The kids decided to have a "dance party". It was so much fun to watch. Here is a glimpse into their imagination.

I was talking with one of my dearest friends this morning when she asked about the triathlon. Well.. it is on Sunday. I guess I am as ready as I will be; not that I am convinced that is a good thing. Last Thursday, Mark and i rode 15 miles and then ran 3.1 miles immediately after that. We had planned on swimming, but we missed the open swim time so we couldn't do it. We both survived the bike/run part. To my dismay, my husband beat me.... by quite a bit. But, I managed to complete both the bike and run, so I was happy. The swim part doesn't concern me too much, at least whether I can complete it or not. But the weather DOES cause me some alarm!!! I looked at the weather and it is suppose to be low of 52 and high of 71....at 8:20 in the morning, I am thinking it might be close to the 52 mark!!! We swim first and then bike 15 miles with a wet suit on. I picked up the instructions today and saw that they permit wetsuits (depending on the weather conditions). Well... 52 is COLD... but I do not have a wetsuit. Boy do I hate being cold@!!! I am dreading that temperature far beyond the actual race. I can't imagine standing in a swim suit getting ready to swim in those temps, let alone actually swimming .4 miles and then getting out and immediately bike at 15mph in a wet suit!!! So... pray...please... for warm temperatures!!

It seems to me that I should have all the time in the world to sit down and write. Writing is something I truly enjoy. I use to dream of writing a book one day. Someday, I just might. But, my focus is in way too many directions and blogging just isn't one of those places. Last night I was thinking about the blog and realized that it had been too long.... again. Then I thought of my girls and felt very guilty that I hadn't posted anything. For Emily, the blog is her connection back home. She checks it daily. I forget about that. I need to post more often for her.

Everyone is back in school and adjusting well. The two little ones absolutely LOVE Kindergarten. Elizabeth seems to be a different person. Many of you know her personally and know how she shuts down with people. She absolutely refuses to say hello or to speak when someone speaks to her or give hugs - even to family members(at least when any of us are around her). Something would trigger her and she would completely shut down. It happened even with her extended family members (whom she knows very, very well). But something has clicked in her. I don't know what, but something has happened. Since school has started, she has not refused to speak when someone speaks to her. She has stuck her hand out to shake the greeters at church, she has said hello to anyone who has said it to her, and she has run and jumped into the arms of her Aunt and Uncle without any reservation and with complete joy. She has hugged her grandparents with enthusiasm and even allowed a complete stranger to pick her up just because he asked her (while we were with her). She has even carried on conversations with people. It is unbelievable. Ri has made some changes as well. For him, routine is very, very important. For the first week, life was turned upside down. He had a hard time dealing with all the different things that had happened. Erin left, Emily left, he started school, we started babysitting in the afternoon.... life was kind of crazy. He absolutely loves school and thrives in the environment; but his behavior had become quite physical and somewhat (a lot) rebellious and angry. For Ri, this is kind of typical when he faces a severe change. I have watched it over the past 3 years. When things get turned upside down, he gets pretty aggressive. But, it has now been a couple of weeks and I see him making great strides in his behavior. He is calming down and not getting angry near as much. He is not as physical and his attitude towards everyone is getting back to our sweet little boy. It just takes him a little more time then most to adapt to changes. Poor little guy!
As for his health, we find out the results of his MRI next Tuesday. I am excited to see what the doctor has to say. This is the first "real" testing that he has had done since we brought him home. Oh, he has had an ultrasound and an EKG, but nothing more extensive.

Erin seems to be doing well in school. I think she likes it, though it is physically demanding on her body and she is exhausted. We discovered that she is low on iron and we are thinking it is adding to some of her exhaustion. We are hoping to have some testing done on her shoulder to find out if surgery is indeed necessary. Right now it is a matter of finding a doctor there that is on our insurance. Oh the joys of out-of-state colleges! I get to see her on Tuesday@!! YAY!!!!!! She is playing in Canton and Mark is letting me go! I can not wait to see her and I can not wait to see her play.... but mostly just to get a hug from my little girl and to see her in person. I miss her terribly.

Emily is my social butterfly and enjoying every minute of school. She seems to have found some study partners who are in her classes. She isn't studying with them just to be with them, but to truly study and do well. She is getting involved with things in the campus and is seemingly thriving. She misses Skyview and the entire atmosphere of it. She has changed her major to counseling and is enjoying that class (I think). She is busy with work and study and socializing, but always seems to make time to call mom. It is funny how different God has made each child. By the grace of God, I do not feel loved less by any of them despite the way they show their love. Erin and EMily are totally different in the way they express it. Erin is very independent and content with talking with us only when she needs us or after a several days (maybe even only because I have made her feel guilty). Emily knows how much I want to hear her voice, so she is very deliberate in calling me. But BOTH are precious and both love me and both are my baby girls and I miss both of them terribly!!!!

