{ I can't help it }

...It's addicting...







...It's just suppose to be a couple of quick shots...





...But I just can't stop myself...





...and the next thing I know I have more pictures than I know what to do with...





...But you know what?...





...I don't really mind...





...I could look at pictures of these two all day long...

{ Brynn-a-lynn & Kinzell }

Kinzley:
"This is me and my best friend Brynn. She's the best friend I ever had. I play with her at preschool every day and now school is over so it's a good thing she lives by my Grandma Bonnie so I can play with her in the summer. I sure am going to miss her until I see her again. We have so much fun together."

{ So long preschool, it's been fun }

Kindergarten here she comes!

Today was the last day of preschool for Kinz. {Just give me a moment to dry my tears} For the life of me, I can't believe we got here. It seems like she just started 3 year old preschool and now next year she'll be in Kindergarten. And Kenna will be in preschool! Now THAT is crazy!!

She had a little graduation the other day where she sang songs, and got a little diploma.





Ya know all those posts where I post these crazy pictures of her dancing and doing all these dramatic actions?

Well here's the thing.

She doesn't just save that for home. Oh no, she's the only one up there dancing and doing actions to each and every song. Oh and I should mention she was by far the loudest singer.



At least three parents came up to me saying how she needs to be on stage.

Don't tell her that please.
................................................................................................
To thank the teachers for all their hard work, Kinz gave them each a Forget Me Not plant and the following picture.



Well I mean each teacher got a picture of HER and Kinzley. I didn't give both teachers THIS exact picture. It would be kind of odd to get a picture of Kinz and the other teacher. You know what I meant, right?





I can only pray we love all the girls teachers as much as we loved Mrs. F. She was made to teach preschoolers and Kinzley was so blessed to have her these past 2 years.

{ It's a GIRL! }

What?

Are you pregnant?

No. { Sorry guys! }

But we did add another girl to our family.

Meet Niwta.



She's from India.

Tim and I have felt called to sponsor a child for awhile now. Seperately we have both been drawn to Compassion.

First it's The Pioneer Woman {technically she sent her hubby and girls}. As I read their words I felt called. And I ignored.

Then it's the widgets on blogs, it's ads, Fox News, people. So I ignored those too.

Then it's Angie Smith. You know THE Angie Smith. Audrey's Caroline Mom. I'm a Sunday. Bring the Rain. Angie Smith. {<---------------------Look to the left if you haven't gotten it yet} Ya know her. She's one of my best friends {oh wait, I WISH. Come to think of it, she doesn't know I exist} However. I love this girl. She is amazing. Her faith is astounding. I hope I can be a fraction of the person she is when I grow up. So of course she would go to India. Then blog about it. Not only did she blog while she was there but all the sponsors who went with her. As I read this post, and this post, and this post, and this post, I realize I don't know what I have been waiting for. I hear ya God.


I'm so glad I listened.



For $32.00 a month Niwta gets food, fresh water, school supplies, church supplies, gets taught basic hygenie and most importantly is shown that Jesus loves her. For her to know she is loved and valued and some is willing to help her.



For $32.00 a month she gets things we take for granted.



For $32.00 a month my daughters are realizing how much they have compared to others. They are learning to give because Jesus wants us to. They are learning to think of others before themselves.



For $32.00 a month, I am learning how much I truly have.



"...and whoever welcomes a little chld like this in my name welcomes me." Matthew 18:5



I cried thru the entire online submission process. I cried as I hit pay now. I cry each and every time Kinzley asks me if she can clean her room to earn money to send to that girl who has no food. I cried when I thought of her family getting notice that someone wants to help them. To be her parents and the relief they had to feel when they knew help was on the way.



$32.00 a month.



I haven't even noticed it coming out of my account.



But I can guarentee Niwta has noticed our $32.00 a month.



......................................................................................................



A few days ago a large cyclone hit East India. {In Calcutta to be more exact. The exact area Angie and her group were in} As of today 200 people have died and millions {yes millions} of others are stranded in flooded villages.

Just about a year ago, we had record flooding in our state. I think of how devastating that was and how a year later people are still trying to get on their feet WITH state help. I can only imagine how heartbreaking this is for the people of India. To have such pride in what little they have only to have it all taken away.

I just can't imagine.

I can't seem to find Niwta's town on the map so I am not sure if her family was affected directly by this cyclone or not. I just ask you to pray for her safety. Pray for all who are affected. Pray that they can see the Light of Jesus thru this dark time in their life. Pray that they can lean on Him and know they are loved.

{ Hungry Girl }

Yesterday I took the girl into a camera store {I know you are jealous!} to see if they could fix my main camera lense.

Since this post isn't really about how I can get my lense fixed for a mere 100 bucks, I'll just bypass this part.

In the middle of the store is a big sign promoting a local food drive. On the floor is a bunch of can food, as well as rice krispie bars, fruit snacks, granola bars.. Kenna's kind of food.
Within minutes she is sneaking her way to the food. Right before her little hand grabs a rice krispie bar, I catch her and say

"Kenna, you can't have that food, it's for kids who don't have any food. Kids who are hungry"

Without missing a beat she holds out her hands {and quite loudly I might add} "Mom, I don't have ANY food and I AM a hungry kid."

