Sometimes it amazes me at the opportunities that I let go by to teach our kids about God. When the others were Ri and Elizabeth's age, I read to them from the bible, I taught them the truths of God, I took the little opportunities in life to teach them of God. But, it seems that with the chaos of our life, that has slipped away. It makes me very sad to think of all the opportunities that I have missed out on. A few weeks ago, I was reading from a children's illustrated bible, the story of Adam and Eve. I was intentionally being animated in my story telling, At the end of the story, I emphasized how Adam and Eve had done something God told them not to and how it made him mad and He punsihed them.

Well.... since then, Elizabeth is scared of the bible. She sees the book and doesn't want it near her. Since then, she doesn't like going to sleep on her own and whimpers for me to stay in the room. I have done my best to try and tell her of the love of God... over and over... but when something hurts Elizabeth or something bad happens to her, she doesn't forget it very easily. It can be weeks before she trusts that nothing will happen to her. So... we are facing something I never imagined facing with a 3 year old. It makes me quite sad.

Anyways - for those prayer warriors out there, you can add our dilemma to your prayer list, ok? So, now Mark and I are trying to be very dileberate about teaching truths about God to our little ones, especially the WONDERFUL truths of God's love for Elizabeth and Ri.

Last night, Mark and I took the little ones blackberry picking. They are "berry beasts". Mark loves to pick handful after handful, put them in a bowl and then hold the bowl and watch them literaaly devour it! It is so fun to watch. Here are a few of the pictures from last night. As we picked the berries, Mark reminded the kids over and over how God planted those berries for them to enjoy them. Ri was on Daddy's shoulders and said we needed to thank God. So... Mark and Ri stopped right there and as the sun set, they praised God for the berries.
The picture is great, but the sounds when they devour are hilarious!! It definitely needs to be videod!

Yesteday, Erin celebrated her 16th birthday and Mark and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary. First of all, I rejoice in having such a wonderful man for a husband. He definitely completes me. God's hand designed our marriage. There is do doubt in my mind. Mark and I met in March, were engaged in April and married in August. Under normal circumstances, our marriage should never have lasted. But instead, God has strengthened us, molded us, and held us together. We are blessed beyond words. Mark is more then I ever dreamed of in a man. I did not have a real relationship with Jesus Christ when I met Mark. Even if I had, I don't think I would have ever thought to pray for someone like Mark. I would have never dreamed of praying for a man who would be the spiritual leader in my home, for a man who would treat me like a princess all the days of our marriage, for a man who would be strong enough and wise enough to control me and even my temper out. I would have never thought to pray for a man who adored me, or who put family above his own personal desires. Nor would I have thought to pray for a man who understood debt and how important it was to be wise with money. I had no clue the value of money and the importance of being wise in spending. If I wanted something, I bought it. Nor would I have dreamed of praying for a man who was steadfast, who took employment seriously, who valued character and integrity. No... I would never have thought to pray for a man like Mark. My past is evidence of that. But God, despite my heart, chose to bring Mark into my life. And for some reason, God chose to save my soul as well... and use Mark to change my life. So, today, I rejoice in the beautiful gift that God gave me through my husband. And I praise Him for being the glue that holds our marriage together.

As for Erin, she turned 16. What a beautiful young lady she is becoming. She has grown and developed and matured so much! She brings us such joy and pleasure. I rejoice in who she is becoming. She has more strength in her character then I have. There are many things that I admire about who she is and what she is striving for. I admire her ability to share Christ to those who are lost. It is not a forced thing, but a true caring.. a sincere love for those she knows. It is natural for her to share and to witness; often, she reminds me of the need to be Christlike to those around her. Too often I have let my frustration get ahold of me and recommended her to respond a certain way... only for her to remind me that that would not be showing Christ to that person. Oh how I wish I had her drive, her strength, her desires.

Here are a few pictures of her day. We celebrated the morning with Mark's family as we all attended his brothers first Sunday as the official pastor of Radnor Baptist Church. It was a precious morning for all of us to watch him be admonished and encouraged as he officially steps into the position God has called him into. Erin wasn't feeling well, so when we got home, she slept for most of the afternoon. But by evening, we enjoyed dinner and a scavenger hunt. We had hidden clues throughout the yard/house/woods for her to find her presents. We ended up in a tent in the backwoods. It was a lot of fun. The evening ended with a family night of games.

