The Last Few Days of Summer...

Summer is finally coming to an end here and I'm SO glad to see the rain and cooler temperatures! This last week it rained almost every day and we even had days in the 60's...I loved it for a change. All of the yards are quickly turning green and as Emma and I took our walk this morning, it seemed as if everyone was out doing yard work.

A couple of weeks ago, Larry and I took one of our days off to go on the riverboat tour. We've been wanting to do that for a long time but it seems as if there's always something that has to be done. It was a fun day, although I'm not sure I'd do it again...it was rather expensive!

Big changes have taken place in Shelley's life these last few weeks. First, she's no longer working at Culver's as she now has a new job at HEB. She's working full time in their "Cafe on the Run" which is an upscale deli inside the Central Market. Larry loves having her work there and HEB is a real family oriented business...plus she's getting all the great benefits and perks that Larry gets!

Another big change for Shelley is her living arrangements...she and a friend from church are moving into a new apartment next weekend. This is an answer to prayer as we've been seeing her get more involved at her church and spending more time with her friends from CBC. She and Ashley (her new roomate) came over for dinner tonight. I really like Ashley and I think this is a great move for Shelley...for one thing she's only going to be a few minutes from our house so maybe we'll get to see her more often. I included some pictures I took the other night when we went to see the place...it's really nice!

"Bigger than You" with Michael W. Smith...

The main reason Stacey came this weekend was for the special "Bigger than You" service we had at the AT&T Center. Oak Hills, along with all of the smaller satellite churches met for one service and we had Michael W. Smith leading worship. Larry and I were both working, so we had to get there really early and it's a good thing we did because he was there rehearsing and we got to watch him. Stacey took the opportnity to go right up front and take lots of pictures...her dream come true!

It was really fun having both Stacey and Shelley here for the day. Shelley showed up with a bunch of friends from her church and they took up a whole row. Because Larry and I are involved in starting up the new Northeast Satellite Church, we got to sit in the front section, third row, right behind Max, Randy, Michael W. Smith and David Robinson and their families. It was the official introduction of the new church and we're hoping that today's introduction during the service will bring lots of new families from the community.

By the time we left the AT&T Center, we were starving, so we decided on some authentic Texas barbeque. We met Shelley and a group of her friends at Rudy's and shared lots of BBQ chicken, turkey and brisket as well as their wonderful creamed corn...yum!

The weekend went awfully fast and we hated to send Stacey back home, but it's the first week of school for me so I'm sure it'll be a busy one. The next time we get to see her it will be for the cruise in November...fun!

Stacey's Visit...Day One!

Stacey arrived late Friday night for a very short visit...just two days! We started the weekend out by meeting Shelley early for breakfast at Magnolia House since she had to work all day. Since this is a really hot time of year here, we went over to La Cantera early so we could beat the heat. It's a gorgeous outdoor mall that's right next to Fiesta Texas and caters to tourists, so when we passed the "Build-A-Bear" store, we went in to show Larry as he said he had never seen one. Well, he got really caught up in it (and I'm always "caught up in it"), so we ended up making our own bears. It was hysterical to watch Larry, but he did great until he had to get his bear dressed...then he let Stacey take over.

We named the finished products Missy and Skippy!

After lunch at Chick-Fill-A, we headed home so Larry could take a much needed nap after all that shopping! Stacey and I decided to go to the pool and the water felt wonderful. We swam and layed out and got a LOT more sun than Stacey is used to. Oh well, at least her sunburn is proof that she was here!

Later that evening Larry barbequed teriyaki chicken breasts to go along with Stacey's favorites...buttered noodles and watermelon. I took Stacey shopping and then we ended the evening with a motorcycle ride...

Art Startz!

Monday is our first day of school here but I started this last week getting the classroom ready. This is the first year that all my classes will meet in my own room. Last year I traveled class to class, dragging all my supplies with me. Only towards the end of the year did I try painting in my own classroom and I really liked being in my own space much better. It was a lot of work accumulating all the supplies I needed to have students everyday all year long, however I really enjoyed decorating my own room in the portables. I still have stuff I want to do, but it's a start!

This is my faithful puppet friend, Rascal, who has traveled with me to all the kinder and first grade classrooms for the last few years. I always tell the students that Rascal lives in my own room, so I figured I better make him a "room"...I think it turned out pretty well. I used velcro so I could change his "decor"...I hope my kids like it ~

Fun Day in the Sun...

Since the summer is winding down, my friend Patty Gilbert and I decided to take a day and spend it in Austin. She knows the area well and wanted to show me some fun places, so we took off not knowing exactly where we would end up. The first place she took me was a natural spring called "Barton Springs", where she had hoped we could lay out in the sun and swim, but it was closed for some cleaning and repairs. Instead she took me to another pool area where we spent a couple of hours just laying out in the sun and talking. After some time in the water, we left to go find something to eat. We ended up at a fun restaurant on the bay and ate a polynesian lunch of various kinds of fish, including fish tacos that were wonderful! We spent some time visiting a few of the artsy shops and then headed home, stopping to pick up some homemade pasta that she is going to serve tomorrow night when she has a small dinner party to celebrate July birthdays with friends...mine included!

Getting Back in the Swing of Things...

