18 Reasons for 18 Years together. . .

Tomorrow marks Kevin and my 18th Anniversary. Hmmm, about this time 18 years ago, we were just leaving the church to begin our new life together. I can't believe how far we've come since then. In keeping with my blog tradition here are 18 things I love about my man.

I love Kevin because:

18. He has a servant's heart.
17. He keeps blueberry nutri-grain bars in stock because he knows Asa LOVES them.
16. He's a redneck, but he's a very intelligent one. ;)
15. Whenever I tell him he looks nice/hot, he says, "I know."
14. He says I'm beautiful (no matter what I weigh).
13. He makes each of our kids feel special.
12. He stays cool under pressure.
11. He wears his cowboy boots/hat because he knows I like them.
10. He prays for/with me every morning before he goes to work.
9. He gives me roses for my birthday.
8. He puts up with my moodiness.
7. He's a great dad.
6. He gets excited about Christmas.
5. He loves West Virginia as much as I do.
4. He has a great (dry) sense of humor.
3. He enjoys giving gifts.
2. He takes care of me/us.
1. He loves Jesus.

Happy Anniversary Kevin. I love you. I'm looking forward to #19.

This year, all of our kids wrote a poem to share at our Thanksgiving feast. They felt I should write one too and I willingly agreed. I'll post theirs later, when I have them in front of me and if Marian doesn't beat me to the punch. But here's what I came up with today. Happy Thanksgiving ya'll!

Thanksgiving 2009

Oh the many things I am thankful for
My Savior's love does pour, Kevin loves me more and more
and we have adorable kiddos galore!

Austin was thrown into the mix back in the year of '96
His kicks come from his basketball picks and his licks come when his mind sticks.
That's how he gets his fix.

Then in '98 we knew we weren't done when Addison became our second son
He's tons of fun, loves to run,
but his soccer team, sadly, never won.

Anna-Kate, my girl, is mine that came third in line
she's oh so fine and seldom does she whine
as long as she is first in line.

Then in 2002, who knew we'd have someone new? Son #4, Ayden, 'tis true.
Three kids in diapers means lots of poo and many extra chores to do.
Our home was looking a lot like a zoo. Whew!

And what a surprise in 2005, when Asa, our fifth child did arrive!
He and Ayden jump and jive and move about like bees in a hive.
It's fun and alive until Ace, from the bed, takes a nose dive. Oh the joys of having five!

Anna-Kate says don't forget, Sugar, Ginger and Pippen, our surviving pet.
He does lick, stink and wet, and get me upset. Oh, how I fret!
And yet, we are better with the pets we have met.

So many blessings to be thankful for, family and friends who open their door.
We share Jesus as our core, our sins that He wore, and because of the grace He does pour, our lives can mean so much more.

Dutch, Reformed

Today, I added a new blog to my bloglist. It is the blog of Brandon and Susie Dutcher. They are friends that we got to know while living in Oklahoma. They are the parents of five children: Lincoln, Lilly, Mary Margaret, Jack Henry and Anne Marie, their newest addition.

I do not have the strength or even the knowledge to divulge to you the story of Anne Marie. She is currently in a hospital in Dallas being treated for a diaphragmatic hernia with which she was born. She has been through so much in her short little lifetime. You can click on the link at the right (Dutch, Reformed) to read their story. Please keep this family in your prayers. My heart is aching for them and the decisions that they are making even today.

October 27, 2009



Today would have been Knox's 4th birthday. I'm remembering him and praying for his family today. In his honor, a 4 mile run is in store for me this afternoon. . .

I had the special privilege of loving on Knox many times in the nursery and, often, when I look at Asa (my own 4 year old), I am reminded of what he also lost on that fateful, yet providential day in April of 2007. I love you Jon and Rachel, Anne Michal, Elizabeth, Emma, Jack and Creed. I am thankful for Knox's life and so sorry for the emptiness that he left behind. Praying for you still.

Jack, Knox & Asa

My Most Embarrassing Moment

I guess God figured I needed a light-hearted moment and truly, I can't believe I'm sharing this here, but when I shared it with Marian, we laughed so hard together that well, I felt like we could all use a good laugh. . .

One night this week, we planned on cooking out at our house with the Colemans and my in-laws, who happened to be visiting. So after we finished school, we headed home to start the getting ready process. It wasn't until after I had put the chicken in the microwave to defrost, that I went to wash my hands and realized that the water had been turned off. "Hmmm," I thought "that must be why all those city trucks were on our street." I called Kevin and he in turn, called the city of Bryan and then called me back to inform me that our water would be off from 4:10 pm to 6:10 pm.

