Thomas' 6th Birthday

We celebrated Thomas' birthday at the Cypress Academy of Gymnastics! We had a blast. What a fun party! The kids get to use the equipment, run out all of their energy, and the adults can spend time with each other.
Imagine our surprise when we realized who was sitting in the corner watching her daughter practice......Mary Lou Retton!! Only one of the little girls went over to her. This is her signature on Heather's leotard.
The party was so much fun because we were able to celebrate with most of our closest friends here!
And, of course, I enjoyed making the cake again! I love making the children's cake each year. It is so much fun to pick out what they want and create it. I always love getting to the end and seeing that it really does look the way I intended it to look!!

Hunker Down

Houston is shut down and waiting for Hurricane Ike to arrive later tonight. We're all ready for the Hurricane Party - prepped with canned goods, charcoal (and lighter fluid), queso and chips, and even a birthday cake for our friend, Heather, who is riding out the storm with us.

For those concerned (MAMA), the officials have asked that anyone not under mandatory evacuation please stay in their homes throughout the storm giving road space to those who were required to leave their homes. We weren't planning to leave anyway, but that should be some reassurance!

You might also be interested to know that Houston is HUGE and we are on the north side! So, just because the news says something happened in Houston doesn't mean it happened to us!

We are fine and ready for the storm. I expect the electricity to go out at some point, but I'm hoping it isn't out long!

Please pray for all those being affected by the storm.

Our Family Portrait

We had our family portraits done in Bridgeland in June. Kian Adkins of Elegant Portraits came out to the neighborhood and did an excellent job with everyone! We are so pleased with what we got! This picture is hanging up in our living room. I love looking at my sweet, handsome family (after they all go to bed)!! :)

If you are in the area and interested in having portraits done, check out Kian's website at www.elegantportraits.com!

Time Out

One of today's after-school conversations:

Me: Did you have a good day?
Chase: Yes.
Me: Did you cry?
Chase: No.
Me: Did you miss me?
Chase: Yes. I cry for you.
Me: I thought you said you didn't cry.
Chase: I did.
Me: Were you nice to your friends?
Chase: Yes.
Me: You didn't get timeout today did you?
Chase: No. I punch somebody in da face, but I not get timeout!
Me: OKAY!!

...Conversation shift!

Lessons from the ER

Unfortunately, we visited the ER Monday! Mary Frances was so sick when I picked her up from school. She kept falling asleep and moaning while she was sleeping from the pain in her stomach. She had a high fever and was vomiting. Of course, as usual for us, we waited 4 hours to be seen by the doctor. They did give her some Tylenol AND Motrin as soon as we arrived which made her much more comfortable. She slept most of the time in the waiting room.

They drew blood, took an xray of her chest, pushed on her tummy, and listened to everything. The doctors and nurses were very sweet to her. They tried giving her an IV, but it wouldn't stick because she was moving so much.

Throughout the experience she (and those of us with her) learned a lot about her body:
1. She believes her blood is pink, and the staff confirmed that for her. She didn't actually see it.
2. Her heart is not shaped like a "heart." This was very "disheartening" to her. :)
3. Her skeleton is very interesting to look at.
4. Breathing treatments don't hurt - especially when the only other option is ANOTHER shot!
5. Her insides are "all the different colors".

She was diagnosed with slight pneumonia and allowed to leave for the night (at 11:30). She is doing great today - on an antibiotic and breathing treatments a few times a day. She'll probably go back to school tomorrow.

Oh, and she was very excited to ride in a wheelchair! It's amazing how little things are so exciting to them!

Weight Watchers Donates

I started Weight Watchers in the Spring to finish losing my baby weight (and some other weight I had accumulated before). Anyhow... I got to within 3 pounds of my goal and was comfortable with the way I felt. So, I didn't go back. I've gained a few pounds back. So, I started back yesterday to lose the last 6 pounds! I'm very anxious to be done with the whole thing.

I was so excited to hear the Weight Watchers is launching a new campaign this week that will last 6 weeks! Did you know there are 1.1 billion underfed people in the world? I wasn't surprised by that number, but I was surprised to learn there are ALSO 1.1 billion overweight people! Kinda makes you think, huh?