After a wonderful vacation up north, I returned home to San Antonio where I found it was even hotter and dryer than I remembered it. Oh, how I missed the lush green trees and fertile fields, but that was nothing compared to how I missed Lydia and Joshua, as well as Stacey, Shannon and all my friends!

Now that I've been home for a little over a week, I'm beginning to get back in the swing of things. I'm sure getting back to school and having the kids back in my life is what will lift my spirits, but that's still a week away. We did get back to church right away where we had some good news...we now have a building of our own! We started a church plant three months ago and have been meeting at Oak Hills. We have a big outreach event coming up on August 23rd at the AT&T Center where Michael W. Smith will perform. It will be at that event that the community will first hear of our North/Central location and we'll begin holding services in the new facility in September. It's been a stressful experience starting a new church and we're learning to be "FLEXIBLE"!
Our pastor is Rich Ronald, who's been very involved at Oak Hills for some time and I've known him as "The Professor" in Children's Ministries. He's also producing the "Bigger than You" event at the AT&T Center, so right now he's a very busy man!

I snapped this picture of the new building right after the contract was signed. They're already beginning construction to convert it into our new church!

I'm spending the last of my summer vacation doing what I love best...shopping! Last week I drove up to San Marcos...one of the top vacation spots in Texas. It was fun to watch the tourists as well as visit the unique shops available.

Ahhh...They're Back!

Tonight was a big night for Lydia...her mommy and daddy returned from their Alaskan cruise! They had been gone nine days and that's a long time to be that far away when you're little. Joshua however, is young enough that he didn't seem to have a sense of time...he was happy to see them, but didn't seem to realize they'd been gone that long.

Lydia spent the day getting ready for them...making a poster and collecting flowers from the yard. Finally after naps, I realized that it was going to be a long afternoon! We took a trip to the mall and had dinner at Culver's and when we finally got home, they were right behind us...

Birthdays and Big Steps...

This has been a wonderful birthday, mostly because I'm with my favorite people, but also because we got some good news today. After a delicious breakfast at Millies with my family, we headed home where we got a phone call from the realtor saying that the offer Stacey made on the house she liked was accepted! We're really pressed for time since we leave this Sunday, but we hope to tie up all the loose ends before we leave.

Since I've been at Shannon and Josh's this week, I've gotten LOTS of animal time taking care of their 2 dogs and fish...today it was with "Buddy", their bearded dragon. On the way to dinner we stopped at the local pet shop where Lydia showed me all her favorite animals, including a huge tortoise.

Just when I thought the day couldn't get any better, I found out Larry had planned a surprise party for me. I found out by accident, but it was still a surprise and couldn't wait to find out who would be there...EVERYONE! He and Stacey invited friends from church and school so I saw people I hadn't seen in a long time...what a fun evening!

Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles....

The theme for today was "Bubbles" and it was a definate hit! Lydia opened up several different bubble toys and had a great time blowing and chasing bubbles all over the yard. When Joshua woke up, he got in on the action too.

...and to end "Bubble Day" Lydia opened a bubble making machine for the bathtub...fun for both kids!

On another note...Stacey has been looking at houses while we've been here trying to decide if she can afford to buy right now while prices are low. After looking at a lot of "junk" in her price range, she found a darling little home in Machesney Park that has been completely redone inside. This afternoon, Larry and Stacey met with our realtor to make an offer. Since I was alone with the kids most of the day, we went to the store and bought "Mary Poppins". After putting Joshua to bed early, Lydia and I had a movie night...it was a blast!

Not a Typical Sunday...

Gettting ready for church with two little ones was a lot harder than I remembered, so we stopped at McDonalds for breakfast before church. The kids enjoyed their food, but not as much as the entertainment!

It was great being back at Hope for worship this morning, and to top it off, Larry even got his old job back as "Class Leader" for the day...seemed just like old times!

Both kids have been taking wonderful naps in the afternoon, but today Joshua decided to only sleep for an hour so I got to spend some time alone with just him for a change. Usually Lydia demands so much attention that he's just a quiet bystander, but I put him on the floor with some of his cars and he had a ball...not only with the toys, but using Grandma for a jungle gym!

"Grandpa" Arrives...

Larry was due to arrive Friday evening, and I had told Lydia she would get to see him before bed. Well, Stacey ran into traffic in Chicago when she went to pick him up and they didn't get home untill 9:30. Lydia was so excited, she couldn't go to sleep so I let her lay down on the couch to watch a movie and thought she'd fall asleep but she was wide awake when he finally arrived. Thankfully, she calmed down quickly and was asleep by shortly after 10.

After a delicious breakfast at The Illinois Machine Shed, we stopped at a local carnival in our small town of Roscoe where Lydia enjoyed the big slide, the games and "Snoopy" (aka Sasha Lindstrom).

When the kids woke up from their naps, Larry and Stacey were gone looking at houses for Stacey, so I decided to take the kids to the park. Along the way, we were joined by a "few" neighborhood kids...it was fun!

At least Toby and Todd are enjoying the cooler temps we've been having...while Larry barbequed chicken breasts for dinner, we let the dogs out in the yard. Stacey brushed them and the kids just enjoyed playing with them.