Sometimes, God gives you great big hugs, just when you need to feel his warmth. This morning, I recieved a precious email from a dear friend. She is someone who always lights up with a smile when I see her. She read my recent entry about the clutter and dirt in our home and decided to encourage me. What a blessing. Thank you, dear friend.

Sometimes I need reminded of the things that are truly important in life. Often, I fall short of those things, but by God's grace, he reminds me and pushes me back onto the right path. So... for today, I think I will remember that teaching the love of Jesus to my children and those around is not done in words alone, but in actions. A clean house is nice, but having an open door is more important.

A fulfilled dream!

Here are some shots taken by Jacob while he was in Washington DC:






Jacob came back with over 1300 pictures! That tells me alot about his trip. He has never been a big picture taker... so for him to take that many simply tells me he loved it all! What wonderful stories he has. I haven't time to share it all with you. I really haven't had time to post pictures, but I will. I need to sit and go through them all and find some really good ones. I loved the 2 of his "self portraits". He cracks me up.

Soccer is winding down. We have 2 games tonight. Jacob plays away and Erin plays home. I will attend the one at home and Mark will go to Jacobs. Tomorrow, Sam plays away and Erin plays home. Wednesday, Erin needs to go watch the Naz College play. We have promised the coach we willmake one game and this one seems to fit best. I am glad to have the chaos winding down some!

Have you ever been defeated so much by someone's comment or body language that you just wanted to give up? There are very few times when I have ever let someone's comment or body language get to me. But, I guess with the exhaustion of the week and my emotions running a little wild, I just couldn't fight it very well.

Friday was a very difficult day for me. I had to run into town early in the morning and get Elizabeth checked out by the doctor. I thought she was being bit by some kind of bug, but to my surprise, she has chicken pox. I was caught off guard with that one! The doctor was kind enough to look at Erin's arm for me and tell me she was ok. Then we went to the school to drop Erin off. While there, I tracked down Emily and traded cars with her. I discovered that her brakes were very, very bad. My Dad offered to look at them and change them if we needed. I then ran to the store to buy a new tie for Sam (wrong color the first time). After that, I ran to my parents and had Dad check brakes. THey were very bad, so we ran back to the store and bought pads. The car was not in my plans. We were having my in-laws and a friend come to the Homecoming festivities for Erin, so I wanted to make them something special to eat. THey love my stromboli, so that is what I wanted to make for them. THe problem was, stromboli takes a good 3 hours. I didn't make it back to my house until 1:30 (I expected them sometime after 4:00). The next 3 hours, I worked very hard to cook 4 strombolis, a roast, apple crisp, and a salad. I tried hard to straighten the house and get it nice for them. I managed to complete everything I needed to do just as thtey pulled up. I was so thrilled. I hadn't even had time to shower or pick out an outfit for the game, but I was so excited to be able to feed them something special.

You see, managing the upkeep of this house with 6 kids is not easy. I can manage keeping it straightened, but deep cleaning doesn't happen all that often. Our schedule is a nightmere and managing it is even harder. I often have 4-5 loads of laundry ready to wash or fold at any moment's time. After the kids leave for school, our house is usually a wreck. Trying to do preschool and clean and shop and everything is hard. I don't do a great job. Our house is lived in. There are marker and crayon on my walls, there are holes in the wall where pictures onces were but have since fallen from a ball or 2 that have hit it (or holes in the wall from a teenager who visited and ran his body into the wall). There are dust bunnies under furniture and collected dust on many shelves. There are fingerprints adn paw prints on my doors and windows. Often, I look over a cup sitting on the ground or a fork that fell. The garage is dirty because of the collection of things sitting there to give away or throw away or because there is no better place for it. THe dogs are in and out, often tearing up paper or trash. There are letters (magnetic) all over my fridge (and floor), pictures that aren't elegant - simply my kids artwork. Curtains are not hung in our dining room because I washed them several months ago and the curtain rod fell. I just haven't taken time to hang the rod back up because the screw is striped and I can't get it on. You see, these things need to be done, but for me, it is far more important to make sure that I am there for the kids. Unfortuantely, only one of our kids has truly learned how to clean without us getting on their case. The others are learning and I trust that one day will have it. Until then, I have a house that would not be nominated for Better Homes and Gardens.

Sure, I could stop all that i do and clean, but honestly.... being a part of my kids lives and activies means more to me. Making sure that I have been there for them is more important then washing my walls only to have them destroyed again. And if you come to my house, I will open my heart and my arms for you to come, but I can't guarantee that the floor will be swept nor the walls washed down.

