are you thirsty???????

that was the theme to our children's camp this year. we took nine kids to camp. we had a great time.

Are you thirsty? that was the question that was posed to us? Are we thirsty?? We were told that we fill our lives with all kinds of things, instead of what we really need. A hunger and a thirst for Jesus. it was awesome to watch hundreds of kids for three nights spend hours at the alter praying and seeking God. there is nothing quit like it. there is an honesty and pure of heart that is present when children are seeking His face. church started at 7:30 and most nights we would not leave church until 10:00. one night we did not leave church until 10:15. they were so focused on seeking God. children were praying for adults and other kids. they were laying on hands on each other.

when kids come to worship God they come with total abandonment. they don't care if anyone is looking at them, or if they sing off key, or if they are praying too loud, they just come, knowing that God will meet them there and will meet any need they have.

last year was my first year to go to camp and what a blessing it was. so i volunteered to go again this year. i knew this year, because of what happened last year, that i would be so blessed. and i was. it was so awesome to feel Jesus wash over me and draw me closer to Him. i once again totally surrendered my life to Him. and asked Him to rekindle His fire with in me. i asked Him to put such a thirst in me for His Word and the things of God. i left camp feeling refreshed and renewed. more importantly i know our kids walked away from camp with the light of Jesus burning stronger in them.

thanks e, for helping drive to camp, even through the rain. it wouldn't have been the same with out you. with a little fear, and a lot of faith, and a precious friend to help me, i was able to do
something i thought i could never do. you know what i mean e.

thank you Jesus, for another awesome adventure............. You are the one who makes all things possible. what a privilege it is to serve you in this capacity.

camp here we come....

tomorrow i have the priveledge of taking our kids to camp with e. i am excited and know we will have a blast. i pray that god will touch our kids in a mighty way. i am excited, because it is one more event that i get to enjoy with my daughter. we both loved camp last year and have looked forward to going all year long. i'm sure there will be lots of giggling girls. i will be one of them. look out camp here we come.

can i get a witness......

today i was taking david to the bank to get a check cashed. so i pull up to the drive through to get the little thingy that you put your check and drivers license in .

now i have been blessed to accomplish alot in my life, marry a wonderful man, have two precious girls and a college degree, but one of the things that has not changed since i was 17, still has not changed. i can not pull up to the drive through an get out the thingy, with out opening the door and more or less getting out of my car. now i thought that that would change since i have a taller car, but noooooooooooooo, i still can not reach the cylinder thing.

can i get a witness??????????????????????

a kiss from the King.................

this morning i got to do my study and to reread a book that i was given some time ago. after i read and prayed i got out my journal and just began to write. i wrote for about 40 minutes and i felt Jesus just ministering to me while i was reading. things were pouring out of my heart like they have never flowed before. i can write sometimes, so much better than i could ever express my feelings here are some of the scriptures that the Lord impressed upon my heart.

When I said," My foot is slipping, your love oh Lord,supported me!When anxiety is great with in me, your consolation brought joy to my soul."
Psalm 94:18

Look to the Lord always and his strength: seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced.
1Choronicals 16:11

And therefore the Lord, {earnestly} waits to be gracious to you; and therefore he lifts himself up, that he may have mercy on you and show you loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for him ,who expect and look and long for him {for his victory, his favor, his love, his peace, his joy, and his matchless unbroken companionship.}
Isaiah 30:18 Scripture paraphrased by Joyce Meyers

thank you Jesus for this time that we can come together. it is there that i find who i truly am. sometimes victorious, sometimes defeated, sometimes anxious, sometimes peaceful, sometimes sad. but no matter how i come to our meeting place, your are ready to meet me where ever am am, no matter what condition i am in and in your arms i find who you truly want me to be. i find rest and peace and joy unspeakable. the world fades away and with all of its cares. free from striving to be everything i think i am supposed to be. free from all of the pressures every day life seem to burden me with. and i leave our special place with you walking beside me holding my hand knowing that you are forever with me. guiding me. helping me. loving me. delighting in me. captivated by me. and i am refreshed

thank you..................

a bed built for three......

thanks to the storm last night, we had a visitor. i know some of you might think it was bekah, but she sleeps like a rock. however, my precious oldest daughter is not a fan a thunder, or any loud noise. (i.e. especially 4th of july) so we had a visitor. i am so glad knows that when there is thunder or any kind of storm she can come and get into our bed and we will not cast her out. so we got to sleep with our daughter last night.

i remember when she was younger we thought we could get her to sleep in her bed, when a thunderstorm came. but after several storms and she kept coming to our bed we decided that she really must need to stay with us the whole night. at first we tried letting her sleep with us just a while, and then put her back later, but she kept coming back.

