This Spring marked our very first women’s retreat for the gals at CityView. It was short, just a Friday evening and Saturday, but full of good things: worship together, teaching times, yummy food, laughter, morning coffee on the porch & late night card playing! It was good to spend time with the women the Lord has sent our way!
We focused on Titus 2, where we started with the gospel, centered around the gospel, and ended with the gospel: Our Blessed Hope.
Titus 2:11-14, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing slavation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”
We can’t be the women God wants us to be without Him working in us. Our only hope to being the wives, moms, sisters, friends, or daughters that brings Him glory is through His blood and his contining faithfulness. And how good that faithfulness is!
I can’t blog about the retreat without mentioning what happened to Kerri (pictured above on the left). She went to bed that night not feeling well (no card playing for her!) She still felt ill the next morning, but like a trooper stayed during the first session of the day. Later, in tears, she confessed that she was having horrible pains in her side. Fortunately our hostess is a Physicians Assistant and was able to coax Kerri into letting her take her in to the ER where she works. Good thing, since Kerri had appendicitis! Her surgery was that night, and all went well. Isn’t it a great ‘coincidence’ that we happened to be at Laura’s, who happens to work at the ER, and Kerri just happened to get sick at the right time? 
I love how God works!
I’m already ready to do it all again!!
All photos are courtesy of Jennifer Vargha, jjphoto@hotmail.com. Thanks Jen!!
*This is my 100th post to this blog! At some point I’ve got to start printing these out!*
The morning of Aidan’s birthday, Lizzie and Lainie came over to play.
Sweet friends! They were way too busy to stand still and look at me so I could get a picture!
Just because it’s your birthday doesn’t mean you can get away with squirting your momma! Ok . . maybe just a little.
I put the little girls to work watering my flowers.
Which they kinda did.
That evening we went to Chili’s and had dinner with friends — including Malia, Aidan’s bestest bud and fellow birthday-person.
The cupcakes are topped with little lightsabers.
Happy Birthday, buddy. I am blessed to be your mom. I look forward to watching you grow into the man God created you to be. I love you, son!!
May was packed with fun things to do at the kids’ schools. Field days, class parties, as well as field trips. I was able to go hang out with all three kids at their field days (forgot the camera though, oops!) Field day, in case you were wondering, is the day when the class gets to ‘play’ all morning at various outside games. When Rick was a kid, that meant 50 yard dashes. For our kids, it means things like tossing frisbees into tires or having a wet-sponge toss. Either way, lots of fun!
I was also able to go with both girls to each of their field trips. (Being a stay-at-home mom has lots of perks!)
Raegan’s field trip was to the Fort Worth Bureau of Engraving and Printing, one of only two facilities in the US where money is printed (DC is the other location.)
Believe it or not, we all had a great time — and I was especially glad that it was free and located only 10 minutes from our house! We found out that all money made in Ft Worth is marked with a tiny FW (look for it!!). We got to see the new $100 bills and find out all of its cool features (due out in April 2011.) Best of all, I got to hang out with Rae and her buddies all morning. No pictures any of us though . . . firearms, cell phones, and cameras were not permitted!
The next day Aidan, Juliet and I got to accompany AnnaBeth’s class to the zoo.
We got there a little before the buses did. Juliet: As long as there are snacks, who cares if we have to wait?
Unless someone tries to take my food!!!!
Aidan and I were trying to decide . . .
. . . Is this gorilla reading a book or updating his blog?
And then later . . . What’s wilder, the kids or the animals?
The kids. Definitely the kids.
Getting up close and personal with the white tiger.
It was crowded, and the class was short on chaperones, so I was so glad to be there.
Except maybe when I had to be this close to a snake!
Honorary first grader!
AnnaBeth’s teacher, Mrs Burt, is the blond holding the blond. This is the same Mrs Burt that was Rae’s 2nd grade teacher. She moved to 1st grade last year and this coming fall she’s moving back to second, so there is a possibility AB could have her again. She may never be rid of us!
David kept saying, “AnnaBeth’s mom! Take my picture!!” Honestly, how could I resist?!
