19 Years and Counting. . .





In keeping with tradition, here are 19 things I love about my husband:

19. He hangs Christmas lights on the outside of the house.

18. He apologizes when he hurts my feelings.

17. He slows his stride with me so that I'm not 10 paces behind his long-leggedness.

16. I say it every year, but I do love it when he holds my hand in public.

15. He plays with our children and nieces and nephews.

14. He picks up dinner on his way home from work when he knows it will help me.

13. He's not afraid to wash dishes/do laundry even after working hard all day.

12. He looks hot in a pair of levi's, cowboy boots, pearl-snap shirt and hat.

11. He knows how to talk through conflict without losing his head (unlike me).

10. His sense of humor is witty, often dry and very clever.

9. He sends me texts throughout his busy day to let me know he's thinking of me.

8. He covers me with prayer before he leaves for work everyday.

7. He knows his sports and politics.

6. He buys granola because he knows I like it.

5. He loves his parents.

4. He loves my parents.

3. He knows how to keep a secret.

2. He hates facebook, but is ok with me loving it.

1. He never gives up on us.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last year, we started a Thanksgiving tradition where the kids wrote and then recited a poem or memorized one and then recited it. I'll be honest and admit that there were moans and groans about this exercise when it was first presented, but they adjusted quickly and when the works were completed, they each were excited to share what they had done. The Andersons and Colemans also participated, but I'll let Marian and Rachel share their children's poems on their blogs. (hint hint)

I LOVE TO SWIM
by Austin Ayers (14)

I love to swim.
I do it everyday at the Aerofit gym.
I put on my goggles and swim cap,
then I swim lap after lap after lap.
I practice hard for every race,
in hopes that I can get first place.
I am going to swim.
I am going to swim the 400 I.M.
I step up on the block my heart is beating fast,
if I want to win, I cannot get passed.
He says, "Take your mark!" and everything gets slow,
then I hear the beep and that means go.
I dive into the great big pool,
the water feels refreshing and cool.
I swim the first 100 butterfly.
At the end I feel like my arms will die.
Then I swim on my back.
It's no time to slow down and no time to slack.
Next I go from back to breaststroke--the slowest one.
I have to go hard,the race is not done.
Now I'm onto free, with a 100 to go.
I have to push through. There is not time for going slow.
Three turns later, I am almost done.
I can see the finish but my arms weigh a ton.
I touch the wall. I finished first place.
Man O man, what a race!
I get out. I feel proud of myself.
Now I have won another ribbon to put on my shelf.

THANKSGIVING DAY
by Addison Ayers (12)

I am thankful for today
and for the food's nice display.
I am thankful for family and friends
and for the Lord, on whom I depend.
I am thankful for my pets
and for the turkey who was caught in a net.
. . .for God's Son who died on the cross.
He is my Lord and my boss.
Those are the things I am thankful for.
Those are the things I do not ignore.


THE DALMATIAN VIOLATION
by Anna-Kate Ayers (10)

I have an appreciation for a certain classification
of a black and white combination which is the dalmatian.
My fascination with this great creation
is my motivation for a future conversation
with my relations for a dalmatian.

In my desperation with a bit of temptation
along with the expectation of no cooperation,
with much determiniation, I found a location and
with great celebration I bought the dalmatian.
But my violation has brought my interrogation.


I HAVE TO MAKE
by Ayden Ayers (8)

My name is Ayden James
and I like to create
with glue, glitter, popsicle sticks
and anything that's ornate.
No project is too small,
nor idea seems too great.
There's only one condition:
that it fit in the Lone Star state.
Bake, rake, break, shake
all of these things are great.
But most of all, I guess it's fate,
I desperately have to. . .make.

TURKEY
by Asa Ayers (5)

Today is Thanksgiving day
and we will eat some turkey.
Then it's time for Christmas
when everyone is perky.
It's not the best time of year for poor, old Mr. Turkey.
Gobble, gobble, gobble. . .BANG!
Now he's turkey jerkey.

Wordless Wednesday

Things I Remember and Learned From Denzil Stonestreet



This week, a dear friend, probably my dad's best friend (besides my mom), went Home to be with our Jesus and also with others who have gone on before us. His name is Denzil Stonestreet. He had a stroke a couple of weeks ago and died a few days ago. I've been remembering him and his family lately and decided my random thoughts were blog worthy.

*Denzil and Elaine Stonestreet are the parents of 6 children (Dana, Wayne, Marilyn, Greg, Jan & David--not necessarily in that order--it's been a few years) and many more grandchildren and possibly a few great grandchildren by now. I spent many childhood hours in their home and on their property. When my parents went out of town and had to leave their children behind, the Stonestreet home became a second home to many of us at different times.

So many thoughts are going through my mind. Here are some of them in no particular order:

*Denzil taught me that peaches sliced up and covered in milk with a bit of sugar are delicious.

*I became a master air hockey player in their basement.

