Pants it will be and a prayer request

Pants (instead of shorts) it will be tomorrow for my 8 year old...I know I won't be her favorite person in the world (or the house for that matter) but it is going to be a cold day again tomorrow plus rain. One "warm" day last week and she wants to wear shorts to school. And I must defend her desire to do so with the fact that MANY others are walking around campus with shorts on, even today. Not to mention the fact that Tuesday in P.E. she slid across the gym floor and ripped a couple of holes in the knees of her Old Navy khakis...Boy she is rough. When she got in the car and showed me the damage, all I could think about was the song from American Idol that has become a hit...I am sure you have heard it..."Pants on the ground, Pants on the ground..." Well my version was "Holes in the pants, holes in the pants, ain't had 'em a month, but we got holes in the pants." All I can do is laugh about the damaged goods (pants) and buy more. So you do see that I would be all for shorts IF it made sense at all with the weather! It is kind of hard to get holes in the knees of shorts!

My dear friend, Betsy, leaves for Honduras on Saturday with our church mission team. Please be in prayer for her, the team, their families here, and the lost children of God that they will encounter. One day I too will go on a mission trip...One day! I thank God that there are Christians who can and do serve in this way.

Look out Friday, here we come!

I Need Inspiration

I need inspiration to get things done. I have always said that if I wanted to "get something big done" around our house, we have to have an "Event" scheduled to simply get us motivated to accomplish our larger goal(s). Well, today proved to me that I also need motivation to get even small tasks done. We had some friends stop by after school today, which I gladly welcomed (love you bw, cbw #1 and cbw #2) but when they left I realized some things were greatly out of place in my house. Such as...the placemats from the dining room table, 2 different sets, were on the floor under the table. Who would look there for the placemats? Also, I had 7 balls of different kinds and sizes in my den...every where you looked you could see an out of place ball (football small, football regular size, basketballs, plastic bowling ball, etc.) And I am the mother of 2 GIRLS! Not to mention I had (clean) laundry on my baby girls bed that was half folded, art work from school for the past few weeks on the kitchen counter, shoes and socks from today for my barefooted-yard-dog-precious-three-year-old-angel on the kitchen floor, and clothes hung over the dining room chairs put there to "dry" while we were at school today. Boy was I un-prepared for company, but BOY do I welcome it regardless of the condition of my home! Thanks for the inspiration BW and anyone who is wanting to stop by unexpectedly, feel free...just prepare yourself for what you might see!

Is it Monday yet???

This has been an unusual week...maybe because it is the first week we have been back in school since the Christmas Break for a full 5-day-week, but can I admit I am glad we are out of school next Monday? Although we have only been back in school for 8 days?

Every day this week I have noticed the billboard at the church across the street from our neighborhood (a church we have never even been inside of over the past 9 years but instead drive 20 minutes past it to our church). However, the billboard itself has made a profound impact on me. Let me get the phrase right...It reads "A parent's life is a child's guidebook". Wow does that speak to anyone else? Actually I think my children need a different parent/mom to insure they turn out "right" in adulthood! I surely cannot be a good enough example for them! Oh, I pray to be that good example! I know this phrase is true and that children model our behavior, as I have seen some of that from my own children, both good and not-so-good...But I need to be reminded of this in my everyday living. I hope it speaks to you too. Church billboard signs are awesome ways of knowing if you are living right or not! HAHAHA!

Free Throw Shoot Out

Emma was asked to participate in a Free Throw Shoot Out here in Dothan on Sunday. She qualified through her school to represent the 8-9 year old girls from Providence. She wanted to do the competition at school but I think the fear of the unknown (what would the city-wide competition be like) almost had her backing out! But she participated and did great! And now I think she is glad she participated. The participants shot 10 baskets each and then shot 15 more baskets each. The total baskets made was their score. Well, she and another girl tied for first place and had to do 2 play offs before a winner could be determined. We told Emma that was like double OT! Needless to say Emma placed 2nd but boy were we proud of her and she had a smile on her face too! The hard part for me was not to cheer her own...the gym was soooo quiet! I am use to leaving her games with a soar throat and this time the only thing I left with was a sore tailbone because the gym bleachers were soooo hard. The other students from Providence did well too. This is a picture of the winners from her school...ages 8-9, 10-11, 12-13, Boys and Girls. Go PCS Eagles and Go Emma!

We had Honey Bear for the Weekend!

