4 Busy Whites

I can't believe that my nephew Nick is 13 today! We headed into L.A. for the birthday celebration at Frantone's...an Italian restaurant in Norwalk. Nick is an amazing kid and there is a place in my heart that is just for him and has been since the day he was born! He is growing into a such a young man but is still very affectionate and even gives Aunt Kym hugs and kisses....and he'd better never outgrow that! I got some pics of him on his new skateboard that his dad got for him. He is really good on that thing. Doug tried it out but, well it's scary to tell the truth...Nick just laughs at Uncle Doug and then grabs his board and takes off. Nick shared his birthday celebration with Camdyn and Corynn (his little brother and sister ..twins!) as their 3rd birthday was on Monday. I hope that Nick felt loved and celebrated all on his own because we do love him! My prayer for Nick is that he will know the love of the Lord and that God's word to him in Jeremiah 29:11-14 says "For I know the plans I have for you" says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you," says the Lord.
Happy Birthday Dude!

Yep, Camdyn and Corynn were 3 years old on Monday and the big celebration was today! They were surrounded by family and friends (and toys and cake!). They are so funny at this age when they really don't have much to do with opening presents but are just energized by all the fun. They love Dora and Diego so Grandma Bev made their cake with a Dora and Diego candle for each of them and they did a great job blowing them out. Our girls always have a great time loving on their baby cousins. Madison was a big helper and cut the cake....which was delicious as Grandma Bev is the best baker around! It was nice to visit with family that we don't get to see as often as we'd like. Happy Birthday, we love you!

Thursday is my wonderful co-worker Carrie's last day. Today lots of us girls got together to bid her farewell over lunch at Las Casuelas Quinta. It was a beautiful afternoon so we packed out the patio and enjoyed some wonderful Mexican food. At times Carrie was overwhelmed with emotion so I think she definitely felt the love and affection we all have for her. She will be greatly missed as she heads to Durango to oversee the completion of a home there and then it will be back and forth between there and the desert. I have so loved being a part of Carrie's life for the 3 years we have worked together. We have gone through some difficult trials and have called out to the Lord together in many different instances. She is forever engraved on my heart! Bless you Carrie, I love you my friend!

Today marks an event at schools around the country called See you at the Pole. See You at the Pole™ is a student-initiated, student organized, and student-led event. That means this is all about students meeting at their school flagpole to pray—for their school, friends teachers, government, and their nation. See You at the Pole™ is not a demonstration, political rally, nor a stand for or against anything. Chelcie was up bright and early to get to school before 7 a.m. to pray alongside many others around their flagpole. Doug took Chelcie and the other kids we take to school while I stayed home with Madison to do her hair (today was school picture day). When Doug got back home, I headed over to the Jr. High to check out the event. Chelcie has gone in 6th and 7th grade and this year I wanted to check it out for myself. As I walked up to the school from the parking lot and saw the kids standing around the flagpole, holding hands, praying....I am getting choked up as I write this...it was amazing. To see these kids with such a heart for God, trusting in Him to faithfully answer their prayers was very overwhelming. Our kids are up against so much today..who are they, where do they belong, where do they fit in, what's happening in our world and with kids they know, etc. The pressures are immense! I am thankful that these kids could stand out in their faith and call upon God in a world that does not exactly embrace that. These kids were not afraid or intimidated by the stares and whispers of their teachers and peers (the exact ones they were praying for!) and I am so very proud of them. We serve a faithful God and His word tells us in 2 Chronicles 7:14 "Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land." The land of these students is their school and there is so much healing needed today. I am thankful for these students who prayed to The One who can heal.

I am so very thankful for Chelcie's heart for God and pray that she will continue to seek Him all the days of her life.

Monday nights mean Doug goes to Mark's to watch football and Lolo comes to our house for girl time! Madison couldn't wait to try out her new hair hi-lighting system that Grammy had bought for her over the weekend and Lolo was a willing participant. By the end of the "session" Sandy had a lovely head of pink and blue hi-lites! Madison just loves all things GLAMOUR! Grammy also bought her a make-up trunk which Madison just loves too.