Sam is thriving in school right now. He is a member of student council and his class treasurer. He is on the varsity soccer team and in the marching band (a section leader). He is taking to KAP courses (college courses - Chemistry and History) and an Honors ENglish course. He is VERY, VERY busy. To top it off, he is working his tail off on having a good attitude around here. He is a pure joy. We are very proud of him and the young man he is becoming. I believe with all my heart that God grabbed ahold of him in a mighty way during that mission trip. It makes my heart skip.

And... I could not be more excited nor more proud of Jacob right now. A month ago, things were pretty tough. But God has placed his hand on Jacob's life; that, I am convinced of!!! Jacob has taken his challenges and struggles like a grown man. He has grabbed ahold of them and looked them straight on and plowed right through them. I am so very, very, very proud of him and how hard he has worked to get through each one. Adjusting back to school is not easy. He had some very difficult situations and is doing amazing with each one. Wow - I am such a very thankful mom today.

As I write, I get teary eyed just praising God for my 6 children and for what he is doing in each of their lives. I am truly amazed and so grateful! I can't imagine walking through this life without Him to lean on.

I feel sorry for the men and women who refuse to trust God, but even more for those who say it with their lips but their heart does not match up. It is so easy to say "I'm a Christian".... but saying it doesn't mean a thing. It is simply empty words and trusting in the words alone. Their is no peace, no satisfaction,... nothing but emptiness. Knowing God is where the peace comes from. I can't imagine how hard parenting would be without God. I have seen him answer countless prayers in the past 3 months. Why now??? Because, finally, I have learned to go to Him with more then a "thrown up prayer of hope". For years, my prayers have been simple "help me" prayers. But since I started running, my prayer life has changed and my intimacy with God has become where it once was. God is real. God hears prayers and God answers prayers. It gives me chills.

Sometimes, it is hard to please everyone. When you live in a family of 8, it is impossible to meet the needs and desires of each one. I am struggling with being stretched so far that I just can't do well in any area. I was so looking forward to having 4 hours in the morning to clean. It has been my longing all summer long. But in the 6 days of school, I have never had the entire time. I have had to run into town for groceries (I can't do it very easily with 3 five year olds) and I can't do it at night because of I am working out with Mark and he really doesn't have the desire nor the time to go to the store. The first day I ran into town to take pictures of the kids at school and get a haircut, when I got home, Mark had asked me to do the budget. So.. time gone. The next day, I had to go into town to finalize school supplies. The next day, I spent the day cleaning out our computer room - mainly filing and going through paperwork that had sat for months. Friday, I had to run into town to meet with the principal to try to help Jacob transition easier. Monday, I had an ALL day appointment at Children's to have Ri's MRI for his heart. I left at 7:30 and didn't get home until 4:00. Yesterday, I finally finished painting Erin's room for Jacob. So...I am a little disappointed in my inability to get done what I want to get done around here! I have got to figure out my time!!!

Emily has called and harassed me several times about not posting anything about her. I can only imagine how difficult it is being away from home and feeling like you are never thought of ... at least on the blog that is. She checks it every day. So she sent me a few pictures from her summer at skyview:







And then I took a couple off her facebook. The first one is of her suite mates in school. The second one is of Em and her roommate:



Emily is doing well .. at least that is what she tells us. She has been known to tell us great things when,in fact, she is struggling. But I think she is doing very well. She has a roommate this year. She was pretty anxious about that. She was very spoiled last year with having a room all by herself. But God has been faithful. She and her roommate really enjoy each other. This year, she plans on getting involved in campus life. I am very excited about that. God has done such incredible things in her life over the summer that I am excited to see what He has planned for her this school year. She has switched her major from missions/education to counseling with a missions minor. She really felt a confirmation of that after having spent the entire summer as a counselor at camp.

Emily has spoiled me, though. I am use to her making sure she talks to me at least once during the day. She loves to share with me what is going on in her life. Well..maybe not so much "loves" sharing... but she knows it makes me happy so she makes sure she keeps me posted on her life. She sends me little text messages now and then as well as calls when she is walking to work or sometime when she is bored. But... the downfall to that... is that God chose to have Erin go to school next.

