Christmas Pictures

Finally took my kiddos Christmas pictures today...here are some of my favorites!








And...our Christmas card picture for 2009! Merry Christmas everyone!!! Praying you stop long enough during this busy time to remember the REASON for this (and every) season!

My kids...my blessings.

During this time of Thanksgiving and Advent, I think a lot about my family, my blessings, my gifts. I want to take this time to give you a bit of an update about my children, my biggest blessings.

Abbigail My Abbigail is amazing. She surprises me. She is growing by leaps and bounds. Yes, she is growing a bit taller, but not nearly as tall as she would like. The jeans that I hemmed at the beginning of the school year are starting to look a bit short on her. So, yes, she is growing. However, the growth I am talking about is more intellectual. My little girl has always been "smart." She has always seemed inquisitive, curious, and knowledgeable about so many things! She was reading at a 3rd grade level at the end of kindergarden. She is now in the fourth grade and reading at over a 7th grade level. She has read so many books in her school library that they are now bringing books from the middle school for her to read. She loves reading so much! She is always asking questions that I haven't even thought to ask. One of her Christmas gifts (DON'T TELL HER IF YOU SEE HER!!!) is a set of books called "100 things you should know about..." there are many books in the series such as "the Earth" "the Human body" "weather" etc...). We recently met with her teachers, the school principal, and a school resourse specialest to come up with strategies to help her be more challenged in her classroom. She does work rather slowly, but she gets it right! Abbigail is always singing a song or reading a book...and sometimes both. She is in a special after-school choir. She loves to go to dance class and art class. She is a busy girl!

AndrewMy little man. Oh how I love him! Andrew has recently turned 8 years old. I can't believe he is THAT old! I love him so much, but he can infuriate me like no other! He can be so sweet and kind. He can be be selfish and demanding...how can he be both in the same minute? I don't quite know! He is also growing like a weed!!! He put on some pants this morning for church that fit perfectly fine less than a month ago, this morning they are WAY short on him! These pants now look like they are almost capris! Seriously, a month ago they fit fine, and now they are about 2-3 inches short! No wonder this kid is ALWAYS hungry! He is also a very smart cookie! He scored THE highest of all second graders on some standardised testing. WOW! We are wondering where these kids got their brains and Hubby and I have deduced that we didn't use ours, so we just gave them strait to our kids! Andrew has started taking gymnastics this year. Somethign that surprised his dad and me! He loves it! It is an all-boy class. He enjoys his boy scouts, and wrestling will start this week. He's a busy kid as well!

Bethany

My "Little Bit." What a sweet heart she has. She is still my baby and loves to snuggle as much as possible. She would sleep in my bed every night if I let her! She is still my baby, but she is growing up so quickly as well. She says she is too old for princesses and "baby stuff." But she goes over to play with the neighbor girl who is 2...she says she HAS to play princesses with "H" because that's what she likes to play! I think it is just an excuse to play with the "little" stuff since she still likes it, too! She takes after her brother a bit in the "temper" department. She is so sweet and loving, but if you ask her to do something she doesn't want to do, watch out!! She is doing well in school, just like her siblings. She is scoring as if she was at the end of Kindergarden instead of the beginning! She decided to take gymnastics this year instead of dance classes. She has fun running and tumbling. She is now a "Daisy" scout and enjoys making the crafts and having fun. She is a little social butterfly. Love my Little Bit!
My husband is one of my biggest blessings. He is so wonderful to us. He likes spending time with us and makes sure we are never in need. He works so hard for God and our congregation. He is always there when people need him. He is such a wonderful pastor, father, friend, and husband. I love him SO!
God is good. He is so kind and generous to have blessed me so richly!

Picture Post

Here are a bunch of pictures I have neglected posting. They are in random order because I don't have the time or energy to fix them. So...here you go!



Abbigail waiting for more make-up...my kiddos are all baby bunnies in the high school musical this week. This was last night's rehearsal where they all got to wear their costumes and try on the make-up. Tonight is the REAL dress rehearsal.

Bethany is full bunny make-up...she just needs her hair in piggies...

Andrew loving the attention while he gets his make-up!

Abbigail's bat costume. I was worried about trick-or-treating in all black, so I stitched some of the glow-in-the-dark bracelets to the back as her "bones" in her wings.
My kiddos...Jedi, Charpei, and a bat!

Abbie is so proud of her cat!

Andrew did this skeleton all by himself!

Bethany picked up my camera and wanted a pic of us!

Andrew finally cleaning out his "stinky" pumpkin.

Abbigail cleaning out her pumpkin.

Bethany cleaning out her pumpkin.

Andrew at the homecoming parade.

Abbigail at the homecoming parade.

Bethany at the homecoming parade.

