We're almost half way there

What a blessing the internet has been. Matt has been able to check in each night and he and I get some time to chat.

Tonight he posted this:
Interesting first day. God is already holding my feet to the fire when it comes to keeping my own interests and motivations in the back seat to what He's got going on. That being said, I'm anticipating some cool stuff tomorrow. I've got plenty of pictures so far, so I'll get those up after we get back. Weather here has been really good. Not too hot actually. Sure wish I was better at the language around here. Would love to communicate with the people better. Oh, well....maybe I'll pick up a few things in my short time here. Went to chapel this morning at the hospital. The Haitian pastor spoke on Psalm 60:1-5. Look it up. Never thought I would witness Old Testament application this directly before. Then he went on to read Isaiah 41:10. The whole thing was very, very cool. Ok, enough for today. Hope to have more to share tomorrow!


I can't tell you how awesome God is for allowing us this ability to stay connected, it makes being apart for so long bearable. I'm gonna try to post some pictures a team mate took but I don't know if I'll be able to. The kids and I have been busy working on a surprise for Matt... shhhh, don't tell. Thanks for all the prayers.

Unexpected blessing!

I just heard my sweeties voice! Two of the guys on the trip (Zach and Dylan) have phone service in Haiti. Matt was able to call me from Cap Haitian and share some great information with me. They actually spent the night with a team heading home from Dessalines that told them things were almost back to normal there. Apparently Dessalines hasn't seen much of the human destruction that the area around Port-au-Prince has. There will be lots of work for them to do but the danger is very limited. Please continue to pray for safety as they will be doing construction/ electrical work. I don't know at this time what kind of interaction they will have with people outside of the medical compound but prayers for spiritual safety are welcome too.
Thank you Jesus for covering us all and for answering my hearts cry to hear his voice.

He's there, well at least in route...

Matt posted on Facebook today:
Woke up to the sounds of the city of Santiago in the Dominican this morning...pretty neat.shortly we'll be headed out to catch the bus for the trip into Haiti. No cell phone access (stupid Sprint) but might some wireless access occassionally. Will keep everyone updated as best I can. Thanks for the prayers and God bless!

Thank you all for prayers, God has me filling the house with his word this morning, I'm going to combat the anxiety the best way I know how.

Today the kids and I have some plans today and we're eating dinner with family. Matt will be traveling across the Dominican Republic, please pray for ease as they cross the boarder into Haiti and for the long trip ahead of them today. If you want to get an idea of the distance got to a map site, they are traveling from Santiago to Cap Haitian today.

4 AM on Wednesday morning...

yup, I'm up. I waasn't going to blog till I heard from Matt but I still haven't. I bet you can imagine how I feel about that. I actually fell asleep around 1:30 but woke back up at 3:30 and finally gave up any pretense of my brain shutting back down. I had to come out here and check on line for any indication of plane crashes or other news that could account for not hearing anything. They were supposed to get into the Dominican around 9:30 and even if that was EST it wouldn't have been too late to call, so I'm praying that everyone's phones were dead or didn't have coverage and that the laptop they took couldn't connect. I don't think I would be freaking out except fot the fact that he made a point to say he'd let me know when they got there. I don't expect to hear from him much this week and I'm okay with that. I just didn't think this first night would be so hard. I know God is with me (and Matt) but it's hard to feel his presence with my imagination running rampent and in overtime. I'm so greatful for the bible verses popcorning in my brain but I just need answers and some peace. Lord hear my prayers.

For those of you praying:
They should be traveling to Cap Haitian in Northern Haiti tomorrow and need prayers for ease as they cross the boarder. It's a long drive and so prayers for comfort are needed to. On this side, please pray that some kind of connection gets made and that God restores peace to my heart and head.

Thank you for your love and prayers. S

2010 starts with an amazing trip for Matt

Matt is on his way to Haiti, they have a long couple of days trip ahead of them but the final destination is Dessalines Haiti where they will be doing restoration to a medical complex that Central Baptist supports. I plan to blog each night to let him know how we are doing here at home and any of you know what I hear from him about his trip so far.

Today pray for safe travel as they go from Austin to the Dominican Republic (Santiago). It's a long day full of hours of waiting in multiple airports. Pray for patience and that the team bonds and enjoys each other company. Also pray for time alone with God for each of the men as they head to a place of darkness.

See you later tonight with hopefully something productive to report.

2009... a year we will never forget.

A year in review:
Ethan turned 9, the last of the single digit years and Serah turned 7.
The kids and I finished out one year at the Academy and then we headed back home to homeschooling.
We took trips to;
Alabama to spend time with Grand Tacon and Ladye,
Carlsbad Caverns New Mexico with two great families... we had so much fun we're thinking of making it an annual event,
Surfside beach to enjoy a fabulous week with the Cook/Waters clan,
And traveled through 8 states on a round trip Thanksgiving vacation that totally blessed us (we spent a week most of the time in North Carolina with the Guys).
We've been on a journey of discovery of what God has planned for our family spiritually and what church will look like for us.
We found out we were expecting another child and lost it to heaven in 4 days.
We've experienced some of the highest of highs and lowest of lows of our lives this year but our God has carried us through and hopefully we've learned some things along the way.
We've been blessed by the joy of traveling through this life with friends and family that are as real with us as we are with them. We know God is on his throne and has our family in his hands.