Erin is not of the same mind as Emily! I am not yet convinced they share the same blood or family line. It can't be possible! We really don't hear much from Erin. We can text her and she may or may not respond. When we talk on the phone, the conversation is pretty one sided and doesn't really last long. What we can gather is that she is exhausted, her roommate is fine, soccer is hard (but good), she likes Houghton,classes are OK, and she is OK. She did call me yesterday and it was the first conversation I have had with her since she left in which she really shared with me what is going on in her life and how she is feeling. I loved every second of it! She has switched her major from pre-physical therapy to childhood education. She did it on her own, without consulting us. I am so proud of her. She knew what she wanted. This is her career, not ours. She did have to muster up the courage to tell us, though. She was a little concerned we would not be happy that she did not talk with us before hand. She seems to be really growing in Christ. For that I am forever grateful!

Well, I have to get kids on the bus. I just needed to post something for my girl.

Erin had her first official college game last night. I searched the internet to find any information on it. On the Cornerstone University website (http://www.cugoldeneagles.com/article/331.php),I found this article:

Golden Eagles Lose Season Opener 2-0 to #22 Houghton
Women's Soccer - Fri, Aug 27, 2010 at 9:48 PM
The young Golden Eagles started their season with #22 Houghton at the Spring Arbor Invitational today and came up short in a 2-0 loss to the Highlanders. Cornerstone had an early chance to score when Ashleigh Lund had a ball fall at her feet off of a free kick in the 2nd minute of the game but she couldn't get over the top of the ball and put her shot over the crossbar. The Highlanders struck in the 9th and 23rd minute on goals by Erin Miller. Miller took a long throw across the top of the box and buried a shot to the far post at 8:26. Miller then went on a long run through the middle of the field in the 23rd minute of play and beat Alyssa Morrow in a 1 va. 1 to goal. Cornerstone settled down a bit in the 2nd half but never really created many good scoring chances. The Golden Eagles will return to action tomorrow when they take on Roberts Wesleyan College at 3:00 p.m.. Roberts Wesleyan lost 3-2 in OT to host Spring Arbor.

I would have loved to have seen her play. Erin's boyfriend was able to make it to the game. It was only an hour and 1/2 from his college. She was thrilled someone (especially him) was there!

They did it! They went to Kindergarten all on their own... I didn't have to hold them, console them, and ... to my great sadness... I didn't even have to worry about them missing me. They were SO VERY EXCITED to go to Kindergarten and to ride the bus. They were both bouncing off the walls with excitement. And when they came home.... THEY WERE STILL EXCITED!!!!

SCHOOL TOMORROW AND ERIN NEEDS PRAYER

I think I will start off with some news on Erin and her need for prayer. She played in the scrimmage on Friday. They won 1-0! Yippee!! Erin scored. She enjoyed the game and is pretty excited about the season. Unfortunately, she may have really injured her leg during that game. She is tougher then most athletes. She rarely complains about the pain and usually plays right through it if she is able. She had rested her leg all weekend, but it hasn't seemed to have helped. She was playing in practice and the coach called her out. He asked her if she was injured. She said yes and he immediately sent her to the trainer. The trainer feels she has stretched or pulled (or something like that) her outside perimeter ligaments/tendons.... not sure exactly because the little ones were making a lot of noise while we were talking. She will need her leg to be taped up during play. It really hurts her to twist her body. That is a crucial move in soccer. This is the time the coach will be finalizing the starting line up and key players. She is determined to play through the pain. They have a scrimmage tomorrow. Please pray that she stays strong and can play through the pain... but more importantly, that she does not injure herself even further or that the injury is not worse and she could end up causing more damage.

Today, Emily begins classes. Tomorrow, Sam, Jacob and Elizabeth and Ri all begin. And next week, Erin begins. I will post more later. For now, I am going to go enjoy the last day with my kids.

My heart is missing my baby girls!!!




Thank you, to all those who prayed for Erin. We were able to Skype her last night (you gotta love technology!) and she looks great; exhausted... but great. She is practicing/playing hard about 5 hours a day. Her knees are still in a great deal of pain, but she is managing it. Unfortunately, I didn't send Ibuprofen - I have no clue way! I knew she would be needing it for soccer. The worse part is that there is no store for her to walk to. We will have to send some to her. When her knees are this bad, the doctor told us to have her take 800 mg a dose. She needs to be taking it BEFORE she practices. She mentioned something about her shoulder, but the little ones were VERY loud at the moment and I didn't hear her (then we got distracted and I forgot to ask). The great thing about being able to see her was to be able to "read" her and try to determine if the "sadness" I heard was really sadness or it simply exhaustion. After seeing her, I am convinced that she is just exhausted. I had feared that the love she once had for soccer was gone.... but that does not seem to be the case. I still see that "Erin sparkle" when she talks about playing. The team has a scrimmage today. The coach is only taking 20 girls. She finds out this morning if she is one of the 20.

