Happy 15th Birthday

Yesterday, we celebrated Erica's 15th birthday. I honestly can't believe I am typing this and that I have a 15 year old. And not to mention that right now, she is sitting in a driver's ed class at Panther Creek High School. When people say to you, "Enjoy them while they are in diapers - it will be gone before you know it," they really do mean it. I used to think they were crazy but they aren't. It really is true. Once they start school, your life revolves around the schedule and that just really flies by. Aside from all this, we have had an eventful year. We have had trials, treasures and countless conversations that I never thought I'd be having. In the end and as Erica matures, we continue to lay her at the feet of Jesus. Her life is so different than ours was at this age. The temptations are so much greater and at such a younger age. I do not envy our children in today's culture. But all we can do is pray, guide and trust the Lord with her life. And we are so proud of Erica and the young woman she is becoming. And just like our own lives, God isn't finished with her yet!!! We are all a work in progress!!! Happy Birthday, Erica!!!! You are a beautiful blessing and a treasure!

Back at it

As Marsha mentioned, I have been trying to regain access to this blog for a couple of weeks and she has cracked the code!

I am not much of a writer but I find myself more and more aware that the kids are growing up quickly and sometimes there are things I want to capture before I forget. Marsha and I have also been on quite a journey for the last few years (ok..for 20 years) and I want to be able to recount all that we are learning and how God is teaching us.

But really....the truth is I miss reading what Marsha writes. She has a unique way of capturing life through her writing and I hope to spur her on to do it again regularly but don't tell her that is what this is all about.

More later......

Has it really been a year?

Yes, yes it has. I haven't posted a thing in over a year. And Scott recently has asked for the information for this so that we can begin keeping up with our family blog. Funny thing was the sign-in and password would not work. So this morning, this very early Monday morning, I decided to do a little more searching to see if I can fix this. And what do you know? I am now posting and I literally have no idea how I did this nor do I know if the way I set is going to work when I sign out. I'm kind of scared to even sign out. I may have to leave this up on my computer every day for the rest of my life in fear that it will never work again. I mean, how many things can you read on the screen and fill out little boxes until it takes you to the right screen? And then you realize you have no idea how you got there! This is my Monday morning dilemma. Either way, we will see what Scott posts. Facebook seems to have taken over with communication but you just don't get the details like you do here. We will need to try and keep more current. Especially since we are approaching the high school years!!! This should be interesting -- a high school, middle school and elementary student this year!!! Oh, what fun!!!

A Beautiful Family

These are some pictures I took while the Hoerl kids were in town ... what a gorgeous family!!!  

A Visit for the 4th

 Mike and Heather Hoerl and kids came in for a long weekend over the 4th of July!  Wow!  What a wonderful time we had with this family!  They have four children ranging from 11 to 2!  Scott and I were literally fascinated as we watched them parent these four kids!  And they do it with such patience and grace that it was convicting!!  We spent Saturday morning having hot donuts at Krispy Kreme.  How can any morning go wrong that way .. let's sugar-up 7 kids for the day!    
 Then, we went over to Apex for their town's old-fashion 4th of July street party!  It was awesome!  They had blow-ups for the kids, free Chik-fil-A sandwiches, snow cones, games and more.  Emma and the rest of the gang all put on tattoos for the weekend!  It was so much fun and I think everyone had a good time!  In the late afternoon while the little one's napped, the guys let the girls head over to Southpointe Mall for some shopping!  
 Heather picked up some exciting things for a special birthday.  And believe it or not, we all made it to church on time on Sunday!  The kids loved the fireworks we did in the driveway.  Erica, Emma and Maddie made a special cake for dessert Sunday afternoon.  And we sadly watched them go on Monday.  Maddie and Emma started to cry which in turn, this made me cry.  When they drove away, Spencer and I both were misty.  Spencer is my one in the family that really is affected most when people leave.  

I am amazed at how much all these kids have grown.  Mike remembers chasing Erica when she was 2 years old and the rest, we have all had together and watched them grow, except for Kyle who was born in Georgia.  But Scott and I were talking this past week and you cherish the friendships that pick up exactly where you left off.  It doesn't matter how much time has gone between talking or seeing one another.  When you can pick right up and share life, those are the friendships that last through the seasons of life.  And we can't wait to see them, hopefully, in the fall!!!  

Go CUBS!

The boys finished out their baseball season in June after our trip north.  They missed 3 games while we were gone.  This was their last game.  And well, it was memorable for sure.  Do you ever have one of those moments where your kids are so mad at you and you honestly just made a mistake?  