See why I was hoping that bandaid would work?

{ Think this will work? }

: Yeah, me either :

{ I get knocked down, but I get up again }

In the last week or so, our school district held it's annual Hershey's Track Meet. {Does anyone else find it slightly odd they would name a sport event after a candy bar?!?!? I'm just saying.}

This is the second year Kinzley was able to compete. And this year she actually did her sporting event. She didn't find the need to "wave to my people" this year like she did last year.

She ended up doing three events: standing long jump, 50 meter dash, and 100 meter dash.



: Like the tongue? :





She ended up jumping 55'' even and winning first place! That girl can jump!

{Of course in her excitement to jump, I forgot to take pictures of her jumping and made her go on the track so I could get some shots {smile} }

She was sooo excited because her best friend Brynn did the same three events she did.



And wouldn't you know it, in both races {with 3 heats of 8 girls each} Kinz and Brynn were in lanes right next to eachother.



: Waiting before the 50 meter dash :



And she's off.

That is until 1/2 way down the track where my sweet girl is trying so hard, pumping her arms and leans to far forward and falls, scrapping her hip bone.

{Which really shouldn't have surprised me since she did that same thing in her first race last year also!}



This is right after she fell {hence the blurriness. Her Mom got a little shaken up} Just look at her determination and heart. Could I be more proud of her?!?!?

So many kids would have started crying or not finished the race. She seriously jumped right up and raced so hard she still passed a few of the other runners. It never dawned on her to quit. She jumped right up and continued to race her heart out. So while I was proud of her for winning the long jump, I was oh so much more proud of her for getting up and finshing that race.

For the record, she managed to stay on her feet for the entire 100 meter dash, just missing third place by a fraction of a second.

{ Please }

please
stop
growing

Please?

{ saturday afternoon rain storm }

I was outside earlier this afternoon swinging in the hammock, reading Jodi Picoult's latest book with the girls, being crawled all over and trying not to flip the thing when it starts downpouring. So I take my book and go to the couch, while the girls head to the garage with their Dad.

Within 20 minutes the rain has completly soaked my yard, making me smile remembering Tim moving the sprinkler all over the yard this morning.

We are still trying to grow grass from when we built the house two years ago. Instead we are growing dandelions and lots of 'em. In our attempt to someday have a green lawn, we have a drain the takes the water from the front yard and carries it around the house.

Sometimes mud and rocks get it in the drain and it causes a mud puddle.

All of this made perfect sense to me when the girls came in to get swimsuits.

And it wasn't three minutes until they decided a mud fight was in order.











The mud fight was going along quite nicely until they spotted

this
little
guy





At this point I came in to start bath water. Rumor has it {my source, Kinzley} that Kenna climbed in Tim's car, with the toad {smile} found his lunch box and proceeded to put him inside so she could keep him forever.

From the sounds I could hear Tim making outside, {while I was in the house} I'm thinking that she didn't get to keep him forever.

Remember the last time they played in the mud?

Can you believe this is the same girl?



Now I'm off to scrub the mud off them so we can get ready for the car demo.

Who needs boys when we have these two?

To big little for your britches?

What to do when your sister's closet is the only one unlocked?

Meaning you only have access to shorts than won't stay on your skinny little bum?





You tape them on of course!

{ Motherhood is not for the weak }

I'm sitting her trying to finish a 17 day long blog post when Kinz comes out of her room with big fat crocodile tears streaming down her face.

To summarize our conversation:

She's afraid of me dying. She doesn't want to live on earth if I am not here with her. She actually told me "If you die, I am going on the road to get hit by a car because I don't want to live without you."

I actually felt my heart contract as my tears start falling.

Oh sweet girl.

I remember being scared of my mom dying {and truthfully still am} but to try and explain to a 5 1/2 year old, we were put on earth knowing we are going to die. That when we die we get to go be with Jesus in heaven. Which she isn't thinking is a great idea because she has never met God and is scared of Him too.

I explain how much He loves us and how He put each and every one of us on earth for a purpose and how we need to trust in Him and know that He is always watching over and and taking are of us.

How I do everything I can to stay healthy. I wear my seat belt, I exercise, I don't drink alcohol, I don't smoke.

Thru her tears she mumbles, Can you smoke in the afternoon?

No, I'm pretty sure it's still unhealthy in the afternoon too. {grin}

I tell her I worry too. I worry something could happen to her or Kenna. I worry because I am the mom. It's my job to worry. Not yours. But even though I worry I know God is always watching over us and that I shouldn't worry.

And while I have trust is God, I think I'll go snuggle with my girl and pray an extra prayer He doesn't separate me from this sweet child one second before it's necessary because I'm not sure either of us could handle it.

{ Man's Best Friend }

5.20.09
11, 12, 13, 14 ok 17 days ago when I started this post, my husband took our 13 year old Black Lab Chewy to the vet two hours before he had to go to his own Dr. to have a cyst removed.

5.3.09
Does anyone else find it funny how much dogs resemble their owners?

Just take a look at this video.



