A Quote from Ri.... "Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you...... Aunt Susan... Aunt Susan... Susan?? Susan?? Aunt Susan's not there.....SUSAN!!! Bye."

That was the phone call we made this morning. Aunt Susan did not answer, so I had Elizabeth sing her a song. She sang Happy Birthday very well and then told her she loved her. Then Ri grabbed the phone (so sweet) and sang the above quote. It was very funny. He was very confused as to why Aunt Susan didn't talk to him.

He cracks me up. When he is done talking, he simply pushes the button and hangs up on whoever he is talking to. Yesterday, he was talking to his Mamaw and said to her something like this: "I'm busy now, can I call you back" and then either hung up or gave the phone to someone else. I am not sure which. It was very comical.

Oh how I wish I would remember the silly things they say to write them down. It is so funny to listen to them. Yesterday, Elizabeth introduced us to Chatter. Chatter is the mascot at our VBS. Elizabeth loves him and now insists that he is at our house playing with her. It is so cute. Obviously, he is in her imagination. Oh how her imagination is igniting lately!

On another note, a very good friend had recommended the DVD The Letter Factory. Ri and Elizabeth have enjoyed watching it several times. I handed Elizabeth a square with a picture of Pooh on it and the letter P. I have done this several times for months and rarely do either one of the kids tell me the correct letter (unless it is an A or B). Yesterday she quickly told me it was a P. Then I asked her what it sounded like (I usually ask this question, never expecting the right answer). She proceeded with the CORRECT sound for P... without even thinking about it. I was so shocked! I then asked her to show me several letters... she knew everyone! And to top it off... she could make the sound of almost every one of the letters I asked! I was blown away! Ri knew many of the letters and was able to tell me some of the sounds. He is a little behind her on picking things up (colors, shapes, letters, etc). ... but that was standard with my boys compared to the girls.

Well, things have begun to get full swing at our house this morning... so enjoy your day. We are off to play. Aunt Susan... WE LOVE YOU!!! You are, most definitely, the best Aunt in the whole world!!!!!! Happy Birthday. May you be as blessed on your birthday as you bless our lives!

Isn't this just the sweetest picture you've ever seen? THey were such buddies yesteday.

Another very sweet shot of my two little ones! I love how sweet they are being to each other.

Playing around with more ideas for Senior pictures.

Ri was a little upset with the heat and all these silly pictures!
Emily and a new found friend, Casey
Elizabeth thought it was so much fun walking in the wheat field.



I am experimenting with all kinds of different types of shots. Em and I really liked this one.

Well.. Ri isn't much happier getting his picture taken.... still hot...still not enjoying this photo session... guess he needs to take his photo with his little sister.
Wow - I LOVE THIS ONE!
I forgot to mention, though it is very obvious, Em is now wearing glasses all the time. She picked these out, hoping to look a little older and more "ready" for college since she will be graduating this school year! On a very funny note... Mom isn't so smart sometimes. As soon as I heard she was going to need glasses, I told her we had better finish taking her senior pictures so that she wasn't wearing glasses in them. Ha ha! SHe looked and me and just started laughing... reminding me that she could simply remove them for the pictures. Ok... I have to admit... I suffered a little bit of a "blonde moment" (no offense... I was ALL blonde most of my life - until I had kids, that is).




Awww... too sweet. I fell in love with this wheat field background!





Have you ever met someone who you felt as if you had known forever, but you just met? Emily met someone yesterday who fit that description. Her favorite teacher called a few days ago and said that her granddaughter was visiting for a couple of weeks and would really enjoy someone to hang out with. Emily and she clicked right away. She spent the night with us last night and the two of them insisted on a "photo shoot" with mom. We found a beautiful spot in the deep woods. It was so much fun!

It was nice to see her smile this morning... I think she likes her new haircut. She was excited yesterday about getting her hair cut short like Ri's. This morning, she was very proud to have her hair like her brothers. Too funny. They truly are best of friends. Enjoy the pictures (and the gatorade mustaches)





So, I am told, tomorrow will bring another day. Sunday, our Pastor preached his last message to our church family. It was a message that I think I needed to hear. To sum it up, he said "The God of our yesterdays is the same God of our tomorrows." Now, I think you probably needed to hear to whole message to really understand that statement.... but, it meant a great deal to me. To me, it reminded me that God is alive. He is real. He is the same as He was when he took care of the Israelites. When they faced Pharoah and his army behind them and the Red Sea before them... when they felt they were trapped and there was no way out, God was there.