By this time, it was almost 5:00 and so I figured we could all make it another hour. I let the kids know they couldn't use the toilets and if they really had to "go", there were a few trees in the back yard they could use. ;)

About fifteen minutes later is when it hit me and I knew I wasn't going to make it until 6:10 pm. I often catch my children doing the "pee pee" dance, but I'm pretty sure they've never seen me doing it. . .until now. I had to go so bad, I walked out back around the side of my house looking for a place where I might be able to, well, you know, go. But then my next door neighbor's upstairs window was inconveniently glaring down at me so I "danced" my way back in the house and decided I could hold it afterall.

Well, another twenty minutes went by and I started thinking I hadn't fully given the back yard its due. I had to have some relief. So I headed out back again to where I had formerly been and copped a squat beside the house, next to the fence. It was the most private spot I could find under the circumstances.

And then it happened. It was in this squatted position that I heard Kevin's voice. And as I was sitting there, mid-stream, I looked out the slats of the fence and I could see and hear Kevin, introducing his dad, my father-in-law, to the elderly accountant who lives next door. I could see them shaking hands. I had a full view of all of them and I just knew that if they happened to look over, they would see me "in all my glory". I was trying so hard to hurry, but I think I had drank a gallon of water, and well, that just takes time. At some point, I was positive that Kevin and I made eye contact and I was just trying to get back in the house as fast as I could, with my dignity in tact.

As I stood up and tried to get presentable, I thought I saw them all look my way, but I didn't stick around to see for sure. When I asked Kevin about it later, he promised me he didn't see me. He did hear somebody there, but he thought it was the kids playing with Pippen, our dog. I really hope he didn't see me. More importantly, I hope my father-in-law and my neighbor didn't see me. And how thankful I would be if my most embarrassing moment was truly just a moment between me and God!

Whew!

FIVE WORDS

My friend, Rachel blogged about 5 words which someone had passed onto her. So I commented on her post and told her to send 5 words my way and I, too, would play along. The thing is, I completely forgot about it until she reminded me yesterday. Sorry Rachel. And since I'm taking the afternoon off from schooling, I thought I'd take a moment to make good on my word, or 5 words, in this case. The words are: shopping, windows, grass, rain and tv.

I wonder if it's ok to put my first two words together. . .

Window Shopping
Window shopping reminds me of when I was little and my parents would take me out on my birthday. Every year, around our birthday, dad and mom would come and pick Marian and me up from school and take us out to lunch, then a movie and then a new pair of shoes was in order. This was back in the day before malls and all the shops were lined up in a row downtown.

As we walked from shoe store to shoe store, mom would look in all the store windows and comment about whatever was on display. I never understood the point of what she called "window shopping". Most of the time when she saw something she liked, she just commented on it and moved on. I always wanted to go in, but we rarely did. I guess with 9 kids, she gave up a lot. That makes me grateful and a little sad too.

Grass
All the way through junior high and high school, I was the one in my house who was responsible for mowing our lawn. My dad told me he would pay for my cheerleading camp (approximately $100), if I kept up with the grass all summer. I think he got the better end of that deal. We had a HUGE yard, ya'll.

Also, I once heard Kevin say that he thought a woman should never have to push a mower. I'm not saying that that was the moment I knew he was the one for me, but it sure didn't hurt his chances either. Over the course of our marriage, I think I've "pushed the mower" twice. Not bad odds, I'd say.

Rain
Just the word, "rain" makes me a little melancholy. Makes me want to sleep in, read a good book, take in a sappy movie, walk with my honey, go for a run, or watch a marathon Monk, NCIS or Law and Order on USA. I love a good rain. It's good for the soul.

Oh, and I almost forgot. The word "rain" also makes me think of my friend, Kierstyn, who commented once about what she likes about going to Six Flags in the rain. I can't really repeat it here, but trust me, it is hilarious. ;)

TV
I have a love/hate relationship with television. Almost everynight, I go to sleep watching ESPN (Kev's choice) or some show on channel 23. USA is my network of choice as my favorite shows are Law and Order (doesn't matter which one), NCIS, Monk and House (I hate to admit that one).

Our kids like Full House and Phineus and Ferb. Both are relatively harmless, pretty silly and yet offer opportunities of discussion (about world views, teenage angst, etc.) that have been good for us, as parents, to have with our kids.