Boys will be boys!

I am sitting here on the couch watching my husband and our neighbor (our friend!) play football on the XBOX. FUNNY! They are so funny. I am so glad that my husband is just hanging out with a friend. Being a pastor (and a pastor's wife) is a wonderful blessing that comes with many challenges. It is hard for pastors and their families to make good friends. We have lots of friends, but not necessarily GOOD friends. It is hard to find people who don't expect you to be perfect or judge you for every single thing you do. It's hard to have a "bad" day. People tend to put pastors on a pedestal and forget that they are simply human. They make mistakes just like everyone else. But they also like to have fun.
I have been so blessed in the past year...first because of my job I have gotten to know a bunch of wonderful women. One happens to be our neighbor. They moved in about a year ago. Our other neighbor down the street has also become a dear friend. We like to get together and just talk. I forgot how nice it is to have people you can just be with...no expectations, no judgements, just friendship, support, love. THANK YOU GOD!!!! One thing that helps with these relationships is that neither of these women attend our church. They are both wonderful Christian women, but they attend different churches here in our town. I have had friends in the church, but it is different. I can't complain or tell them anything negative about my husband because he is their pastor (not that I do that often, but sometimes EVERYONE needs to vent!!)
We have gotten together with our entire families, including husbands and children...and even our husbands get along really well. The other husbands thought at first that it was quite "odd" to drink a beer with a 'preacher'. Now they just see him as "Warren." He is their friend, their buddy. They are playing video games. They stand out by the back fence and talk. They have a beer. They talk about sports, technology stuff, grilling, etc. They are just guys and I am so thankful that my husband has these friends. It has been so long since we have had true friends that we didn't have to put on our "pastor and pastor's wife" hats around...I am just so thankful to have these wonderful friends!! We are so blessed!

Holy Cow...August already??

Where did July go? Where did summer go for that matter? Oh, yea...ball games took most of June. July was filled with VBS prep and fun, as well as fair time prep and judging for Abbigail's 4-H projects.
It seems like summer is just getting started, but it is really almost over. School shopping has happened (3 kids in school...EXPENSIVE!) and I am working daily in my classroom. We have open houses next week for my preschool and school starts on the 18th and 19th.
I am excited and sad about this school year. This is the only year that all 3 of my children will attend the same school. Bethany will be in Kindergarten, Andrew in 2nd grade, and Abbigail in 4th grade. Next year Abbigail will be in (BRACE YOURSELF!!) middle school. Yes, my baby is already checking out all the things she can have in her locker!! She also is under the impression that when you get to middle school you get to pick whatever classes you want! Wouldn't that be nice!??!

This month we had a new window put in our living room. It is wonderful! The old window was original to the house, so it was about as old as me! It didn't open, and the sun coming through the window in the afternoon/evening was HOT! We honestly couldn't use this room very much in the summer because it just got so hot. Since we had our new window installed, I have painted the living room and rearranged the furniture about a million times. We also went out and got a new TV and entertainment center this week since our old TV died. That made me rearrange yet again, and I'm still not happy. Maybe tomorrow I'll get it right! Maybe we'll get our curtains hung back up again, soon!! ;o)
I ran/walked my first 5K on July 4th. It was a fund raiser for the park we are trying to have built here in our town. A wonderful, beautiful park...a very expensive park! I finished the 5K (that was actually more like 7...long story!) While I was walking/jogging the 5K, my wedding ring scratched my other hand. I looked down to see what had happened and realized that the diamond from my wedding ring was GONE!!! I was SO sad. There is no telling when I lost it or where. The 5K was held at the state park close to our town...did I loose it somewhere on the trail? At home? In the grass? No idea. It was a small diamond, but it is the one Hubby gave to me when he asked me to be his wife. On my birthday, we took the ring to a jeweler to see about getting a new diamond put in the ring. The jeweler said that my ring was wearing thin and would need some major repair, and that a new diamond simply would not fit (remember, VERY small diamond originally). So, Hubby bought me a new ring for my birthday (and our anniversary, Mother's Day, Christmas, and anything else for about the next 5 years!!). Isn't it pretty?I feel like a looser since I've been neglecting my poor blog. I am going to try very hard to be more faithful about posting...I started this to keep my family updated on the kids, and also to "journal" about our lives since I don't take time to scrapbook often enough. While I love facebook for connecting with friends both new and old, it is not a journal. It is not a place to write down stories about what my children are doing and learning. It is not where I take time to list my challenges, my blessings, and my victories. This is that place, and I miss it. Blogging world...I'm back (and I hope not to get lost again!!!)

One more thing...

