03/31/12

 

We survived the sleepover.  Glad the kids had a blast.  :)

My brain is a bit tired today so here is a great quote:

Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done.

- C. S. Lewis

03/30/12

 

Help me.

After working all week with kids, we are having a sleepover at our house tonight with, you guessed it, kids.

Wesley and Mikayla's birthday is this weekend and we are partying "hard" around here tonight.

Our idea of a slumber party is the kids playing outside enjoying the time together, possibly throwing water balloons or playing a game, eating some kind of cake, giggles, laughs, staying up late and making many memories.

I hope the kids have a great time tonight.

I hope I don't fall asleep at 7:30 like I normally do on a Friday night.

Wish me luck.

03/29/12

 

We have had a lot of rain here lately.... can you tell?

Here are some "resolutions for women" taken from the men version on the movie Courageous that came out last fall.  They are all wonderful, but I am not sure I could live up to them each day in this sin-cursed body of mine.  Before I signed off that I would do these I would have to put a lot of thought and prayer into them because I would never want to promise the Lord something and then not follow through in the promise.  However, they are wonderful points to live by and something to strive for daily as a woman following the Lord.

Here they are - maybe they will give you something to think upon, too.  They come from the book The Resolution for Women on pages 266-267.

I DO solemnly resolve before God to embrace my current season of life and live with a spirit of contentment.

I WILL champion God's model for womanhood and teach it to my children.

I WILL celebrate my God-given uniqueness and the distinctions He has placed in others.

I WILL live as a woman answerable to God and faithfully committed to His Word.

I WILL seek to devote the best of myself to the primary roles God has entrusted to me.

I WILL be quick to listen, slow to speak, and esteem others more highly than myself.

I WILL forgive those who have wronged me and reconcile with those I have wronged.

I WILL not tolerate evil influences in myself or my home but will embrace a life of purity.

I WILL pursue justice, love mercy, and extend compassion toward others.

I WILL be faithful to my husband and honor him in my conduct and in my conversation, and will aspire to be a suitable partner for him to help him reach his God-given potential.

I WILL teach my children to love God, respect authority, and live responsibly.

I WILL cultivate a peaceful home where God's presence is sensed.

I WILL make today's decisions with tomorrow's impact in mind and consider my current choices in light of future generations.

I WILL courageously work with the strength God provides to fulfill this resolution for the rest of my life and for His glory.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.  (Joshua 24:15 NASB)

03/28/12

 

The kids had their International Day at school.  They have been working on this project all year.  

It began with a paper doll dressed in traditional clothing, then to the country flag, and on to the country's map.  The last thing we have worked on is the 5-page report.  The rough draft has been turned in and sent back to the kids and now we will hand in the final next week.  I will be glad to have another thing checked off for the year.

Their performance was great today and we enjoyed a time of trying food that the kids had prepared from their country.  Mikayla made an Irish dish called Colcannon, which is basically potatoes and cabbage cooked together. Wesley made a Guatemalan dish called Pollo en Jocon - just know it had pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, chicken, cilantro, tomatillos, scallions, etc.. in it.  It wasn't half bad!

I'll have to get pics downloaded and try to show some later.  They did a great job!

03/27/12

 

More rain droplets... do they make you as giddy as me?

This past weekend we had a 5K at school.

I have been walking again for about a month getting myself ready.  I truly missed my walking over the winter months, but by the time I would get home each night it was too dark to walk and I didn't like that.

I have increased what I have walked in this new starting round.  I now walk 3.3 miles each time and I try to do that 4-6 times a week.  (The reason I know it is 3.3 miles is because Steve and I measured it by driving it...)

I am now starting to jog a bit as I run because it has been taking me 55 minutes to walk 3.3 miles and I need to get it down from that.  In the 5K I was able to walk it in 48.06 minutes so I beat my own time.  I was far from the winner, but I was only competing with myself.

Wesley, on the other hand, has a true talent in running.  He ran the 5K course on Saturday in 27 minutes and some odd seconds.  He has run that course before in 24 minutes but he said he didn't think he ate enough to give him energy (we are still learning how much and what he needs to eat before a race) and he was also nervous.  Of course, we thought he did awesome.

He will start training with the Cross Country team at school this summer.  The coach met him Saturday and is excited about working with him.

I am just tickled with his desire to use the ability God has given him.  I pray Wes will use if for God's glory and realize that without the Lord he has nothing.