The part where I thought their game was at 7:15pm is where it went bad.  We pulled into the parking lot at 7:00pm and their team was on the field, in the middle of the game.  It was then that I realized their game was obviously at 6pm and we missed the whole thing.  Yes, yes, I won the mother of the year award.  So when the game wrapped up, 2 minutes later I might add, they had their team celebration to which Spencer wanted no part of.  He was mad, rightfully so, and refused to party.  Jack wasn't interested until he saw the juice boxes, cupcakes and Klondike bars and he was suddenly over missing the game and running and sweating.  He was perfectly fine, of course!  

Spencer is just like Scott, and well, the rest of us for that matter.  When you have a picture, the last thing you want is your picture shattered.  And if that happens, well, you need some time to work it out.  Well, the neat part in this was the purposes of God.  The team after them was short five players.  So our coach asked the other coach if our boys could lend a hand and help their team since they were short.  So not only did the boys get their ice cream bars and cupcakes, they did get to serve someone else and take the focus off themselves.  I continue to see God do things like this with the kids.  As they have grown in the last year, they have had to grow and be stretched farther than I would have imagined in their personalities and preferences.  They were able to walk onto a team they had never met and pick up and play ball with them and support that team.  And when it was over, they were able to walk away and you could see how serving someone else made them find value in an evening that had gone bad.  Sometimes our pictures are so small compared to the pictures God has for us.  We just have to learn to stay open and that was the lesson for the night for all of us ........

Meet Piper!!

M
 You know you also feel old when your first cousin whom you grew up with playing dolls and chasing boys is a grandma!  Karen's daughter, Whitney, had her first baby!  This is Piper and I had the privilege of taking some pictures of her while in for a visit.  It was quite a photo shoot!  This was my first one with a little infant and let me say, it is one for the records!  

What these pictures do not tell you is the first 30 minutes she was awake and wide awake!  So no, I could not get the sleeping baby on a red chair that I wanted.  Nor could I get the curled up naked baby asleep on the little stool on her belly.  Piper was not sleepy and she is all arms and legs and not interested in curling up!  So we changed headbands (the headbands are a must for a bald baby and the bigger the flower, the better says Whitney) and decided to get a few of her laying in the field on a soft cream colored blanket after Whitney finished giving her a bottle.  Not only are we waiting for Piper to eat and chill, we are also being eaten alive by bugs and sweating in the humidity from the rain we had earlier, oh, and wet from the tall grass.  But we had a mission and by golly, we weren't finished!  

So Piper finished eating and we settled her on the blanket.  I began taking more pictures, really good ones, and then she glazed over.  Yes, what I mean is, she had "the look."  The happy expressions baby get when they are about to unload their lunch and feel very happy.  Next thing we know, we are not only sweating and sticky and wet, we are now those three plus trying to hold up a baby in the air and wipe her down from dirtying everywhere, including on the beautiful blanket.  UNBELIEVABLE.  And one time was not enough I might add.  Fortunately, Whitney had packed plenty and we worked right past this little fiasco and went right back to taking pictures.  In the end, it was hysterical and we all had a good laugh!  

On a side note, I found out yesterday, Piper was admitted to the hospital for high fever and they were concerned about staff infection.  Praise the Lord when we heard she has a urinary tract infection instead and is being released to go home today.  It was a scary 24 hours waiting on lab results but relieved, especially when she is still so tiny.  Little babies bring so much joy .....

Fun Pictures from the Party!

 Here are a few more pictures from Shane's graduation party!  This is Shane, with his girlfriend, Rachel.  They have been dating for almost one year.  She is a senior this year and following right behind.  
 We thought it might rain but it actually never did!  It turned out to be breezy and comfortable the whole afternoon.  This is my dad with his nephew, Randy.  Erica had the opportunity to spend the night with his daughter, Natalie.  That was such a blessing for Erica!  This is Erica and Natalie.  Natalie is 15 years old and very petite!  She is just like her grandma, my aunt Delphia!  They were all very petite and so cute!  Erica and Natalie acted like they have known each other forever and had such a great time!!


 I particularly love the one of Erica and Logan laughing.  Please don't miss Shane's monster face between them!!  Logan had not planned on being at the graduation.  He is also growing up and had a special soccer camp he needed to attend.  But in the end, he changed his mind last minute and really wanted to be there.  I was so glad to have a chance to see him as well!!  Good times .. good times!

