I'm leaving....

No, I'm not leaving for good. No, I'm not leaving my husband...he's coming with me! We're leaving our children! :o( We are going to Texas for the week. We are going for the Pastoral Leadership thing that Hubby was nominated for. We knew this trip was coming. We've known since December or even before. But, it's here, NOW! My parents will arrive within a few hours. Tomorrow I will take my babies to school, get on an airplane and leave. I know my children will be in good hands. I know my parents can handle it. But I am FREAKING OUT!!! My BABIES! I have never left them for more than one night. My parents love my kids, I know that. My parents will do only what is best for them, I know that as well. The sad truth is that my parents live 4 hours away and know my kids through visits, not long term contact. My parents have come to visit us here in our town, but they don't know where everything is. They don't know our friends and neighbors. They don't know the kids' routine. I wouldn't trust anyone else to keep my babies, but it is so hard!
Please keep all of us in your prayers this week. Prayer for safe travel (my parents and Hubby & I). Prayer for my parents as they are with my kiddos. Prayers for my kiddos...that their hearts will not hurt. That they will be on their best behavior. Prayers for my heart...that it doesn't break leaving my kids. I am looking forward to this time alone with my husband, but I will miss my babies!!!

PS....Andrew took his Pinewood Derby car to the district competition yesterday. He won FIRST in his age group!! SO COOL!!!!

Easter Pics

Andrewism....

Happy Easter! He is RISEN!!!

We had a wonderful Easter, but one thing leaps out in my mind. I made a yummy Easter dinner...ham, cheesy (au grautton...no idea how to spell it!) potatoes, green beans, rolls...the whole package! It was all yummy! Andrew particularly enjoyed the potatoes. He asked if he could have some more ROTTEN potatoes!!! What a guy!

We started the day with Easter sunrise service and then breakfast at church. Sunday school Easter egg hunt and then worship. Home for the yummy lunch. After a bit of time to unwind, we went with Hubby to his vacancy church. A family who have been there for a while was moving, and they were having a dinner after church to celebrate Easter and say goodbye to this family. It was a nice day. It was nice to be able to spend the entire day with Hubby!
My big family (mom, dad, brother, cousins, etc) all got together yesterday at my parent's home. I wished that I could have been there...but I am really trying to make our own traditions with our little family. This is the place that God has placed us to do His work. I am trying to accept that we just aren't able to be with our bigger families for these traditional family days and make them special for our smaller family...for my kids and my husband. I am so thankful for my husband, my children, and for my church family.
I will try to post pics of our Easter finery soon!

Boy Scouts

Last Sunday, Andrew's Boy Scout group had their "Blue and Gold Banquet" and Pinewood Derby. It was fun, and the icing on the cake is that Andrew's car won FIRST place in the derby! Here are some pics of the day! Before they could race, they each received their own driver's license! And here is the WINNER!

One of Andrew's friends recently became a big brother. Here is Abbigail holding little Abigail! Bethany didn't want to be left out!

Dance Recital!

Here are some pictures of my girls and their buddies at their dance recital today...aren't they just ADORABLE??? Abbie's group danced to "Girls just wanna have fun" and "Sneakernight" (or something like that). Bethany's group did "Lollipop," "Me and my Teddybear," and "God bless the USA." They had fun and did a really good job.

Time flies!!

Has it truly been an entire month without blogging? I am so sorry!!! If anyone ever bothers to read here again (and I don't blame you for not coming back...not much to keep you returning!), thank you! I keep thinking that soon life will settle down, and then it doesn't. I thought it would settle down once wrestling was over...well, it is over and life is still crazy. One by one we are finishing school-year activities. Dance will be over after tomorrow's recital. Like I said, wrestling is already over. Boy scouts is over (by the way...Andrew's car won FIRST place in the Pinewood Derby!!!). After-school choir for Abbie and after-school art will go until the end of the school year as far as I know. Girl scouts will probably be over here in the next few weeks. 4-H runs all year long. Of course, my school year will be over in 6 weeks, however the summer looks busy as well! In June we will have t-ball for Bethany, softball for Abbigail, and baseball for Andrew. Then there is the ever popular activity of swimming!! During the summer I will need to get everything in place for next school year and there is always VBS to plan!! EEEKKK!! I really need to learn how to say "NO!" and mean it!! On the plus side...I've started working out again. I have started joining some other ladies three mornings a week for aerobics. The first morning I thought my legs were going to fall off...well, I HOPED they were going to fall off. MAN they hurt!!! The next morning we focused on our arms, backs and abs. MUCH more doable! I have survived....I can't wait to see what we do tomorrow....and I am curious to see how badly my legs hurt after the next "leg day"... Hubby turned 35 this week. So I have approximately 3 1/2 months to tease him about how OLD he is! :o) Then, magically, on July 21, 35 won't be so old after all! ;o) Well...we're off! A pancake supper in support of a new park that the community wants to build here in town...Dance recital tomorrow...I'll try to post pics! I know everyone always wants to see pictures of the kids, but this is a picture that we took recently of Hubby and I...do you like my new haircut/color??