The year the kids ruled Christmas

We let the kids decorate the tree themselves this year... hope you enjoy the masterpiece they created!

Rainforests, Bama Fans and Smoke in the Mountains

So we headed out from Dallas at 6 on Saturday morning with the intent to drive to Chattanooga Tennessee at a nice enjoyable pace. Along the way we saw tall pine trees, rain, the Mighty Mississippi, rain, Bienville National Forest (Serah's Rainforest) and yet more rain. Things were going great till we crossed into Alabama and hit Tuscaloosa, silly us planned a trip on a Bama ball game Saturday, I now have Matt's full support in rooting against Alabama in any sports event. What should have taken us 30 minutes took 1 1/2 hours. After fighting through the crazy traffic we continued on the Chattanooga, arriving at our hotel at 9pm EST and realized our kids still hadn't eaten. We checked in and I got the kids in the showers while Matt ran next door and picked us up Wendy's, was so not the sit down dinner we had planned.

The next day dawned, bright and clear... oh no, wait that was just in my head... it was nice and drizzly, but still we had a hope for a better day. We headed over to have breakfast with Matt's cousin and his family. What a delicious start to the day. After that we loaded back up in the car and headed towards the mountains. We decided to try our luck again with a more relaxed trip and took the scenic route instead of the interstate. Even though we started the day with rain all around us we trusted God to clear the skies enough for us to see His beauty around us.

The glory of God is amazing, we took a route that took us through the Smoky Mountains and up part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Matt was such an awesome husband and stopped often for me to take so many pictures. I can't wait to get them developed.

We arrived to joy and excitement at the Guy's house at around 8:30 EST and have had a wonderful time since then. Since I don't want to waste too much time of my vacation on the computer I'll save all the fun stories till later.

First day of school in cold weather

It was in the mid to upper 40's this morning and we had left the windows open so the house was quite cold when we got up, needless to say we are doing school in warm cozy's today. Enjoy the view and praying you are blessed with His presence today.

The blessing of a Godly Daddy

We have been through a lot these past couple of months, ups and downs, highs and lows. I don't think we could have made it through without the example of Matt. He has guided us through it all with love, compassion and strenght.

This Sunday was one of those special days for us. We have been spending some time as a family just learning what God has planned for us. We decided it was going to be one of our home days and so Matt sat down with the concordance and an idea of what God wanted him to share with us. He found a scripture and had Ethan read it, then we had a wonderful discussion with the kids about kindness and forgivness. The peacefulness of that day was much needed and I thank God for this chance we've been given.

We are so blessed to have the example he gives us of love, strength and compassion, just like our Heavenly Daddy.

just a normal school day

Even Princesses have to do their schoolwork!

Prince Charming has been known to

make an appearance or two.

A lesson for us all

Your thoughts

Become Your words

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Your words

Become your actions

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Your actions

Become your habits

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Your habits

Become your character

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Your character

Reveals who you really are!!

*

*

*

I think this will be framed in my kids rooms very soon!

September is almost over, where did it go?

Got a couple of pictures for you on this second to last day of September... sitting here doing school work with the kids with the house open to the cool air (we got a "cold front" last night). This is truly one of my favorite times of the year.

Yes they are still in their pajamas but that is one of the beauties of homeschooling... less laundry some days :-) Our Christmas present to each other will be reworking the office but for now we are making do.

my fall "garden" is doing great, we've got two kinds of tomatoes and two kinds of peppers... I'm planning to work on the real beds this fall and winter so we will be set for spring and fall gardening for the rest of the time we are in this house.... growing your own food is so rewarding.

Praying that your day is a blessing to you and you are a blessing to others.

batteries not included

it's kinda hard to take pictures every day when you lose your camera or forget to recharge the batteries or... well you get the picture, actually you don't do you...

so let's just plan on me hopping on here when I have the time and letting you know how life is going

4 weeks into school and we've had our ups and downs. For the most part the kids are doing great. Ethan is learning the value of taking notes and will have to work for a bit to get some of his grades up, I'm just glad we are learning that lesson now and not in Jr. High or High school. Serah is flying through 1st grade and I really think we will be into 2nd by the end of December. Next semester might take us a little while but even if we work in the summer some it won't take up too much time. We are slowly getting our schedule worked out, one car and mom adding the gym to our day can make things interesting but I really need the physical outlet.

Matt and I have taken some time to recharge ourselves as Christ followers, as a couple and as parents. God has been so good to us, meeting us where he needs us to be and really opening our eyes to new and exciting things for us. Our discussions have been so much deeper and challenging lately and I'm just eating it up.

I am enjoying the glimpses of where He is taking us and hope I can keep up with allowing you to come along for the ride.

French Toast in the morning

Day 2: wonderful time reading John 1 this morning, great reminder to be willing to believe God when he sends a promise our way and the testimony of Mary and Elizabeth. Check out my personal blog to learn more about why this is special to me.