03/26/12

 

Have I said lately how much I love photographing rain droplets?

If not.... I just did.  

It is addicting to me.

This past weekend Mikayla and I had a chance to go shopping together.  We actually went shopping for her birthday presents.  Now that she is older I would know what she would like, but she is still smaller and it is hard to know what fits or looks good on her. 

I was concerned that she would be a bit bummed that she knew pretty much everything she was going to get for her birthday.  

She wasn't.

She said she wanted a day of just her and me shopping so she was thrilled when she found out Saturday was the day.

You know what I found most difficult about the day?

The continuing realization of young lady's clothing being inappropriate.

I am not one that expects Mikayla to wear ankle length outfits, never show her arms, or wear a total body covering, but I do want my girl to be MODEST.

There are a lot of girl's clothing out there that looks way too old for their age.  I do not want my daughter looking like a "strumpet," as we used to say when I was growing up.

I couldn't believe how many skirts we looked at that were mini-skirts, tops that were too low-cut or wide at the neck to show any and everything, pants that were cut to be tight, shirts that had just "junk" on them.

I know Mikayla wants to look "stylish" and I completely understand that she is growing up and wanting things a bit different.  That doesn't mean that everything she *thinks* looks good will look appropriate on her or is appropriate at all.

I see in so many girls these days where they are wearing outfits that reveal too much of their bodies.  They really leave nothing to the imagination.  We will not allow Mikayla to wear a bikini for that reason.... no matter what peer pressure says.  I'll be honest... it is like wearing underwear in public... and many I have seen are LESS than underwear!

Our shopping trip was an awesome memory and also a learning experience for Mikayla.  I want her to see why it does not look appropriate to teach her, not just to say "you can't wear that."  If she hears that all of her life then all she will want to do when she gets on her own is wear that type of clothing.

Steve and I are also teaching Wesley that he needs to look for a young lady who dresses modestly when he is looking for a wife in future years.  He shares with me many times how he has seen adult women wear inappropriate clothing and it bothers him.  

I am glad.  I hope it always does.

03/25/12

 

John 17:9, 20

I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their [His disciples] word;

I am so thankful that Jesus prays for me.  He prayed for me before I knew Him and He prays for me now.  There are days I try to pray for others and fail miserably because of my sin-cursed body/brain.  

I may forget someone accidentally,  I may fall asleep while praying because I am so tired, or I may not pray for the person at all because they didn't come to mind.

No matter what, we have an Intercessor, Jesus Christ, who goes to the Father on our behalf and He never forgets, never gets tired, and always keeps us in mind.

What a blessing to know!

If you have never received Christ as Savior... just know He is praying for you to come to Him.  

For those who know Him, shout with joy for the fact that Jesus prays for you! 

03/24/12

 

I have been discussing all kinds of parental topics this past week.  

Today I will talk about - DISCIPLINE.

There is a lack of it in our world today.

Discipline hinges on all things I have discussed this week:  respect, entitlement and responsibility.

Why are parents scared to actually discipline their children?

There is a difference between punishment and discipline. 

Punishment is:

the act of punishing.

the fact of being punished, as for an offense or fault.

a penalty inflicted for an offense, fault, etc.

severe handling or treatment.

Discipline is: 

training to act in accordance with rules;

behavior in accord with rules of conduct; behavior and order maintained by training and control:

 

So many people mix up these two words.  

 

Punishment is the act of punishing to punish without showing love or trying to teach your child to learn something from it.   

 

Discipline is the act of having consequences to train your child to know what is right or wrong.  Discipline entails showing love while still expecting rules to be followed.  It also teaches self-control.

 

The Lord chastens us to bring about fruit in our lives.  We get in trouble and have consequences, but He still loves us and moves us forward from it, learning much.

 

Parents today want to talk their children to death without having any consequences.  They want to use time out to an extreme.  They want to re-direct always instead of telling the child "NO."  They do not want to discipline with love.

 

They *think* they are disciplining with love when they talk, and talk, and talk, and talk.  

 

There is nothing wrong with talking, in fact, you have read on here many times how I have talked things through with my own kids.  However, when there is only talking and no action, the kids begin to realize they can manipulate a situation.

 

I have heard so many parents through the years say "If you do that one more time, this will happen..." and they repeat it fifty times... and the child learns that the parent does not mean what is said.  Then, the parent becomes overly angry and reacts in a way that is not appropriate.. it is more of the punishment and not the discipline.