So for the next 6 weeks, Weight Watchers will donate 1 pound of food for every pound that is lost and logged in at Weight Watchers meetings across the country up to 1 million dollars! I am so excited about this. I'm excited that Weight Watchers has teamed up to do it, and I'm excited that something I am doing to improve my health is also helping other people.

So, if you've been meaning to lose some weight, now is the time to join Weight Watchers!

Your Name is Mary Frances!

Mary Frances and I are having a little disagreement that is frustrating to us both! Unfortunately for her, I am VERY stubborn, and I WILL win!! We named her Mary Frances after her grandmother (Mary) and her great-grandmother (Frances). Both of these ladies were amazing ladies - wonderful people to be named after.

But for some reason, little miss has decided that her name is Mary and Frances is just her middle name. I have known several people who changed their names as children and I knew this might come up some day, but I like her name the way it is. Her name is special. It isn't just a random name we picked out of a hat.

If Chase decided he wanted to be Jackson (his middle name), I'd be all for it. We just picked his name because we liked it. But I don't want "Frances" to be forgotten.

So, I informed her teachers this morning that we will be sticking with "Mary Frances" no matter how much she fights it. If I give up now, it's done. She is only FOUR and I'm a lot older!

So, I would appreciate any help you can give me.. Ideas on how to convince her AND especially lots of talk with her about how beautiful and special her name is!!

This is probably going to be a long fight, but I am determined to WIN!!!

Did I really do that?

I am feeling like a really rotten mom! I think I just missed Mary Frances' first day of school - like she didn't go!! Honestly, I'm still not positive. I know that tomorrow is Chase's first day (and it will be Mary Frances' now), but I just realized that her calendar says today is her first day!

Chase is only going Mon, Wed, and Fri, but Mary Frances is going Mon thru Thursday. Again, I'm feeling really rotten. How horrible to miss the FUN first day of school!

I don't even know what to say...

Doing Life Together

Andrew's fish

Jackson's fish

Kaleb's fish

This is what life is all about...doing life together! If you have talked to me for any length of time in the last several months, you have most definitely heard me speak of my Life Group! These are my closest friends - the group of people I have come to trust. Life Group is our name for Bible Study because it is so much more!! We had the opportunity to spend Sunday and Monday with all but two members of our Life Group! We went to the Murrill's ranch a little over an hour from Houston! It was a blast! I hope you enjoy the pics!!

Playin' at the pool

Andrew, Thomas, Heather, and Kasen

"A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24

Matthew

Jennifer and Holly

Ray C. and Chase enjoying the pasture this morning.

The main house

The McLean family (and Jackson)

Mary Frances (with daddy) catches a fish..Jennifer and Cassidy

a ride on the mule around the farm

Cole

Carter

Ricky

"our" new baby
(He's really Holly and Keith's, but we like to take turns passing him around.)

the Ginaven's

Heather, Carter, and Jill

Michael and Cole

Keith and Michael

Brad and Shad :)

Heather, Erika, and Chase

To My Life Group:

I love you guys more than words can really express. I am so grateful to have you in my life. I enjoy every conversation we have even if it comes between filling sippy cups and kissing boo-boos! I am looking forward to doing life together as long as God will allow it!

Here's to Jesus Cheese!!

New Shoes

I am embarrassed to say that I have bought at least 17 new pairs of shoes in the last month!! I know its crazy, but I have been buying shoes for 4 people, and while they are on sale, I've been buying sizes for next summer too!

Anyway, 4 of them I bought today (with 2 more converse shoes to get this weekend while they're BOGO). I was eating lunch with some girls at the church, and my flip flop BROKE!! If you've ever had a flip flop break, you know that it is not possible to continue to walk in it. My problem was that, not only did I have to leave the church without shoes, I also had to go to the doctor's office for an appointment with no time to go back home for new shoes.

So, I found a Payless close-by. I looked all across the Target parking lot before darting (as quickly and discreetly as I could) into the store. I was pretty embarassed, and I'm really hoping no one from the church saw me - especially someone that I don't know but knows exactly who I am. I'm always thinking about that scenario - you know - "I saw the preacher's wife running through the Target shopping center barefoot. spspspspspspsp" Hopefully no one is doing that. I don't really care. I'm just wondering.