Ella brought home the class pet from her preschool class, Honey Bear. She was so excited that it was "her turn" to bring Honey Bear home for the weekend. She told me she got the chance to bring him home because "she was on the list". The thought process of a 3 year old is priceless. This was Ella at home with Honey Bear Friday at lunch after preschool.

Honey Bear went to Emma's basketball game at church on Saturday morning. Boy was it cold!

After we left the basketball game we went to a sweet friend's 4th birthday party! He is in Ella's preschool class and was excited that Honey Bear came to his party.

After church Sunday we went to our favorite, quickest service Mexican restaurant for lunch.

It was a great time for Ella to have Honey Bear at home with us this weekend. She has waited for her weekend with Honey Bear since school began in August so you can imagine the excitement when it was her turn. We summarized our weekend with Honey Bear for the teacher to read in class on Monday and developed these same pictures to share with the class. I am so blessed that my children are/have been involved in a preschool that makes the simplest of things, like a big floppy teddy bear, so much fun. Now let's just hope she lets the teacher have Honey Bear back!

Roll Tide Roll!

It is with great anticipation that our family is waiting on the National Championship Game to begin tonight! Emma used a homework pass to avoid having to do her homework tonight, Ella just wants to watch the game with her daddy (we hope she doesn't realize halftime/bedtime is not the real end of the game!), and I am sure Chuck will be home ON TIME tonight which doesn't happen often. I envision the living room rearranged for everyone's best seat to be in front of the TV and a fire in the fireplace at kickoff! We like to see The Tide play and LOVE to see them win. I think we will order pizza for dinner...It just seems disrespectful to cook on the night of the National Championship Game. Atleast that is my story and I am sticking to it!

Greetings from the Houston home where it is freezing outside (literally) and toasty on the inside. But does anyone else worry about how much the power bill will be this month? Especially when you hear the heater running so much, even in the middle of the night? Thank goodness for levelized billing for us! The Highs won't be reaching even the 50s until next week so bundle up and stay warm! Have a great day!

I wanted to share some pictures from this past Christmas. This is my children with my parents, Roger and Mama Jean. The children love to visit my parents house and Christmas was no different!

This was one of Emma's favorite games that she received. Thankfully you don't have to "know" all of the states and capitals to be able to play but it is fun! We have played with this present more than any other one received. It is fun...if you have children, or just want a challenge, try it out!

Well, it is official, Emma has her own camera! This was her "Big" gift from us although it was a "Small" package. She got her first camera about 10 years before I got my first one so maybe she will be a blogger one day too! Although it is not the same as my camera, which she loves to use, it still made her happy and she has taken over 100 pictures so far!

This was Ella's favorite present from me and Chuck. It is a Barbie guitar with an microphone headset. When I saw it in the sales ad I liked it but when we went to buy it and I realized it plays Cindy Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" I had to buy it! That song took me back to when I was a child, and after all, this little girl just wants to have fun too!

This Cinderella Barbie ran a close second on her favorites list. Since we are going back to Disney World this Spring Break, all she can talk about is the princesses! If she knew we were actually going to be eating lunch with them while we are there then she wouldn't sleep between now and March! She also got a Snow White Barbie, Princess and the Frog toys, a Little Mermaid movie, and then used a gift card to buy a Sleeping "Booty", as she calls it, costume complete with slippers and a tiara. She is definitely my little princess!

All in all we had a wonderful Christmas! Probably our best yet as a family of four. The girls received LOTS of presents from friends and family that were very much appreciated but I just wanted to brag on what great ideas I had for them!

PS-This is cousin SPS with Ella. They got matching Disney princess sleeping bags from my parents and you would have thought they had received $1MM! They are double trouble!

Happy New Year 2010!

Greetings from the Houstons! For months I have been reading a few blogs from friends, and from friends of friends who are otherwise strangers to me but who appear very interesting, and have both laughed and cried at the posts included in their blogs. I have often thought "I need to blog" and have had the desire to record my children's lives and our family's life happenings...thus Happenings around the Houstons. So here I am! I am not a scrapbooker and don't even organize photos on a regular basis so maybe this blog will help with our family chronicles! I hope to be able to share Godly inspiration with you on a random basis and do not even pretend to be a perfect christian, although I love the Lord and have been "delivered" more times than should be allowed. I look forward to hearing from you all...family and friends - both present and future!