 

Discipline takes work.

 

It takes patience.

 

It take consistency.

 

Steve and I are not perfect parents.  We do not always do everything right, but when our kids hear us say we expect them to do or not do something, they know there will be a consequence if it does not happen. 

 

As my parents used to tell me "I mean what I say, and I say what I mean."

 

We are creating a generation of ME, ME, ME children.  We are not doing them any favors by allowing them to continue in ways that will not produce respectful, responsible, hard-working adults.

 

I began this with God's Word and I will end it in the same way.

Proverbs 29:17

Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.

Ephesians 6:4

And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

Colossians 3:21

Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

 

I hope these posts this past week have been a blessing and given you something to think upon.

Remember - we are held accountable for how we rear our children.  Let's take it seriously.

 

03/23/12

 

Responsibility.

It is the polar opposite of what I shared about yesterday - entitlement.

God's Word talks of this in many passages.  Here is one I found:

Proverbs 10:4-5

Poor is he who works with a negligent hand,
But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely,
But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully.

Over the years I have also been exposed to parents who do not think that responsibilities at home are a big deal.  They believe that as long as their child does OK in class, responsibilities at home are not necessary... they would rather do everything for the child because the child doesn't know how to do it very well.

Of course they do not know how to do it well... that is what responsibility teaches - how to do a life skill!  These life skills flow over into the classroom.... more than parents realize!!!

This is where we, as parents, have a responsibility to teach our children about life.  Chores and expectations are something that do this.

Why would it benefit your child to make life so easy that they do not have to do anything to be responsible?  Do parents really think that responsibility automatically kicks in when they hit college or something?

This is why we are seeing a whole generation of lazy kids coming out of college.  My Dad works at a Vet hospital and he said that all new graduates that come to work there from college think they should have the same as someone who has worked longer.  They don't think they should do "the dirty/low work."  He told me it is frustrating because "kids today," as he calls them, do not want to do anything or work for it.

This goes back to entitlement.  This goes back to respect.  

Parents... do we see what we are creating when we want our children to have "easy lives?"  

Responsibility does not harm your child.

It forms character.

It teaches life lessons.

It produces adults who are not afraid to give their best in any situation... whether it is cleaning a toilet or working a major project.

Here are a couple more words of wisdom from God's Word that I have on Wesley and Mikayla's chore charts:

Colossians 3:23

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

Ecclesiastes 9:10a

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.;

I challenge you... if you have children at home and they do not have responsibilities... start them today.  It is never too late to teach responsibility.  They may not like it at first, but, remember.... you are the parent, not their friend.  :)

03/22/12

 

Yesterday I talked about respect.

Today, I want to talk about entitlement.

Entitlement - verb - to give (a person) the right to do or have something

This word is what many children think they should have today.  Unfortunately, we as parents feed into that manipulation that began with lack of respect.

Over the years I have been exposed to parents who wanted their children to get something for nothing.  They want everything to be on equal ground whether the child has worked for something or not.  They do not want their child to be singled out and not given something even when they have not earned it.

Those parents are creating entitled children.

God's Word tells us that we are truly entitled to nothing in this life, because everything we have is a gift from the Lord.

Why, then, do parents today think it is OK to expect our children to get something for doing nothing?

In our society, we give rewards to everyone on the team because we don't want anyone to feel badly.

We make sure everyone gets a trophy whether the team wins or not.

That list could do on and on.

Don't get me wrong - I want to help children succeed and do their best, but when we don't expect them to do their part in a job or a team, but expect them to get rewarded anyway, we are silently teaching our children that they don't have to work hard to get anything.  They are entitled to get a reward or prize just because they are a child or because they were on the team.

They become lazy.

They become complainers.

They are never satisfied.

That is far from what the Lord wants us to be.  The following verses are good to use in teaching our children.

Proverbs 6:6-11

 Go to the ant, O sluggard,

Observe her ways and be wise,

 Which, having no chief,

Officer or ruler,

Prepares her food in the summer

And gathers her provision in the harvest.

 How long will you lie down, O sluggard?

When will you arise from your sleep?

 “A little sleep, a little slumber,

A little folding of the hands to rest”—

 Your poverty will come in like a vagabond

And your need like an armed man.