So, I show up in Payless looking like a pretty easy sell and I get suckered into some ballet shoes, some Dora shoes, some cheap jewelry that will look cute until it breaks, and something else I don't recall but I know I bought it b/c it was buy one get one 1/2 off. So, I know I didn't leave without taking advantage of that sale...

Anyhow, I have more shoes!! They are fun!

...Okay, it was driving me crazy. So, I had to run to my room to see what else I bought - It was another pair of white "keds" for little girl since I know the ones I bought her yesterday will be dirty in a month or two. The new pair was only $3! Couldn't resist!

Off to pick up Thomas from the bus...

God Bless Makenson

As if letting go of one child wasn't hard enough this week, now I have to say goodbye to Makenson. You may remember me telling you about Makenson a few months ago. He is the Compassion International child we have supported for about 6-7 years now.

Compassion called today to tell me that Makenson has completed the program and has stated that he is now old enough to live on his own. He is staying in the same area and is interested in working in mechanics.

They are sending me a final letter from him, and I can also send a final gift and letter, but then I will not be able to contact him anymore! I am so proud of him and grateful that we have had the opportunity to support him for so long, but it breaks my heart to think I will never know anything else about him. May God Bless him and keep him safe.

Our family will be getting on Compassion's website to select a new child to sponsor. I am looking forward to blessing another child in this way. If you have ever considered doing this, I promise you Compassion is a wonderful program!

We Made It....

After an entire day of watching the clock and wondering what my little one was doing, he is finally back home with ME!!! He had a blast, and he can't wait to go back tomorrow! The bus was about 15 minutes late since it is the first day, but not a problem!
Do you think he had fun or what?
This isn't Thomas, but I took the picture because Ray C. is on the bus!!! He's riding the bus the first three days to help the kids get off on the right stops!! What a relief for me, and Thomas loved it too, of course!

First Day of Kindergarten

All summer long we have talked about putting Thomas on an exercise routine before school each day to burn some energy and help him focus more! So, we are off to a great start. We started the day with a bike ride around the block and several running laps around the cul-de-sac!
So excited, he can hardly stand it!
He did not understand why he couldn't ride the bus to school. He said, "Well, you don't have to walk me in. I know where to go." He just couldn't shake us fast enough, I guess!
Little sister seemed a little sad to let him go. She is not looking forward to playing at quiet time by herself! Of course, Thomas was ready to get going. He put his lunch, snack, and water away as soon as we arrived, then sat down in his seat and colored! Such a model student!! :)
Some people are more ready to let go than others - that would be Thomas!
This is where I left him. The only view I have to think about for the next SEVEN hours!!!! I'm okay! He's THRILLED!! I can't wait to pick him up at the bus stop to see what he thought!

Kindergarten Fears

Okay, this is really a list of Mommy's Kindergarten Fears...



1. The school will lose my baby.
2. He will run away at recess since there is no fence marking borders.
3. Cashews
4. Pistachios
5. FIRE ANTS on the playground!!!
6. 21 children and ONE teacher
7. Only having a few hours a day with my little one :(

(This list may be added to throughout the week!)

Pizza Night

We had a blast making pizzas tonight! I put the ingredients in bowls on the table and let them decorate as they liked! I love these kids! What fun!

Ready for Football Season

Apparently Mary Frances wasn't very excited about eating her corn tonight (could be because I left it in the fridge too long and Ray C. fed it to them anyway....that's another story, as usual). So, she gave it legs, called it a "corn dog" and said, "Go....Corn Dog, Sick 'Em."

How 'bout them dogs?

...and...cue the tears...

There isn't much to say. My sweet Thomas is going to Kindergarten. I know it sounds silly, but I feel like my heart is being ripped out of my chest and there's nothing I can do about it. Of course, I wouldn't dare keep him away from it. He is going to have so much fun, and I will be fine, but right now, I can't imagine dropping him off and letting him walk away alone. Can he seriously get to class? I can barely get him in the store while he's holding my hand!! I know there will be people to guide him, but still..

Ah.....he's going to be gone ALL day!! He's going to be at school, away from me, the majority of his time awake every day. It is more than I can bear to think about...