This is mainly for my family... There is going to be a couple of races (5K, 10K, and kids' fun run) out at the state park next Saturday (July 4) to help raise money for the new park that will be built here in town in the fall. It costs $30 to run...or the kids can get pledges and run for free...so...who wants to sponsor my kids?? :o) Leave me a comment or send me an email...they'd love to be able to say that their family back in Wichita is sponsoring them!!!

My kids are FISH!

We are spending a lot of time at the pool already this summer!! These pics were taken the same day as the park pictures. After the park, we all went home for lunch, and then I took my kids and my friend's two oldest to the pool.
They are anxiously awaiting "break time" to be over!When are they going to blow that whistle???
'P' and Bethany relaxing in the sun during break time.Bethany swimming UNDER water! She has always loved the water, just like her brother and sister! This year she has taught herself to put her face in the water and swim! She also taught herself to do the backstroke and float on her back! She hasn't even had swim lessons yet! She has gotten so good at swimming that she can now go down all 4 slides at the pool, by herself! She doesn't need me to catch her, just swims to the side (the water is way over her head, too!) I am super proud of all my little fish!

Neighborhood fun!

Another thing that has kept us busy this summer are our neighbors! We are very blessed with our neighbors. There are three families on our block with kids basically the same age. Abbie is the only 9 year old. Andrew has 2 friends who are 7-8, Bethany has two friends who are 5, and the other two families have smaller children. The kids usually split into three groups...the big kids (Abbie, Andrew, & the other two their ages), the little kids (Bethany and the other 2 5-yr olds) and then there are the "babies" (one of them is 2, and the twins will be 2 in August). We go for bike rides, we go to the parks, we play at each other's homes and yards, we carpool to ball games and library story time, we go to the pool together...and after we put the kids to bed, sometimes the mommas (and sometimes the dads join us) meet outside for some grown-up time! What did I ever do before I had such great friends?? Here are some pictures of a day a few weeks ago when I rode bikes with most of the older kids to the park, and one momma rode her bike with her bike trailer, and the other momma walked with her twins in her stroller. We had a great time at the park for a few hours. The kids swang, rode bikes, ran, got dizzy on the marry-go-round, pretended they were monkeys, and saved the town from fire (see the fire engine pics)! So much fun with good friends!Bethany running down the hill..."Baby R"...one of the twins, trying to get her to give me one of her million dollar smiles!Two of the "babies" going to save the town from fire!Getting DizzyThe "little kids" swinging (Bethany is on the left)Abbigail taking a breakMonkey boy E...you can see Abbigail's knees hanging from part of the fire-truck. She loves to do this! Getting ready to go home...one family had to leave early to go to a birthday party...and my friend left early with her twins...I had these 5 crazy kids to ride home with...and yes, I rode my bike, too! So much fun!

We are so blessed with our neighborhood and friends!

Ball Games...

I'm going to try to post a bunch of pics today...try to catch you up just a bit on what we've been doing this summer to keep so stikin' busy!
Ball games have been our Tuesdays and Thursdays through the month of June. Bethany played t-ball in the morning while Abbigail and Andrew played their games in the evening. Abbigail really got into softball this year. She even decided that she wanted to go to the pitching clinic and open practice...which added 3 more practices a week!A lot of Bethany's friends were on her team...and she's had a great time!
Andrew had a good year in baseball...and he made the CUTEST catcher...for 2 innings. He was jumping out of the way of the ball as it came in and Warren told him he was wearing all that padding/gear for a reason, the ball wouldn't hurt. Well, Warren was wrong. Andrew quit jumping out of the way and got hit in the thigh...but he tried to suck it up and not cry. The very next pitch hit him in the arm...he cried, he howled, he REFUSED to be catcher any more! A week later during warm-up he tried to catch a pop-fly, onlly he missed...he caught the ball in his nose. BLOOD everywhere. I don't think his white baseball pants will ever be the same! We got the blood to stop, his teeth were fine (I was afraid about him loosing his teeth!) He said he quits baseball and he wasn't ever going to play again! But a lot of boys were gone that night, so his coach said "We REALLY need you Andrew!" And he hopped up, grabbed his mit and ran out to right field! What a sport!
My Mom and Dad were even able to come out for a quick trip to see all the kids play a game! It was so special to have them here to watch and cheer on my kiddos!! So thankful they were able to be here!!!

Busy week ahead!!

I thought things would slow down once school was out. I wasn't thinking about all the BUSY things that go on during summer...June especially!! T-Ball, Softball, Baseball, practice for all of the ball teams, Library story-time (X2 age groups!) are just a few of the things that keep me busy. Since I know we will be BUSY, I thought I should plan some meals so that I can make sure I have the stuff on hand for some quick meals! So...here goes!

Monday: Italian chicken packets on the grill, Italian bread and salads (Mom & Dad are coming to visit!! Yippee!)

