September Was a Busy Month!!!

September was a busy month! We had so much going on this month. The kids are back into the routine of a school schedule and our Student Ministry is back in full swing. At the end of the month, we went to Jason's parents home for the weekend. The kids had a great time at the pig farm seeing all the new baby pigs that had been born since we were last there.

This is a great picture of the kids by the pond at PaPa JW and Grandma Kaye's.

While we were in Oklahoma this weekend, we celebrated Jason's Aunt Ruth's 80th birthday. It was good to see some of Jason's extended family members on his Dad's side of the family. Many we had not seen in several years. I helped serve punch at the party. Jensen was so excited and she wanted to help serve punch too! I marveled at the fact that day that even at her young age of 4 years old, God had given her a desire to serve. By watching her that day, I will not be surprised at all if one of her spiritual gifts is hospitality. I snapped this picture of her as she was serving. Isn't she adorable????

We spent every weekend at the Football field as Jackson is playing football this year. He is doing a great job. He did suffer a mild concussion during one of his practices and had to sit out a couple of weeks. Jackson loves playing and we have greatly enjoyed watching our son play a sport that he excels at.

We also enjoyed watching our High School team this fall. Our children love Future Panther Night because they get to wear Panther T-shirts and be on the field when the football teams runs out before the game. God has blessed us with such sweet friends. This is a picture of Judson and Jensen with their precious friends, Marlow and Christopher at a recent game.

Okay, this night really was a LOT of fun! Every year, we have an annual REDNECK NIGHT to welcome our new 6th graders to revolution Student Ministry. We play incredibly silly games like toilet bowl races and tractor tire relays as well as everyone dressing up in their best Redneck costume. This is Jason and I in our best Redneck attire! :)

Friday Fun

Today was such a fun day. Judson and I started the day with "Muffins for Moms" at his school. We enjoyed having breakfast together. It was a special time for me to be able to spend that alone time with Judd. :)
Today was also Homecoming. Jackson gears up for a day full of fun!

Jensen and her friend Rachel getting ready to cheer for the Panthers...

Go Panthers!!! We love Friday Nights in Siloam Springs!!

Grandparent's Day

Jackson, Judson, and Jensen enjoyed spending time with Jason's parents on Grandparent's Day.

JW and Kaye (Jason's Parents) have lunch with Judson at school for Grandparent's Day.

Jason and I also got to have lunch with Judd. Isn't he a cutie????

Judson is in Kindergarten this year and one of the best things about Kindergarten is Grandparents Day. Everyone's grandparent's get to come have lunch with them in the school cafeteria. Judd was so excited. PaPa Jerry and Grandma Ginger were unable to come, but PaPa JW and Grandma Kaye came on Sunday and spent the night with us and had lunch with Judd on Monday. It was a lot of fun to see so many grandparents show up to sit at those little tables with their grandchildren.

Our children are so blessed to have grandparents that are so involved in their lives!! :-)

Jason's 37th Birthday Celebration

We celebrated Jason's 37th birthday with our friends, Bob & Cassie Perryman, Tony & Jane Molina, Tim & Meagan Rucker, Sarah Evans, and Mark Thomas at The Cheesecake Factory in Tulsa, Oklahoma. We had a great time with our sweet friends!

The girls: Meagan, Jane, me, Sarah, and Cassie

The guys: Bob, Tim, Jason, Tony, and Mark

Me and the birthday boy!!

Happy Birthday Jason!!

Labor Day Fun

I love Labor Day weekend! It was so nice to have an extended weekend to be together as a family.

Jason had decided last Thursday night to paint our kitchen cabinets for me. I have commented the last three years that I would like them painted. Since he knew he would have all day on Friday, Saturday, and Monday, he decided to tackle this project. My job was to help keep the kids out of the kitchen and out of the backyard where the painting was taking place. I decided that on Labor Day I would take the kids to Naturals Falls State Park just over the state line in Oklahoma. I packed a picnic lunch and we headed out the door just before noon. We had a wonderful time. We sat on a blanket and enjoyed our picnic lunch. The kids then played on the playground for awhile. We did some hiking around Natural Falls. We felt very adventureous as our family is not a real outdoorsy (is that a word?) kind of family. The kids loved the falls!

Here we are, all hot and sweaty after hiking down to see the falls.

The kids are so great about posing for pictures for me!

We headed back home and decided that since today was the last day that the Family Aquatic Center in our town was open, that we should go to the pool. The kids had a fabulous time, especially because another family in our church, The Norberg's, were also at the pool. Jensen played with Emma, Judson played with Jackson Mark, and Jackson played with Jordan and several other friends. My kids are close in age to the Norberg kids and always have so much fun with them.

Sweet Brothers and Sisters!

Jensen, Emma, Jackson Mark, and Judson

Jackson hanging out with Kyle Comiskey

After a fun afternoon at the pool, we said goodbye to Summer as the Family Aquatic Center closed it's doors until next May. We went home and Jackson grilled hot dogs for the family. We sat outside and ate and enjoyed the perfect end to a perfect day!