I hate, Hate, HATE commercials. They have become too worldly, too sexy, too suggestive, too everything. It seems like everytime we think we're watching something harmless, like a game on ESPN, or a "family" movie, we are bombarded with images, words and world views that are contrary to our own. Ya know the childhood song, "Be Careful Little Eyes What You See", well, tv makes it difficult to guard your children's eyes (and adult eyes, for that matter) from seeing more than they should.

So there ya go. If you wanna play along, just comment and I'll send 5 words your way too.

5K Training and so on. . .

OK, I know I haven't kept up with posting about my training, but that doesn't mean I've given up on the training. It's just that our lives are busy, busy, busy now and so I don't always have the time to say what I want to say. To make a long post shorter, two weeks ago I ran 3 days for 45 minutes and walked about 15 and in between those days, I walked with my daughter for about an hour.

Then last week, I upped the running to 50 minutes and then walked for the last 10. And then I walked a day or two with Anna-Kate--again for about an hour each time (I think.) So, I've been doing about 4 miles consistently and I'm feeling pretty good. I have more energy. I wish I could say I've lost 25 pounds in this whole process, but alas, I have only lost about 3. So I press on.

But I have something better I wanted to share. Marian has been posting some poems that our kids have been writing for school. Well Austin wrote a humdinger of a poem today and I just had to let ya'll have a peek. He's brilliant and funny. So here ya go:

In the forest, there are trees of green
some are broad and some are lean.

It is really spooky in the dark
I flinched to the sound of my dog's bark.

I wondered what was behind that tree.
It was really scaring me.

I didn't know what to do.
I felt the tension as it grew.

I knew something was there.
I began to wet my underwear.

I heard twigs begin to break.
I yelled, "Sick 'em!" to my dog, Jake.

I saw my dog run toward the trees.
I tried to stop my shaking knees.

I heard someone let out a scream.
I began to wish this whole thing was a dream.

I saw someone as he ran.
I noticed I held a can.

I threw it with all my might.
I hit him on the back of the head just right.

As I saw that man fall,
I noticed he was quite tall.

Then all of the sudden I became quite sad
because I realized I just hit my dad.

So then Austin read his poem to his dad and his dad had this to say, "Three things: first of all, you don't have a dog named Jake. Secondly, if you threw a can at me, you would probably miss. Thirdly, if you hit me in the back of the head, I wouldn't fall down." And then he said, "You forgot the last part of your poem. It should read, 'After my dad awoke, soon I noticed my nose was broke.'"

Oh, I love my family.

Week 3--C25K with a twist

Days 1 & 3: Walk 5 minutes. Jog 12 minutes or 1 mile. Walk 5 minutes. C25K: Jog 90 seconds/walk 90 seconds. Jog 3 minutes/walk 3 minutes. Do that twice. Walk 4 minutes. Jog 7 minutes or 1/2 mile. Walk 4 minutes.

Days 2, 4 & 6: Walk 55 minutes or some other form of cross-training i.e. biking, aerobics, etc.

Day 5--Long Run Day: Run 25 minutes or 2.5 miles.

Day 7: Always rest.

Going from the 5K to a Stronger 5K

I don't feel quite ready to take on a 10K seeing as it took me 40 minutes to complete the 5K. So for the next 8 weeks, I'm going to go through the Couch to 5K (C25K) again with a few adjustments.

Using C25K as my base, Week 1 looked like this:
Days 1 & 3: Walked 5 minutes. Ran 10 minutes. Walked 5 minutes. Then the C25K run/walk split (run 60 seconds/walk 90 seconds) for 20 minutes. Ran 5 minutes. Walked 10.

Days 2,4,6: Walked 55 minutes.

Day 5-Long Run Day: Planned on running 20 minutes or 2 miles without any walk breaks. Instead, I ran the first mile and then had to take a walk break for 3 minutes. Then ran another 12.5 minutes. Walked a mile with my son, Austin, as a cool-down.

Some of you have asked me about my weight loss since beginning this venture approximately 12 weeks ago. Well, drumroll please. . .I've gained about 4 pounds. And yes, that is very discouraging to me. But I keep telling myself that the other benefits of being healthy i.e. heart, lungs, blah blah blah are what I need to remember and upon those things I need to put my focus. Admittedly, this is a difficult task, but I am trying. I am beginning to think that all those "facts" about weight loss and that it comes when you burn more calories than you take in, well those "facts" don't apply to me. I believe that even if I were able to hire the best trainer and nutritionist in the world, I would only frustrate them too. I really do try and do things "by the book" and well, it doesn't work for me.