God never promised that things would be easy just because I trust Him or just because I am obedient to Him. He only promised that He would be faithful and that He would never leave me nor forsake me. So, today, I hold this promise even dearer then I use to. I was reminded on Sunday of that truth. There are many times I need that reminder, but it seems that this is the season in which I needed it more.

Well, I am not sure if today was more traumatic for Elizabeth or me. I haven't decided if I like her hair, love her hair, or hate her hair. I think it changes moment by moment. I haven't even figured out if Elizabeth likes it or not. I think she is a little stunned. At first, she stared and said nothing, then she went from mirror to mirror smiling while Ri got his haircut. Then she marched right into my parents house and proudly announced her new haircut. Then as her siblings began to see her hair and tell her how beautiful she was, she seemed to begin to get quiet abouat her hair. Finally, a few hours later, I tried to take pictures and the above pictures were the result. So.... does she like her hair??? I'm not really sure. Based on that first picture, the answer would be no!

And me? Well, I just don't know. I was so tired of her straggly hair. She always looked unkept, kind of like a wild child. SHe cried everytime I brushed her hair and refused to let a pony tail get put in because one time I hurt her when I took the pony tail out. So, I finally just said enough was enough. With the summer, her hair was always wet and stuck to her face. So... for now, it is short. We will see how long we keep it that way.

WELL... MY VOTE IS IN... I OFFICIALLY HATE HER HAIR. :( That makes me sad. I just took a moment and looked at all her pictures and now my heart is very, very sad. As straggly as her hair was, it still beautifully framed her little face. All I needed to do was get her bangs cut and her hair cut an inch or two. Oh how that makes my heart ache. But... hair does grow out. That is one thing I do know. Maybe this cut will grow on me, but honestly, I don't think so. I miss her sparkle. I looked at that top picture and I just hate it. She was so sad and cried and cried for the last hour before she went to bed. I wonder if it is because she hates her hair too. That would make me even sadder. :(

A lot will happen on August 3rd. Mark and I will be celebrating our 18th wedding anniversary and Erin will be turning 16. Her dearest friend planned a surprise party for her on Friday night. I think she was totally surprised. We all enjoyed a wonderful evening of fun. I can't believe my precious girl will be turning 16.
I thought this was just a cool picture.

There was a great water balloon fight that went on with just about everyone getting involved. Elizabeth didn't quite like it, but Ri got into it. Here, Sam is finalizing the fight. I think he got her pretty good!

Elizabeth and Ri enjoyed this swing much of the night. Here, Ri is more concerned with the hot dog he dropped on the ground. :(

Erin got a big game of ultimate frisbee going. I love this picture just because of Em's face and Jacobs position. They seemed to really enjoy themselves.

Erin found this hat sitting around the house and started goofing off with it around Elizabeth. I thought she looked so sweet in it that I made her take a few pictures.




On Saturday, Erin's high school team took on the Alumni. It is always a fun game. I think they all look forward to it every year.

This was the first goal of the game. Erin is becoming known for her headers.

My Dad is pretty faithful at attending his grandkids sporting events.
Yesterday, Elizabeth and Ri seemed to really enjoy Grandpa being there!







On another note, yesterday marked the beginning of a new phase in our church. Our precious pastor of 30 years (personally, he has been our pastor for 11 years), preached his last message to our church family. God has called him to leave and preach in Michigan. He has been very dear to our family and will be missed. It is difficult to let go of him, but I am confident that if God has called him, then He has prepared the pulpit for another man of God. Sometimes, though, it is hard to let go of someone you love. I am reminded of his message yesterday when he reminded us that our God of today is the same God of our yesterdays and will be the same God of our tomorrows. Just as He lead the Israelites into many unknowns, He will faithfully lead us. Just as He provided for them, He will provide for us. We were blessed to have Pastor Jones as our Shepperd for so long and will anxiously anticipate what God has planned for our future.

