summertime ... finally!

Well, the school year wrapped up with lots of pomp and circumstance, and now we are into summer.  I wish I could say we are just lounging around, but between swim team every morning, Vacation Bible School(s),  baseball games, ballet camps, sports camps, art camps ... and the occasional vacation ... we are hardly lounging around!

Mimi enjoyed her first full week of summer at a cheerleading camp while Charlie dove headfirst (literally) into swim team.  What fun!  

But while we are enjoying this time, we've been constantly reminded that we have SO many friends right now that are dealing with some very real, very difficult challenges.  Kennedy, one of Charlie and Amelia's sweet friends, was recently diagnosed with a very rare and debilitating disease ( see link).  Every time we go up to the club, the kids miss seeing her.  My sweet friend Michelle's sister is still battling a very serious form of cancer.  As is Gage Holmes, the 5-year-old son of friends of ours.  Our good friends the Fournets finally received their referrel for the twins they are adopting from Ethiopia -- a country with so much pain and so many kids that need homes. 

Please join us in continuing to pray for all of them, during their transitions and health issues.

Ballet Recital

The Dancing Angels Spring Recital is one of the highlights of my year.  As usual, Amelia wowed us with her dancing prowess ... 

I'm always proud of my kids, but for a 4-year-old to be able to stand up on stage in front of hundreds of people and perform wonderfully -- I was just overwhelmed.  Thankfully, she did NOT inherit my dancing genes!  

Thank you, Kids!

Thank you for letting me be your Mommy ... You make my every day special!  

A four-year-old's perspective on Mom

Today, when I picked up Amelia from school, she had 2 early Mother's Day gifts for me.  One was a beautiful potted flower -- she had painted the pot "all by herself."  

The second gift was a "survey" about mommies she had filled out (or at least, her teacher filled out for her!).  I have to say that some of her answers about me were quite humorous . . . 

*What is your mom's name?   

Jessica Watkins (A little strange she didn't get the right last name!)

*How old is your mom? 

 32  (I wish!)

*What's your mom's favorite song?  

I don't know ... Amazing Grace? (Sweet, but probably anything by U2)

*What's your mom's favorite thing to do with you?  

Go run some errands (This answer made me feel very bad!)

*What's your mom's favorite food?  

I think steak (That would be daddy!)

*What do you like most about your mom?  

Her jewelry that she gave me (No idea on this one!)

*How long have you known your mom? 

 A long time.  (No kidding!)

Ha!  To have a 4-year-old's perspective on life!

summertime is almost here...

We can tell this in two big ways:

1.)  the pool....  we are still heating it, but several days in the 80's has made it possible for us to announce that we are now "re-open for business."  

2) Mimi's annual spring Ballet recital is this Saturday.  Don't the girls look adorable at today's dress rehearsal?  Oops, I'm sorry Amelia ... not 'adorable,' but 'sophisticated and posh."  

(The hands-under-chin pose is Mimi's current favorite.  I am trying to get her to drop this habit, but she saw the princesses doing this at Disneyworld last fall. . . so it is likely to stick around for a while.)

Bittersweet

Me with (some of) the ladies in my group.  

Yesterday and today were my final days at CBS for the year.  Yesterday was Share Day for Leader's Council, and today was Share Day for the class.  This is probably one of my favorite times of the year -- such a great time to see what God has done in the lives of the women through our study during the year.  

But unfortunately, (sniff!), it was the last time I got to lead my group.  It has been SUCH an incredible blessing to have been on the Leadership team for this Bible study the past 2 years.  The women in my small group really formed a tight bond, and I have loved walking with them through good times and bad.  Each woman in my group has made a mark on my life this year.  I will miss Tuesdays with them so much!  

I will be taking at least a year sabbatical from leadership (but NOT from the study!) because of the kids' schedules next year ... and while I know this is the right decision for our family, I will really miss being on CBS leadership.  It humbles me by what a blessing and a joy it is to be able to serve, since even Jesus, "did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."  (Mark 10:45)

To the ladies in my group, here are my prayers for you:

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."  (Romans 15:13)  

and that you will ... "live a life worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience and joyfully give thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light."  (Colossians 1:10-12)

You know you live in TX when ...

... the annual Young Life fundraiser is a skeet shooting tournament.  But I LOVE Young Life ... love what they do, love the people, love the mission -- so of course, I agreed to participate.  Who do I think I am, Annie Oakley? 

The first time I shot a gun was 2 weeks ago. (Which is very un-Texan, apparently.)  The bruise on my cheek lasted until a few days ago.  But that didn't hinder me, or my team ... we were out there today in full force, with our team t-shirts on!  (They read, "Don't make momma mad" on the front, with our names on the back.)

The BBQ lunch with a Country/Western band providing atmosphere was great.   The fellowship with my friends was priceless.  And we even had fun shooting us some skeet ... Tara 'took one for the team' when she accidentally got her finger caught in the gun while loading the 20-gauge, slicing it open.  Other that that mishap, fun times by all.  But, wow -- it still stresses me out to load that gun!

Did I mention that I led our team with 17 points?  And we didn't even finish the entire course ...We had 4 more stations to go (OK, so our team most likely finished dead last, I still have to be proud of something!)  

All for a great cause -- supporting YL's mission to share the love of Christ with some high school/inner-city kids.  Sign me up again next year!

Coop does NOT like swim lessons ...

He really does not like his survival swim lessons.  Really. Does. Not. Like. Them. One. Bit.

But better a child with a healthy fear of the water than the alternative ... Thank you, Miss Patti!

little momma

who needs to hire a babysitter when you have a 4-year-old who thinks she is 24?  

Amelia LOVES her baby brother -- dotes on him ... spoils him ... harasses him ...  smothers him ... carries him around the house like he's her life-size doll ... feeds him ... clothes him ... put stickers and makeup on him ... you get the picture.

It was nice, however, to be able to enjoy Charlie's baseball game on Saturday -- as Mimi and Francie single-handedly took care of Cooper the entire time.  

Mostly, they pushed him around in his Pooh car, and hovered around the ice-cream truck, waiting for someone to buy them a treat.  This all started at 8:45.  By about 10 a.m., some poor parent had bought them all ice-cream.  

(That ice-cream man should be sued.  It's pure manipulation.  One child gets ice-cream, and after that, they all fall like dominoes.)

The difference between boys and girls ...

Today we had the brother-sister duo of Holt and Scarlett over to play.  Immediately, the girls and boys broke off into warring factions ... OK, not really, but it was interesting to see what the girls chose to do versus the boys.

Here are the girls:

They had approximately 15 costume changes each, and did each other's hair and makeup several times.

Here are the boys:

Occasionally, they burped at each other while figuring out ways to covertly throw rocks at the construction workers next door.  

While all of this was going on, Cooper (who was diagnosed today with a double-ear infection,  poor guy!) really decided to walk:

Whew!