So,.. when our ocmpnay arrived on Friday, I was thrilled to provide them dinner. It wasn't fancy, but I truly had poured my heart into it. Unfortunately, noone was very hungry and very little was eaten. Our friend was so uncomfortable in our house that it broke my heart. Their home is spotless. They have no children at home anymore and are a perfectionist at cleaning. I think walking into our home sent shivers up their back. I had worked very hard to make the house presentable, but it wasn't spic and span. I just didn't have time to fit it all in.

Well, I accepted that as simply a judgment from someone who has never had a knack at being nonjudgmental. I love them anyways. But, the next evening, I made it to 2 homes for pictures. Both have kids, both have spotless, beautiful homes. Both crushed me. They both had beautiful, spotless furniture, walls that are perfect, pictures that match, and not a dust bunny anywhere!! How can that be??? :(

So, by Sunday, I was defeated and began hating everything there was about our home. Mark reminded me about how truly rich we are as he pulled me into a room to watch Elizabeth and Ri playing. He reminded me of the things that are important and that one day, I'll be able to keep it nice. He also reminded me of Jesus and what Jesus might think of my thoughts and my disgust with our home. He reminded me that Jesus smiles at other things besides a clean home.

Well, I am still pretty defeated at the dirt that lies behind my doors and under my furniture and on my desk and...... But, I realize that, unfortunately, that is how it is. We have too many feet and paws coming and going that have accumulated too much dirt from the soccer field and the woods for me to truly keep up. Life is hectic..... but, as my husband has reminded me.... life is good.

It was a very busy weekend with all the homecoming activities. We started Friday night with a band performance and the announcing of the homecoming court on the downtown square during the First Friday activities. Then we had the big homecoming game with the presentation of the homecoming court. Aunt Susan, Uncle Ed, Frieda, and Uncle Paul made it to the First Friday events, then Mamaw, Papaw, Uncle Paul, and Grandpa all made it to the homecoming game. Saturday was filled with getting ready for the big dance. We picked up the flowers for Erin and Sam's escorts. Mark surpised Emily and presented her with a wrist corsage. He was precious when he gave it to her. He told her that if anyone asked who gave her the flowers, she was to say "the man who loves me more then anyone in this world gave them to me." It was very sweet. The night was hectic trying to take pictures for all 3 kids (at 3 different homes)... but we succeeded with a few. Then, on SUnday morning, our precious son came home!!! Yeah! We picked him up at the airport and then took him to Mamaw's. It was so good to see his smiling face. He had the time of his life. Thanks for the prayers and support. I will post pictures from his trip a little later. Right now, here are some from the Friday and SAturday activities.

What a sweet smile. The marching band marched at the First Friday activities before Homecoming.
Mamaw said she's the prettiest one on the court... I agree (though we are kind of biases :) All the girls are beautiful. I just love this picture because of her smile.
I love having a good picture of Erin and her Daddy. This one is simple and sweet. It was taken just before Erin was escorted in the convertable.
Emily was so excited for Erin to be on the court. I am so proud of her. If I had anything to do with it, Emily would have been the queen :)
Erin asked my Dad to drive her around the track. He was very excited to do it for her. A good friend from church was gracious to lend us a car from his dealership.
I love this picture. Emily did a great job taking pictures for us.
Daddy and I had the honor of escorting our daughter on to the field.

At halftime, we escorted Erin across the field. She was finally able to change from her band uniform into a nice dress outfit. It was funny to see 3 of the girls in band uniforms!



One of my favorite things about the homecoming dances is seeing my kids dress up. Emily smiles from ear to ear. I think the funnest thing for the girls is spending time getting all ready. She and a friend spent the morning doing each other's hair. We then headed out to take some pictures.

I spoke with Jacob last night and he sounds GREAT!! I think he is enjoying every minute of it and soaking it all up! He had to give a speech on his bus. He is running for President (I think it might be bus President, but I really couldn't understand). Talk about a child changing! Wow! I am so proud of him!

Yesterday, they went to Williamsburg and Jamestown. THey were up at 5:00 and took a 2 1/2 hour drive to get there. He really enjoyed it. Today, they are visiting Capital Hill. Evidently, I have had his scheduled all messed up (it must have changed once they got to the Forum). He is very excited about it. He tried to tell me what they were going to hear, but I was a Erin's soccer game and at that moment, Erin was trying to get my attention and both little ones were very, very tired and whiney. I never did quite understand him, but I think it has to do with the budget stuff.

