Sweet Goodness

Hungry

2011-08-01T16:07:00.001-05:00

They were sitting watching a movie, eating popcorn, dropping crumbs on carpet. I was reading computer news and across the waves of the web came these images. Scenes from a land scortched in heat. Not too unlike our midwest, only longer and more intense. Images that left me speechless and mouth all dry. Before I notice, children come over to me and see the eyes of a fellow child. He's the same age as my little one; only his his body has no muscle and his diseased eyes hold no sparkle of life. My little one asks what is wrong with that little one. As a Mama, how do you explain drought, disease, malnutrition, hopelessness to wee little ones? But I try. "There is no rain," I manage. "No food will grow there. The people have to wait for others to bring them food." My heart is aching. Daughter speaks first, "They'll be ok! God won't let anything happen." I don't know what to say. I try, "Well, sometimes God wants us to help. To be his helpers." Little one runs to pantry. Grabs two cans of soup, all his hands can hold. "Send this to them Mama." My heart breaks a little more. Oh how I wish I could just send it. "Well, we really can't do that, but there is a way..." I click a few times and find this. "We can do this." I say.

Who would have thought...from my cell phone, a simple text could send food to a hungry child half way around this globe. I make the numbers appear on the screen and hit send. "The money will go from our bank to those children." I attempt not to cry. Little one runs to his room, I hear coins clang against glass. Back he runs, hand clutching coins he has worked for, made bed, put up dishes, set table for. "This is money for the poor. Send it to them." I swallow hard and take the gift. It weighs heavy in my hand. Who is this child teaching me compassion? I hug children close that night, we pray for little African children and for rain.

This has run through my mind for days now. I wake Sunday morning, a lump in my throat...are my children not all too unlike those children? Oh, mine have full bellies and are relatively healthy in body. But God prodes on. How about the spirit, Sara? Could it be that my children look spiritually like those children look physically? The throat constricts more. Do I feed them from the Word each and every day? The only bread that gives life? Do I serve them a drink from the Living Water every day? The only water that quenches all thirst so that we never thirst again. I repent. Right there in the shower with water falling down to wash away my neglect and malnutrition. The starving of my own soul and those of my little ones. I resolve...I will feed them every day. I must or they too will waste away hungry, thirsty.

Looking for Grace,

The list

2011-08-01T15:14:00.002-05:00

God has used her book to change my life. How giving thanks, finding joy, and discovering grace could change a life. I read her words in a ferocious manner. I couldn't get it fast enough...teach me this wonderful grace. How could I learn to see? To really see. These grace moments every day, every hour, every minute. God's love sitting right there in front of me. Could He possibly have time for me? Want to woo me to Himself? All in an ordinary day. Here in this ordinary house, on these wooded acres, in the middle of the midwest. Could He? Yes. And He did. And He still does.

My list began on April 25, 2011.
#1 - 7 of the list that never ends...
chalk drawings on driveway
white tailed bird flying against rain greened grass
red wagon
daughter plunking out piano piece
rolling thunder
flashes of lightening
son sleeping on daughter's floor

The challenge to list a thousand gifts from His hand to mine, I continue today and every day, "A dare to live fully right where you are." --Ann Voskamp

#296 - 300
baptism of little boy at church, his precious foot kicking up out of the water
baptismal water shining in the light
sleeping boy
horse licking his friend
raindrops hanging on metal gate

Watching for Grace,

Floating Along

2010-06-04T21:01:00.000-05:00

Today was a great day! We took the kids on their very first ever float trip. This is an amazing accomplishment in more than one way. About 13 years ago Rich and I took a float trip in a canoe and I swore I would never do that again...too tipsy, too much paddling with not much movement, and way too nerve wracking! However, this time we took a flat bottom boat...much more stable...and had a trolling motor...much easier!

The kids learned so much.

1. Floating on your back (or tummy) and letting the current take you down river to Dad.

2. Water runs fast and we can lose things in the current. Micah lost this shovel not long after this picture was taken when he just let go of it and it floated too far and too fast for Dad to get it. (Tears)

3. It is a lot of fun to reach out of the boat while it is floating and splash water at yourself.

This was a glorious day. There were so many memories made and I pray I won't soon forget.

