Happy Father's Day

to my husband, Greg ~ You really are my best friend. I thank God that He allowed us to meet and marry. You are not only a wonderful husband, but a great daddy. They love you so much an

d are so proud to call you dad. Keep doing what you have been doing with them...it's working!

to my daddy, Allan ~ I feel so blessed to have grown up with such an amazing father. Thanks for always taking care of us and spending time 

with us. When looking for a husband you gave me a great example of what a good one would look like! Thank you for being an awesome Gramps to my kids.

to my father in law, Denny ~ Thank you for treating me like family and loving me that way. Thanks for all you have done for us. You are more generous to us than we deserve. Thank you for being a fun and loving Pawpaw. 

To my step father in law ,Van ~ Thank you for treating us as we are your blood kin. For loving us all and showing us how to relax and have fun. Here's a special Esther smooch just for you!

Happy Father's day to all the wonderful men in my life that make each day, month and year more special. I pray we all have many many more Father's Day to love on you all!!!

My Dancer

Esther has never been interested in any kind of sports at all, so we haven't pushed her to participate in any. I have been looking for an activity that would interest her and I think I found it....dance! She will be taking a summer session and if she continues to love it, we will enroll her in the fall too. She is taking classes at In His Company dance. It is a christian dance company that dances to praise and worship songs. I am very excited for her. Her are 2 pictures right before the first class.

mighty samson

A letter to summer

Dear Summer,

Remember me? I use to be one of your biggest fans. In fact I would count down the days for your arrival as it signified the end of my school year and a time to sleep in late and stay up late watching old Miami Vice episodes and drinking diet pepsi and eating skor bars. I would lay out on our trampoline worshipping your rays as I dreamed of trips to Carowinds, summer camp and Myrtle Beach. That was at least 20 years ago and we had a good relationship then, but I am sorry to report that I am not sure I feel the same affection for you that I once did.

I have been told that your rays are harmful and will cause damage to my skin therefore I must buy greasy, smelly, expensive lotion to lather me and my children in every time I leave my house. The heat you bring also brings mosquito's that carry viruses that are deadly, therefore I have to spray us with stinky spray to keep the pesky bloodsuckers at bay. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to work, so my legs look like I am a victim of chicken pox most of the time.

Since you being here equals no school I have children that have no order to their day and so they are bored, cranky, whiny and argumentative all day long. It seems that most parents send there children to one of the many many day camps available, but with each costing over $100, I am not sure how that will possibly fit into the budget, therefore I play camp counsellor all day long, but without pay. Just for kicks, it stays light until after 9:00, just so I won't be tempted to put them to bed early.

Lets talk about the uniform that seems to be expected upon your arrival. Do you command that everything be thin, tight and down to there? Why are there no summer clothes that don't cling, fade and shrink after one washing?

I must admit you have a very loyal fan base. Just one mention of not liking you and I get all sorts of looks, comments and sneers. Apparently, I am in a minority here, but its my blog and I can say what I want too. ( written in a very na na na boo boo voice)

I will have to say, your not all bad. I enjoy the wonderful fruits and veggies that come with you and there are some pretty exciting activities that are planned because of you. Ever once in a while, you throw in a cool rainy day and I consider that just for me. I also like those lightning bugs that seem to tag along with you.

Maybe one day you and I will be on better terms again. Maybe I will learn to appreciate all the things you bring and enjoy you more. Until then, I will tolerate you as you probably tolerate me in all my whining. I will also cling to the one thing you bring that I do love...the assurance that Fall is right behind you!

Sincerely,

Your whiny, unappreciative former friend

 Jackie

Taylor Swift Concert

Lake Norman

doggie days of summer

Big Mac!

God's weekend gift to us.

Our family has been talking for some time about getting a new puppy. Nathan especially really really wanted an inside/outside dog he could play with. So this weekend I had made some calls and we went over to an animal adoption fair in Winston-Salem. There were some puppies we saw online that were really cute. Well, I fill out a 3 page application and find out we have to have a home visit and a $150 adoption fee. Honestly...I wasn't feeling it. Just didn't seem like the dog for us.

 

Nathan was all upset saying he was never going to get a puppy, but on the way home I checked Craigslist.com and there was a chocolate lab listed in Kernersville. So I call and leave a message and then Nate stares at my phone for 3 hours waiting for it to ring! :) 

When the guy, Shawn calls back we find out that he is originally from the same town in West Virginia that all our kids were born in and so we talk for a while and he wants $300 for this AKC chocolate lab. I explain to him that we really can't afford to pay that for a dog, but thanks. He told me that he had another lady coming to look at him, but if she doesn't buy him, then he would call me back and make a deal.

Nate is upset again and we tell him that if God wants us to have a lab then He will allow it to be one we can afford and and that if it is the chocolate lab then the lady won't buy him and Shawn will call us back tomorrow (Sunday) night.

About 10 min later, he calls back an asks me if we care what color lab we get. We said no and he said, "Well, if you want a black lab puppy, you can have him for free!" I honestly could not believe it!  He said that it was a litter of 13 pups and that he had 3 black ones that nobody had chosen and he really needed to get them in good homes and we seemed like a good family that would love him and take care of him.

So, yesterday afternoon we went to visit and picked out the cutest, calmest lab puppy I have ever seen! Shawn even gave us his AKC papers. His name is Mac. I was just so excited to watch Nathan watch God provide, not for a need, but for a very special want in a little boys heart. Here is a picture of our new baby boy: