didn't dress up.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Happy (late) Halloween!!
I know it's late, but I wanted to share these Halloween pictures. I was shopping in Canton on Halloween, but Dad did a great job with the girls and a good night of trick or treating was had by all. We had a SuperGirl and a Spider Witch this year. Kelsey had a friend over and they answered the door, but
didn't dress up.
didn't dress up.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Thanksgiving Traditions
Allie had an assignment this weekend that gave us a good laugh. She was supposed to make a flow chart about our family’s Thanksgiving traditions. This would have been our last 2 Thanksgivings...
Thanksgiving 2006
First, we drove to a Chinese restaurant for lunch. Next, we ate Chinese food. Then, we went to the Pacific Island Club resort for the weekend. Last, we swam in the pool and in the ocean and had a fun weekend!
Thanksgiving 2007
First, we got on a plane and flew to Bangkok, Thailand. Next, we went to our hotel and looked around for some turkey. Then, we couldn’t find any. Last, we ate hamburgers for dinner.
What we actually wrote.
First we get out our Fall decorations. Next, we decorate our house. Then, we cook lots of yummy food! Last, we have our cousins and family over to eat.
So… our flow chart is sort of fictional, but I suppose more along the lines of what they wanteda and more like how our Thanksgiving will be this year!! :-)
Thanksgiving 2006
First, we drove to a Chinese restaurant for lunch. Next, we ate Chinese food. Then, we went to the Pacific Island Club resort for the weekend. Last, we swam in the pool and in the ocean and had a fun weekend!
Thanksgiving 2007
First, we got on a plane and flew to Bangkok, Thailand. Next, we went to our hotel and looked around for some turkey. Then, we couldn’t find any. Last, we ate hamburgers for dinner.
What we actually wrote.
First we get out our Fall decorations. Next, we decorate our house. Then, we cook lots of yummy food! Last, we have our cousins and family over to eat.
So… our flow chart is sort of fictional, but I suppose more along the lines of what they wanteda and more like how our Thanksgiving will be this year!! :-)
Monday, October 20, 2008
Soccer girls
I got some new pictures last weekend of our soccer stars that I thought I'd share. They weren't able to get back on the teams that they were on before we left which made us sad, but they are both on good teams with good coaches, so we are thankful for that.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Camping Fun!
The girls and I were out of school for Columbus Day, so Jason took the day off and we enjoyed a camping trip this weekend. We left Saturday after the soccer games and got to stay 2 nights. Camping is always a LOT of work, but it's fun enough to be worth it! :) Thanks to Opa and Nana's "new" pop up trailor, lots of good camp food, and gorgeous weather, we had a great time!!!
Friday, October 3, 2008
An awesome Essay....
Kelsey wrote this for a school assignment and I thought she did a great job. It's interesting to see the recent events of our lives through her eyes.
Living in Keller, Texas for the majority of my childhood, growing up with many of the same friends and knowing where “that restaurant” was and “this shopping mall” was seemed perfect and only expected in my every day routine life. The “routine” factor of my life, however, quickly changed when I was told I was going to live on the island of Guam for my first two years of high school. The day my mom called me, explaining how she had received a job at one of the elementary schools on the Guam air force base, I didn’t know if I could take her seriously. Soon after, I began to really believe that my life would fall apart. I had not traveled outside the country, besides going on mission or vacation trips to Mexico occasionally, so I was secretly looking forward to the travel, yet determined to be negative by repeatedly whining about leaving my friends and all I’d known.
Arriving in Honolulu, Hawaii, on the way to our final destination in Guam, I soon began to think everything might turn out “okay”. Looking around me at the cerulean colored ocean and swaying palm trees, and finally landing on Guam, enjoying luxury after luxury in what I believed to be paradise, I figured I could handle anything about that life. The scenery and tropical climate was nice and definitely adjustable; I only feared going to school. I wasn’t used to making new friends because all I’d ever known were the friends I’d had since elementary and intermediate school. I decided I would get through those two years focusing on school, enjoying the beach every now and then, and not worrying about friends so I could return to Keller and everything would be the same. I grew stronger in my faith, turning to God when I wished for a friend or thanking Him for what I saw.
However, even on the brinks of my first school year on Guam, I realized I wouldn’t have to suffer completely, ignoring a social life as I had planned to do, as I easily made friends with those around me, being accepted quickly by kids who were used to moving around and starting over. It was still difficult to think about home in Keller or my family in Texas and not break down emotionally. Yet, that first year of high school, as different as it was, really began to take effect on the way I viewed the world I knew so little about. I met kids my age who had traveled from all over the world and I slowly began to enjoy my life little by little.
My freshman year, I received the opportunity to travel to Okinawa, Japan for a school yearbook trip. On family vacations, I got to travel to different places such as Queensland, Australia, Bangkok, Thailand and Tokyo, Japan. The whole way, I was tasting new foods and learning about different cultures, such as religion and languages. I experienced the Japanese culture heavily as I took Japanese language both years, hearing stories form my teacher and learning with my classmates. Even at home, I experienced living on an air force base and making friends with people whose dads were in the military.