Reflections

2010-05-19T14:46:00.000-05:00

This past year has flown bye! My little lady will soon be a first grader and my little man will be playing his first T-Ball game. I can't believe the growth and maturity that comes with each turn of the calendar, but since I haven't blogged on here in months and I have so much to say I thought I'd list what's been happening since... well... February. (Oops, life got in the way of blogging. What can I say?)

1. Easter was a blast with so many sweet memories of the kids collecting eggs and spending time with family.

2. April brought SUNSHINE and lots of it. We enjoyed many days playing outside and feeling the sun on our skin after a long cold winter!

3. Mother's Day was absolutely fabulous! The kids made me the sweetest cards and books at school that have been safely tucked away in my hope chest. And each gave me a flower for my little flower garden. (And I do mean little. I don't have a green thumb, more like brown. Rich says that if it doesn't bark or cry around here that it doesn't get looked after...He's pretty much right.) So as I planted them in the ground each flower got a special prayer for growth. And finally they gave me a mouse. Yep, a mouse...for my computer. I have a laptop and was needing a mouse to make typing and navigating easier. I think the kids liked it as much as I did.

4. Micah has almost finished potty training. (Imagine the Hallelujah Chorus) I told him it was the best Mother's Day gift he could have ever given me! Truly! I have been working with him for literally a year now, and he finally has gotten it. I was at my wit's end and then one day he did it! Oh joy of joys if I didn't hoop and holler and dance around like a mad woman! I have literally prayed for this day and for his potty training...no kidding. The Lord will testify to that, I'm sure he got tired of hearing about my little man's bathroom problems! But thank you Lord, he is doing it!

5. Micah, Anna, and I have all started taking Teakwondo classes. This has boosted Micah's self confidence and has served as a good exercise routine for Anna and me. This week we test for the first time to graduate up from white belt to yellow. We'll see how it goes. (Pray for me!)

Now that the reflections are over, we look to the glorious future of Summertime! I can't wait to see what the next few months hold!

An Unexpected Day

2010-02-09T14:44:00.000-06:00

Today is extremely cold! The wind is whipping, the snow is blowing, the road is slippery, and the beach towels are out! Yep, that's right, the beach towels, beach umbrella, and swimsuits are out and making an appearance today. We got a dusting of snow last night on top of some wet pavement which made for a slick driveway this morning. Therefore, Anna, Micah, and Mom are all stuck in the house. Anna's school was on late start schedule, however I wasn't going to try to get my van out of this roller coaster of a driveway. No way!

When I told Anna that she wouldn't be going to school her imagination started running wild, that's how the whole beach party theme got started. 9 a.m. --"Mom can we get on our swimsuits and will you bring in the umbrella?" 9:30 a.m. -- This is what my living room looked like.

When was the last time I attended a Beach Party in the middle of winter? Can't say that I have ever....before now.

A Childlike Christmas

2009-12-22T21:56:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I haven't been posting on my blog in a loooong time! It's time for redemption and a turning of a new leaf. I'm going to do better. Enough said!

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I loved Christmas as a child, but I truly LOVE Christmas now that I have children. The wonder, awe, excitement and joy of a child. Maybe that's why Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me." Children see through eyes of wonder and Jesus knew that. I'm trying to see through childlike eyes this Christmas. I'm trying to look at Jesus as a child would. Here's an example from today: Micah and I were making Christmas sugar cookies today and I just in passing mentioned Jesus' name. Micah suddenly sang out, "I love you, Jesus!" Then he proceeded to kiss the air and told me to "kiss Jesus too." I blew kisses to Jesus this morning. That's the awe, love, and joy I want to permeate me this Christmas season.

Catching up...

2009-11-17T21:01:00.000-06:00

***I wrote this blog post on Nov. 17th, but haven't posted it until now. Bad blogger girl! ;)
A lot has happened over the past month and I have neglected blogging. So here goes, I'm going to catch up.

As a Christ follower we don't celebrate Halloween, but we do love to dress up and go to church for "Treatsville." Anna decided to be a cheerleader (since she is taking cheer classes and has the outfit already this was a great choice!) Micah was Spiderman and he loved every minute which of course began with shooting webs.
We had tons of fun and really enjoyed ourselves!

Then came Micah's birthday. My baby turned 3 on October 30th. What a whirlwind three years this has been. I can hardly believe that he is now out of the toddler stage and has entered the preschool years. We had a wonderful Thomas party which was attended by tons of family. Micah had a blast opening his gifts, but all week all he said that he wanted was birthday cake. This was the first year that I attempted to make and decorate his cake on my own. I think the chocolate sheet cake turned out pretty delicious. I need to work on the decorating aspect though. Here's to another great year for my little man!