I'm not trying to complain, just attempting to be honest about the way it is. So somewhere along the line, I just have to be happy with who I am. Be thankful that I am the size I am and move forward.

That being said, today should have been Day 1 of Week 2, but I never made it out the door. Here's the plan should I make it out tomorrow:

Days 1 & 3: Walk 5 minutes. Run 12 minutes. Walk 3 minutes. Then the C25K run/walk split (run 90 seconds/walk 60 seconds) for 20 minutes. Walk 4 minutes. Run 7 minutes. Walk 4 minutes.

Days 2, 4, & 6: Walk (or any other cross-training i.e. aerobics, biking, etc.) 55 minutes.

Day 5-Long Run Day: Run 25 minutes or 2.5 miles. Walk a mile.

5K Training

I know it's been a while since I've REALLY blogged. Sometimes I start to, but then I get distracted or I decide that what I wanted to say takes too many words so I hit "delete" and walk away. I'm not so sure I want to be vulnerable and lay it all out there, so to speak. But then there's that part of me that wants to be known and heard and thus the struggle ensues. Anyway, all of that to say, I'm going to try and be a little more open (I think).

So along that line, I'm letting you all in on what's been going on in my life for the last 12 weeks or so. In an effort to get back in shape, I began training for a 5K. Following Rachel's advice, I found a 5K training program (online) designed to help beginners like me. It's called "From the Couch to the 5K" often referred to as "C25K". It's a 9 week program that starts with walking and running and slowly moves the trainee to running. At the end of the 9 week program, one should be able to run that 5K (3.1 miles)or for 30 minutes without stopping. Also, this program requires that one run only 3 days a week and that seemed attainable for me.

It was a pretty easy program to follow as it told me each day what to do. Days 1, 3 and 5 were "running" days and it recommended that on Days 2, 4 and 6 I walk or do some other form of cross-training. "Simple enough," I thought.

There was nothing simple about getting my body out there and running, but I committed myself to sticking to it and seeing it through. I found myself praying for strength in order to get through those running moments. There were times I hit that wall and couldn't get through the running, but other times when I pressed through the wall and completed the task before me. When all was said and done, I was surprised that I had many more successes than failures.

The most difficult times for me were when the program dropped the walking altogether in Weeks 8 and 9. I didn't want to move onto the next week if I couldn't complete the current one. So I got hung up on Week 8 and it took me 3 weeks to get to the point where I could run for 28 minutes on all 3 running days.

Then last Monday, I began Week 9, knowing that on the last running day of that week, I would be expeced to run a 5K (or 30 minutes) without stopping. Since I hadn't entered an official 5K race, I mapped out 3.1 miles in my neighborhood and began thinking about what lay ahead of me. I was feeling pretty unsure about my abilities to complete a full 5K so I called up my good friend, Wendy, who is an avid runner, and asked her if she would run along side me. She agreed and met me at my front door Friday morning at 6:30. (How's that for friendship?)

We started out at a pretty good pace, one I was sure I wouldn't be able to keep, and eventually settled into my "barely moving" slower pace. When we hit the half-way mark, I told Wendy we only had a mile and half left. She laughed and said, "You can do anything for a mile and a half, right?"

I rolled my eyes and pressed on, thinking to myself I knew I wasn't going to make it. At the two and a half mile mark, I was still doubting myself, but Wendy just kept encouraging me and telling me how great I was doing (she was lying). She prayed for me and kept right on talking. It was the best gift she could've given me.

When we hit the 3 mile mark, I was barely jogging, but jogging nonetheless. It was at this point that Wendy started talking to me about how to end the race. She told me to think about how I should be carrying my arms and moving my feet. Then, gently she told me how she tries to stand taller and hold in her abs. All the while, we're picking up the pace and I'm trying to learn and respond to her instruction. Before I knew it, we were kicking in the finish. I'm sure it wasn't a sprint for her, but it definitely felt like a sprint to me. And then it was done. Done.

I can't really express the feeling of accomplishment and gratitude I felt at THAT moment, but as I'm writing about it at THIS moment, I am overcome with emotion. I'm so grateful that God allowed me to complete something I started. He gave me a friend to see me through and I feel oh so very blessed.

