We were able to make a trip to the zoo with Daddy. We always enjoy it more when Daddy can come.

I was reminded yesterday of the necessity to start my day off in fellowship with the Lord. So often it seems as if I spend time in prayer, but reading the word slips out of my reach. I find too many things that distract me. As a result, my daily reading sometimes becomes every other day or maybe hit and miss. I have been convicted over and over, knowing that the only way to have an intimate relationship wtih Christ is to be in His word. So this morning, after getting my boy off to work, I crawled under my covers and instead of falling back to sleep, I opened the word of God and enjoyed some sweet fellowship.

I am glad that I did. By 6:30 this morning, we had ran out of water. I have learned to adjust our life around our water supply. I can't do 5 loads of laundry and run our dishwater 3 times a day and expect to have water left. Everyone has to make shorter showers and I can only do 2, maybe 3 loads of laundry. I try to make it with only 2 runs of the dishwasher. It is very difficult. But this morning, there was no water left after Mark showered, I ran one load of laundry and Jacob showered. Sam hopped in and as soon as he did, it ran out. There wasn't even water to brush teeth. I had the kids use bottled water for that part. It is now nearly 8:00 am and I still don't think we have any water. I turned the pump off, though....we might have some. I think maybe what happened is that our water recycled at a bad time. All that to say, I am thankful for having been renewed in His strength, through His word. Any other time, I might have broke down crying or been very angry. But this morning I was prepared to handle it.


Elizabeth is enjoying the chickens immensely. I catch her, often, with her head under the blanket and scooted as close to the cage as possible. She sits and stares at them for long stretches of time. I joined her one time and enjoyed every minute of watching her. She sat and told me all about them. The sweetest thing she said to me was "Mommy (with a huge smile), the chicks shake their bottoms and then poop comes out". Ok... maybe that doesn't sound very sweet... but you should have heard her voice, seen the animation in her eyes and body, and watched her excitement. It was adorable. Then she preceeded to tell me all their names (it changes every hour). Often the names have to do with something she is thinking about or seeing. For example: She named one of them "Pictury" because she saw a picture.


Well the kids are back to school. Erin and Sam really had a very sad Spring Break. Having had to take lifeguarding classes through a real wrench in it. Sam had a volleyball match Saturday, but he did not get to see much playing time. The coach has him in a center's position (I think). The problem is, you need to be tall for it. Sam is not tall, yet. His good friend is much taller. The coach told him that he needed his tall player against the team. That makes me very sad. Sam has the skill, just not the height. He was pretty defeated by the end. Jacob spent most of his break having to hang out with Elizabeth and Ri, so it wasn't much of a break for him either. Oh well, that is just how things go sometimes.

The girls and I are heading to visit a couple of campuses this week. Erin is visiting a college in New York and I am hoping to swing by Emily's college so that I can see it. We are pretty confident that she will be attending BBC, but neither Mark nor I have seen it. It is only a few hours from the campus Erin is visiting so we are attempting to work a visit to Em's in.