitting
~have an adorable goofy grin


~army crawling
~eating solids (you can down a jar of veggies, a jar of meat, and some cereal all in one sitting)
~stopped napping
~sleep through the night
~pretty content and smiley


~love to be held
~love MOST to be held my mama
~talk (you can say mama, dada, grandma, grandpa, go, bye-bye, hi)
~weigh about 17 lbs
~have enough hair to get "bed head"

We love you baby girl!

Stars?

Nope... It's our first snowfall! :)

{These pictures were taken about 5 minutes apart... notice the accumulation on the hood.}

Levi funnies

[I really should have been on top of things and grabbed the camera when this happened, but I honestly didn't think about it until just now...]

When Tim got home from work today we went outside and put a coat of poly on our new table top. I came inside and found Levi sitting in Jericho's high chair.

Me: What are you doing? [holding back laughter]
L: I wanted to see if I could be a baby!
Me: [still trying not to laugh]
L: Can you get me out!?

The second funny occurred while we were waiting for supper to finish cooking...

Currently, Levi's favorite color is red. He has red tennis shoes that Grandma bought him. He has a couple pair of red sport/knit pants and a couple red shirts that he wears almost every day (he would wear them every day if I'd let him...).

I was sitting on the couch with him, and out of the blue he says, "When I'm a daddy I'm going to have a red Corvette ["tor-vet" in Levi speak], and a red truck, and a red van. And I'm going to have a red house, and a red body, and LOTS of red shoes!" (He reiterated several times that he would have a LOT of red shoe - just for him.) He continued on for about 5 minutes listing all the "red things" he was going to have -- among them, a red t.v., a red computer, a red spider, and a red bookcase.