I finally have all my children home! Boy has it been a crazy summer. Sam got home last Thursday, but Emily was away on a mission trip in Philidelphia. She didn't get home until Saturday night, but Sam and Jacob had spent the night a Mamaw's... we got them home Sunday only to wait until Sunday evening until Erin returned home from the STrongsville Tournament. Finally.. Sunday evening, we got them all home... only for Sam and Emily to spend the night at Mamaw's on Monday (to spend time with their Uncle who was celebrating his birthday). Erin and Jacob both spent the night at someones house too. Yesterday they were all home. It felt kind of strange... but oh so good!

Emily had an amazing time in Philidelphia. She had the privlidge to lead a young girl to Christ. We praise God for the joyous news. She throughly loved every minute of the trip. They ministerd in the "hot spots" of Philidelphia... where it is very well known for gangs and drug deals. It is a rough area. They spent a great deal of time on a playground ministring to the kids. They spent time cleaning up the area, finding used needles and stuff like that. It is a great eye opener for our youth. She was approached by the pastor to consider applyling for an internship next summer. It was quite an honor and something we will definitely lay at the feet of our Lord, covering the entire thing in prayer.

Erin participated in the STrongsville tournament with her high school team. She enjoyed the tournament and loved being with her teammates. She was awarded the player of the match 3 out of 7 games. It was quite an honor for her. She also participated in the showcase/spotlight games. I might have mentioned that before, but these games are specifically set aside for juniors and seniors who are interested in playing at the collegic level. There are over 100 coaches there just to watch the girls play. You must pay a fee to play in the games. Then you are placed on a team of 11 and then play 7v7 for 30 mintutes. Each girl is given only 20 minutes to play. So...you have 20 minutes to hope to show a coach your ability. Plus... at the exact same time that you are playing, there are 4 other games going on. So, you really have no clue if a coach is there watching the game or not. Erin was a little disappointed in her first game, but her second game went very well. As of yesterday, she had been contacted by 5 coaches who had watched her play. Who knows what God has planned for her. It is an honor to have any division coach even express some interest.

Sam is adjusting back to his family life. The dynamics for him have changed again. He is once again with 2 little ones and the "normalcy" of sibling life. On Saturday, he hopped on his bike to ride around. He came in the door with his hands behind his head whincing in pain. He told me he was hurt. I looked at his leg and he had a HUGE gash in his ankle. We cleaned him up and realized that the gash was deep enough he needed stitches. So off to Urgent Care. 2 days home and he had already been injured. Some Mom I must be!! At least he saved his injury until he got home. :) The problem is that high school soccer is beginning right now. He is unable to participate in it at all until at least next week. Even then, the doctor is not very thrilled at the thought. So, he seems to be out for 2 weeks. He is riding his bike to keep in shape. He and Erin rode to their Mamaw's on Monday (it is a 20 miles ride (or more)).

Jacob is involved in a book club and has been enjoying reading different books this summer. He is also preparing for his Algebra class by trying to review the entire 8th grade math book over the summer (mainly because the 3 kids in Algebra will completely skip 8th grade math). He has not had much opportunity to earn money for his trip. I think he had his heart set on hoping to earn a scholarship. But, God had other plans for him. It has taken him awhile to get back into the swing of realizing he needs to still raise the funds. What a wonderful learning experience he is having ... this trip, though incredibaly and ridiculously expensive, has taught him a TON about real life and what it takes to earn money. I dare to say it has been an invaluable experience.

Elizabeth is talking nonstop these days. She comes up with the silliest things to say. I love listening to her. Her favorite thing to do right now is go to the swimming pool and ride her bike. God has truly brought her a long way. She and Ri have stayed in the nursery at church every service for the past 2 months! It has been amazing. They even ask to go to the nursery at times. There is not one tear shed. God has been faithful. It was a long, long 2 years for her to adjust. But I am thankful that we did not force her. I think there was quite a bit of healing that needed to take place. She still has some reservations when I leave. Once in a while, she does lose it. At least twice in the past month she has become inconsolable until I was able to hold her. But... that is nothing compared to what we used to experience.