Pumpkin Patch and Carving

2009-10-26T22:05:00.000-05:00

Pumpkin picking has become a fun fall tradition for our family. Every year we travel out to the pumpkin patch located just outside of Clever, MO. We have really enjoyed this tradition every year. This year we were joined by our family, Aunt Susan, Uncle Eric, Emma and Abby. We had so much fun searching all over the pumpkin patch for the perfect pumpkin, riding in the wagon pulled behind a tractor (Micah enjoyed this part immensely), and roasting hot dogs and making smores over an open fire. Then this evening we carved those pumpkins. Anna's was a traditional pumpkin face, while Micah's was made to look like a puppy. What a wonderful time of year!

Chef Extraodinaire

2009-10-13T13:52:00.000-05:00

I am a mom who doesn't like messes, therefore I don't allow the kids to help me in the kitchen as much as I should. But I'm reading a book called The Mommy Manual by Barbara Curtis, and she has encouraged me to forget the mess and focus on the experience. So today at lunch time I asked Micah if he would like to help me make his peanut butter and syrup sandwich. He was so excited to help stir the ingredients and then took the initiative to spread the peanut butter out onto his bread. I then asked him if he would like some cheese-its to go with it, and to my surprise he said yes, but that he wanted them on his sandwich. I hesitated and said, "Are you sure?" He responded with a nod of the head and proceeded to place the cheese-its on his peanut butter. When he took the first bite his eyes lit up and he nodded in satisfaction. He had created a sandwich all his own and truly was enjoying it.

Now to ponder. Had I not gotten past the "mess" and not invited Micah to join me in the kitchen, he would not have had the experience of creating a sandwich of his own, being proud of himself, and learning that he can do things by himself. What life lessons my son learned today in just 15 minutes with mom in the kitchen.

Lord, I know this is what you wanted me to learn today. Help me get past the "messes" and get to the heart of my children. Help me to love them like you love me: unconditionally, patiently, mess and all. Amen.

Baptism and a Kindergarten Mission Field

2009-10-05T22:39:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my beautiful daughter was baptized at our church in a service that can only be described as remarkable. Rich had the awesome privilege of baptizing Anna in front of our family and many church friends who had gathered. Anna was the 27th out of 27 children who were baptized last night as a culmination of a 4 week New Believers Class. Last May Anna had asked Jesus to be her savior as we were coming home from a MOPs meeting. I pulled the van over to the side of the road and we said a sinner's prayer right there in the car. It will be a day I will never forget. Yesterday was also one of those days.

Today was just an ordinary day...that is until I found out what happened at school. Anna couldn't wait to get to school today so she could tell her teacher, Mrs. Nicoll, that she had been baptized yesterday. After school Mrs. Nicoll told me that not only did Anna want to tell her, she also wanted to tell the whole class. So at sharing time Anna let the class know that she had been baptized the day before. Anna said that several people wanted to know what that meant. So she told them that she had asked Jesus to come live in her heart and that she had went under the water. She said that some of the kids laughed and thought it was funny, but that others thought it was neat. Today my daughter became a missionary. She shared her testimony with 20 other students, she was laughed at, and misunderstood...all for Jesus. Praise God. If there is anything that I want my daughter to be in the world it is a missionary. God grant her BOLDNESS to share her faith and to win many to the kingdom.

Life Soundtrack

2009-09-22T13:55:00.000-05:00

There are times in my life that are set to music. For instance, I can remember dancing to "Lady in Red" while wearing a red gown at a high school party. I remember listening to "Life is a Highway" while cruising around with friends. I remember almost every song on the lullaby cd that played in Anna's room for the first three years of her life. (No kidding.) And today a revelation that this time in our family's life can be marked by kid's music...specifically the band Milkshake. Over two months ago I checked out a random cd at the library. I vaguely knew one of the songs on the cover and thought, "Why not." Well, after having renewed the cd once and literally listening to it everyday for two months it has become our song of the season. The cd is titled "Bottle of Sunshine," and with fun songs like "Boom, Boom," and "Woo woo," to thoughtful ones like, "Smile," and "Book of Dreams," Milkshake has become a van favorite. That is until today...we had to return the cd to the library. Micah cried the whole way home, "I want Milkshake!" It was not enough to say that we could check it out again the next time we went to the library. I think I'm going to have to buy it. So Lisa and Mikel of Milkshake I thank you for making us "Smile" and giving us a theme song for "Rainy Days." We love Milkshake!