He sounds incredible. He seems to be joking about his roommates now, which means that he likes them. I think he still isn't real thrilled with his faciiitator, but that's ok. He has taken over 300 pictures - that shocked me. I don't think he has ever taken many pictures before. He was excited because he figured out how to zoom in. (The simple things that I take for granted. ... I had forgotten to explain anything about the camera before he left :( - I am proud of him for figuring it all out on his own!)

On the home front, last night, at Erin's game, she took a big blow to her shoulder. I saw her go down and instantly grab her shoulder. Erin doesn't show pain at all... if she can avoid it. She refuses to stop if she can go on. This time, she laid there holding her shoulder and almost rocking back and forth. I just glued my eyes to her trying to figure out what happened. The coach ran out to her and the trainer came on to the field. Evidentally, when she fell, she fell on her elbow, which pushed her shoulder up. She felt a pop and then her shoulder locked into a position that was pushed forward and she couldn't move it. It freaked her out, both the pain and the look of it. When the trainer push on her shoulder, it popped back. She moved her arm around for a little while and told her coach she was ready to go back in. Her coached looked at me and asked me to go get one of the kids' parent. He is a doctor. The coach wasn't about to put Erin in until he knew it was ok. The doctor looked at her shoulder and felt like she probably had partially dislocated it. HE was afraid that if she went back in and hit that shoulder, it might really cause damage. He felt she needed to see an orthopedic today. Well, she woke up and is sore, but has full range of the shoulder. We are trying to figure out if she should be seen now or not.

In the meantime, tonight is the big homecoming game. She needs to be ready for all the activities. The homecoming court will be presented during the First Friday festivites. Following that, they meet at the stadium and will be driven around the track in convertables. They will be announced before the game and during halftime. Hopefully, her shoulder will be fine and she won't be in any kind of sling or anything.

We spent the evening at a parade for homecoming. It was a lot of fun. The parade consisted of High School kids who participate in something at school this fall. They threw lots of candy to Ri and Elizabeth, so they loved every minute. We then marched to the "bonfire" - which really was just some very strong lights. The insurance company would not allow a bonfire. Then all seniors who participate in a sport this sesaon were announced, followed by the announcing of the homecoming court. Erin was escorted by a very dear friend. They have known each other since we moved to Mt. Vernon. The pictures I took are not great quality. The lighting made it very difficult to focus on the kids. But, here they are anyways.




Hey - I had to include my boy in this! He participated in the marching band. Here he is with one of his very best friends. They have been close since kindergarten.

The letter G (sort of)
We disocvered this G on our path.
Elizabeth found this F laying on the ground. Ri obliged us by taking a picture with it.

Tonight is a big night for Erin. It is the bonfire for the homecoming game. The homecoming court has to be in a parade and then will be presented their sashes. It should be a lot of fun for her. On a different note, Erin has done a hat trick in 2 of the past 3 games. (scored 3 goals) One of the articles in the paper can be found at: http://www.mountvernonnews.com/Sports/08/09/30/4.php

I love taking walks with Ri and Elizabeth. You see a whole new world. Today, we discovered different textures and colors as well as hunted for the letter G. We were successful with G, but not so much with g. We got distracted.

I asked Ri to find me a red leaf. He picked up 2 green ones. I knelt down and gave him a red one. He responded with excitement and some shock saying to me .. "no way". It was very cute. Then we discovered some mushrooms. There were a few by themselves when Elizabeth looked ahead of us and found several all together. SHe said "aaaaahhhhhh wow! It's a family". Too cute.

Another cute thing said today:
Elizabeth said "look, Mommy, I'm getting bigger" as she stood by something she made. Ri was in my arms at the time heading for a nap. He looked at me and said
"look, Mommy, I'm getting bigging". I cracked up.

Here a few pictures for you.

Jacob's itinary today

Sorry, for those interested, here is his day:

-Board your motor coach for Arlington National Cemetery. Once there, you will walk among thousands of fallen soldiers honored by their country for their service.
-Make your way up to John F. Kennedy’s gravesite to observe the Eternal Flame
-View the wooden cross marking the grave of Robert Kennedy
-Witness the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and understand the impact each soldier’s life has made on this country
-Visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum where you will experience the exhibit: Remember the Children: Daniel’s Story. “Daniel,” age 10, is a composite of the Jewish children who experienced the war.
-Soak in the history as you stand in the spot where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his “I have a dream …” speech at the Lincoln Memorial
-Take some time to reflect on the morning’s events while your group departs for the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
-Explore another Smithsonian museum on the National Mall—The National Museum of the American Indian
-From there you will explore another Smithsonian museum on the National Mall—The National Museum of the American Indian
-Get the scoop at the Newseum, an interactive experience that blends five centuries of new history with modern technology and innovation
-Watch the cool night air settle around the feet of the soldiers as depicted in the Korean War Veterans Memorial
-Lay a commemorative wreath at the World War II Memorial before making your way to dinner
-Participate in your nightly leadership meeting upon arrival at the hotel

Sounds like Jacob's dream come true. What a day he has ahead of him!