It's Friday night and we headed out for a Date Night. Now the funny thing about this date night is that we went to a session at Dream Dinners...no, not out to eat dinner, but out to make dinners. Dream Dinners is the coolest idea -- you schedule a session, decide on menu options and then go make all of your dinners. They have all of the ingredients ready, they have done all of the prep work (chopping, etc.) and best of all....they do all of the clean up! You are left with an ice chest full of packaged meals and side ingredients ready to put in your freezer and pull out to cook during the week. It was officially "Date Night" at Dream Dinners so us girls dragged our men along with us to see what it's all about. It was fun going with our very best friends: Terry and Darren Sawdey, Michelle and Craig Ostendorf, and Tammie Sue and David Price. We love these people and they (along with their great kids) are "family" to us here in the desert! The funniest part of the evening was when Craig saw Doug and I putting our manicotti together and wished he had some and then was so excited later when he saw that Michelle, indeed, did have manicotti to make! He was so excited that they had it too! After a while, the guys really kinda got into it! I realized in the middle of our session that I did not have my camera and this event should be on my blog! Thanks to Michelle and her Palm Pilot, we were able to get a couple of pictures! Afterward, we all dumped our dinners at home in our freezers and headed out for Mexican food. It was very touching that when we were at dinner, Craig prayed for us, our kids and just how special our friendships are! We have all been friends for so long, our kids are so blessed to be growing up with each other and Doug and I just really love going through life with these people. It's so nice to know that there are people who you can trust with your life, with your children and with your secret struggles. We love them all more than they probably will ever know! Next date night.....October 19th so stay tuned (we may even have Mark and Sandy there too!).

So Chelcie is doing the dishes and sees a white dog running around our backyard. We go running outside to check it out and see this adorable little dog. We have no idea how she got into our gated backyard and wonder if someone may have dumped her off in our yard! Anyway, she is the cutest, sweetest little thing. The girls have already given her a bath and named her "cupcake"! She has already taken quite a liking to Madison. I found them cuddled up together when Madison was in her room doing her daily reading. Our dogs, Mini and Zoe, have settled down now that everyone's butt has been sniffed! Doug and I told the girls that we need to make up signs tomorrow to put around our neighborhood so that we can try to notify her owner to come and get her. The girls asked what would happen if an owner never comes forward and Doug told them that we would "jump off that bridge when we get there!" We prayed tonight that the dog will be reunited with her owner and we are thankful that we can at least take care of her for a while.

Oh yeah, I heard back from the Gigantes! They said that one day a year they pay tribute to latinos and Friday night was the game in which they did that....interesting!

We took off to Hemet to visit my Grandpa Don and Grandma Jan today. As my grandpa puts it, we got there just in time because he's starving to death! We love going there for breakfast. Everytime we go, grandpa and the girls make biscuits. I have no idea what recipe he follows because it seems to be a bit different every time. They are the most delicious biscuits though....made with eggs and buttermilk and topped with grandma's homemade jams....YUMMY! Doug and grandpa worked on a puzzle (my grandparents always have a puzzle going) and then we played a card game with them called Sets and Runs, pretty fun game and my grandpa is a terror and wants to win so badly! Doug won today. I'm so glad we could get out there for a visit, it's been a few months since we've seen them.

Doug is ready, that's for sure! Tonight marks the beginning of the beloved football season for both the NFL and for Doug's fantasy football league. How many guys do you know, that watch a game with a pencil tucked behind their ear and a notebook in their lap? It is quite an event to witness. He has officially assumed his position on the couch and will remain this way most of the fall and into winter. Go Duckie Boys (Doug's team) and I am now #18 Peyton Manning's biggest fan....he's Doug's quarterback and could mean big wins. Big wins make Doug happy! When Doug's happy, I'm happy....

Well, the alarm clock went off for the girls for the first time in a while! Doug and Chelcie headed off to her school about 7 a.m. as her classes start at 7:30! Madison and I hung back a while and headed out for her school about 8 since she starts at 8:30. Doug met up with us near the school. The girls had their weekly "early release" day today and were out early (Chelcie and noon and Madison at 1) and Doug picked them up then on a run for the border...that's Taco Bell! Both had a good day and were very chatty when I got home. Both already have a bit of homework and both are already finished with it....I hope this keeps up! Anyway, here are some pics of the girls on their first day back to school!