Hebrews 13:5b

... and be content with such things as ye have, for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

God does not like laziness and, to me, that is what entitlement breeds.  

Tomorrow I will talk about responsibility.

03/21/12

I'm sharing about parenting skills this week.  I hope you are joining me.

"I'm not your friend... I am your parent"

This is something a lot of kids today do not hear.  

Instead of parents being the actual parents, the children seem to be telling the parents what to do.

The other week I was in Walmart and I heard a boy a little older than Wesley and Mikayla tell his parents after they had repeatedly told him to come to where they were,  "I heard you the first time!" He said it without respect and as if he were an adult talking with another adult.  If he "heard it the first time" he should have enough respect to obey!

The world would say he was just exercising his independence.

God's Word says he was being disrespectful and rude.

We have forgotten that we, as parents, have a huge responsibility to teach our children respect.  If they do not respect us, the parents, they will not respect other authority, and most importantly will not respect the Lord.

Television is full of idiotic parents and "smart" children who think they know much more than their parents.  I do not like the way television portrays fathers and mothers as incompetent and too weak to discipline their children.  It is sickening the way kids on these shows are made out to be so smart when they lie to get out of something and the parents just laugh it off.  I miss the shows like Andy Griffith where there was a true moral to the story.  Today, morals are thrown out the window.

The first thing we must teach our children is RESPECT. 

Respect of adults.

Respect of others.

Respect of authority.

Respect of things.

Respect of their own bodies.

Respect of the Lord - their Creator.

If children don't have respect you will have a hard time teaching anything further.

Proverbs 20:11

Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

03/20/12

 

 I am going to share something I taught the kids from Scripture a few weeks ago.

It goes with what I spoke about yesterday with my own kids.

It involves Eli and his sons.

The Bible tells us how the Lord revealed to a little boy Samuel that Eli, the priest, and his sons were going to face consequences because of their behavior.

If you remember the lesson from Scripture, Eli's sons were pretty evil.  They were not following the Lord as they should have done.  Through Samuel, the Lord revealed that Eli's house would be judged because of how Eli was allowing his children to continue in sin without saying anything to them.  They were judged by the sons being killed in battle and Eli dying when he heard the news of his sons being killed. 

It was impressed upon my heart that day as I was teaching just how important it is for us to rear our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  I realize our children are going to make mistakes, and they have the capability of doing things that we didn't rear them to do.  However, if we just sit back and let our children do as they please from an early age, we may see the same thing that Eli saw with his household... a mess.

The Lord has kept putting something on my heart that I will share for the remainder of the week.  

I am going to share about parenting.

I do not claim to be a perfect parent.

I do not claim to know it all.... I am still learning, too.

I do not claim that my children are perfect.

What I do want to discuss is common sense parenting, which I do not always see anymore in this world.  In the 17 years I have been teaching I have seen a huge change in parenting skills.  I think it is time that we get back to the basics of God's Word and common sense and stop listening so much to the world's reasoning of what is best in rearing our children.

 

Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

We, as parents, WILL be held accountable to the Lord for how we rear our children.  I realize that as they get older they begin to make choices of their own, but we have a huge responsibility to lay a foundation that will help them stay on the right path.  What they do with what they have been taught is between them and the Lord.

Stay tuned for the rest of the week....

03/19/12

 

Both of our children had some life lessons this past weekend.

Life lessons are never easy, but they are necessary as we learn what the Lord wants to teach us from our choices or our mistakes.

I'm keeping it "generic" so that they do not feel "picked on" and that I am on here "telling all." I just see these as great learning experiences.

Here is the first:

One of our kiddos got angry with me because I wouldn't help him/her with a part of something they were studying.  Actually, let me say this differently... I did help, but my precious one wanted me to give him/her all of the answers instead of having to think of it on his/her own.  

Life would be so simple if we just gave our kids all of the answers and made things easy, right?

NO.  We actually wouldn't learn as much.

This same child stayed angry with me for a few hours.  When I asked this child why he/she was still angry, he/she began to tell all of the reasons why... and it boiled down to the fact that I did not "help" him/her as he/she wanted.  I made him/her think.  I made him/her go and research the facts on his/her own.  That caused the irritation.

Isn't that the way we are with the Lord?  He is trying to teach us something but we just want the answer right now?  We don't want to work for it or learn from it, we just want to have all things the easy way.