it makes me think of Jesus. how many times to we run back to him when the storms come into our life and her never pushes us away, or tells us he can only stay with us a while. no he holds us until we get our footing under us and then if we will let him, he holds our hands and hearts until we come to another storm and then he picks us up and carries us until we are ready to walk beside us. he never leaves us nor forsakes us. he is always with us.

once she was in our bed she talked with us for a while til we could soothe her. isn't that what we do when we come running into Jesus ' arms? we talk to him so that we can get out all that is bothering us. then when he has calmed us with his peace, we become quiet in his arms. hannah quickly fell asleep. after she fell asleep. i lay praying for her in the night. i realized that the thunder was louder when she was asleep in our bed,then before she came in. but because she felt safe in our arms, our bed, she didn't even hear the louder thunder that came later in the night. thank you Jesus for revealing yourself through my daughters faith in us. which ultimately is her faith in you. i have quickly realized in my own life that when i take my eyes off Christ, the small thunder quickly sounds very loud and overwhelming, but when i am solely focused on him, the storms that are more rough, i don't even hear. what peace we often forfeit.

we set out to teach our kids, and we do, but so many more times i see that they teach me lessons that speak volumes to my heart. what a grand plan Jesus has for all of our lives.

thank you Jesus for a bed built for three.......

a swimmingly fun birthday.....

best friends

isn't my family gooooogeous

big brother being silly

friends

oh mom, this is so awesome!!!!!!!!

happy birthday to me


my aunt amy and my meemaw
swimming fun

we celebrated rebekah's birthday this past friday. we had a great time. it was so much much fun to swim with my kids. it is so fun watching bekah get so excited for every gift. her smile was so bright, it could have lit up the universe. family and friends joined us for the evening. thank you for making her day special. bekah also had a few of her friends from her kindergarten class come. they were so fun to watch play and swim. even some of the adults got into the pool. that was fun.

thank you God for giving a us a beautiful night for a swim party.

a special time.......

one of the most special times with my children is when i am tucking them into bed. i find with both of my daughters that this is the time they want to share ideas, thoughts, feelings, dreams, and emotions with me. my instinct is to talk, talk, talk, but i have learned that if i will be quiet that they will share all kinds of things with me. this is one of my most special times with my children.

now don't get me wrong, sometimes i am so tired myself, that i just want to lay on the couch and just kiss them goodnight there, but the gentle prodding of the Holy Spirit causes me to get off my laurels and take pleasure in this special right of passage as a mother. it is the times when i am most tired, that they share the most with me. what is so neat is i don't even have to ask questions, they just share with me. i hope that this timeless ritual, will be so special to them, that when they are in their teenage years, they will still feel comfortable sharing with me, even when the stakes are higher. i am raising my girls telling them that they can tell, or say anything to me, if they say it with a respectful attitude. they can even tell me when they are really mad at me, or if they don't like a decision i've made.

thank you girls for so richly blessing my life. you are the truest part of my heart. i love looking at life through your eyes.

ttnf...........

just a note..........

well today if finished summer school. it's kind of funny, but i felt like my summer was on hold until i finished this week. it is funny the things i am looking forward to. staying up late, playing yahtzee and sorry with my girls, channel flipping, staying in my p.j.'s.

tomorrow we are going to have rebekah's party. i am excited, it should be fun. next week we are going to camp. i am very excited about that. we had such a good time last year. i pray that each child meets God in new way. God is so good about meeting us where we are no matter what age we are. He always seems to know just what we need, exactly when we need it .

today i started again to do w.w. without using any flex points. i have admit that it was challenging. why is it so hard to mortify the flesh. thanks to many friends who kept me busy today, with a walk, or talking on the phone, or coming over for dinner. thank you to all of you who offered your support through the blogs. it meant alot to me. thank you for your payers. i will keep you posted.

well talk to you later.................

new attitude......

o.k. i know this is the second blog for today, but i have come back with a new attitude. i have decided to put my big girl panties ( my sister calls them parachute panties) on and keep on trying. i spoke with my other sister who is going with me and has done an awesome job and only has 9 lbs to go. we joined at the same time. she told me what she is doing. she does not use ANY flex points and the weight is just flying off of her. for those of you don't know, i am a professional weight watcher member. we get so many points per day based on age, weight, and height. then on top of that they give you 35 flex points to use to your digression. well she doesn't use any of them.

now if the truth be told............ i use ALL of the flex points most of the time. my sister says that they give you those points so that you stay and pay longer. when you hit goal after 6 weeks of maintenance then you are free as long as you don't go over 2 lbs. your goal weight.

so i am ready to kick some bootie. i ask for your prayers. i know this isn't as serious as many things i could be facing but, i have battled my with most of my adult life.

ttnf.............

aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh just about ready to quit......