After AB and her class left, Aidan, Juliet and I stayed for another hour or so, and practically had the zoo to ourselves. We also gulped down some big old Icees — yummy!
I get ambitious during the summer. As soon as school lets out my head starts spinning with all the things I want to do . . . people to play with, places to go, movies to watch, books to read, things to clean!
Now that I’ve done a great deal of the above, it’s time for a new project: updating the blog! Just this morning I’ve uploaded over 400 pictures taken over the last 4 months. So without further introduction, let Operation Catching Up commence!
First up, Spring Baseball. Our men from church have been involved for several years. It’s a great way for them to share their feelings with one another and encourage one another. (You know, like “I hate losing” and “Good catch, dude!”)
But this season was especially meaningful . . . we almost lost one of our own. Bailey, team manager and shortstop, was hit in the head with a baseball during the second game of a double-header.
God’s Providence is Good though. One of the teammates is a doctor who assessed him, called for the ambulance & made sure he was taken to the best hospital for brain injuries.
While the team prayed and waited in the ER, his wife spoke words of encouragement to the men. Bailey had surgery that night where several plates were inserted to put his skull back together.
Renee, Denise (her hubby is the doc), and Bailey’s wife Lindsey (with a little baby girl growing in her tummy.)
Two weeks later he was back to managing the team again. Miraculous.
Bailey in the dugout. “Here’s where I had a piece of skull pushing on my brain.”
I love our men. I love our people. I love this church. But mostly I love the God we worship!
All of these pictures are from a very cold April night a couple of weeks after the accident. The kids entertained themselves that evening by taking these. Here’s the crowd (aka wives and the kiddos) watching the game. Sort of.
Me, in a borrowed jacket. We were dressed for summer and all of a sudden it turned COLD!!
Posing . . . also in something borrowed (and something blue!)
Crazy kid!
Ms Vivi keeping the books.
Super-cute Gavin and his mommy, Jen.
Aidan holding a puppy’s snacks. “No son, you can’t have one!”
Thanks for sharing your blankie, Gavin!
They love cheering on the team. Go CityView!
I have much to add to our little blog — a summary of a very busy May. But until then, here’s what we did after dinner tonight . . .
Shannon brought her camera to the park one day and got so many great pictures. These are some of my very favorites!
Our favorite part of this particular park are the super fun tire swings!
I really thought this was a sweet picture. Aidan is kissing on Macy. Ahhhh.
Then Shannon let me know that he is actually trying to turn her around. He was telling her what to do, she wasn’t listening, so he is taking matters into his own hands!
Sweet sissies!
Sweet cousins! (Juliet, by the way, is STILL on the tire swing!)
Time to go!
The advantage of cousins being so close in age . . .
. . . is that they are such great friends!
OK — they aren’t all Whites, but Shannon and I are cracking ourselves up. Ha!
Last week Mom, Shannon and the girls came to visit. Here are the cousins on their first night together. They were holding hands, ready to pray! Thank you Lord for family. Thank you Lord for safe travel. Thank you Lord for taco salad!
On our first full day we took a long walk to the park — little girls in the wagon and the preschoolers on bikes. After we came home all the kiddos ate popsicles. The little ones were stripped for the occasion!
Aunt Shannon brought a fun toy to play in.
(Which has slowly been deflating over the course of the visit!)
And all of this is just day one. Cousins are so much fun!!
Our choice for this year’s vehicle parade was pretty easy — a tractor, “just like Papaw’s!”
To be just like Papaw’s it had to be red. Only Case International in this family.
Not too bad for only an hour’s worth of work!
With the rest of his peeps. OR . . . (hee hee!) . . . With the rest of his ‘beeps!’
Oh Mommy. At least I think you’re funny!
A few days after Easter we discovered something very unpleasant. Some undesirables had taken up residence . . . . in our hair!!!
Ugh. I highly recommend NOT getting infested. No fun. After we were debugged, I started doing laundry:
A LOT of laundry!
The good thing about this was that my car finally got a thorough cleaning. Nothing like a few bugs to get you motivated!