Although I seemed desperate not to leave my comfort zone and enter a foreign land, I now see the world with new eyes. I have many more places I plan to visit but I’ve at least seen a sliver of the huge world we live in. I don’t know everything that’s out there and I do know that there are kids my age who have experienced more than me, but I feel blessed to have witnessed military life, islanders’ cultures, and how it feels to have frizzy hair constantly. Even though it seemed as if I wanted nothing to do with these options, that two year experience was a new chapter in my life and has forever affected my beliefs and imagination. At times, I do wonder if life would be easier, would I have just stayed in one spot and not become attached to two different places in the world, but I do know that for anything, I wouldn’t have traded those two years, no matter the pain and vulnerability I sometimes find myself with. The situation kids my age sometimes come across when they get to a crossroads may seem incredibly hard and strenuous, but they just might end up benefitting from a life-changing experience.
Living in Keller, Texas for the majority of my childhood, growing up with many of the same friends and knowing where “that restaurant” was and “this shopping mall” was seemed perfect and only expected in my every day routine life. The “routine” factor of my life, however, quickly changed when I was told I was going to live on the island of Guam for my first two years of high school. The day my mom called me, explaining how she had received a job at one of the elementary schools on the Guam air force base, I didn’t know if I could take her seriously. Soon after, I began to really believe that my life would fall apart. I had not traveled outside the country, besides going on mission or vacation trips to Mexico occasionally, so I was secretly looking forward to the travel, yet determined to be negative by repeatedly whining about leaving my friends and all I’d known.
Arriving in Honolulu, Hawaii, on the way to our final destination in Guam, I soon began to think everything might turn out “okay”. Looking around me at the cerulean colored ocean and swaying palm trees, and finally landing on Guam, enjoying luxury after luxury in what I believed to be paradise, I figured I could handle anything about that life. The scenery and tropical climate was nice and definitely adjustable; I only feared going to school. I wasn’t used to making new friends because all I’d ever known were the friends I’d had since elementary and intermediate school. I decided I would get through those two years focusing on school, enjoying the beach every now and then, and not worrying about friends so I could return to Keller and everything would be the same. I grew stronger in my faith, turning to God when I wished for a friend or thanking Him for what I saw.
However, even on the brinks of my first school year on Guam, I realized I wouldn’t have to suffer completely, ignoring a social life as I had planned to do, as I easily made friends with those around me, being accepted quickly by kids who were used to moving around and starting over. It was still difficult to think about home in Keller or my family in Texas and not break down emotionally. Yet, that first year of high school, as different as it was, really began to take effect on the way I viewed the world I knew so little about. I met kids my age who had traveled from all over the world and I slowly began to enjoy my life little by little.
My freshman year, I received the opportunity to travel to Okinawa, Japan for a school yearbook trip. On family vacations, I got to travel to different places such as Queensland, Australia, Bangkok, Thailand and Tokyo, Japan. The whole way, I was tasting new foods and learning about different cultures, such as religion and languages. I experienced the Japanese culture heavily as I took Japanese language both years, hearing stories form my teacher and learning with my classmates. Even at home, I experienced living on an air force base and making friends with people whose dads were in the military.
Although I seemed desperate not to leave my comfort zone and enter a foreign land, I now see the world with new eyes. I have many more places I plan to visit but I’ve at least seen a sliver of the huge world we live in. I don’t know everything that’s out there and I do know that there are kids my age who have experienced more than me, but I feel blessed to have witnessed military life, islanders’ cultures, and how it feels to have frizzy hair constantly. Even though it seemed as if I wanted nothing to do with these options, that two year experience was a new chapter in my life and has forever affected my beliefs and imagination. At times, I do wonder if life would be easier, would I have just stayed in one spot and not become attached to two different places in the world, but I do know that for anything, I wouldn’t have traded those two years, no matter the pain and vulnerability I sometimes find myself with. The situation kids my age sometimes come across when they get to a crossroads may seem incredibly hard and strenuous, but they just might end up benefitting from a life-changing experience.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
What's going on....
Things are a little crazy around here with school and all the other activities that we are involved with.
Kelsey just finished up a driver's ed course which met EVERY day Mon-Thurs. from 4:30-6:30 for FOUR weeks! We are very glad that is over. Now she will schedule some "drive times" and get some more practice and when Februrary rolls around, she can get her license. She had her permit from Guam for almost 6 months when we moved back, but when we had it switched over, they started the "time line" over again, so she has to wait 6 more months. It will give her more practice time which is a good thing, but she is really ready to get her license! School is very time consuming for her. She is taking 2 AP classes and also has to have a Physics class which has already been very challenging. We could use your prayers over her school year for sure!
Adysen and Allie are still enjoying school and they are both taking gymnastics and playing soccer. Although it keeps us busy running around after school, they love them both. Most of our Saturdays are spent running back and forth to the soccer field as they rarely ever have games at the same time or even close to the same time. I haven't taken my camera to a game yet, but I'm sure I'll do that soon.