have you ever worked at something for a lllllllloooooooooooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnnnggggggggggg time, and nothing really work out? hello, my name is kim and i have been a professional dieter for eeeeeeeeeeeeeevvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. today i sped to weight watcher class after summer school only to find that i had gained this week. i was so dissapointed i started to cry. it's not like i gained 5 pounds or anything, its just this go round the weight is not really coming off. i know i am older and that really does change things, but i was so heartbroken.

i was really disheartened. help. help. i feel like just quitting. i know that is not the answer. i don't know. if i really quit, i will balloon up really fast. i feel like i gain weight just thinking about food.

sorry it is not a happy blog. i am just REALLY frustrated.

ttfn..................

new beginnings and new earrings.......

today was a great day. today at summer school, one of my co-workers came to school to show off pictures or her new adopted baby boy. his name is matthew. she was beaming. she had such a wonderful glow about her. she has decided to stay home next year, and we are so excited for her. she was so happy she was bouncing when she walked. i pray that motherhood is everything she dreams it would be and more. i wish her and her family all of God's richest blessing.

i think one of the best things about being a mother is being with your child when they experiencing something for the first time. like this weekend at six flags, or the first time hannah played softball and the first time she hit the ball to third base. the first time rebekah hit the ball without using a tee. watching your child learn to read, whether it comes easily or if it is difficult and they really have to work hard. there are so many wonderful things about being a parent.

today after i got home from school, we went to the mall to return some curtains i had ordered over the internet. (i painted my formal living and dining room sage. so i finally threw away the old curtains.) while we were walking around the mall, bekah started talking about getting her ears pierced. we had told her previously that she could get them pierced when hannah got her's pierced. she said she wanted to get them done today. i told her that was fine. she asked if she could sit in my lap while it was taking place, of course i said yes. she was squeezing my hand so hard. claire's did a great job in having two ladies pierce both ears at the same time.

i remember when i got my ears pierced it was such a big deal. i was in later elementary school. i went to a dr.'s office to get them done. it may seem silly but, what a milestone, in becoming a young lady. my how my children are growing up. it was very special to me to share this occasion with her. david was with us, i looked at him and told him this was a big day for her. through no fault of his own, i don't think he understood.

i am thankful that i get to share all of these special moments with my daughters. how fun.
i look forward to many, many more.

ttfn........

summer school......

well i did a first today. i taught summer school for the first time in twelve years. well let me tell you what happened. when you work in a very small district money is always an issue. this year 7 teachers were (rif)ed reduction in force. this is the first time this was done in 12 years. so when my principal came to me and asked if i would help out with summer school. so i am teaching summer school for one week, this one. because of money constraints, we are only doing summer school from 8-12 monday - thursday.

it went by so fast today. wow!!!!!!! we went outside 30 minutes in the morning before beginning class. then we went into our rooms and worked on reading and math. about ten we went out for snacks and a few more minutes of recess. then we went back into the room and finished the math we were working on. at 11 they went to the reading lab to work on a reading program. at 11:30 they changed and worked on study island. i can't believe it went by so fast.

my girls are a little older and their dad was home so i feel it was a win win situation. don't get me wrong i don't want to work the whole four weeks, i just was surprised at how fast it went by.
so for all those teachers out there enjoying their summer vacation, if you ever fell like you need to teach summer school for whatever reason, it wasn't that bad.

a special day

today was a great day. we brought david powdered sugar dough nuts and chocolate dough nuts in bed this morning. the girls bought him one of those musical cards for him for father's day along with a golf pass that is good for the whole year. it is also bekah's birthday. she turned six today. my she is growing fast. david and bekah both picked logan's for lunch today. we also went there with some good friends after church. after church we came home and david's parents came over to give rebekah her birthday gift. (we are throwing her birthday party next friday night with family and friends.) after they left the girls went into their rooms to play with rebekah's new toys. david watched golf and i took a nap on the couch. it was a wonderful day.

do you ever find that it is the simplest of days that are enjoyed most? i find the older i get the more i enjoy just simple days. days that most people say are boring. i tend to enjoy those days the most. i find that i am more content in my life more than i have ever been. i've heard it said that women become the most beautiful in their 40's. i agree. i don't think it is so much an outward beauty, although i look at the women in my life, my sister, women friends and other family members and i see them more beautiful than ever. i think it's the inner peace that women in their 40's and older women get from finally being comfortable with who they are. accepting them selves just they way they are. they exude a confidence that only life experience can bring. now i don't mean to offend any of my younger women friends, it is just something that i have noticed in my own life.

anyway, i'm thankful for the simplistic days that sometimes seem to come my way.

bye for now......

i can't believe my baby is going to be 6 tomorrow

i know i have already posted today, but i can't go to sleep and so i thought i would write another post. my baby turns 6 tomorrow. wow. my how the time flies. i can still remember when i found out that i was pregnant with her. i can remember it like it was yesterday. for all of you who know my story you know how long it took for us to have children. you also know the circumstances that surrounded her birth.