Update on Jacob

It's hard to sit and wait to hear from your child when he is in the care of people you don't know and when you really do not have any way of reaching him or checking up on him ... except for HIS cell phone. I am almost totally dependent on him calling me, so if he forgets, loses his phone, or it is not charged up... I may just PANIC!!!

But, tonight, I heard from him. He called at 9;30 - the same as last night. So, instead of expecting his call at 8:00 as I was informed would happen, I will expect it at 9:30 and not panic until 10:00.

So, his report? His facilitator is evil. I kind of cracked up at that comment. I know my son, so I didn't completely worry about it. He says she is suppose to be explaining things to the group (of 11 kids), but instead she screams at them all the time. Evidently, she screams at Jacob a lot. He was walking and she screamed at him to stop running. I am not so sure how to look at this. My advice to him is to do what the bible says to do when someone is not nice to you:

If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,
for you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you.

—Proverbs 25:21-22

Luke 6:27-35
“But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

I told him that we would be praying that she see Jacob for his sweet self and Jacob will see her differently. And I advised him to try to help her all he could. So, I am asking all of you who are prayer warriors to pray that Jacob and the facilitator can see things differently.

As for how he likes his trip so far? He loves it. He was so concerned about how much money it costed to go and how it wouldn't be worth it. He was afraid that he would regret doing this and it would be a miserable time. Well,... I asked him if it was worth the money. He didn't hesitate and said "yes!". He LOVES it. I also asked him if Washington DC is all that he dreamed it would be. He,again, didn't hesitate, and said "yes!".

He told me that he went to Ethiopia. I laughed because I knew that he was trying to make me really think he went to the country.

He actually went to the embassy of Ethiopia. He thought that was pretty cool.

His favorite site, though, was the Jefferson Memorial. I wasn't able to get much more information out of him. He is very uncomfortable talking a lot on the phone, especially where others can hear him.

He is taking lots of pictures, but today, his camera battery died. That made me sad. I had it fully charged for him. Hopefully he will get it charged up so he has it for tomorrow. He is not comfortable with his roommates, so if you can pray about that as well, I would appreciate it.

I wish that i had thought to take a picture with my camera of Jacob. Boy did he look sharp. He has to wear dress slacks or khaki's all week long. He had a specific outfit he had to wear today so that the People to People associates would recognize him at the airport.

He just called (9:35pm). He had just walked into his hotel room for the first time since arriving. Wow - they must have really kept the kids busy. He didn't eat until 7:30pm, so he was pretty wiped out. I fed him at 11:00am before we left. I send snacks and he had money, but if I know my son, he probably didn't feel like he could eat them or buy anything once he got with everyone else. Instead of asking, Jacob will just go without simply because he thinks it is a rule. He will wait until someone tells him that he could eat a snack. So... with that in mind, he must have been very hungry!

He said that he really enjoyed the speaker he heard tonight. It was a reporter for the President. He also said they talked about the election. I could tell that he really soaked up the speakers speech. He cracks me up. I didn't get much else out of him. His 3 roomates walked in the room shortly after he called. He suddenly became very quiet with his conversation. I got the sense that he really didn't want to be on the phone just then. He sounded exhausted and kept saying he just wanted to go to bed. Hopefully he can go soon. He has met 2 kids (there are over 400 there), but one is staying at another hotel. Please pray that he begins to connect with some of the kids; especially with his roommates.

Here is his itinary for tomorrow:
- Enjoy breakfast with your leadership group at the hotel
- Board the motor coach and meet your driver and delegation manager for the week
- Explore the Capitol and learn more about the branches of government
- Share lunch with fellow Student Leaders in the District before making your way to the Supreme Court, Library of Congress, and other sites on “the Hill”
- Gain valuable insight from a member of Congress as to what it takes to make and shape policy
- Sample international cuisine and hear from accomplished speakers in the field of international diplomacy at the embassy dinner
- Share your thoughts on the day’s events with your peers during your leadership meeting

Just wanted to let all of you know about his trip. So many of you have shared in this journey for him through prayer and/or financial help. He is truly blessed.