Six Things I Love About My Six-Year-Old...

2009-09-08T21:57:00.000-05:00

Your laugh is contagious.

Your smile lights up the room.

Your heart is tender to those left out.

Your life belongs to Jesus.

You love being a princess.

You are my Anna Bug!

Six years ago a beautiful surprise came to life and someone told me that being a mom meant having your heart walk around outside of your body...they were right.

Birthday Party Weekend

2009-08-25T15:05:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday we celebrated Anna's 6th birthday. My sweet girl was born on August 30th, however Daddy is going to be in Nicaragua on a mission trip on the actual day, so the celebration was planned for Saturday. When I asked her what theme she wanted for her party she said a pool party. Quite appropriate considering this has been the summer of swimming, but a pool party was a little out of our league, so we decided a water party could be just as fun. And from the squeals that went on in our backyard I'd say it might have even been more fun!

The day started with cake and ice cream.

Then on to the presents...Anna's favorite part.

Besides new earrings, a Giselle doll from the Enchanted movie was what she wanted from Mom and Dad.

The living room was filled with family and friends and made the day extra sweet!

Finally, the water fun was under way. And boy did they get wet!
Micah was a wild man on the slip and slide. He did not want to wait in line and would cut in between every other slider. He had a blast!

This was definately a party to remember and one that will go down in the history books. (Well, at least Anna's life history book.)

Happy (almost) Birthday my sweet cheeks!

Earrings!!

2009-08-21T22:36:00.000-05:00

Today was earring day! Ever since Anna's cousins got their ears pierced she has wanted to have hers done too. We decided that would be a great birthday present. Anna's actual birthday is August 30th, but since Rich will be gone on a mission trip that day we decided to celebrate this weekend. And what a beginning to the celebration!

After school today we headed over to Wal-Mart for the big ear piercing extravaganza. Anna picked out some very beautiful "diamond" earrings and sat in the special chair. She was so nervous that she began to giggle. The lady was trying to make the mark on her ears in order to know where to put the earring and Anna was giggling so much she had to remark it three times.

Anna was very brave until the two ladies came at her with the piercing guns. My brave girl squeezed her eyes shut as they did the piercing and then the tears came. She said that they hurt and cried for a little bit on Daddy's shoulder. After the initial shock wore off and she looked at herself in the mirror she was so proud of those little gems.

I can't believe what a big girl I have for a daughter...who said she could grow up anyway?

On a much sadder note, one of our friends and a dear man, Gary Stumpff, passed away this week and we attended the visitation this evening. We tried to explain to the kids why we needed to be quiet in the funeral home. I told Micah that a man we know had died and went to heaven to see Jesus and we were going to go say sorry to his wife. When we got to the funeral home I took Micah and Anna into the restroom. Micah looked right at me and said, "Where's Jesus?" I told him that Jesus was in heaven and we weren't going to see him at the funeral home. He said in a long slow whine, "I wanted to see Jesus!!!" -- Oh, Lord, if I could only have that much faith and desire to see you!

First Day of Kindergarten

2009-08-19T21:03:00.000-05:00

There is one special day that a child looks forward to...the first day of Kindergarten. I have thought about this day for the past year knowing that each passing day would bring us closer to today. And oh what a day it was! I can hardly believe that the precious little baby that was born six years ago this month has begun her journey through school. Last night we prepared everything, backpack packed and waiting by the door, lunch box packed, clothes laid out, and in bed early. As we said our prayers I prayed for Anna's first day of school and her teacher and for a good night's rest. Anna prayed, "God, please let me have a great making new friends day tomorrow." Well said. This morning I woke up early and spent time with God asking for Him to cover her, sit with her, and protect her today. As we were driving to school she was so excited. We pulled into the parking lot and began our walk up the sidewalk and she said, "I'm a little scared." My brave girl was feeling a little insecure. I gave her a pep talk and on we went.

Leaving her there was a little sad for me. My baby is growing up. Micah wasn't quite sure what to think about sissy being gone either. He asked several times today, "Where's Anna?" But soon 3:35 pm came around and it was time for us to pick her up. I saw her beaming little face and asked her how her day was. She said, "Mom, I had a GREAT day today."

