The dream won't die...

Ever have God speak something to your heart so deeply, that you just can't shake it? Though it tests your faith, scares you to death, makes you feel utterly ill-prepared...you can't WAIT for it to happen? Yeah. We're there. Pray for us, friends...Love you all!



Isaiah 43:5
Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.



James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.



Psalm 68:5-6
A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families...



Hosea 14:3

...In you the orphan finds mercy.

The best things in life are free...

Caleb and I went and visited with our neighbor, Mr. Bob, as he was having a yard sale. We really have been SOOOOOOOOOO blessed by our neighbors during this deployment, so it was a nice time to say hi, thank you, etc. also.

Mr. Bob directed Caleb over to the toy table while he and I chatted, telling him to pick something out. He immediately made a bee-line for a stuffed Shamu the whale. (He is ecstatic about our side-trip there in a few weeks...) When I asked Mr. Bob what I could pay him for Shamu, he politely declined, saying, "Its free for you today."

When I got to thinking about that...I thought, "The best things in life are free..."

• Whether its Shamu *grin*
• Our family
• Our friends and neighbors
• Or any of life's little blessings...

Friends, remember today...take a lesson from Shamu...the best things in life indeed are free. Cherish the little things.

I can't WAIT...

So, friends....we are now T-30 days and counting until Joshua gets home on leave. Please pray with us that the weather over there cooperates and he gets home on time, because we've planned a family getaway to Disney that we'd really like our daddy to join us on!! :-)

And now, as often as we can, we're going to update the "I can't WAIT...." blog...as a reminder to appreciate the little things in life...

Meg: I can't WAIT to hold your hand again. You know...in that funny way when I have to have my thumb and my pinky finger just where I want them...and you hate it. lol

Caleb: I can't WAIT to play "ka-chow!" with you!!

Josh: I can't WAIT to play "Transformers" with you and I can't WAIT to give you a hug and kiss.

*love*

Caleb-isms

The scene: Dinner at Don Pablos, sitting by the fountain in the middle of the restaurant...of course...one that you throw pennies into.

The players: Caleb and mommy (and Caleb's girlfriend-waitress...but that's another blog).

[Caleb throws a penny half-way across the restaurant. Whoops. We try again. Success!]


Me: Good throw, bud! What did you wish for?

Caleb: I wished that everyone in the whole wide world would be in our family.

[Mommy eyes the teachable moment...]

Me: What a great wish, buddy!! Did you know that that's the SAME THING Jesus wishes for all of us? To be in His family?

Caleb: [rolls his eyes and sighs] I already knew that, Mommy...


Scene ends. Don't really know how to follow that up...Way to go, kiddo. Way to go.

Only my kid....*shaking my head*

We were driving home from the mall tonight, and I had the windows down because the air conditioning isn't working (and yes, honey....I have an appointment at Saturn on Thursday...but I digress...). On the way home, though, we pass a landscaping company, and to be frank, it stinks. But then I hear THIS from the backseat:

"Ew!!! Mommy, put your windows up! It smells like daddy's feet all the way from Iraq. And THAT smells bad..."

That, my friends, is laugh-out-loud-funny!

*Edit* I need to add an apology to my poor husband...who did not think this was quite as funny as the rest of us. Sorry, honey!!! :-)

A much needed weekend...

We packed up the fam and drove up to Sandusky, OH this weekend for some much needed R&R. The school year is wrapping up, family stuff is crazy, and we're counting down the days til daddy comes to visit...so this was a nice break from it all.

If you've never been to Kalahari...put it on your to-do list. It was a BLAST!!!

Memorial Day fun!!

So I'm a little behind getting this post up. We had a cook out on Memorial Day and overall had a pretty easy day. The cookout was fun but the best part of the day was the water balloons. We have all been having our friends and families send us water balloons. See it gets hot and we definiltey throw them at each other. But the best thing we do with them is launch them from the 3-man sling shot we have. Our first one was one you can buy at the store that was built for 7 year olds. The balloons didn't go very far but we had fun with it for the 2o minutes we had it before it was broke. Then one of the guys, Sgt Stone, bought a new one on ebay. It is actually made with surgical tubing. These balloons fly now. I'm definitely going to be buying one. It was only $18 with shipping. Watch out!!

PS-I actually made this post about three weeks ago but my internet screwed up and I thought I lost it. I was super frustrated and didn't redo it. I was poking around and found it saved. Who knew???