A Graduation Party

 We also celebrated Shane's graduation with a party at the park!  We had fun visiting with him and extended cousins.  I have not seen some of them in over 10 years or more!  I also got some pictures of my mom and dad with their grandchildren and my brother with his family.  Michael does not say very much.  He has always been fairly quiet in general so it was hard to tell what he was thinking all weekend.  But you could see it in his eyes when he looked at Shane that he was extremely proud as a Dad.  I expected Susan to cry at the graduation but we were both so busy with our cameras that I think she forgot at that moment!  I know I did!!  I just wanted to capture the right picture and stop time!


I had to also put this picture of Shane on.  I believe he is four years old and in preschool.  He hasn't changed all that much!  Ok, he's changed some .... I don't think he would wear purple now!  

You Know You're Old When .....

 He's done!  I am amazed, truly amazed, at how fast time really flies!  This is unbelievable to think the little guy I remember at 1 and 2 years old and changing his diaper is graduated from high school and beginning his new season of life!  I feel SO OLD!!  It was so fun to be a part of the festivities for his weekend and enjoy watching him interact in his new world.  He lives in Pennsylvania and has so many exciting new things going for him.  He has two jobs and a beautiful girlfriend.  And he has changed so much in the last year!  He truly has grown up and grown into his confidence as a young man.  I could not have been more proud of him as an aunt!  

It also made me realize how fast this time does go.  I look at Erica and think I have five more years to develop and pour into her life.  I feel the need to set attainable goals and push her more into responsibilities and self-sufficiency!  It was funny though.  I had a conversation with a friend and we discussed self-sufficiency and what the world has taught us as it relates to that. We really do walk around at times with the desire that we are our own god and in charge of our destiny!  Our challenge and question to one another was how do we teach our children to be self-sufficient in their responsibilities but relying on the Lord and seeking His will?  I think we all fall into creatures of self-sufficiency and pride with the attitude of "I can do all things" but leaving out the part of "through Christ who strengthens me."  That is my challenge this next year and the years to come.  As I teach Erica to do her own laundry, which was my gift to her last month, and gave her the task of packing for her trips from now on, another gift to myself - I mean her (wink), I also want to give her the tools and pray she will have the desire to rely on Jesus Christ alone.  To me, this is the bigger task at hand.  I pray she will have a teachable spirit since I know I did not have this at almost 14!  

In any case, our children do grow up and it was a fresh reminder to me as Shane stood in all blue and walked the stage at 18 years of age!  It has been a joy to watch him grow up and I can't wait to see what God has planned for his life next!

Trip to West Virginia

This is Piper!  She is about 3 weeks old in this picture and an abosolute doll!  
    This is Ali and she was going to celebrate her second birthday!
I love this picture.  She has the prettiest eyes and looks just like her dad!  
In June, we traveled to West Virginia and Pennsylvania for my nephew, Shane.  It worked out well as we visited each spot and had the chance to see family.  It has been a while since my kids have visited and all three of them have grown a bit in the last 2-3 years!  They finally got to meet their cousin, Ali, and also their new baby cousin, Piper.  We had such a nice evening with both of them.  Ali was particularly hysterical and her age contributes!  I forget how funny they are.  But Ali took a liking to Jack.  Who doesn't, right?  Jack just loves little kids.  He has such a tender heart around them and he spent time sitting with her and making her laugh and just watching her.  I was told she is usually shy at first but for some reason, kids just take to kids.  She immediately took to all three of mine and they just had a neat time together!  

Memorial Day Weekend

These are some of the pcitures I took while away for the weekend.  We stayed in Manteo, NC:  what a quaint, old beach town.  It was so nice to get away for a few days ...... the kids have totally missed the beach but they love the East coast!  They loved the bigger waves.  They all learned how to boogie board.  Spencer mastered skim boarding.  Jack just floated in the waves and talked to himself and as usual, marched to his only little beat!!!  We got lots of sun and came home tired but it was a good tired!!!   They also played on the docks and caught green backs, crabs and small jelly fish!  They made friends with some of the neighbors at Ms. Daisy's house where we stayed.  All in all, it was a wonderful weekend away :)

NC Beach Trip Memorial Day

The lady Scott works for let us use her beach house on Manteo, NC over Memorial Day weekend!  What a blessing!  So I captured this picture one day on the beach and realized I had taken one similar to this pose 5 years ago while at Jekyll Island!  This is amazing to see how much they have changed .... and how much they have not.   I love this!!!