There's more to this running story, but I'm going to leave it there for now. I apologize for not having pictures of the big day, but even if I did have them, I'm not sure I would post them here. It ain't pretty, ya'll.

Asa's version of "American Pie". . .

I was singin'
My my this American Guy
drove my levy to my chevy
but the levy was dry
and the good ole boys were drinkin' gracie ole by
and soon I'm gonna be a jedi
and soon I'm gonna be a jedi!

An Asa Funny

Kevin made a slight error while shaving the other day and in order to fix it, he completely shaved off his goatee. When Asa saw him clean shaven later he said, "Dad, what's wrong with your face? It's all messed up!"

One year ago, Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman's daughter, Maria, died. Someone steered me toward Mary Beth Chapman's blog today and her post resonated in my heart with the deep pain and loss our own church family is feeling in our own loss. If you want to journey into that realm where grief is tough, but where you can better understand and minister to those in sadness and suffering through trajedy, grab your tissues and visit this sight: http://chapmanchannel.typepad.com/marybeth/

Remembering Knox. . .

An Anderson picture often makes me smile and feel some sadness at the same time. There's always one missing. Here, it's Creed. Oh, how I grieve that he must wait a lifetime to meet his brother. There's a space between Jack and Creed that now, only Jesus can fill. I know Knox is in a better place, but I miss him and feel sadness for his family who misses him more than I.


This is how I remember Knox. It's Easter. He's holding onto a treasured egg he's found and he's got his sippy cup in hand just in case he gets thirsty. He's content. He's got his green paci and he's wearing his crocs. I can't tell it from this pic, but his nose is probably running too.


And if I had to pick a favorite picture of him, this would definitely make the top 5. It was taken that Wednesday, before THAT Friday. He's really happy. That was a lovely morning.


It's hard to believe these April days are upon us again. I'm sorry Jon and Rachel, Anne Michal, Elizabeth, Emma, Jack and Creed. You are continually in our thoughts and prayers. . .and even more so during these 10 days. I love you.

Pottytraining--Day 3



Rachel told me it could be done in 3 days. I didn't believe her. But there's proof in the pudding, as the saying goes. Asa went all day without an accident; however, each time he went it was on my initiative and not his own. Either way, I think the most difficult part is over--at least I hope it is--and we have made the switch from diapers to big boy underwear.

On a side note, we're going to continue with the pullups at night for a bit; although, he could probably just go ahead a switch there too because most mornings he wakes up dry. I just want to give him a little more time since waking up wet, I'm sure, is no fun.

Way to go Asa. I'm so proud of you. Aunt Mar and Mrs. Rachel knew you could do it. :)

Day 2--Pottytraining



Well, we had to change clothes 4 times today, but that doesn't necessarily mean things went badly. He woke up in the morning with a dry pullup and then went to the potty. Success #1! Yea!!!

Then, later I suggested he go again and he did, but his aim was a little off and so he still got his britches wet. I count that a success even though we had to change his clothes.

Then as I was schooling in the afternoon, he had an accident. I had asked him if he needed to go. He said, "No," but then went and hid behind the couch. That took the wind out of my sails a bit, but that's how it goes sometimes.

Later as I was putting clothes in the dryer, I heard him run in the back door yelling, "I gotta go poopy! I gotta go poopy!" Everything made it into the toilet. That was great!!!

Then he had another experience where his aim was off and his pants weren't down far enough, but he was at the toilet when it happened, so I count that as a plus.

Lastly, we were at a volleyball game and he started to have an accident and stopped mid-stream and said, "I gotta go. I gotta go." We ran to the bathroom and he finished in the potty.

All-in-all a very good Day 2. Thanks for the encouragement Marian and Ashlee. Thanks for the prayers Rachel. I need them so I don't lose my head. On to Day 3.

Day 1 of Pottytraining--Not a complete success, but not a total failure either!



He went once on his own innitiative, once on my innitiative and only 2 accidents. Uh oh, better make that 3. Oh well. Not too bad for our first go of it. We'll see how it goes tomorrow. I'll let you know.

HAVE YOU SEEN OUR DOG?






Sugar went missing last week and she still has not returned. I'm posting a picture so that all of you can keep an eye out for her too. She is sorely missed by all of us. She's a honey-colored lab/terrier mix: honey-colored on top with white shoulder blades and white underneath. She was wearing a purple collar decorated with white bones.