After talking it over with him/her, I shared that I knew what he/she was feeling because I had lived it... I had done it.. and I knew how I ended up in that situation.  I learned it wasn't worth giving Satan a stronghold even if it is just a few hours.  Bitterness and wrath can harbor up and create problems the longer they stay.  It is never healthy.  

I was thankful for the restoration with him/her and the ability to move past and learn from mistakes. 

Here is the second learning experience with my kids:

The other child got angry at him/herself because he/she did not do well at a task he/she had done.  He/she wanted to quit.  When I tried to encourage, he/she said I didn't know what it was like and he/she did not want to be embarrassed when doing this in front of others.

No matter how much I "cheered," the child continued to be upset.  I finally told him/her that the Lord is using this as a time to learn something.  It was a time to learn that he/she needed to depend on the Lord for all things, and if things do not go as he/she had hoped, still learn from it and see what the Lord is teaching.  I shared with him/her that I had experienced the same thing and knew what it felt like.  I had to learn something from it.

This is also something we have with the Lord - He gives us what we need to do a task, but we give up too easily.  We think that we can't do what He has asked.... and WE, as an individual, can't.  But with the Lord's help, WE CAN.

I kept helping him/her see that the Lord wanted him/her to keep going and just learn.  The situation became one of "helplessness" to realizing it is a learning process and the Lord is teaching us with everything we do.  I was thankful for that change of attitude and the realization that only the Lord can help us in anything.

03/18/12

 

Isaiah 55:6

Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

03/17/12

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 

I am not Irish, but have a bit in my bloodline.

Mikayla is doing Ireland as her country project this year.

I do love the color green.  (In fact, when I go shopping for clothes I have to make myself step away from green things....)

In honor of this GREEN day, I thought it would be neat to list things that are green.  I really think the Lord loves green, too.  When I looked up the word "green" in the Bible I found it occurred many, many times.  

Here are some green things I came up with:

Emeralds

Apples

Cucumbers

Celery

Kiwi

Broccoli

Avocados

Grapes

String beans

Butterbeans

Trees

Grass

Bushes

Spinach

Honeydew

Turnip Greens

Collards

US Money

Eyes

Limes

Olives

... and lots more stuff.

I thought this verse fit so well with "green" today.

Psalm 52:8
But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.

Can you add some green to my list?

03/16/12

 

More pics from school below.  The rain droplets on that day were mesmerizing to me.  I photographed many beautiful images that day... you'll see some soon... after all of my daffodils. :)

The next two pics are basically the same image with different points of focus.  Can you find the points of focus?

 

Here is a quote that was in our church bulletin this past Sunday and it made me think!

"Worry is a form of atheism, for it betrays a lack of faith and trust in God."

- E. C. Haskell

03/15/12

 

Here are more pics I took last week at school.  This first picture below was taken a few days before the others.  I got to watch this plant "unfold."

The rain droplets were a plus.  :)

 

I read this in my devotions last week and it went along so well with what I talked about yesterday.  I hope this is a blessing and great reminder for you all as it was for me. 

Mass Ungratefulness

Numbers 21:4-5

And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

And the people spake against God, and against Moses, wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?  for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

What incident took place in these verses?  Perpetual ungratefulness!  Yes, it's true that "the soul of the people [the Israelites] was much discouraged because of the way" but still, they needed to remember all that God had done for them.

The Israelites received miraculous provision of God on a daily basis and they didn't have an iota of thankfulness within their souls.  They reached a low point spiritually when they said, "our sould loatheth this light bread" (v. 5).  This was a drastic change in attitude.  When God first rained "manna" down from heaven upon them, it was wonderful.  They said, "The taste of it was like wafers made with honey" (Ex. 16:31).  The "manna," which literally means, "What is it?" was called "angels food" (Ps. 78:25).  Imagine the excitement that electrified the camp of Israel the first time they looked and saw honey wafers fit for angels lying all over the ground.  But day by day, and week by week, they became used to this supernatural blessing from God.

Be careful of getting used to the blessings of God!  We have to guard against taking God and His daily wonders for granted.  When the Israelites said they "loathed" the manna, it meant that they had become so disgusted with God's provision that it made them want to vomit.  They considered God's food to be detestable and worthless.

God help us all to watch out for the first seeds of ungratefulness.  We should all be thankful to have the presence of God in ourl ives.  Our hearts should overflow with praise to God for our families, our church, and our own daily supply of food upon our tables.