*Denzil gave us money whenever we let him pull our teeth. He once gave my sister, Esther, a $20 bill for pulling her tooth, but then told her she had to put $19 of it in the offering plate.

*Said sister, Esther, is named after Denzil's bride, Elaine. Esther's given name is Esther Elaine.

*Their dog, Sugar, was the namesake of our (the Ayerses) first pet, Sugar. The Stonestreet's Sugar and the Dabney's Precious were sister pups from the same litter and the reason I still have a fondness for black and white collies.

*Denzil and Elaine had a huge garden that they generously shared with us Dabneys (and probably others too.) I learned to pick and string green beans, pick and shuck corn, dig up potatoes and carrots, and tell when a tomato is ripe all under their instruction, and my mother's also. Much of the stringing and shucking was done on their front porch surrounded by family, good conversations and the makings of sweet memories. (Elaine & Denzil are on the far right of the picnic table. Next to Denzil is their daughter Jan and then their son, Dana is holding his daughter, Joanna. Behind them you can see their huge garden, where many life lessons were learned and memories made. The young lady getting a drink from the cooler is Sherry Smith. She also has gone on to be with Jesus. Just above her head, you can see a little blonde head. I think that belongs to one of my sisters, either Esther or Sarah.)




*The only time I fell out of a tree in which I climbed was at a church picnic at their house. It was the tree by the driveway/basketball court. Thankfully, no broken bones.

*I spent many hours in their cement pond with my sisters and friends and even witnessed a few friends get baptized there. Pictured below is my friend, Trent, being baptized by my dad. Denzil is in the left foreground of the pic.



*Denzil and Elaine are synonymous with loving, Christ-like, and true friends.

*It makes me wish I could have another son, so that I could name him Denzil.

*Denzil lived his life in such a way that Jesus shined from him. He loved his God, his wife, his family and his friends. I always felt comfortable and blessed to be in his presence. He was generous with his money and kind-hearted toward others. His wisdom was evident in everything around him, yet he was truly humble.

*There's something very comforting to me knowing that he has gone on to be with Jesus. Now he knows. . .just as he is fully known. But please pray for his family. He and Elaine were married for 60 years. Sixty! I can only imagine the deep sadness she is feeling saying goodbye to her sweet Denzil after all this time. Grief is such a difficult, multi-dimensional thing. My heart goes out to Elaine and the entire Stonestreet clan, who in more ways than one, is my own family. The funeral is tomorrow. Goodbye Denzil. I'm looking forward to the day when I'll walk streets of gold with you and rejoice in Jesus Christ, our Savior, together. Thank you for being such a Godly example in my life, for showing me what a husband and father should look like. Thank you for the friendship you gave my dad, my mom, our family. I miss you. I love you.

Thoughtful Thursday

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Asa's First Swim Meet
After six weeks of swim lessons, Asa proclaimed that he wanted to swim in a meet (like his brothers and sister). With only one meet left in the season, but with 4 weeks left to practice, he was allowed to join the team. Today was his big debut.

At practice earlier this week, I timed him (for those of you who know swimming, he was swimming the 25 meter freestyle) to see how he might place. His time was 1:14.07. I told him I would time him once more to see if he could improve on that time at all. Well, he gained 11 seconds and finished in a 1:25.75. I told him we'd put the timer away and he could just practice without that kind of pressure.

Here are some shots to document his race:

Ready for his event to be called to the Ready Bench (where swimmers wait, in line, to swim.)


Asa, on the Ready Bench, with other 5 and 6 year olds.


Behind the blocks.


Anna-Kate giving him a pep talk.


A few words from Coach Olivia too, while Anna-Kate bombs the shot.


It's almost time. . .


Swimmers, take your mark!


Go Asa Go!!!


The big finish!


Even a smile for mom!


He got out of the water and shouted, "I'm gonna do THAT again!" And his time. . .53 seconds! Not bad for a 5-year old on his first swim. Good job Asa. Daddy and I are so proud of you.

Remember when it was cold!

Just in case you are getting tired of the heat, to help you cool off, here's a little reminder of colder, snowy days during our very long winter.

These were taken back in February when it actually snowed here more than it had in 30 years. The kids started off in the back yard. Here are Austin and Anna-Kate on the trampoline.


Addison received kisses from Pippin, our sheltie, while Ayden stood by.


All five of them. You can see that they had started the makings of a snowman in-hands.


A wagon came in handy when transporting snow from the back yard to the front yard, where said snowman went on display.


Here they are with snowman #1: Asa, Anna-Kate, Addison holding the new pup, Pepper, Ayden and Austin holding Pippin.


Then Kevin came home and it was time for Round 2 in the snow.


Of course another snowman was in order:
Austin


Anna-Kate


Asa


Addison--Notice Kevin in the background. He's getting ready to beam his lovely wife with a snowball.


The picture came out blurry because I knew he was taking aim at me.


Like father, like son!


Just a few more:
Ayden


Asa


The finished products:


Six of my very favorite people:


Hope you're feeling a little cooler now.

