Award Winning Benster!

Mommy's playing catch-up again...but only a couple of weeks' worth this time! My Ben-ster received an award at the quarterly award program. In math!! Munchkin was VERY surprised! And even more so to see me there...funny little bunny didn't even look for me beforehand! hee hee hee Once he got up on the stage, his teacher pointed me out to him--and still he was surprised.



(Sidenote: Only parents whose children are receiving awards are invited to the event, since it takes place during the day and space is limited. Most of the kids know this and look around when they come into the assembly...if they spot a parental unit, it's their lucky day!)


Way to go, Benster!!!

The Serendipity of a Missed Flight

Sometimes a delayed flight isn't such a terrible thing...

After a long-awaited R & R visit to his family in California, Baby Bro was headed back to parts sandy. He was going to be in the local airport for a brief 90 minutes Sunday night, but that wouldn't have been long enough for even a hug stop on his way through customs. So we prayed for him and wished him God Speed on his long journey.

Fast Forward to Noon on Monday and a ringing cell phone...first two legs of Baby Bro's trek were delayed long enough that he missed his flight out and he was kickin' it at a local hotel. So yours truly, (aka: Big Sis) hit the road with the Abbinator to rescue Baby Bro from the perils of waiting in the hotel lobby 'til the next flight at 11 pm. YAY!

God's got a plan, man...'twas my off Monday, so we were free, free, FREE!! to spend some serendipitous time with the Baby Bro. Poor guy got rooked into the usual craziness of a Zoo Crew afternoon that also included some kewl (not so?) bonus features of Patrick's retrieval from a broken down school bus, Katie's lacrosse practice and a *really* messed up dinner order from the wing place. It was soooooooo good to see "Uncle No Hair" (Patrick's name for him) and give him some in person lovin' before he finishes up this tour.

God Bless you, Uncle Mike!!

*Gotcha BUTT!!*

And, hey...in case we haven't told you--We love you and deeply appreciate your service to our county.

Upward and Onward, Matthew!

Matthew had his first basketball game this last weekend.

(Doesn't he look cute in his uniform?)

WOW! What fun it was to see him playing with his teammates and doing so very well! I think he's starting to get the hang of the game (and the rules, too!). They play man-on-man defense, so each kid wears a wristband and has to stick pretty close to their matching wristband guy on the other team. It was funny to hear the coaches hollering "where's your man? Find your guy!" and then almost EVERY kid on the court would stop in his tracks, check his wristband and adjust accordingly. Hee hee hee! This league is super positive and encouraging, centered around building the kids up in their faith and their skills. The game started with each team being introduced individually and running onto the court through a sparkly banner. Prayers for good sportsmanship were offered up and the game commenced. Halftime included a brief devotion time. After the game was over, each team was dismissed to their team room for a post-game praise prayer and mini-award ceremony. Matthew was selected as Best Offensive Player in the game this week--little booger scored 12 points!! YAY!! Way to go, Matthew!!!!

(Yes, that's him under the basket. And, no, he's NOT standing on a box in this picture...he's just super tall for a 7 year old...his team-mates and opponents are all his age!)

I'm so proud of our big guy!

Go #31!!

Go Rattlers!!

Hangin' with the Abb-ster

Miss Abbey has become quite the little hambone. Can't seem to get the camera out without her mugging for a close-up. Check out the little beastie...

(Added benefit to this picture is that Miss Katie is caught on film doing I'm not sure WHAT with her face...)

Fortune Cookie Never Wrong?

Isn't there a song that goes like that?

Had Chinese food for lunch the other day...my fortune read: "You have a lively family."

Ummm, that's one way to put it!