As for me, I do much better when I know my kids are doing ok. Emotionally, I am fine unless I really stop and think. Different things hit me. Last night, I was staring at Erin's walls .... trying to figure out where to begin.

And my eye drew to some picture of Erin and her best friend. For some reason, I began to choke up a little. And when i was cleaning out her backpack, there was an old paper of hers. When I started reading it, I had to stop. Weird. I feel just fine and then... wammm... something makes me get a little sad about my baby being gone.

To make my emotions a little more jumbled.... Emily left for Baptist Bible College yesterday. We sent her with a car so that she could go see Erin play once in a while and so that she could bring Erin home at Thanksgiving and/or Christmas. Emily is a rock. She is an amazing young lady. She couldn't wait to get to school. The difference in a year is amazing to me. Last year, she was terrified of going. This year, leaving us was no big deal. She hugged us and smiled saying that she would see us in a few months. Having been gone all summer and experiencing God in such an incredible way has made her very, very strong.

I called her last night, thinking she would have officially be settled in. I laughed because of who she is! Emily is all about relationships. Before she even pulled into the dorm, she had gone to her work to see her boss and find some of her friends. Before she even began to get her room in order, she had spent 3 hours with a very good friend from last year. They both had done some "growing up" in God and spent the entire time talking about how God had worked in their life over the summer. By the end, they had set up a time to meet this morning for a prayer walk. Their goal is to meet every day for a prayer walk. Now THAT is VERY exciting to me!!! It was 11:00 when I talked with her and she was just beginning to unpack. (she had arrived at school at 6:30) And even at that moment, she had just received a text from someone who was begging to meet up with her then (though curfew is at 11:00 so I don't think she was able to).

Well, I love the life my girls are beginning to live. I am truly grateful! I am so blessed to have such beautiful, strong, precious girls!



Over the weekend, we spent the day at Papaw's family reunion. Here are a few pictures. The kids and I went, but Mark had to work. We missed having him with us.

Saying goodbye....... it's not so easy on me.











It is funny how things feel to me these days. I walk into Erin's room and if I stop to think at all, I need to walk away. I am ok if I just go in and start working at changing it (Jacob is going to move in to it), but if I take a moment to think of my little girl and go through her things... I really do need to go do something else. My home is getting a bit smaller and my heart is aching a bit more. We took Erin to school on Sunday. Most likely, she will not be home until Christmas (unless her team does not make the national tournament and then she will be home Thanksgiving). We get to see her a few times when the team travels to Ohio to play and when we go there at least once. I am so excited for her, yet my heart aches. When we left her, she seemed so empty and sad. It broke my heart. She had a smile on her face, but the smile was one that saddened my heart. We left her, alone.... knowing she was aching that she wouldn't see Jacob (her boyfriend) for 4 months..knowing that she was a little apprehensive about soccer, knowing that she wouldn't have a roommate for 2 weeks... knowing that her room is very dull and empty (not feeling like home or cozy - the rooms are so small that it is hard to make it that way) and something about it just made me sad.... knowing that she wouldn't be home... knowing that she is an independent child.. yet knowing that she is tougher then nails and wouldn't show much emotion if she were aching. There was just something that made me sad.

Which leads me to this post. For those of you who have a walk with Jesus... could you pray for her? I just spoke to her and I really feel like she needs some prayer. Her body is so physically warn out. They are practicing morning and evening. Her knees are really hurting her. It has been awhile since her knees have acted up. She needs to take ibuprofen regularly right now and keep them iced, but hasn't. Her back is really hurting (which may be a result of overcompensating because of her knees or just from the intense practices). And her shoulder is popping out. She talked to the trainer about it. The trainer informed her that she is probably going to have to have surgery when the season is over to repair it and that the next time it pops out, she may have some issues with getting it back in. So please pray for her body. Pray the shoulder stays strong through the season and that we can get it repaired at the end. She is an amazngly strong child and can keep an intense physical pace.. but with these new issues, it is going to be hard on her.