First Day of School

It's official...

Summer is officially over.

PQ started his new school today and he LOVED it! He really likes his new teacher- she's very nice. All 9 of his fellow classmates were very friendly and he ended up knowing several other students at the school (because one of the larger families who attended our church are now sending their kids there too). Recess was fun and school got out at noon today. Seriously, it doesn't get much better than this.

PQ's HIGH for the day was "going to a Christian school" and "having my teacher pray with us".

What a great way to start the new school year at a new school.

We are SUPER proud of him!

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie...

Can I get a collective "aaawwwwwwww"?

Hanging Out With Irish

While attending Day Camp a few weeks ago, PQ met a new friend named 'Irish'. PQ was excited to meet Irish after hearing so much about him prior to the week of camp. Irish was adopted from Haiti earlier this year so PQ was humbled to meet someone who had lived through the recent devastation in Haiti. After a week of Bible camp with this young boy, PQ gave our phone number to Irish in hopes of having a playdate with him sometime soon. Today was finally there big day. We picked up Irish earlier this morning and then headed to the local animal park. The boys had a BLAST together and I really enjoyed myself as well. My high for the day was seeing Irish touch PQ's hair over and over throughout the day because it looked 'fluffy'. (PQ added a little gel to his hair this morning and Irish wasn't used to seeing PQ with spiked hair.)

So psyched to see Irish...

Fun With The Sunshine Girls

The Sunshine Girls came to visit today. It's always a pleasure to have them at the house and today was not any different. All was well after a little lunch, a little playtime, a little drive, a little apple picking, a little apple eating, a little animal area, and a little build-your-own fairy village. (My only question is this: Why do kids always look like they're being forced to smile? I promise...they really were having fun. *wink*)

Cold Weather Warning

Y'all know how much Mooch loves fuzzy-wuzzy blankets, right? Well, for the past several months he hasn't wanted anything to do with a blanket. I can only assume the 90 degree hot and humid air had something to do with it. *wink*

Today, however, things went a little differently in our house. We woke up to rain pouring down and cool air blowing through the open windows. By mid-afternoon (and after his 14th nap of the day), Mooch decided to do his 2nd favorite activity...lounge around. The only difference with today's lounge session is the fact that he decided to snuggle up with a blanket. Yup, you guessed it. Mooch is sending a Cold Weather Warning out to all of us. The cooler weather is on it's way to stay...

Introducing Zandra!

I recently had the pleasure of meeting a very resourceful woman named Zandra for the first time. I've decided to call her Zandra because the Hebrew meaning of the name is "protector of mankind". For now, I'll leave it at that. I'm sure there will be more information about this amazing women in the next few weeks. I don't want to spill the beans too soon. We need to get some answers before it all unfolds before everyone in the blogging world. Trust me, there are some good things going on in our life.

Thanks again to Laurie, for setting up the meeting at the local ice cream shop.

Well, maybe it wasn't really local considering the fact that it was out in the middle of nowhere. (Man oh man, I loved it out there though...that is definitely somewhere that I would like to live. But I digress...*wink*)

Happy 8th Anniversary!

Still smitten after all these years...I love you, Papa H!

Bebo Norman

A few weeks ago I received an unexpected piece of mail. Upon seeing the envelope addressed to me, I had no idea who it was from. After opening the mail, I quickly realized that Melissa had sent me a letter. Y'all remember my 'special nurse', right? If you don't remember her, please click here.




As soon as I began reading her note, I began to cry. She decided to send me a note letting me know that she has been thinking about me a lot lately. Little did I know that this person would continue to think of me after we met that one time. This was all a reminder to me that God is awesome. He can use any situation to bring good. Although we don't always understand His will for our lives, we can rest assure that He has an awesome plan for each of us.



Enclosed in her note was a set of tickets to go see Bebo Norman in concert. These could not have come at a better time. I recently had an opportunity to see a baby at church that would have been the same age as our baby that we lost. It was hard for me to see this small child and realize that we lost out on that opportunity. Within a few days of seeing the baby at church, Melissa sent along a much appreciated note. Knowing that I had been weighing on Melissa's heart was an amazing feeling. God put me on her mind for a reason and I feel so blessed to know that she reached out to me.



Last night was the Bebo Norman concert. We took PQ with us and we all had a great time. After seeing Bebo in concert and hearing about his own struggles, I began to like him more and more. We all have struggles and hearing a complete stranger share his bumps in the road was encouraging. Whatever season you're in in this life, it's nice to know that we're all a work in progress.

Thanks again, Melissa!

Something Different...

***I love getting a new style after a week away from home...*wink***

We're off...

PQ and I are heading out of town for the next 5 days. We're camping out so that we can be closer to the 5 Day Camp that I'm volunteering at this week. PQ is psyched about participating in the camp like he did last year. Papa H will be at home alone with the dogs all week while we're gone. This could get interesting...

Crazy Love by Francis Chan

Extra special thanks to my friend, Country Mouse, for letting me borrow her copy of the book called Crazy Love. I just finished the book and my head is swirling around some of the things that caught my attention. It's an easy ready...but it's emotionally tolling. There are some things in the book that will leave you feeling very heavy hearted, that's for sure. Take a few minutes and think about some of these points from the book. They're convicting...

*If 100 people represent the world's population, 53 of those would live on less than $2 a day.

*Do you realize that if you make $4000 a month, you automatically make 100 times more than the average person on this planet?

* "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous." ~Luke 14:12-14 Have you ever actually done anything like that? Do you give to those who cannot repay you? To those who would do you harm, if they could? To those who have already done you harm?

*The average Christian in the United States spends ten minutes per day with God; meanwhile, the average American spends over four hours a day watching television. Perhaps TV isn't your thing-maybe you don't even own one. But how about your time and your resources? Where are your priorities?

*The Robynson Family- a family of five, with three kinds under the age of ten, chooses to celebrate the birth of Christ in a unique way. On Christmas mornings, instead of focusing on the presents under the tree, they make pancakes, brew an urn or coffee, and head downtown. Once there, they load up the items into a red wagon and then search for homeless folks to offer a warm and filling breakfast to on Christmas morning. Can you think of a better way to start the holiday that celebrates our God?

I don't know about you, but I think it's easy to get caught up in my own desires. It's easy to think about me and what I want. But when people make changes to the way they live their lives, it carries a greater impact than when they make impassioned declarations. The world needs more Christians who don't tolerate the complacency of their own lives. What can you do today to make that change?

The Monster Zucchini

Everyone loves fresh vegetables from the garden, right? I know I do!!! It's one of my favorite things about the summer time. YUM! Just a few hours ago, my friend Jen (aka: my "twin sister") gave me a zucchini from her garden. She knows how much I love to bake so she thought that the 'monster zucchini' growing in her garden would be perfect for me. I'm psyched about it but I don't know if everyone in my family feels the same way. *wink*

Could it be because it's bigger than she is?

Don't be fooled...he LOVES zucchini!

Who wants zucchini bread????

Did someone say: Swim Date?

If you know me, you already know how much I love to put clothes on dogs. I think it's hilarious to put shirts and sweaters on my own dogs.

Our Sunshine friends recently got a new dog so we decided to get her a little 'gift'. Mooch & Darla sent along a little note inviting her to the beach to show off her new suit. *wink* (Mama Sunshine sent me pictures this afternoon and I HAD to share them with y'all.)

Say HI to Goldie, everyone!