While I find it a bit odd someone would want to look like their dog, { smile } what really fascinates me is when people and dogs have the same qualities.

Both Tim's family and my family love dogs. My MIL has an older Lab who tends to be a little timid at times and doesn't like a lot of craziness. Tim's Grandma has a little Yorkie { Grandma isn't even 5 foot herself } who runs around keeping busy and whose bark is far worse than his bite. My sister has a Yorkie who at times would like to be left alone but also likes to be where there is action. She also has Max, Gunner's brother, who just loves to be loved on. My brother has 2 Weinreimers who are the perfect dogs for their family. My mom and dad have Luke. {giggle} There is no way for me to do him justice. You need to be around him to know he and my Dad are two peas in a pod. As for us we of course have Gunner. Which I am not even going to get started on comparing him and I. And then we have Chewy.

Oh Chewy. We found Chewy at a pet store the day after Christmas. Tim's childhood dog had past away the summer prior and Tim really wanted to get another dog. So WE got all 4 pounds of black lab/border collie but how quickly our dog became Tim's.

From the start he was always Tim's. He would go to work at a junkyard with Tim. {Where he proceeded to step on something and cut his foot. $300 later his food was stitched, he wore a cone around his head and Tim was requested pain medication for Chewy or sleeping pills for himself. Turns out Chewy is a bit of a wimp with pain which ironically so is Tim. } Chewy also got to 'work' at the Resort during the years Tim worked there. People still ask about the "Camp Dog". Tim bought him a seat belt harness for dogs for the trip up. Tim buys him hamburgers at fast food restaurants. {to this day} Tim lets Chewy on the couch. Tim lets Chewy sleep in bed with him. Tim pretty much lets Chewy do whatever he wants.

To say they have the same personality is an understatement. Our family jokes how similar they are. So really it should not have come as a surprise when both Tim and Chewy went to the Dr. last Friday. It's shouldn't have surprised me that Chewy had yet another ear infection and was put on medication. It didn't surprise me that Tim was put on antibiotics after they cut a boil off his stomach. {Although it did surprise me that he wasn't put on something stronger since it's now 4 days later and it's still infected.} {Don't worry now 17 days later, I'm happy to report both Tim and Chewy have healed well :) }

It shouldn't surprise me when the two of them came home, Tim sets 2 bottles on the counter and starts laughing.

But it did.

500 grams of Cephalexin three times a day for each of them.

Seriously?

I told you I wasn't kidding when I told you they were a lot a like.

Two of a kind, let me tell ya.

{ Busy couple of weeks }

Each and every morning I add write a blog post to my to-do list.

Every single morning.

Then evening comes around and I realize another day has past and still no post.

Let's just say it's been madness around here. Between getting Mother's Day orders out in the mail, then having my external flash drive with ALL my graphics for my jewelry and my fully edited pictures for new blog posts break in two pieces, I was a little ticked off at technology. Then having a garage sale at our neighbors {without a garage mind you} in which it rained all 3 days, followed up by having construction workers in my house all week long. While I watched 6 kids under 5 with their air compressor in my house. Plus add in my birthday, Mother's Day, end of the year school activities and a track meet.

Like I said I really had great intention just no time. As I get serious tonight, to try and finish a post I started 11 days ago, I realize I need to re-download pictures from my camera {insert, broken flash drive} to find the camera battery is dead.

Of course it is.

Of course.

By tomorrow, I'll be back in the game.

{ Time marches on }

11 years ago as I got ready for my high school prom, there were two little boys who didn't get what all the fuss was about. Two little boys who didn't understand the beaded dress, the hours spent doing my hair or why my husband then boyfriend would think to bring me flowers and want to clean his car instead of playing with them.

Two little boys who wondered why on earth you would want to wear a tux and be forced to stay clean.

Fast forward a few years later when those same two boys were required to wear a little tux of their own to be my 'bride's boys' in my wedding to my prom date. By this time Jake was starting to understand what the fuss was about. He 'worked' his tux. Joey complained the entire time he was forced to wear his.

Now 8 years later it's prom time again. But this year it's for those two little boys.

Not much has changed.

Jake was as impatient as ever to get his tux on. Joey waited until the last second and the panic set in. Jake thought he was a stud. Joey didn't like the way he looked.

Really not much has changed in the last 8 years.

Other than this..

From this...



to this....



{ Be still my heart }

_____________________________________________


Jake -- Mr. GQ himself.
Worked his suit. Posed for the camera. A complete natural. Needed little to no guideance.

_____________________________________________

Joey {grin}
He did work his suit. He did pose for the camera. Not quite so natural. Needed a little, ok a lot of guidance.

In the end, I did get some really great shots of him. Especially considering he gave me all of 10 minutes to take them.







{BTW, they did both have dates I just didn't feel right posting picture of other people's kids on here without their parents permission}

To think in another 11 years, I'll be taking pictures of my girls before prom. { breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out }

I'm learning very quickly they are going to grow up whether you are ready or not.

And just for the record I'm not especially after seeing how quickly the last 11 years went by with these two little boys guys.