New Hair Cut

I cut everyone's hair this afternoon in preparation for going back to school (and for being in front of people preaching :)). Anyway, Mary Frances doesn't usually want her hair cut, but today she requested a short hair-do. So, I cut about 3 1/2 inches off - very cautiously since I am really only good at trimming her hair and one style for all the boys!! It is so precious. I absolutely love it and so does she! I really put the pictures on for the family so they could see the change!!By the way, behind her in the picture is the new playhouse that someone gave us earlier this summer! What a find!!

The Evange-tainer

Keith Coast is an evangelist/entertainer who calls himself the "evangetainer" or "entertangelist". Anyway, he did the "Back to School Bash" at Foundry last night. It was so much fun. He was hilarious and he did some fun magic tricks that kept the children entertained for over an hour! That's when you know someone's good, huh?At the end, he blew up a 6 ft. balloon and climbed in - his whole body was in the balloon. It was very entertaining. While he was in the balloon, he blew up some smaller balloons like the heart Thomas is holding above. At the end of the show, as he was wrapping up, Thomas ran up on stage, grabbed the heart (as the guy stopped to watch), and then ran back and gave the heart to me!! I almost cried at his thoughtfulness. It was obvious the only thing on his mind was getting that heart just for me! What a sweetheart!

Meet the Teacher

Thomas visited his new school today! We met his teacher, too! It was an exciting morning. I had to explain what the lunchroom is, how to walk in the halls, etc. The lunch line is a foreign concept, too - even to me, honestly! Thomas is even going to be riding the bus home from school each day - another foreign concept for me since we didn't even have school bus routes!! Anyway, we went through it all! I think he is ready. I am happy that he is allowed to keep a water bottle for when he is thirsty. They even have snack time since some of them have really early or really late lunches. I forgot to ask what time his lunch is.Thomas' seat was as close to the teacher's desk as it could have been, and she swore she had no idea who we were!!!??? I think he's going to do great. I told her I was planning to be very involved so we could be a team to make sure he is successful. I even signed up to be the homeroom mom. If you know this to be a crazy thing, just don't tell me. I'll figure it out myself. I've been thinking about doing it all summer. I will survive, and Thomas will love it! I always loved having my mom at school events!

Thomas' desk is also right next to the library. The library also looks into the next room. This is an open-concept school - meaning there are no doors. The rooms are separated by large bookcases and cabinets. I am really looking forward to hearing about how this affects Thomas' learning. It might actually be better for him. I know Ray C. has a hard time concentrating when it is quiet, and since Thomas is so much like he was, he might just thrive in this environment!

No matter what, please pray for Mrs. Thompson, Thomas' new teacher! I believe this is her first year teaching and she has 21 kindergarteners! I will be praying that she enjoys the year, and that she and Thomas will develop a great relationship. I desperately want her to understand who he is and how he operates!!
It all begins in just 3 days!! Yikes! What am I talking about? PRAY FOR ME!!

A few updates with pictures...

Summer is almost over! I can't believe it! We are so excited about school starting...and scared all at the same time! Kindergarten? Seriously? That's another blog entry. Here are a few pics from the last few weeks.Mary Frances loves weddings, like most little girls. While we were visiting my family, my mom pulled out her own wedding dress and let Mary Frances dress up. We had so much taking pictures with everyone, but I love this one! It will definitely be in a frame when I finally get to Walmart to print it out!


This is Monkey Bizness! For my non-Texas friends and family, this is a "jumping place" kids go to just for a few hours of fun. A lot of kids have their birthday parties at these places! (HINT: It would be a GREAT business in an area that doesn't have something like this!!)
Mary Frances climbing the inflatable wall! Go, girl, go!
Look at the tomato I grew!! Hmmm... I think I did something wrong!?! Unfortunately, they're all this size!
Let me introduce you to the monster that now lives in my backyard!! WHAT WAS I THINKING??? Do you see this thing compared to my house? It is almost embarassing. Luckily, my neighbors love it and were wondering why we didn't already have one! I even need the chair to get up on it! Actually, the theory is great! We have decided to make exercise part of our morning routine in order to help Thomas concentrate better at school. So, the trampoline will be an easy way to do that. Some days will ride bikes. Other days we'll walk or run. Other days, we'll do like we did this morning...jumping jacks, running in place, push-ups, and sit ups - whatever it takes to get the wiggles out and burn off some energy!!