Hannahology




This is the latest "Tag" floating around Facebook. It's a bunch of questions that I asked each of my children about me. Some of their answers really made me laugh, so I thought I'd post them here too. I asked them each separately so they wouldn't copy each other's answers. It was a lot of fun to do, but it did take a while to get through it all with each of them. Therefore, I'm not tagging anyone. But feel free to take it on, if you so desire.

Here is how I labeled each one:
A1-Austin, 12
A2-Addison, 10
A3-Anna-Kate, 8
A4-Ayden, 6
A5-Asa, 3

1. What is something mom always says to you?
A1: that she loves me.
A2: I love you.
A3: I love you.
A4: Let's go do your phonics.
A5: I love you.

2. What makes mom happy?
A1: chocolate, I guess
A2: daddy
A3: when we are nice to each other
A4: when I give her something
A5: being nice

3. What makes mom sad?
A1: Knox
A2: Not taking me to Disneyland with her and daddy
A3: Not seeing daddy
A4: When I yell at my brothers and my sister
A5: I don't know

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
A1: by tickling me
A2: tickle me
A3: when she tickles me
A4: tickling me
A5: tickling

5. What was your mom like as a child?
A1: cheerleader
A2: I don't know
A3: I'm not sure
A4: I have no idea
A5: apples

6. How old is your mom?
A1: 40
A2: 39 or 40
A3: 40
A4: 14
A5: I don't know, 5!!

7. How tall is your mom?
A1: 5'5"
A2: 5' 6" or something like that
A3: 5'5"
A4: 5 feet
A5: like that tall (as he puts his hand up to my shoulder)

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
A1: get Sonic drinks
A2: Put us to bed everynight
A3: see dad
A4: tickle me
A5: clean

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
A1: laundry or dishes
A2: go on a date with daddy
A3: Well, I'm not sure, cuz I'm not around when you do it.
A4: clean
A5: I don't know

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
A1: being the best cook
A2: singing
A3: cooking
A4: singing
A5: Ayden knows that, but I don't.

11. What is your mom really good at?
A1: making pumpkin pie cake
A2: Wii bowling
A3: singing
A4: cleaning
A5: Forcing (As in using the force)

12. What is your mom not very good at?
A1: video games
A2: Wii baseball
A3: I can't think of anything
A4: nothing
A5: Ugh, I forgot!

13. What does your mom do for a job?
A1: teacher and mom
A2: stay at home and take care of everybody
A3: take care of us
A4: cleaning
A5: I don't know. Can I be done now?

14.What is your mom's favorite food?
A1: salad and mashed potatoes
A2: Moose Tracks ice cream
A3: Moose Tracks ice cream
A4: salad
A5: macaronies

15.What makes you proud of your mom?
A1: that she could do a lot of tricks (like gymnastics).
A2: that she takes care of us
A3: that she makes dinner for us
A4: when she takes me on my date day
A5: she loves me

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
A1: Betty Boop
A2: Fineas and Pherb's mom
A3: Hannah Banana
A4: Super Hannah
A5: I don't know

17. What do you and your mom do together?
A1: play Boggle
A2: play wii or watch movies
A3: go on dates
A4: do school
A5: go to church

18. How are you and your mom the same?
A1: We both like mashed potatoes.
A2: We both like to play Wii bowling.
A3: We're both girls.
A4: We're not the same.
A5: I don't know.

19. How are you and your mom different?
A1: She wears contacts. I don't.
A2: I'm not very ticklish. She is.
A3: She's taller than I am.
A4: I'm a boy. She's a girl.
A5: I don't know.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
A1: Because she tells me.
A2: Because she tells me everyday and she puts me to bed every night.
A3: Because she takes care of me.
A4: Because she prays for me.
A5: by loving me.

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
A1: That he loves her.
A2: Everything.
A3: That he's there when you need him.
A4: that she gets to sleep with him (hmmm)
A5: tickles!

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
A1: Sonic
A2: the Colemans
A3: Cheddars
A4: home
A5: to get icecream

A Cara Beth Funny

"Eeny meeny miney moe. Fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and hollered. Just let him go. Eeny meeny miney moe!"

Fun at Co-op

While at Co-op, Asa, Cara Beth and Jacob can't wait until Mrs. Julie comes. Because with Mrs. Julie always comes fun usually in the form of going outside and blowing bubbles or playing hide-n-seek in the room. Here, Asa and Cara Beth get as creative as they can while playing hide-n-seek in the nursery. . .Asa's in the bucket. Cara Beth is behind the ball. They are too cute.

JUST BECAUSE