Girls Night Out, so to speak

this is what I think of your picture-taking hints, Beck...:) luv ya!

Mom, Beck, Mel, Pipes, Nora, Molly and I took a trip down to Edinburgh last night...in the hunt for Easter dresses! We had some great success, had a fun time, and ended our night at Cracker Barrel...Thanks, Grandma (and Gpa...in spirit...since he was working away at GM)...All the girls will look so cute on Easter...Mel even got some "young lady" dresses...my little girl is growing up right before my eyes.

This is Molly's idea of "doing the treadmill"...she's such a monkey...

Today is one of "those" days. A heavy day. but in a good way...that's all I can say. wish I could say more. I will rest in the fact that I am a child of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. God is in control, still on His throne, working in the lives of those that call on His name every moment of every day.

Chew on that for a bit.

Be back later...tonight is the big Yellow belt test...E. and Mel are slightly nervous, though their Shihan told them to rest assured.

Happy Tuesday, last day of March, almost April to you!

Weekend update #125

the lizard mosaic is about to be unveiled...this is step #1 after the pour...epoxy hardens, next step? grind! polish! fun fun fun!

garsh....

yowza

Scott's amazement never ceases when he's around his wife!

This was Beck's soup...and she thought this really resembled Cookie Monster...I think she might have been intoxicated

Friday night drive to the Cheesecake Factory...I'm so talented that I can drive and take pictures at the same time...all while keeping my kids' safety FIRST!

Ethan, you are such a phenomenal big brother! (we were leaving CF here...yes, my pix are out of order)

David and his fifth child...

Levi was my seat partner....

teenagers...

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Hi.

How are you?

Doing well?

Did you enjoy that blustery, last ditch effort on winter's part yesterday?

Kick 'im to the curb.

We don't want your kind 'round these parts no more, Old Man Winter. K?

I need Spring to go ahead and just stick around now.

This past weekend was, well, I dunno. I'm still trying to process it actually. I've been doing that a lot lately. (processing, that is)

From the look of the pix posted above, it may seem we eat out a lot. We don't. We get our Chinese once a week and maybe pizza every other week...but eating out is a rare thing for us. a treat so to speak.

We got rid of Mel Friday night (ha ha...she was at a slumber party)...and we had already planned to eat at the Factory that night...and can I just say, it's really not peaceful and easy to take Molly to places like this right now. I know this will pass...and once she was eating, she was fine...but she is figuring out the high chair buckles and wants NOTHING to do with having to sit down.

Lots of discipline going on for her right now. She is the epitome of the STRONG-WILLED child.

Saturday was YMCA, pick up Mel, get home, get ready for double date with Beck and Scott...enjoyed a yum-delish dinner at the Olive Garden...I could eat there every day. twice on Sunday. bread, salad, pasta, Andes thin mints when you get your check...David and I split the Tour of Italy. off to Starbucks for some business talk, dessert, fellowship.

Sunday...great worship service, wonderful message by Missionary Pratt on Forgiveness/Grace. an area I need lots of help in, fo sho. We ran some errands after that, ate some baked taters and veggies upon our return home...I left for the Y...(alone time is good even if you are using it to work out! I promise)...got home in time for Davey boy to leave with his big boys to go to a Pacers game...

Can I ask you to pray for us right now? I would appreciate it and I know David would too. things are moving and shaking around here. in good ways. in God ways. Thankful for His ever leading hand...thankful that I have a husband that is firmly planted in his own personal relationship with his very real Lord and Saviour. I will share more later.

now WAKE UP...from that boring update! Have a magnificent week and come back again soon! I hope to have some pix of Mel and E at their Karate yellow belt test tomorrow night! how fun for them! Until then, adios amigos!

soccer fun for all!

move over, David Beckham! Levi Y is on the scene...lookit those handling skills!

even on the soccer field, Levi and Pipey are inseparable! I love that they refer to each other as "honey"...and he was so excited to see his "wife" at practice!

whoops...whatcha doin there, honey?

Pipes shows some mad soccer skills at the onset of her soccer career!

all of their team mates were on the other side of the field, with the coach, where they were supposed to be! they were off in their own little world...

here, Miss P is laying her little head on her honey's shoulder...it was rather cute...

receiving instruction from Coach Mike (I think that's his name...or is it Dan?)

Nora wanted to be free...and Molly actually sat in her stroller the entire time...which was rare...unusual, never happens.




Mani-Scotti even showed up...he didn't want to miss Piper's first practice! what devotion. watch out, though, they may try to recruit you, ol' boy...you have some seriously mad soccer skills!