I came back in to feed the kids and was greeted with a request for something better than cereal... here is how I granted their wishes....

all the fixin's for french toast... I even splurged with 1/2 a piece myself.

It's gonna be a good day... now off to wrangle my scholars.

September and a change in the air...

my precious sis-in-love Bethany has challenged me to pick up my bible and found a wonderful plan that is a great slow start. September 1st found me on day 1. You can't tell but the bible is open to Psalm 1 and 2. Once upon a time I had Psalm 1 memorized and now I'm going to try it again... ask me sometime if I've got it down... I shouldn't be surprised by God's provision but I still am at times... my first day of reading coincided with a drop in temps around here. That might not sound like a big deal to you but we came within 4 days of breaking a record for Austin... 70 days of 100+ heat. The morning was so refreshing temps in the low 70's. It was just what I needed to begin my day with Him on the back porch. What a blessing.

365 days a year... in pictures or words

So a friend inspired me to do pictures of every day... I think this might be the only way I'll get something poste each week... so we are starting with September 1st... here we go

We're baack

okay, so it's been almost a year and we are back at home for school... last year was quite a learning experience for us all. The kids had mixed reactions to school away from home, Serah gained the confidence in her reading skills but I think the number of kids was overwhelming for her and she only had 16 kids in her class. Ethan of course shined, he's such a social butterfly and so smart that being in a challenging situation was fun for him... but he also learned much about having someone different teach him and how not everyone is comfortable with the way he wears his emotions on his sleeve. I learned that working outside the home would require much sacrifice on my part... my home seemed to go downhill and I didn't enjoy keeping it neat and orderly because by the time we got home I was tired and not up to much, then the weekends seemed to be just as busy... but God had a purpous for us to be there as he always does and He has now opened up the chance for us to be back home with a curriculum we think will really fit our family and we are all excited about it.

My goals for this year:

Ethan: to challenge him with his education, keep it fun but also stretch him some, to learn piano, to learn better organization skills

Serah: to complete 1st and 2nd grade in order to catch up to her peers, to find an activity she enjoys and get her signed up, teach her good homekeeping skills

Me: To reclaim my home and create a peaceful place for us all, to allow God to refresh my spirit, to become healthy and fit and enjoy doing it, and to keep my blogs up to date.

Matt: he's on his own, but I will support any goals he wants to set because he's the love of my life and I want the best for him.


I think that's good for now, will post more later

yeah I know it's September but I have a good excuse I promise

So we have had some major changes in our lives. The kids are now attending Round Rock Christian Academy. To to this I have gone back to work... the cool part I'm at the Academy too. But it has really changed the way we do things. We're all in bed earlier now and I'm up by 6 each morning. I know this doesn't seem early for most of you but I haven't gotten up that early each day for a long time. It's been 8 years since I've worked outside the home and it's been the hardest for me. The kids love it! Serah is in Kinder with Mrs. Smith. She is the only one in her class from our church so she is having to reach out and meet new people which is good for her. Also we have her in Kinder because of her lack of desire to read. This means she is ahead of the class in most of the other things and that's good for her since she has been following behind her brother and I think it has influenced the way she learns. We are praying that this is a catch up year for her and next year she'll move on up to 2nd with her peers but if not she'll be fine. Ethan is in 3rd with Mrs. Biggs and loving it! He isn't necessarily the smartest and that is really good for him. He is going to have to push himself, it won't all come easy like it has in the past. His days are full of new things and he even recently learned the S'hima, a Hebrew blessing, in Bible class.
I didn't get pictures from the first day of school but I promise to take one soon of them in their uniform. We know God has set this new direction in front of us and has a great plan for us with it. We're trusting him to guide us and give us the strength and joy we need each day. I will try to do better about updating this more often. See you soon. S

it's still summer right?

There is so much going on this summer it feels like the rest of the year... what happened to lazy days by the pool and sleepovers, riding bikes around the neighborhood and begging your folks for ice cream money? When did I become the grown up with a house to paint and parties to plan, lesson plans to work on and cats to take to the vet? Did my parents have all these things to do during the summer? Am I taking on too much? Am I making sure my kids summers are the kind memories are made of? I know that a lot of what we are doing this summer will be fun memories for the kids I guess I just didn't realize how much work my parents put into making those memories for us. Thanks mom and dad! I'm finding you just might have had to put more work into the summer than I ever realized.

So far this summer we've swum at the pool, gone to movies, started a vegetable garden, watched a dozen baseball games, seen the bats fly from under the I35/McNeil bridge and then had blizzards from DQ, enjoyed VBS (well the kids did, I was part of planning the whole thing) and the kids had Camp Foster.

Left to do... Soup Kitchen with the youth group, 7-11 on Wednesday nights, Beach Week with the Cook Clan, get ready for school next year and still get to the pool as often as possible.

What fun things did you do this summer? What do you still plan to do?

Oh and you do realize I only listed the things the kids actually took (will take) part in... my list is way longer than that. :o)

Hope your summer is going swimmingly!