For Garden's Sake Nursery

Some know our story and some do not so I will be brief.  Scott was pursing Business Coaching and it was very difficult here with being new to the area.  Networking takes a lot of time, especially when you don't know anyone.  So in the meantime, we felt it was necessary for him to work while he networks so our personal hole would not go any deeper.  He began the search and there were no responses.  It was wall after wall and he was getting very discouraged.  We also found out the family in Florida that was renting our house would be moving out.  We prayed and prayed and while Scott was unsure, I was sure and did not have a sense that we were supposed to move back.  He and I were in such different places but I did not feel as he did.  Over about the span of a week, one Sunday afternoon, a posting on Career Builder came up for a General Manager of a retail nursery/full landscape company.  He read it and thought, "I could do that with my eyes closed."  So he sent over his resume.  We headed to Jordan Lake for the afternoon with friends to grill out and while there, he receives a phone call that he takes.  

Needless to say, that was Sunday.  He interviewed with Andrew, the executive assistance to an 80 year old woman, on Monday.  They checked his references on Tuesday.  He met Mrs. xxxx, Andrew and her account on Thursday.  They introduced him to the nursery staff on Friday and he started this new venture on Monday.  What a whirl wind!!  But what an answer to prayer!  It is unbelievable how God works.  Basically, Mrs. xxx, who we affectionately call Ms. Daisy because Andrew is her driver, was married to an oil tycoon.  She owns this nursery and the man running it left after he ran the company almost in the ground.  Scott has been tasked with bringing it to the current century (Windows 98 isn't working for him!) and turn it around!  And other than the challenge, he is having a ball if he looks past the stress!  And they do everything!  Lawn mowing, landscape design, a full retail nursery, irrigation, ponds, walls, etc.   You name it, they can do it!  So this is right up his alley and he is very comfortable, yet uncomfortable!  And that is where God wants him!  He has a staff of 11, I think, so he is trying to understand their roles and building relationships with them to move the company in a positive direction.  

So we thank God for providing this unique opportunity and this may be something later we can look at purchasing if we feel led to do so.  We have learned to stop depending on ourselves, our pictures and wait on God for all things.  That has been a valuable lesson.  And in the midst of it, our kids have learned to wait and that they can survive without the latest toy or fashion.  We have learned much in the last year about God and about ourselves.  He is faithful.   

You can see more at www.fgsnursery.com .  Scott is working on the site so it is a work-in-progress but they needed something!!!

Our First Gardenteoi

We will soon be married 20 years.  I know, crazy, right?  But for the first time in our marriage, we have a garden!!!  We find this is a really big thing in North Carolina.  You have to have a garden if you have any sort of room in your backyard.  We have plenty of room, that is not the problem.  So I had this great idea from my friend, Brandie, who has a beautiful garden!!  Several weeks ago, Scott and I headed to Lowe's.  We had a few thoughts and then we went inside to be sure there wasn't anything different.  We did stumble upon another couple doing exactly the same thing.  However, they were arguing.  I shouldn't say arguing.  He was rolling his eyes and she was "letting him know" how she wanted it done!  LOL!  I kind of stood back and watched and thought to myself, "Wow, that is how I used to look!  Exactly how I would have handled this!"  I was so grateful that God has not left either of us where we were.  Isn't that what the sanctification process is in our walk with the Lord?  I hope we always continue to grow and change and look more Christ-like.  I hope we always can stop and prefer one another or sometimes be willing to lay down our selfishness to make peace.  I just stopped for a moment in the lumber aisle and was simply grateful.  And then I wanted to stop this lady that I didn't even know and tell her, "LET IT GO!  If it looks just a little different than your picture, God is still on the throne!  Pick your battles and pick the RIGHT ones!"  

Anyway, let me assure you I get it wrong more than right.  But back to my garden story.  We enlisted the kids to help.  As you can see, Jack immediately took his shoes off and wanted to play in the dirt.  His words were, "I love how dirt feels on my feet."  And I say, "YUCK!"   Spencer helped me plant some cherry tomatoes upside down in our recycled plant buckets.  This idea was given to me by my Uncle Gary.  And Erica stood behind the camera in her fancy clothes so she didn't have to get very dirty.  She was the "brightest" one!!!  LOL!   I just love Jack's expression as he carried the bag of soil.  He was so proud of himself!!!  

I will post more pictures as the garden grows.  We already have several blooms and several squash on the plant already!  It has been very cool for the kids to participate and see how a garden grows and learn to care for it.  We still have not put a small fencing of some sort around it.  I just know the deer are going to find this if I don't hurry.  I think we will tackle this over the weekend......

