Meet The Teacher

I know school started last Monday but is anyone reeeeeally surprised that I'm running about a week behind on posting pictures on my blog.... uh yeah - didn't think so. At any rate, last week we had "Meet the Teacher" for Kindergarten and it was great.

Jackson got Mrs. McNulty and she seriously is the sweetest teacher. She told us that her grandson was named Jackson so she knew she would remember him. When we arrived, she had a "Treasure Hunt" word game for the kids to play to get to know the room including their lockers, their cubby, and table. It ended with a little treat bag in her library section.

Jackson was so excited about the whole thing and it was cracking me up that he kept referring to it by the "full" name - "Bridlewood Elementary Broncos". He really couldn't wait until Monday to have his first day of Kindergarten. Pictures and a post on that coming soon...but be warned the pictures were slightly borderline obsessive....okay yes - obsessive - but again is anyone reeeeeally surprised - uh yeah I didn't think so!

The Minor Leagues

Normally I have long sinced moved on and am eagerly awating the first football game of the year but for the first time in a long time, it is about to be September and I find myself still interested in baseball. Our team has a chance to make it into the playoffs...try explaining "the Wild Card" race to a 5 year old sports junkie (another post for another time). We seem to have a good minor league system and have developed some good young players. As I undertand it, the minor leagues of baseball are set up as follows: Single A - Double A - Triple A - Big Leagues (Majors).

With that long and seemingly unrelated opening, I spent some time in the "minor leagues" myself this past weekend. No not baseball - photography. A dear friend of mine is pregnant with twins and on bed-rest at a local hospital. She has brilliantly survived six weeks of this and aside from the obvious limitations, I got to thinking that one thing she would be missing is getting some maternity pictures taken. So I offered my ultra minor league photography skills, which I assured her were somewhere in the Single A category...although one could argue that my camera, in more capable hands, could bat clean up in the majors - but enough with the sports analogies. I took over a hundred pictures and I think we really hit a home run on a few of them (okay sorry - last one I promise). Below are a handful of my own favorites.

(Keep in mind that these are just image captures and haven't been edited for the best quality)

And now a word from Andy Stanley

My husband and I not too long ago led a video Bible study on direction by Andy Stanley with our church small group. For me he has a way of narrowing it all down and speaking both directly and really practically to my heart. I ran onto this summary of his latest book and I can't wait to go get it! I love to read but my life right now leaves very little time for pleasure reading...except for books on tape due to the ridiculous amount of time I spend in my car. I'm going to see if this one is out on tape and if not I may have to just get it anyway and make the time to read it. I don't know about you but there were some words even in this short summary that I really needed to hear!!

* Direction–not intention–determines our destination.
* You don’t have problems to fix; you have directions that need to change.
* Our problem stems from the fact that we are not on a truth quest…We are on a happiness quest. We want to be (as in feel)happy. And our quest for happiness often trumps our appreciation for and pursuit of what’s true.
*Choosing the right path begins with submission, not information…Specifically, submission to the One who knows where each path leads, as well as where it doesn’t lead.
*Don’t trust your heart, trust God with your heart.
*God’s will for your life will always line up with his law, his principles, and his wisdom.
*It is next to impossible to hear the voice of wisdom if we are not really listening for it to begin with.
*What gets our attention determines our direction and,
ultimately, our destination.
*…the principle of the path in 3 words:attention, direction, destination
*The things you give your attention to function as the directional beacon for your life.
*When we resist God’s will for our lives, we are in essence resisting God. When we resist the priorities he has established for us through Scripture, we resist him.
*Knowing doesn’t make the difference. Doing does.

July Trip Part 2

Yes there was an actual part 2 to our trip and just pretend that these posts were only a day apart (you can do it - try). We left Great Grandma Kelly's and went out to the farm...where my other side of the family lives. This is a true family farm and has been in our family for 6 generations. I have been going out in the summer for harvest since I was a kid and I have only missed a couple of summers. I was talking to a colleague here in Dallas and said I was "going to Kansas for harvest" and he said "oh - what kind of festival is that?". Silly city people....harvest is not a festival it is HARVEST as in 'harvesting the crops'. Honestly that comment is part of the reason I go out there. It is a part of who I am, who my family is, and that kind of life and those kind of people....simple, smart, hard working, don't complain...that is what I want my kids to see - THAT kind of life. Honestly though, one of the main reasons I go is to spend time with my family. We are a close knit group and I couldn't think of a better way to spend my vacation then investing in my own heritage. I just love to listen to my Grandma and Granddad talk, laugh, tell stories. I am one of the few lucky people at my age who still has healthy active grandparents....and I just want to soak myself and my kids in every ounce of them that I can!