Maddox is still adjusting well to the family. He has had some challenging stomach issues, but we are working on those and they have improved. He still amazes us with how smart he is. I took this picture Saturday night. We had movie night and the girls sat on the floor with a bowl of popcorn. Of course, he ran over all excited when he smelled it and coudln't wait to have a bite. I said "Maddox, NO!" one time and he laid down and watched the girls eat it for the rest of the movie! Amazing!!
Kelsey and I had fun doing a little shopping and deocrating for Fall last night. We missed the changes of seasons SO much in Guam and have really been looking forward to Fall this year, so that made it especially fun for us!
Of course, we had such gorgeous Fall weather last week and now it's back to feeling like summer again, but oh well.... it will get here eventually!!!! :) HAPPY FALL!!!!
Kelsey just finished up a driver's ed course which met EVERY day Mon-Thurs. from 4:30-6:30 for FOUR weeks! We are very glad that is over. Now she will schedule some "drive times" and get some more practice and when Februrary rolls around, she can get her license. She had her permit from Guam for almost 6 months when we moved back, but when we had it switched over, they started the "time line" over again, so she has to wait 6 more months. It will give her more practice time which is a good thing, but she is really ready to get her license! School is very time consuming for her. She is taking 2 AP classes and also has to have a Physics class which has already been very challenging. We could use your prayers over her school year for sure!
Adysen and Allie are still enjoying school and they are both taking gymnastics and playing soccer. Although it keeps us busy running around after school, they love them both. Most of our Saturdays are spent running back and forth to the soccer field as they rarely ever have games at the same time or even close to the same time. I haven't taken my camera to a game yet, but I'm sure I'll do that soon.
Maddox is still adjusting well to the family. He has had some challenging stomach issues, but we are working on those and they have improved. He still amazes us with how smart he is. I took this picture Saturday night. We had movie night and the girls sat on the floor with a bowl of popcorn. Of course, he ran over all excited when he smelled it and coudln't wait to have a bite. I said "Maddox, NO!" one time and he laid down and watched the girls eat it for the rest of the movie! Amazing!!
Kelsey and I had fun doing a little shopping and deocrating for Fall last night. We missed the changes of seasons SO much in Guam and have really been looking forward to Fall this year, so that made it especially fun for us!
Of course, we had such gorgeous Fall weather last week and now it's back to feeling like summer again, but oh well.... it will get here eventually!!!! :) HAPPY FALL!!!!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Welcome to the family, Maddox!!
We are proud to announce a new addition to our family.... a sweet 7 month old black lab/mix puppy named Maddox.
As many of you know, I am not the biggest dog/animal lover, but the rest of the family is, so I am outnumbered!! :) We decided to look for a dog that was a little older this time as we have done the puppy thing 2x before and it has been challenging for us. We answered an ad on Craig's List and it all just fell together.
Maddox belonged to 2 young girls from Lubbock who got him from a rescue agency after he was left on a porch in a box at 6 weeks of age. They had a house and room for him, but have since moved to an apartment in Dallas and just don't have room or a yard for him anymore. They took exceptional care of him - his teeth and coat are just beautiful and he is a very trusting and loyal dog. The girls were SO sad to let him go. They told us that they had received many calls in response to their Craig's List ad, but that Jason's was the first message that they had responded to - they didn't like the sound of the other people's voices! :)I have kept in contact with them via email and even sent soem pictures so they could be assured that we are taking good care of Maddox.
He has been SO sweet and gentle with the girls who are head over heels in love with him of course. He is up to date on his shots and is house trained which are 2 of MY favorite qualities about him!! :) We are amazed at how calm and well behaved he is and he is also very smart and easily trainable. He fits right into our family and acts like he's been here forever!
Here are pics of 3 girls and a Dad who are very much in love.....
As many of you know, I am not the biggest dog/animal lover, but the rest of the family is, so I am outnumbered!! :) We decided to look for a dog that was a little older this time as we have done the puppy thing 2x before and it has been challenging for us. We answered an ad on Craig's List and it all just fell together.
Maddox belonged to 2 young girls from Lubbock who got him from a rescue agency after he was left on a porch in a box at 6 weeks of age. They had a house and room for him, but have since moved to an apartment in Dallas and just don't have room or a yard for him anymore. They took exceptional care of him - his teeth and coat are just beautiful and he is a very trusting and loyal dog. The girls were SO sad to let him go. They told us that they had received many calls in response to their Craig's List ad, but that Jason's was the first message that they had responded to - they didn't like the sound of the other people's voices! :)I have kept in contact with them via email and even sent soem pictures so they could be assured that we are taking good care of Maddox.
He has been SO sweet and gentle with the girls who are head over heels in love with him of course. He is up to date on his shots and is house trained which are 2 of MY favorite qualities about him!! :) We are amazed at how calm and well behaved he is and he is also very smart and easily trainable. He fits right into our family and acts like he's been here forever!
Here are pics of 3 girls and a Dad who are very much in love.....
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