Lord, thank you for new beginnings. You are the God of new beginnings and I praise you for showing your loving kindness and sweet goodness to Anna Grace today as she began her first day of Kindergarten. Please watch over her, guide her, protect her, and allow her to shine like a star in the place where you've put her. May she reflect your light to all who see her sweet little face. Thank you for school and for wonderful teachers. Amen

Happy Birthday To Me

2009-08-05T22:36:00.000-05:00

Today is my 33rd birthday! What a day it has been! I woke up to the sweet sounds of the Happy Birthday song sung by my kiddos as they brought me breakfast in bed. This was Anna's idea and I was told last night not to get up if I heard things in the kitchen. Here's what my breakfast looked like...
Yummy scrambled eggs, toast buttered to perfection by Chef Anna herself, a fruit rollup for dessert, and water carried by Micah the servant. What a wonderful husband to help them pull this off. Then I was given my birthday present...

I wasn't suppose to know what this was, but last Saturday after Rich took the kids shopping Micah got in the car and said, "It's a watch, Mommy!" What a sweet little man. He wanted me to know so bad. I love my new watch so much and needed a new one.

Then I got a rare opportunity to have lunch with my Grandma Vaughn. We had a wonderful time eating yummy sandwiches at Panera where my sis, Susan, joined us.

Finally, I was treated to a wonderful dinner at Cheddar's followed by my favorite cake, german chocolate, at mom's house. This has been a wonderful day filled with all of my favorite things. Each birthday I like to think about what I'd like to accomplish in the next year. I pray this next year I grow closer to the image of my savior, become a more intentional mom and wife, and share my faith more with people in my sphere of influence.

What a day! I love birthdays!

This weekend was sew, sew...

2009-08-03T22:25:00.000-05:00

I spent a good three hours this weekend sewing my First Ever garment from a pattern. It was a Simplicity pattern for a simple apron, but the pattern said Sewing For Dummies...exactly what I needed. When it comes to sewing I'm a novice to say the least. This is surprising because I have a mom who is an excellent seamstress and can whip out a new dress in no time. As a young teenager I had asked my mom to teach me to sew. Well, with the combination of a mouthy know-it-all teenager and a mom who was tired and didn't have much patience, let's just say that the sewing lessons didn't last long. Anyway, recently I've become more confident in my sewing ability and have branched out from the straight line sewing projects to a little more complex pattern. I decided to make myself an apron for when we do messy projects at preschool and Anna thought she needed one too. I thought it might be best to start with the littler one first, so Anna's was my practice run. I think it turned out well and she loves it, so... success!

This old sewing machine was given to me by my Grandma Sheeley. It belonged to her brother and his wife. I'm so blessed to be able to keep using it. And finally, the finished product...

Last but not least, I've entered a giveaway over at http://www.yeebird.blogspot.com/ Go over and check out Rebekah's goodies and you just may be as inspired by her as I was.

Summer Arts Festival

2009-07-31T14:19:00.000-05:00

Anna has always had a love for art. Ever since she could hold a crayon in her hand she's loved making beautiful pictures. This summer our wonderful church offered classes in the arts. They painted tiles, made picture frames, decorated cakes, and much more, all in the name of Jesus. The theme was Treasure and how we are each a treasure in God's eyes and He is our treasure. This past Wednesday was the celebration night where all of the children had their art on display. My beautiful girl had her painting hung right up there on the wall just like in an art gallery. I'm so proud of her!

What a beautiful creation God made when he made my Anna Grace. Perhaps He put a little of His creativity into her...

O-O-O-Opossum

2009-07-26T21:21:00.000-05:00

There are a few things in this world that scare me: someone jumping out at me, my kids running out toward the street, and....animals where they shouldn't be. Let me explain. Just a few weeks ago we had a "problem" with snakes. Rich had run over a few while mowing and told me to keep an eye out for them in the yard. So I was vigilant and looked at every stick as if it were about to slither away, didn't let the kids in the grass without shoes on, and didn't venture out too far away from the house. The problem with this whole scenerio is that we live on eight acres of wooded land that has wildlife all over it. So as you can well imagine I happened to spot a snake slithering across our stone wall in the front of the house one evening. Needless to say, I did a hopping shrieking dance across the driveway. Thank the Lord Rich had just came home from work. (Early I might say, yes God does take care of us in every circumstance.) My knight in shining armor, or khaki slacks as the case may be, pulled out his 410 shotgun and shot that snake! My hero saved his damsal in distress. And what distress I was in!