Pipes is cute with her shin guards on...she kept saying "my legs look big, don't they?"

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Well, here ya go, Dad, Mom...the much anticipated soccer pix that I promised.

and there is more where these came from...you can be sure of that!

I'll post more tomorrow.....lots to do but in the meantime, sleep is calling.

yikes, Laurie...Beck, you are lovely! Mom saved all the stylish,

attractive genes for her last child. no fair (I'm so jealous! right Tom?)

happy start to your weekend, folks!

haircuts and stuff

Good afternoon to you!

I was trying to take some pix of the new 'do...I always dislike my new hair the day after...

I got about 3 inches cut off, if not more...It felt quite good to lose that weight...my hair is thinning and the cut did it some good!

I am a horrible self-portrait girl, for a few reasons.

I don't know how to flatteringly hold my noggin/face/neck to look decent in pics. Plus, I have a hard time knowing how to hold the cam right to get it that way.

this is a total "nerd head" pose...and it was windy to boot.

My sister is good at all of this. She can "turn it on" with a moment's notice...we were playing around at soccer practice (making her husband peeved since we were jabbering and photo shooting, not watching our little ones at their FIRST practice)...She is good, she has "it" down.

poser

she can even "self-portrait" with 2 extra people...

Ok, well I have some pix from soccer practice with Levi and Pipes...but I will have to post them later...I'm out the door to the YMCA...and off to a busy, hectic weekend!

Hope this finds you all peachy keen and doing well!

The past few days...

It was Vicki's birthday on this evenin'....so she got a scoop of ice cream with whip...Happy Birthday, Lovely V!

Barbara and Sarah...in the pic below, they are kinda hidden so they got their own picture! Lucky girls! Fun ladies! I'm blessed to know them!

a remnant of our Ladies Bible Study group, meeting at BJ's Brewhouse...good times!
let's go around the table starting at Pinky in the front, whose name is Sandra, Belinda in the yellow, Sarah, Barbara, Mary in the waaay back, Linda, Mariah, who is Vicki's daughter, Vicki and yours truly. I was leaning down so my being would not be in the way...it was a great time!

Tuesday was a heeeeeeeectic, crazy weird day....and in the midst of all that, Molly was fussy and whining....I was here and there but when I went to check on her, this is where she was. The poor punkin could take being up no longer! sweet pea. Levi was keeping his eye on her! thanks, buddy!

After our morning chaos let up and we went to piano lessons, we found a good park in G-wood so the kids could let off some steam and get some fresh air! I swear the 13 and 14 year old kids are the biggest kids of all. but that's what I love about 'em. mostly.

Ethan's turn to make the merry go round go round...

Sweet ride, Moll.

this was the cutest part of the day...watching the short one run around...what is it about short, little people running that is so darn cute? could it be her woman sized head with all that "lady hair" flopping 'round? or those stubby arms flailing? or the way she bounces instead of runs? I dunno...'tis cute!

the older kids were not thrilled that I asked them to do this...but the one that really didn't want to hold hands? Levi. Ethan's outfit is kinda funky because he was dressed and ready for our next stop, the YMCA! Yah! and no, Levi is NOT wearing man-pri's (guy capri's)...he just has some unusually long shorts on...sheesh...

love this running away from me shot...

subdued....

lovely Mel

Molly wasn't that fond of being thrown in the air...


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Things continue to be unusually busy around here....I don't know how I feel about that. :)

Tammy and I were talking about missing the quieter, more low key days of the younger kids scene. What's with this high energy lifestyle + teens/pre-teens? Our babies will never know that more homey time. Soccer has started, karate is in full swing, piano lessons, trips to the YMCA, running hither and yon....ahhhh. I am grateful for a car to drive, and a bit of $ in my pocket, though it does go fast with my crew....so please don't think for one second that I write all this to complain.

Just noticing. I can look forward to the quieter days of summer, when we can just kick back and hang out at the manor, swimming, tanning, playing! I will hang onto the lazy days of summer!

Today is a bit more low-key...home, catching up on laundry, helping Mel organize her room (yes, I'm helping her...the Anti-organizer), checking out math statuses, hopefully getting caught up on lots of stuff....like David's blog, facebook....so on that note, I'm outta here. Hope you enjoyed the pix....please continue to pray for little Stellan (My Charming Kids)...his heart rate is not going down! How unbelievably scary for his parents...but how amazing to see their reliance on a big God...our Awesome God! Have a blessed day! Come back soon....LY