This year the "soaking up" included a new favorite game of Jackson's that is as entertaining to watch as it is to play...Old Maid. Granddad's facial expressions and overall card dramatics were priceless and we ended up playing it every night. We didn't get to ride horses this time as they are down to one horse and due to some sort of illness, it isn't a riding horse anymore. They were just starting to cut the wheat and although it was a little wet still, it looked like it was going to be a good harvest this year...if they could just get it out of the ground. We rode in the combine with my cousin and one of his kids who is close to Jackson's age. She had a 4-H calf that Jackson helped feed - Gavin on the other hand kept his distance. His kind of cow was the stuffed kind which he tried to guard against sharing with one of the other cousins. We also got to go to one of the cousins baseball games, which Jackson could NOT stop talking about and of course we brought our glove in case there were any foul balls. We got our now mandatory picture in the wheat and overall just had a great time! These days the trip does leave me feeling a little tired - like I need a vacation from my vacation but then I look at these pictures and I wouldn't have it any other way! I miss them already!

July Trip ~ Part 1

I decided that the sheer number of pictures, stories, etc that I have from this trip requires me to break it up in parts (otherwise, let's be honest, I might not get a post done about it). I do want to point out, even if I break my arm patting myself on the back, that I am actually blogging about something in the SAME month that it happened! Are you proud or what!? Once slice of humlbe pie - table 4 please....ummm pie - wait I think I'm loosing my train of thought.

Back to the trip. It was just the kids and me and we left on Friday morning at about noon. Our first stop was at their Great Grandma Kelly's (about 6 hours). They did great on this leg of the trip but after 6 hours in the car (with only one very short potty stop), Gavin was ready to be out of the car - for sure! We had a fun time though at the house, at a local park, and then at a little water area adjacent to a park only a block from her house. Quite a fun filled 24 hours!

School Pictures

Can you believe it - two days in a row...pace yourself Kara blogging is a marathon not a sprint. Oh who am I kidding, if it was a marathon I would be dead on the side of the blog at mile 13 (okay mile 7...okay so it might be mile 5 but I am in much better shape these days!!). If you are keeping track (you know who you are) this is TWO DAYS IN A ROW that I am posting something. One could argue that being gone from blogging for so long I have lots to post about and while one might be right, one might also just quit analyzing it and enjoy the post! One might also quit talking in obscure tenses where it is difficult to read... yes I know.

Wanted to share this year's "school pictures" that I got recently from J&G's school. There weren't a lot of choices so if you are wondering why I would select a picture of Jackson where he looks like he's grown an ivy tail and is participating in the world's most elite smile staring contest, just know that it was the only one I got. He redeemed himself (or at least his smile) in the picture with his brother...but let's talk about that brother...is it just me or does he look like he is about six years old in his individual picture!?! If I had any misconception that I still had a baby because I could legitimately still count his age in months - that was out the window when I got these pictures. The 'cap & gown' picture killed me too...mainly because it reminded me of what he said as we were driving home from the little graduation ceremony they had. We were no more than out of the parking lot and he asked "so...do I start Kindergarten tomorrow morning??". He is so excited and I am glad that we only have just over a month to wait!!

"Life Happens" and then you Blog...

I have come out of my blogging hiatus to bring you the following: I would like to title the picture on the right below as "I Fought the Cabinet and the Cabinet Won". While I won't bore you with the incidents that surround this unfortunate picture, I will tell you that the past couple of weeks will forever be known as "The Bloody Nose of 2009". Poor Gavin!

Being ever so smart for his mere 19 months of age, he has employed a new security system....and yes I suppose I should tell him that he has it on backwards but it wouldn't be nearly as cute!

Overall, he rebounded well though and continues to seek out healing waters (also known as any pool - or "pooo" as he says). He LOVES the water and is enjoying his summer. I will hopefully have more pictures from our harvest trip (and no it is not a festival - it is actual harvest you city people) coming soon.


Many apologies for the long hiatus, as I like to say "life happens and THEN you blog". Thanks for staying tune....uh hello....Bueller?...Bueller?....anyone there???? (crickets chirping)