Okay, now fast forward several weeks to today. After having a wonderful visit at my mom's house this evening, Anna, Micah and I returned home to get ready for bed. Before we headed inside I decided to go check on Rippy and give him some fresh food. Micah didn't have his shoes on so I carried him on one hip and carried the dog food in the other hand. I entered Rippy's pen and set down his food, then proceeded to peek into his feeder to check and see how much food was left in there. As I did this I caught a glimpse of little white feet that did not belong in a dog food dish. I let out a scream, tried to keep from dropping Micah and ran out of the pen back to the house. We decided to wait for Daddy to get home and that Rippy could sleep in the garage tonight. When Rich got home we told him the whole story and my brave husband said that we needed to get it out. So out into the dark we went, me carrying a shovel and Rich with the shotgun. I didn't want to be in charge of the gun, I might have shot the wrong target. So I was in charge of knocking over the feeder and jumping up on top of the dog house. I did this with excellent skill. My brave knight kicked the feeder out the pen door and proceeded to open the door so that the oppossum could escape. I know that these close encounters with the animal kind are to be expected when you live in thier natural habitat, but I definately prefer the four beautiful deer we saw this morning over the oppossum and snakes anyday!

Bonfires, Bikes, and Barns Oh My!

2009-07-20T12:00:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was absolutely one of the best we've had in a while. The weather was gorgeous (78 degrees on Saturday) for July and we decided to do lots of outdoor activities. The kids had spent the night Thursday with Mema and Papa, so Friday morning I had the opportunity to go pick up Micah's "Big Boy" bike that I had found on Craigslist. It is hotwheels and has fire on the side...right up my little guy's alley! So when the kids came home Friday night we gave him his bike and made the day of a 2 1/2 year old! He is 100% boy and LOVES the color blue. God provided exactly the bike my little man wanted...isn't He good?

Later that night we decided to have a bonfire up in our back "pond" area. We roasted marshmallows and made smores. Micah said that he liked the "fire" ones the best.

Then on Saturday we visited the Rutledge Wilson farm which is not far from our house. The kids loved seeing the animals and playing in the hay and on the playground that was in the shape of a barn. What a wonderful weekend we had, and as Rich said this morning, "These are the best times of our life!"

Swim Lessons and the Finished Project

2009-07-13T22:23:00.000-05:00

Today was the first day for Anna's swim lessons at the Nixa Aquatics Center. With black clouds overhead and wet pavement underfoot, we set out to go swim. She was so excited and followed all of the teacher's instructions. This summer has been great for Anna's confidence in the water. When we went camping and boating a few weeks ago, our little fish just jumped right off the front of the boat and swam all around that lake (with a life jacket on of course). So when she came to me after lessons and said, "Mom, watch this," I was impressed that she could already swim under water, but not really surprised. Anna has always loved the water and I'm sure that she's going to learn alot in these next two weeks of lessons.

"Swimming, swimming, just keep swimming." --Dori from Finding Nemo

Burrrr, the water was quite chilly!

Finally, presenting the finished sewing project. Anna did such a wonderful job on her very first attempt at sewing. I'm going to frame this and put it up in her room.

Train ride and sewing

2009-07-12T16:47:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a wonderful day of firsts.

Micah is so crazy about trains, especially Thomas the Train, and we wanted to experience a real train ride before the wonder wears off. So we ventured off to the Branson Scenic Railway and rode a real train through two tunnels, across bridges, and into Arkansas. Anna and Micah both loved eating lunch on the train and walking between the cars while the train was going. Micah especially loved playing on the Thomas train table on the actual train. We had so much fun and made wonderful memories.

The conductor came by and punched our tickets. He punched an A for Anna and an M for Micah just like on the Polar Express. We were quite impressed!

Finally, this is a gorgeous view of the beautiful Ozark mountains.

Sewing....

Anna came to me and said, "I want to sew." So I gave her some fabric, borrowed an embroidery hoop from Grandma, and drew out a picture with chalk. After showing her a simple stitch she went to work. She has now sown two flowers, a sun, and her name. We'll show the finished project soon.

What a great day!

Here we go!

2009-07-12T16:12:00.000-05:00

I have just jumped into the world of blogging. Hopefully this will be a wonderful journey that lasts for years to come.