Everlasting Life

This is our discussion in the van this morning:

Mary Frances: "Mommy, you know that if you love Jesus a bunch, you can live forever!?"
Me: "You're right. Jesus says that if we love him and obey him that we can live with him in Heaven forever - but not here in our world. We do all have to die someday."
Thomas: "Why?"
Me: "When God created Adam and Eve, he planned on people living forever. But when they disobeyed him, he told them that they would have to die one day. He couldn't spank them for disobeying like we do!"
Mary Frances:"Oh."
Thomas: "Well, good people love Jesus and bad people love the devil."
Me: "Not really Thomas. No one loves the devil."
Thomas: "Really?"
Me: "No. Bad people just don't understand how much God loves them."
Thomas: "Why not?"
Me: "Because a lot of bad people have been treated very mean by others, and they don't understand that God loves them even though other people haven't. They even might think that God made bad things happen to them! So, that's why God put us here - to tell everyone how much God loves them."
Thomas: "Well, God doesn't make bad things happen. The devil does."
Me: "Sometimes the devil does make bad things happen, but sometimes bad things just happen. Like car accidents - the people who don't pay attention where they are going are the ones who make the accident happen - not God or the devil."
Thomas: "Oh. Are we almost at Monkey Bizness?"
ME: "Almost." :)

Moving...

Thankfully, I am not moving, but some good friends of ours from our Life Group at church are moving to our neighborhood this weekend. It has been a great pleasure for everyone in our life group to join our friends in the work of the weekend.

Last night we kept their 5 and 6 year old boys for several hours so work could be done. Although, I was gone most of the time, I did get to make dinner for them. I cannot believe how grateful and complimentary they were of the dinner I made - chicken, rice, and corn! It made me feel so good when I placed the food on the table, and Kaleb very excitedly said,"This looks so good!" When I asked him if he would come over every night he said, "Yes, I really would like to!"

The kids had a blast, but the boys were exhausted by 9:00 and went back to the new house around the corner. This morning I went over to the old house as the guys were packing up the last of the things, and I cleaned!

I couldn't help but think of the 5 times we have moved in the last 10 years. In all those years, I don't think I've ever been the one to do the cleaning. My job is usually at the new house telling everyone where things go and unpacking boxes! Even worse, I don't even know who has done the cleaning for me all those times.

So, for all those who have helped me during my moves in any capacity, THANK YOU!! What an incredible job to do out of love for someone else. Especially cleaning someone else's bathroom - that's true love!! And it really was my pleasure to do it today!

Changing the World

I have a Compassion t-shirt that says "Changing the World one child at a time." Of course, I like to think I'm changing the world 5 kids at a time between my 3 and my 2 compassion kids. Anyhow, that's another story...

I've just finished reading "Just Courage" by Gary Haugen. Gary is the CEO of International Justice Mission (IJM). They are rescuing the more than 26 MILLION slaves who are currently in bondage around the world. Many of these are child sex slaves!

This book has given me the courage to do what I want to do - change the world. I always want to do big things to make an impact. Everyone isn't wired this way, but I am. So, I've decided I'm finished with dismissing wild ideas just because they aren't safe. I will continue to seek wise counsel before stepping into big decisions, but I WILL follow God wherever He asks me to go.

I do not want to get to the end of my life and see a lot of good ideas that could have changed the world around me that I was afraid to act on for whatever reason!! I may not be able to change the whole world, but I can do a lot with my time and money. And even more than that, if my 3 children see me doing what I can, they will in turn have a heart for change. That means my efforts are tripled just by my children watching my obedience. Who knows how many others will be affected?

My mom recently said, "Jacqueline, do you just lay in bed at night thinking of ways to stress me out?" Of course, she was joking (kinda). But, I reminded her that it is my parents who have given me this foundation for loving God and desiring to please Him. I want to please my parents as well, and I certainly don't want to stress them out, BUT I can't turn away from what I feel called to do just because my mom is concerned about how difficult it might be for me.

I don't believe God put me on Earth to have an easy, convenient life and just to enjoy things. I understand that following Him is often inconvenient. He placed me here for a purpose. He wants the whole world to know who he is and how much he loves them, and someone has to show them. It might as well be me!