Ri has grown incredibly in a year. His biggest goal is to do anything and everything Elizabeth does. He can't quite keep up with her, but he gives it everything he has. He absolutely loves the pool as well. He is much more daring then Elizabeth is. He goes under water completely by himself where as Elizabeth barely puts her mouth under (unless she is jumping off the edge - then she wants me completely away from her while Ri wants me to hold onto him the entire time) He is talking all the time too. He seems to have a slight problem with coming up with the right words so he tends to stutter until he figures out what word to use. He is still quite the tease and absolutely LOVES to aggrivate his little sister! He is completely ALL boy!

Well, that is enough update for now. I need to be going.

He's home!! He's home!! He's home!! I am one happy Mama!!! My boy is home. It is so good to see his face, feel his hug, and hear his voice. And this morning, it is so good to hear the precious squeals of Elizabeth and Ri as Sam chases them around the house.



Jacob and Erin worked hard to make a "celebration" for Sam when he got home. The only problem is it was 12:30 am when we finally drove into the driveway. But Jacob and Mamaw were standing outside jumping up and down and waving their arms in the air anyways! They had put a big banner on the garage door for him to see, hung this banner in our living room, made him a cake and let the little ones decorate it and hung Christmas lights. It was a sweet, sweet thing.

Notice Elizabeths arm, she just wanted to be close to him. It was so sweet. She looked at the cake and said to Sam "What do you think of it?". She was very proud of her cake for her brother. Ri had to point out everything for Sam to see. It was very precious.

MY SON IS COMING HOME!!!!!! .... well, he's coming home tomorrow.



Oh how my heart aches to see my boy. I have missed him. I am so thankful for the experience he has had. But.. I am ready to give my son a big hug and hear his voice sharing what God has done! Please pray for them as they travel home. They will arrive in Cleveland around 9:30 Thursday evening. They will be taking off while we are sleeping tonight. I can not wait to see my son!

I am very sorry about the lack of blogging, especially for you, Sam. I have been burried under Erin's 16th birthday book. She turns 16 on August 3rd. I have been woking as soon as I wake up and then well until midnight every day for the past 2 weeks trying to get it done. I have a deadline and it is fast approaching. When I get a free moment to sit at the computer, I instantly have gone to the book.

But, my precious son has been on while he is in Poland. So, baby, this blog is for you. I will post this note so you know I am on trying to blog, ok? Hang in there, more will be coming.

"We have a serious problem" - out of the mouth of babes! This is just priceless to me. Elizabeth and Ri were outside riding their bikes. Emily was with them. Elizabeth rode her bike up to Emily and said "We have a serious problem" as serious as she could be. Emily said "Oh no, what's the problem baby". She then proceeded to tell Emily that Ri did not have his helmet on. That cracked me up. Emily came in to tell us because it was so funny. Mark overheard Elizabeth tell Ri, "go get mome, we have a serious problem". Ri came in and told me that Elizabeth needed me. I went and stood at the door to see this precious face......
Sitting on her bike, as serious as could be, she said to me "Mom, we have a serious problem". I asked her what and she simply said "I crashed". Too cute!!!

Well, Jacob has finally had his cast removed! He is doing very well. When it first came off, though, his skin felt very strange, smelled horrible, and looked weird. He wanted me to take a picture of it. So, Sam, here is your brothers arm without a cast.


Yesterday, we went walking in the wood lookind for animal tracks ot plaster paris. A friend of the kids wanted to climp the treehouse, which meant that the little ones did too. I had a baby on my back, so I refused to take them up. But... there precious brother stepped in and volunteered.




We have made many trips to berry pick in the field next door. Mark is such a wonderrful Daddy. He always gets the wheelbarrow, places the 2 little ones in and pushes them there. This day, Elizabeth discovered a new way to ride.

Emily has left on Sunday morning for Philidelphia. The youth group is on a mission trip. They will be ministering to the same kids they ministered to last year. She was so excited when she called yesterday. She was "reunited" with 2 of her favorite kids from last year. Please pray that she will see the face of God as she spends the week in the city. And... for her mama... please pray that she and the others stay safe!

Below is the post that I intended to post Monday night. I hesitated, simply because I was still hoping that nothing would come of my stand. But, Monday night, my husband and son saw me on the news. I was really hoping that noone else was watching the news that night... but, yesterday, when I was talking to my son in Poland, he stated the following "So... speaking of the bible... I saw someone with a new haircut who resembled you on the news today". And, when we took the little ones to the pool, a lifeguard looked at me and said "I saw you on TV last night". And then this morning, I discoverd that the article in the Dispatch... quoting something I said, was on the Drudge report. My son, Jacob, is teasing me and calling me a pyscho religious zealot. So.. since I know that many of you have probably already heard about my stand, I thought I might share how I felt about making it. It was not easy for me, but it is something I feel very, very strongly about. So this is the post that I intended to post Monday night after the School Board meeting.