When children were born during these forty years in the wilderness, I am sure they thought that this manna was the normal thing.  The supernatural became the natural.

How do you react to the tremendous everyday gifts from God?  Make sure that you thank God every single day for the life He has allowed you to live.  Take the time right now to praise Him for your home, family, church, friends, and the gift of eternal life.  Don't ever become hardened to all that God does for you, from the littlest things to the sensational surprises he gives you.

Ask God to impress upon your mind the wonder of it all.

Dwell Devotional - March 7, 2012

03/14/12

 

I photographed these this past week or so at school.  I just love spring and the colors that continue to burst forth.  Every day you can see something different.

 

Let's talk thankfulness.

No, it isn't Thanksgiving or November.

But thankfulness should be every day.

Thankfulness is something I have discussed on here many times before.  It is something we continue to work on with Wesley and Mikayla.  There are plenty of people that complain in this world instead of being thankful.  I don't want to be one of those nor do I want my children to be that way.

Last week the kids began to talk about those wonderful words of "thank you."  They said there are a lot of people who don't say it and it aggravates them.  They help out with jobs at school or church from time to time and they said it is so disappointing when they do not hear "thank you" from people they help... children and adults. 

Why is that?

We live in a time where things are just expected but not appreciated.  

We are spoiled.

I want to always be thankful for what I have or what someone has done for me.  I know there are times I complain but the Holy Spirit quickly reminds me of what I have.  He has really been working on me to have thankfulness in all situations - good and bad.  I am truly thankful that Wesley and Mikayla notice it and work hard to let others know they are thankful.  I pray they will always remember that lesson.

Just remember that those two words of "thank you" should never be taken for granted or forgotten to say.

So... 

THANK YOU for reading my blog and coming back day after day.

03/13/12

 

This past Saturday we went to Old Salem, NC.

We had gone with the kids last year for their NC project and became members.  We didn't get to go in the past year as much as we would have liked, but still enjoyed the visits we did get to do.

This time we also went with my parents and brother. 

The plants are about a week behind ours here so it was nice to see some things budding out that have already come out here.

This flowering plum was just beautiful.  I took lots of pictures of this.

When we got there we began touring the areas and Wesley found a new friend... a guinea fowl. 

Mom and Wes tried out one of the beds in the taverns.  I found out on this visit that people would pay to sleep in a bed... and it wouldn't be a private room.  You would be sleeping with another traveler.... in the same bed.... someone you have never met before.... thankful I live in the time of private rooms in a hotel.

We went to the bakery... of course!  You would have thought that we had not eaten for a week with what we purchased.  Love that sugar bread and strudels!!!

Mikayla enjoyed some of her cherry strudel.

Wesley was enjoying some, too, while Kev chilled for a bit.

 

I was there, too... just behind the camera the whole day as always.  It was a beautiful day.  I was so thankful to have a break from school stuff and have time with my family.  

The only problem of the day was that we lost an hour that night.... I'll be trying to get adjusted to that for a couple of weeks  :)

03/12/12

 

Today I am going to talk about Molly.

Silly, sweet Molly Girl.

She has this habit of tearing up lots of stuff she finds in the garage.  It gets cleaned up and then she decides to get more out and make another mess.  Steve says this is her "playroom" and she doesn't like it neat. ha!

She may make a mess, but she surely is sweet.  She greets us every time we get home and runs around the perimeter of her area of the yard showing she is "boss" and protecting her peeps who are home.

She then grabs her cow or her football and is ready to play.

Some days I am able to play catch with her.  Some days the kids get out there and play "hide and go seek" with her.  She loves it.

On this day I was able to play catch with her.

She makes me laugh going after the ball.

She'll then bring it back and want to go again.  She's doing a good job obeying and getting the ball to us instead of running away.

On Friday I noticed she had dragged out trash bags in the middle of the front yard.  I guess she has now included that in her "playroom."

I just can't tell you how much we love this dog.  Having never really been a dog person before, she has changed my view.  I love this girl....

She is an outside dog, but more and more she finds ways to get in the house...

... and we don't mind for a little while.

 In fact, I'd let her come in a lot more if I knew her hair wouldn't get everywhere and the cats wouldn't spaz. ;)

Our life is so much richer with her in it.  

Pets are definitely just like family and are loved just as much.