Easter Dress Mistake/Recant

Sorry to my three readers, but I lied to you. I didn't do it on purpose and I didn't realize it until after my last post. I remembered that my parents (affectionately called "Savta and Oompah") actually bought Anna-Kate her Easter dress, neither of which are pictured in the previous post. I really am losing it, I know. But it was because they had already bought her a dress that we intended to only buy her one dress. The rest of the story is true though. She did ask if she could pay for the blue dress and when she tried, her daddy wouldn't let her. Sorry about that. Here she is in her Easter dress. Thanks mom and dad for all that you do and thank you for Anna-Kate's Easter dress.

Anna-Kate's Easter Dress

OK, so I'm a little slow in blogging. If you knew how long it took me to add pictures and arrange each post, you'd be forgiving. Marian watched me put Addison's birthday blogpost together this afternoon and she told me I should switch to Xanga. Maybe I will. But for now, because I resist change so, I'm gonna stick with blogspot.

The real reason for this post was to tell the story of shopping for Anna-Kate's Easter dress. When Spring arrived this year, it was as if our girl had grown six inches overnite. All of her clothes were instantly ready for the giveaway pile. So on her allotted "date day" we headed to the mall in search of some new clothes and an Easter dress. She and I found approximately 8-10 dresses and made our way to the dressing room. Patiently, I waited as she tried them all on and narrowed them down to two.

That's when we called daddy in to be the final judge. He liked them both. So together the three of us decided on the mint green dress. However, when Anna-Kate went back to the dressing room, she asked me if it would be ok for her to buy the other dress with her own money. She hadn't brought her money with her, but if daddy could pay for it, she would pay him back when she got home. I told her she could discuss that with her dad.

So she put her original clothes back on and went out to talk things over. Kevin told her that he would be willing to work with her. Afterall, she did look quite lovely in both of the dresses.

As soon as we arrived home, Anna-Kate ran back to her room to break open the piggy bank, so to speak, and retrieve the money to pay back her dad. But when she tried to give it to him, he wouldn't take it. He was touched that she had wanted to pay for the dress with her own money, but he had wanted her to have them both all along. He told her it was his privilege to pay for the dress and that she should keep her funds for another day.

She looked at me with her Anna-Kate grin, dimples shining, and shrugged her shoulders, "I tried mom! He said I could keep my money!"

As you can see, she looks lovely in both dresses.


It was a fun moment, as a mom and as a wife. I am blessed. Indeed.

Happy 12th Birthday Addison!

We celebrated Add's 12th birthday at home with family. I cannot believe how fast he is growing up. Next year, I will have two teenagers in the house. Wow! I don't know if I'm ready for that.


Here are a few shots from his party:

It's always fun to have Savta and Oompah around.












And because he's such a stud and I love him so, here's one of my man looking mighty fine.
















Buds: Ayden & Micah



Joshua & Austin




Asa hanging out with the presents.


Christopher's handsome profile.




Addison being silly.



One with dad.



Kisses for the birthday boy.



Happy birthday Addison! I love you and feel blessed to call you "son".

Our girl hit double digits!

On May 10, 2010, Anna-Kate turned 10. It was her "golden" birthday, as our Anderson friends like to call it. She asked if she could have a slumber party and invite 10 of her friends. That seemed feasible to me and so the plans were made. We invited a few more than 10, but in the end, only 10 came and 8 were able to stay the night. We began her celebration with a hot dog dinner. Her (boy) cousins joined us for dinner, cake and the opening of gifts, but around 6:30 pm, the guys headed over to the Colemans and the girls got in their jammies and prepared to watch an "Anne of Green Gables" marathon. With sleeping bags spread all over the living room floor and the movie started, the finger nail polish came out and the hair braiding began. Giggling, twirling and girly time made for some very sweet memories. Here is what it looked like:

Kisses from mom.



Back row: Cara Beth, Elizabeth, Sarah Bess, Fiona, Annie Rose & Bella Front row: Emma A., Emma G., Anna-Katie and Natasha








Make a wish!




Pretty girls!



Daddy's girl



Kisses from dad




Another daddy's girl

It wouldn't be the same without a shot of Oompah and Savta (pronounced "Softa"--Hebrew for grandmother)

Back row: Annie Rose, Sarah Bess, Cara Beth, Anna-Kate, Emma G., Fiona, Addie & Bella
Front row: Elizabeth, Natasha & Emma A.


French braids for (almost) everyone!





The braids from the back.



These two were still at it at 3:45 in the morning. This is what they looked like at 7:00 am. I really did try to get them to go to sleep around 11:00, then again at midnight. At 3:45, I just felt sorry for their parents and what they had to deal with later on in the day.









the birthday girl











The next morning, the girls who were left decided to release some balloons. A few still had "effective" helium. Only three made it over the trees.



Happy birthday Anna-Katie! I love you and I'm so proud of the young lady you are becoming. I'm glad your birthday was a "10"!