Moses the Hunter

If you keep up with this blog, which I wouldn't "necessarily" recommend because I get boring, I had posted a picture of a delicate nest that was made in my Boston fern on the front porch.  The momma bird had laid some eggs and then, they hatched!  We got to see these amazing itty, bitty, tiny, little, white birds that were literally 2 days old!  Now you might be wondering about the title of this post and yes, you guessed it.  Our stupid, ugly, hateful cat perched himself on the railing one night while we all slept soundly in our beds.  I woke up the next morning to find not only my fern shredded to pieces from him jumping and clawing the basket, but yes, the nest on the ground and all the baby birds gone, gone, and gone.  So for the next 3 hours, we listened and watched two love birds flying like mad in the bushes and on the porch chirping and basically, a frenzy chirping, as they searched for their babies.  Erica and I watched in tears and anger.  Let's just say Moses did not come in that day.  And all Scott could say was, "And he still acted hungry this morning........"  I am not impressed.  We have another nest in the other fern.  And I have strategically positioned pots and porch items so Moses can't reach the basket.  I wanted to take a small board and drive nails through it and lay it on the railing but I got shot down on that idea.  Scott was the voice of reasoning:  "Oh yes, let's do!  Let's injure the cat to save the birds and create a $200+ vet bill.  That makes complete sense to me."  Oh, whatever ...

Razors and Such

Erica leaves her razor in the shower.  This has never been a problem before.  However, this week, Jack decided to try his luck with it.  You might think he tried shaving his leg or even an arm.  Nope......he shaved a bald spot onto the top of his head, right down to his scalp.  Now should he later decided he wants to be bald and shave his head, he definitely has the knack for it.  He had a nice smooth spot a little bigger than a silver dollar.  So if he was to want this "style" later, he can do it without a mirror and without cutting himself.  

Needless to say, he wore his little khaki fishing hat to church.  Scott told him he didn't need to wear it and that no one would notice.  Jack said they would.  So Scott said, "I bet you $20 that no one is going to notice, Jack.  You really don't need the hat."  Jack's response was, "So what you are saying though is if someone WAS to notice, you will pay me $20?"  Scott's response was, "Sigh .... never mind.  Wear the hat."  LOL!!  

Hangin' at Home

We found another nest.  I picked up some fern to hang on the front porch and the birds have begun using it for their nest.  We found more eggs and today, they hatched!!  Erica was so excited and they are soooo cute!!!  I will take a picture of them and post it again.  The momma was not happy with me for taking the fern down to get a good look at them.  

Mother's Day was spent relaxing after lunch with friends.  The kids decided to play a new game that involved using the tennis rackets and hitting tennis balls onto the roof and then trying to hit them again as they roll down.  It didn't work out so well but they sure had fun getting the balls stuck in the gutters!!  It was a beautiful afternoon .. the weather was literally perfect!  

The End of SEEKss

We ended our coop this semester.  SEEK is a program hosted by Colonial Baptist in Cary.  There are about 400 participants between moms and children.  Jack had the opportunity to take two extra classes.  He read Stuart Little and took the class to learn how to play the mountain dulcimer.  Spencer participated in the mountain dulcimer class (mind you he sat through much of it with his bum shoulder) and also Heroes of Faith.  Erica read the book, "The Diary of Anne Frank" and also an astronomy class.  At the end of each semester, they have a family night where the classes make their presentations.  Spencer wrote a report on George Mueller,  a missionary we had read about and then read about in class.  He presented to the auditorium which I thought was huge for him!  I guess he really did overcome stage fright through participating in theater!  I was so proud of him for stepping up and volunteering to do this extra work.  Erica played the part of Anne Frank and read a story about "her" family as she journaled.  They both did great and it gave Scott the opportunity to see what SEEK looked like when I talk about it!!  I was so thankful to participate and I thoroughly enjoyed the ladies I met with as we read, Age of Opportunity, by Tripp.  I am debating on next semester so we will see if we sign up again.  

Tubing on Jordan Lake with Friendsut

Our neighbors invited us one Sunday afternoon for tubing and wake boarding.  As you can see, Erica figured it out!  She fell only once trying to get up but mastered it the second time!  She had a great time and she was sore the next day!!  Jack couldn't do it and Spencer opted to wait a few more weeks with his shoulder.  Their friend and neighbor, Charlie, is a little master on it!  He has been doing this since he was 4!  It was a gorgeous afternoon, too.  The water was freezing but refreshing after being in the sun.  I tried to wakeboard and realized it is official.  I am too old and after 20 years, I no longer can do it!  BUMMER!!!!   But it was so fun!!  Our neighbors are so great ... such a wonderful family and we enjoy any time we get with them!!  God is so good in providing just what we need and they are such a blessing.  They moved in almost a year ago and we are thankful!!!  To boot, Erica babysits and Dina is expecting!  We will have a newborn neighbor late October!!!!  YAHOO!!!   Erica is so excited!!  So am I!