Tuesday: Panini's for lunch. Supper will be BLT's (maybe) or Pizza Hut buffet (then ball games)

Wednesday: Warren will be at LYF so the kids and I are on our own...probably sandwiches.

Thursday: more ball games, so quick hamburgers and fruit

Friday: Spaghetti and salads (spaghetti squash so that my husband can eat with us!!)

America...

I don't think very often about all the blessings we have living in America. I don't think too often about the sacrifices that are made daily so that I can live in this country, wear what I want, say what I want, believe what I want, be what I want. I am so thankful to all the people, past, present, and future who have served our country. I am thankful for their sacrifices. I am thankful for the sacrifices of their families. I had never thought too much about it until my brother-in-law decided to join the army. I am so proud of Nick. He has given 4 years of his life to serve our country. To make sure that my children, and his, have a safe home to live in. Have the opportunities to follow their dreams, their God, and have their own opinions. Nick will come home for good in June. How thankful our entire family is that he survived his tours in Iraq. How thankful we are that he is coming home. I pray we are there to support him and his wife as they transition back to family life. (These are the shirts I made yesterday )

Guess what else I've been doing?

I've been doing this since April 1...but didn't really want to put it on my blog in case I quit...but I haven't! I've been getting up early 3 mornings a week to meet a bunch of ladies for aerobics (that's why in my last post I said sleep in SOME days of the week! But in the summer we don't get together at 5:20, we push it back to 5:45...SLEEP IN???? Not in my book!). Actually we've been doing a program called P90X (or something like that). There are infomercials all over the place for this program...the infomercial makes it seem like some miracle. It's been great, but not miraculous! :o) I have actually gained some weight, but my body is changing! My clothes are a BIT looser and my muscles are really beginning to show signs of being toned! I'm so excited. My friend told me that others who have joined them have gained weight in the beginning due to muscle formation, but then the weight starts dropping off..I can't wait for that part!!!

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR THE SUMMER!!!!

Can you sing a little hard rock with me?? Oh, yea! School is OUT! I'm just a bit happy about this! Yes, I love teaching, but I also love spending time with my kids. I like being able to be a "little" less hurried. I like being able to sleep in a few days a week. I like spending time with my kids at the pool. I like spending time at the lake with my family, watching them fish and avoiding anything that could POSSIBLY be poison ivy (aka, anything green!). I like watching my kids play baseball, t-ball, softball...I love bringing children and adults together during VBS to connect more hearts to Jesus. I LOVE SUMMER! (Don't much like sweltering HOT days, but nothing is perfect!)
I have been enjoying my first few days of summer break. I've been trying to get my house back into some sort of order. This working full-time (or nearly full-time) thing has kicked my tail, especially the last few weeks! I've even had time to be a little crafty! I discovered that my sewing machine still works! I made a dress for Bethany and a shirt for Abbigail. Both girls wore their outfit on their last day of school. This afternoon I made 4 shirts (same style, but patriotic colors) for my girls and their little cousins, Ella & Ava. I made a cool "sculpture" out of pots for flowers in my front walk-way. (I will try to get a picture and post it soon).
I even got to go out on a date with my husband! Our 13th anniversary is Tuesday, May 26. Since that is in the middle of the week, we went out last night. We went to dinner at a YUMMY Italian restaurant. We did a little shopping and even took in the new Star Tr*k movie. (It was pretty good by the way).
Abbie & Andrew's school has an awards assembly on the last day of school. Abbigail made the All-A honor roll!!! She read more words this year than almost all the third-graders (got the 3rd place award)! Andrew didn't receive any awards, but that's because they only did one award for 1st graders...but he did wonderful in school this year, too. Andrew has had the same 1st grade teacher this year that Abbigail had when she was in 1st. I asked Mrs. G if she wanted to have Miss Bethany in 2 years and she said "YES!" That she would love to have all the Prochnow kids! :o)
From busy school year to almost as busy summer...but it is great for a change of pace!!

Happy Birthday Bethany!!!

Can you believe my BABY is turning 5 today?? I can't! I wanted to show you pictures of her as a baby, but those are on the other computer...here is a picture of her a year ago today... And here she was in April at her dance recital... and at Easter.... I can't believe how quickly time is flying! She is growing up right before my eyes. Each day she gets bigger and more independent, and at other times she just wants to crawl in my lap and snuggle...and I cherish those times!!
Bethany, my third miracle, I love you! You are my youngest, my princess. How I thank God for sending you to me. How I longed to hold another, nurse another,mother another, love another child...and God granted me the desire of my heart. You have such a girly personality, such a tender heart. You are strong willed at times, but no one will be able to push you around! My little lady...I love you!