i can still remember what it felt like to hold her the first time, two days after she was born. i remember her first words, steps. i remember when she would say "hoge me mama, or i hoge you." i stand here watching her grow right before my eyes and my heart is so full of love for her it is about to burst. everyday i tell her how much i love her and how it was my destiny to be her mommy. i tell her that it is an honor and a privilege to call her my daughter. she just smiles at me, and hugs me and tells me "i love you mommy". tears well up in my eyes, because it is then that i wonder what did i ever do to deserve the blessing of this precious little one.

i know that we don't earn our children, however they come, but i pray that one day rebekah will rise up and call me blessed. i hope that she surrenders her heart to Jesus at an early age and really know how much He loves her. i pray that joy and happiness follow her all the days of her life. i pray that she knows how much she is loved and valued and delighted in, in her family. what an incredible journey she is embarking on. i pray that she takes Jesus with her. letting Him lead her and guide her.

happy birthday bekah. i love you forever. mom

somewhat rainy holiday.....

well, we decided to go ahead and go to six flags even though there was an 80% chance of rain on friday. i am so glad we did!!!!!!!!! we had a great time. hannah and rebekah my children had such a great time. so did we. rebekah rode her first grown up ride. she and hannah both rode the shock wave. you know the one with the double loops. it was great. by the time we had ridden the ride twice rebekah was riding it with her arms up, even when we were going around the loops. one time when we went to ride it again, rebekah wanted to ride in the very first car. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT????????????? i kept asking her over and over are you sure??????? we were standing in line and these young teenage girls asked me how old she was. they couldn't believe that she was only five. when they saw that she was holding up her arms all through the ride they high fived her. What a big girl she is becoming.

hannah also got to ride rides that she was not able to last year. she was so excited about that and so was i. there is nothing better than to experience something delightful with with your child. i loved watching hannah and rebekah experiencing these rides for the first time.

my grandparents and parents both loved amusements parks. i can remember going to the amusement parks with my grandparents when i was 6 and they must have been in their 60's. i now know the joy they experienced watching me.

it didn't rain or sprinkle that much only about an hour in the morning. after the hour, it turned out to be a beautiful day. it was a great rainy holiday. so i didn't bring my camera. i didn't want it to get wet. we go to six flags pretty much every year. so i thought i would include some pictures of previous years.

maybe this will be the ticket

hey maybe this will be the ticket. thanks to the ladies at my church to switch internet browsers. now i can journal on my own computer. well i just have to say we did not have to put in a new a.c. system. we just had to replace the fan. yea!!!!!!!!!!!! God. so that was a little money saved.

is it just me, or am i the only one who is so surprised at how everything is so expensive these days? it really just takes me back. anyway it is late and i have a teacher in service tomorrow. i will see ya later.

ttfn... for those of you who have forgotten that is pooh bear language ta ta for now.

they say stuff happens in threes

hey ... i know it has been a while since my last post. we have been very busy. on sunday our plumming messed up, but only when i went to take a shower. we woke up sunday morning to go to church and David got a shower and i gave the girls a bath. now i don't know about you but when i bathe my girls my thermostat goes up about 30 degrees. so by the time i got ready to get in the shower i was soaked. i opened my shower door only to find water standing ankle deep. i went into the girls bathroom to find that that water was all over the floor. my foot sank into the bathroom rugs which were soaked with water. i called david to ask if i should call someone or what. he had already gone to chuch since he teaches sundayschool. he came home and began to find a plummer on Sunday. wow!!!!!!!!!!!!! that is expensive.

on monday, david had to fly (he is a pilot) so when he got home on monday night, he came into the house and said boy it is hot in here. needless to say we are now having a guy come out and check our airconditioner. we are staying with my wonderful in-laws until our a.c. gets fixed. thanks mom and dad.

i wonder what will happen next. i know whatever comes next, God will be here to get us through. He is very faithful. well i don't know much for now.


bye.......................

simple pleasures............

i really enjoy summer. today the cutest thing happened, that reminded me of a few of my lazy summer days. my two daughters were playing with the next door neighbors in the front yard with the water hose. they were running through the sprinklers laughing and having fun. their laughter made me think back to a time when we would play in the sprinklers with our friends. at about 1:00 the wanted to have lunch and they had hot dogs with chips. they also had kool-aide to drink. it was so fun serving them and listening to their giggling .

i enjoy summers because it allows me to be the mom i want to be all year long, but don't have the opportunity to be. i am thankful that God provides me with these simple pleasures every once in a while. what a joy it was to watch my daughters enjoy, somthing that their mother had done such a short time ago. it tickled me....