Well... can you tell that Elizabeth has been following Emily around while we have been taking Senior pictures? .....







On another note.... it has been pointed out to me... again... that I have not written much about some of our other children. Life gets a little crazy and I forget what I have blogged and what I have not. You see, this blog is more for me then for anyone else. I share more details, sometimes, than I probably should.... but I have discovered over the past 3 years that this blog has become a part of my legacy that I can pass on to my children. Maybe "legacy" isn't the exact word I need, but it is something that I have to hand on to my kids. I have never been good at journaling or writing down things for them. When the older ones were little, I had every intent on writing about their life. I would give anything to be able to read about my childhood and "remember" some of the things that have long faded away. I have lost so many memories from my kids childhood that I am afraid I might not have much to pass on. This blog has given me a gift. I have published a few books with the entire blog writings in it. They are priceless books to me; and sort of an heirloom to pass on. I imagine that as the kids become adults and start their families, they will love sharing the little bits and pieces that I have "exposed" in our blog. What wonderful memories (I hope) that my journaling to "you" will bring to my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

All that said, I wanted to write a little bit about Emily. I am afraid that she has gotten the short end of the journaling. You see, much has happened to her this summer , yet I have not written it in the blog. The day school was out, she went to Florida for what was suppose to be a 12 day period. It was a lot to ask of a 17 year old, but both Mark and I felt she was more then able to handle it. You see, we have seen Emily with Elizabeth and Ri. She is their second mom. Truly, if God were to take me home, Emily would step in and raise them as her own. She is incredible. Oh, I know, she is not ready to raise children. I wouldn't want her in that position. She is not mature enough to live on her own and make all the adult decisions that would be forced upon her.... but she could if she absolutely had to. So when my brother surprised his wife with a trip to Italy, all of us agreed that Emily could handle watching the kids. The scary part was that she was 1000 miles away from us so if she really needed anything, I couldn't help her. Oh how my thoughts wondered at times. I thought of all the "what ifs" while she was gone, knowing the responsibility that laid on her shoulders. I knew I coudn't help her and she was completely on her own. My sister, though, lives 45 minutes away from my brother so I knew that if soemthing horrible happened, she would help Em out. The problem was that my daughter has only met my sister a handful of times and unfortunately, the meetings were never really warm ones.

So, Em went down with my parents. When my brother and his wife flew to Italy, my parents came home and Em was on her own. It was only going to be 6 days with the entire load on her. After that, she and the kids would fly to Ohio. The 6 days were long days for her, but she handled them like a trooper. She often mentioned how difficult it was to be "mom". Everyday, I heard her get more and more tired and more weary from the responsibility. But... the 6 days went well and she was very excited to come home. She was going to fly home with my neice and nephew (6 & 8). She was, again, completely responsible for them. It was her first time flying alone, let alone flying with 2 kids she would be responsible for... but she was ready to take it on. My sister took them to the airport. We told her that she could just drop them off and Em could handle boarding. She had to be in a city 2 hours away for orientation for her daughters college. She HAD to be there that night because orientation was early the next morning. But, my sister insisted on staying until they took off incase there were any problems. I sure thank God for her decision and willingness to stay. Emily saw a side of her that was precious, that, alone, was a gift. Evidently, without anyone being aware, the 2 little ones were unable to fly on the last flight of the night. Noone had shared this info with my brother when he booked the flights. So, had my sister not been there, they would have been stranded. Instead of being able to fly home, Emily had to stay in Florida another 6 days and continue to take on the responsibility of caregiver. Not only take care of them, but console them for not being able to come to Ohio (something they had been counting down for weeks). She handled it very well and was very strong for the kids. But.. the next few days began to wear her down. On top of the exhaustion of the responsibility, she was scheduled to take her ACT test in Florida. This is a long story, so I won't explain it... but she now had to figure out those details. She had to arrange sitters and figure out how to get there (a 45 mintue drive). That pushed her over the edge. It was difficult to be on this end, in Ohio, and try to comfort my daugthter in Florida! She was emotionally shot and I knew that she wouldn't do well on her ACT, but we forced her to go anyway. She got up, drove 50 mintues to get there, got lost at the last minute and was 3 minutes late and was not allowed to take the test. It was very rough. But, she held it together. We were very proud of how much she handled and handled with such grace. She truly is a treasure.

I would love to share about her mission trip to Phily, for I have been reminded that I have not said much. But.. I am very, very tired. I will write more later.

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.