Enjoying time together as a family!!

My Apron Strings are Getting Shorter!!

Okay, I knew Jackson being in Middle School would be a whole new ball game, but I had no idea that he would start to want so much more independence in just the first two weeks of school! Last Friday was his first school dance! Did you hear me? I said D-A-N-C-E!! My baby is old enough to go into a dark gym with loud music and girls???? Well, it wasn't so bad as I had volunteered with PTO to work the dance. At least I could keep an eye on him, or so I thought. After taking care of my PTO responsibilities, I walked around and took some pictures. It seems like I saw every kid in the middle school except for Jackson. I don't think he was avoiding me, I think he was wrapped up in running around in the middle school drama where you are trying to figure out who likes who and then run and gossip about who is dancing with who. I'm really not as worried about Jackson as I am the girls that seemed to be chasing after him. Are they forgetting they are in 6th grade? They are still supposed to be shy and stuck in a corner! But then again, my son is not shy. At one point during the dance, I noticed all the kids were in a circle watching three boys dance. I was trying to find Jackson and realized he was one of the boys in the circle! Apparently, Jackson is very proud of himself that he can do the "worm."

Jackson at his first Middle School Dance

Well, we made it through the dance. I didn't have much time to take in all this independence my son is so desperately wanting. The next day, he met a group of 50 other students from the Middle School to go with FCA to a U of A Razorback football game in Fayetteville. They left the school at 1:30pm and wouldn't be returning until after 11:00pm. As I got to thinking about it, I realized that this is probably the first big thing that Jackson has done without me and his dad that was not church related. I also realized that he would be with 20,000-30,000 people at a football game where he could be infleuenced by people who may not be Christians. What if I wanted to get in touch with him? His dad and I had decided that he is still too young to have the responsibility of his own cell phone. Should I send my phone with him? I quickly decided against that as my phone has an active internet connection. I decided it was better to send him without a phone instead of with a phone that I could not monitor his internet use. I asked him to borrow a teacher or friends phone to call me and check in with me. He did as I asked. I couldn't believe he was being responsible enough to remember to call his mom! I prayed for him all night, that God would protect his mind and his ears. I also prayed that he would have a great time and that God would use him as a positive infleuence on others.

This is a picture of Jackson's 30,000 closest friends! :)

Jackson (far left) hanging out with some friends watching the game

Eating at Braum's after the game...

Jackson did have a blast at the game and I know that he was well taken care of by the leaders that took the students. I was able to enjoy my evening without focusing on what Jackson was doing or who he was with the whole time. Jackson is a great kid and has a wonderful discerning spirit. I continue to pray that he allows the Lord to lead him. I also know that this next year will be full of "firsts" for both of us. I am excited about seeing my son grow and gain more independence and yet I am sad at the same time. It feels like I am losing a little bit of my little boy every day. Yes, it definitely feels like my apron strings are getting shorter every day!

First Day of School

Judson is 5 years old and is starting Kindergarten

Jackson is 12 years old and is starting 6th grade

Jensen is 4 years old and is starting Pre-K

Today was such a great day! Our family rose early and started preparing for the new school year. The kids got up quickly as they were excited about their first day of school. They put on their new clothes and shoes and agreed to our annual routine of first day of school pics! Julie took Jackson to school first. He was so excited about being in the Middle School. He has a great teacher and is enjoying more of the freedom that comes with being a middle schooler! We took Judson and Jensen to school next. Judd was a little anxious and not sure what to expect. I could tell he was a little apprehensive as Jason and I left him with his wonderful teacher, Mrs. Kindy and a roomful of students that he didn't know yet. Jensen on the other hand, ran into her room as if she owned it. She was excited to be in a new classroom with a new teacher.

The second and third days of school were hard for Judd. He cried both days when he left for school and then again when his dad dropped him off. Before he left for school, he gave me a huge hug and looked at me with big crocodile tears pouring down his sweet face and said "Mommy, I love you and I just want to stay with you forever. School is so long! Please let me stay home with you!" I consoled Judd and told him that it would only be a few hours before he would see me again. I then hugged and kissed him before his dad took him to the car. My heart sank as he went out the door. I know this is a part of his growing up. I also know that there will come a day when he will not want to hang out with his mom all day. Judd did better by the end of the third day and was starting to get used to the routine. We also realized that if we packed Judd a lunch with particular items that he really likes to eat, he would be more focused on getting to eat lunch, that he wouldn't miss me so terribly. Yes, already I have been replaced in his thoughts by a PB&J sandwich and a juice box!!

As a mom, I love the consistency that the new school year brings. I love knowing what our schedule will be for the day. However, there is a part of me that grieves the loss of summer. I miss the days of sleeping until 10am, being with the kids all day, and having the freedom to do whatever we want to do on that day. I truly am loving this stage of mine and Jason's life. It is such a joy to see our kids at this age! I am looking forward to seeing how God will grow our children this year, not only physically, but spiritually. :)