Have you ever done something only to later feel completely sick in the pit of your stomach, wondering about the consequences of your decision? Tonight, my stomach is in knots, feeling sick in the very pit. You see, tonight I stood before the School Board and spoke against them. This will have been my 5th or 6th time of approaching the School Board and speaking publicly to them. Up until now, I have been non confrontational. I have made my points heard, but managed to not come against the School Board. The first 2 times I spoke to them, it was in defense of a school club. I saw the School Board singling out FCA while I watched the club diminish in numbers and my sons become discouraged. Several events occured with the FCA group and the monitor of FCA leading up to the Principal and School Board requesting the teacher to remove anything of religious orientation from his walls and room; including his own personal Bible off of his desk. As a result of his public refusal to remove his bible, his character became a target. I stood before the board defending his character and the right to have a bible on the desk. In the last Board meeting, the board recommended the teacher be fired. Tonight, the recommendation was to suspend him without pay until he can have a hearing to determine if they will fire him. Tonight, I stood and boldly stated a few things that I had observed over the months that this has been going on. I simply read a letter that I had written and intended to submit to the editor of our news.

I have been taken way out of my comfort zone. I am generally non confrontational (except with the kids and Mark :(_ ) My letter was very confrontational. It was very hard for me to write and even harder to read. But I have had a deep burdened for this whole thing. I felt as if God was being removed completely out of our Schools. And... the decisions that the Board has made are only the beginning of it.

When all was said and done, I realized that there were news stations and newspapers there. My stomach began to turn. I began to fear what I said and how it might be twisted or portrayed. Worse, I knew the consequences of my boldness. I knew that my stand would draw a line for me. Up until now, I have had a wonderful relationship with many of the teachers at school as well as with the Superintendent and one of the School Board members has been a good friend for many years. I knew that what I had to say would cause many to look at me in a different light. Consequently, my children might face issues. I hope that will not be the case. But, unlike the family who has stood so boldly against this teacher, I have not been anonymous. And, unfortunately, some will hold it against my kids. Not to mention, I hate it when someone doesn't like me and I am hoping nothing I said will be used against this teacher. So, my face is burning, my heart is pounding, and my stomach is in knots.

The questions I ask myself is this: have I been obedient and stood for Christ? Or have I simply been passionate to defend a teacher? I hope that my passion is because I watched them attempt to choke the breath out of FCA because of one family's complaining and because I feel as if the School Board is forcing God out of the schools. I hope that the only reason I am fighting this fight is simply to stand for the word of God and truth.
Sometimes, though, it is hard to divide. I stood tonight because I fear that the decisions that the School Board seems to be making is only the beginning. I fear that they are afraid of those who are against the word God ever being mentioned in our public schools. In today's age, lawsuits are so easyily threatened. With the fear of a lawsuit, the School Board seems to have pushed God out.

And me? I just simply fear. And right now.. .my fear is running wild.

Today, we had a friend over. His name is Jacob and he is 9 years old. I was sitting at the computer and I felt Elizabeth holding onto my arm. She whispered to me that Jacob said something to her. Then she said when Jacob says something, it makes her nervous. I giggled (in my mind) and then said, what makes you nervous. She said "nervous"...then she said "is it ok to be nervous?". Funny, I have no idea where she came up with that phrase at all. It made me smile. My little girl is growing up. She says the sweetest things anymore.

I think this is one of my favorite pictures so far. Emily and I really liked it. I haven't decided if I like it all colored or black and white with colored flowers.
We are trying all kinds of things for her senior pictures. I am posting them as we do some of them.
Elizabeth often hops in on the picture taking fun.

In the square at Krakow, the boys had the opportunity to buy some pigeon feed. They had much fun feeding the pigeons. I love the joy on their faces.


In contrast, there is NO joy found here. Sam visited Auschwitz (a concentration camp). This is one of the many rooms filled with the personal items from those that were put to death.