Christmas slide show 0002

Merry Christmas!

No Christmas Card!

Don't be too upset yet ;) I will be posting a Christmas slide show on Wed. or Thurs. with some great pictures of the kids. I already have a few that will definitely make the cut! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Still Working on a Christmas Card Picture!

Thad's Skydive.wmv

Ok, so the video was not super, great like we were expecting so this is what we have for you. Comments, PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!

Advent Conspiracy Promo Video

I saw this on another blogger's page and just wanted to share it with all of you.

Where's the Video?????

Ok, so the super great video is LATE arriving to our home. As soon as I can, it will be posted.

Our Thanksgiving Week

WE have enjoyed a great Thanksgiving week. We were able to fly north to spend Thanksgiving with Thad's parents in MO. We have had a great time. The kids love being somewhere different and seeing all of the new sites. We have seen plenty of Christmas lights, shoppers,and food. Brendan rode his first roller coaster this week. He was brave and I was glad it was night time so he wouldn't change his mind.


Today, it has been snowing all day.(I can't believe that I forgot the camera) In fact, we won't be able to make it home for school tomorrow because of the weather. The kids are so sad ;) Hopefully, it will clear up tomorrow so we can head home.

We have a busy week. Aaron's class is attending the Christmas ballet and the kids are ready to go pick out our Christmas tree. I am so glad that we are finished with all of the shopping so we can enjoy all of the other fun activities. We plan to bake, decorate, read Christmas stories, and watch all of our favorite movies. I love this time of year!!!

STAY TUNED FOR SOME FUN VIDEO THIS COMING WEEK!!!!!!!

Our New LSU fan!!

Lessons in a Nutshell.........

Actually, a pecan shell. We have started a new tradition in our family. This time of the year means time to pick up pecans. We started this last year and picked up a total of 500 lbs of pecans. We sold them and gave the money to the boys to use for Christmas gifts. I want them to experience making their own money then getting to decide how to use it. So many lessons to be learned by doing this. I want them to be hard workers, tithers, givers, responsible spenders..etc but I have found that the most important lessons in this whole "project" have not been about money at all.
Often when we pick up pecans, we find old ones or rotten ones. The kids love to break them open and see the yucky inside. God showed me during the night that this was a perfect time to share with them about "good fruit and bad fruit." So we had a lesson based on Matthew 7:15-20. I have a feeling that this will be the type of lesson that they will remember especially with those yucky pecans as the bad fruit. God just has perfect timing;)
Maybe I have been the one to learn the most from all of this together time. We work in the house together but we are doing different jobs and going different directions. It is so nice for all of us to be working toward a goal together. There is no tv, no computer games, no noise...just us, having the best conversations ever!!!
Thank you God for this great time together!!Keep our eyes and ears open to the new things that you want to show us!!

Ok, what to report...........

So there may not be too much to report on. School is good. Math facts are getting easier for Ethan. Brendan is still reading up a storm and is now 8th place in the entire school as far as accelerated reading points. (yes, I love that) Aaron is staying out of trouble as far as I know. Lauren is doing a good job of keeping me company. Thad has been flying with the new students at the airport.
We did have the great pleasure of having Johnny V here with us for a week. We had a great time hanging out and the kids loved having someone else to play with :)Keep him in your prayers as he is making some very important decisions about the mission field.
As for me, I am challenged to pray for the new guy in charge of our country. The only way he can make the decisions that he must make is with the help of the ONE TRUE GOD!!!! So that's all I will say about the subject. I am challenging you also to pray for his salvation!!!!
There will be more pictures to post soon so stay tuned!

The Mighty Hunter

Just a few pictures from Brendan's recent hunting trip.

The Mighty Hunter

This is some footage of one of the animals that Brendan killed on his recent hunt.

John Who????

This rates as our "funny" of the week.

Thad had just finished teaching our 4yr old class the story of John the Baptist. He included some important details that kids would remember -He wore camel skin, ate locusts & honey, baptized Jesus. A great little story for them to learn. I decided to do a little review of our story by asking questions. "Who was our story about?" I asked. Silence...silence...so I prompted a little "Joohnnn.." Then a little boy got really excited and said, "McCain!"

Geaux Tigers!!!

We went to the LSU vs Miss State game this weekend. We all had a blast.







Before the game, we went into the assembly center to watch the band perform. They were amazing!The first picture is the entrance of the band.







Our seats were so high that I had to take a pic of the scenery.










Happy smiles on everyone's face!!!

More Pictures for the Guys

These are from Thad's recent trip to Canada.





The Kill. ( Be sure to zoom in to see the eyeballs)







Luxury accomodations and excellent mode of transportation.

Be Thankful!!!!

What should you be thankful for??? That I am NOT posting pictures of the latest "it's crazy here at our house with four kids" scenario. I finally had the opportunity to call my sister at the end of our weekend. So we are happily chatting on the phone while the boys get their shower. I hear my name being called and decide to continue with my conversation. How many times have I come running and it is a comment like," I don't like this shampoo" or "where's my towel?" Not this time! I am finishing my conversation. Finally, one of the boys decide to come and get me to let me know that I should check on Lauren. When I walk into the bathroom I see the soggy, hot pink feather boa lying on the floor beside the potty. Lauren is cleaning the potty with a wash cloth that has been soaked in the potty water. No big deal.....except for the fact that one of the boys forgot to flush!!! (and we aren't talking yellow water either!!!!!!!!!!!)

What a Storm!

We are still feeling the effects of Hurricane Gustav. The rain has stopped and we can see a little sun peeking through the clouds. So many people still without power.
We were so blessed to keep electricity during this storm! I just heard that over 900,000 meters were still without electricity today! The governor is buying generators to send to gas stations, grocery stores, and pharmacies. The central and northern parts of our state suffered so much because of all the rain. We were finally able to get out on our road today. We saw at least a dozen houses with water in them and we didn't drive all over just to my grandparents house. Baton Rouge was also hit really hard. If the LSU game was cancelled, you know it is BAD!









Here are a few pics of what we saw in our front yard. Water has never been so far up in our yard in the 12 years that I have lived here.







Our road is still covered in water.

Waiting it Out!

Wow! Its been a while since I have sat down to blog. We have been in a whirl wind since school started and literally in a hurricane right now. First of all, school has begun and all is well there. We were all a bit nervous but God has so graciously taken care of all of those situations. Secondly, Thad made it home after being away for 5 weeks! (yes, I was about to pull my hair out the last week;)) He had a great run up north spraying crops. He absolutely loved it and we are so thankful for such an awesome experience. He was home for only a few days before he was off again. This time it was a hunting trip that has been planned for at least a year. We had no idea when this was planned that he would be working away from home so hunting he goes. The kids and I are hanging out today watching the weather to see how we will be affected by Gustav. So far just wind and some rain. Our area hasn't seen the brunt of the storm yet. We are ready with flashlights and all. So I guess that is all for now. I will try to get some pics or videos of these funny kiddos up soon. Take Care!

First Day of School

We survived! A little complaining about all the hard work but we have finished the first day of school. A few pictures of that morning before I left them.

What About Thad?

Yes, I know the title of blog is whataboutwendy but I thought I would give an update on Thad for all of you pilot folk out there. He sent me a few pics of what he has been up to lately. Enjoy!

Look Daddy!!

Just a Note

One week until school starts. I think we are all ready. The boys seem to be restless. I think the schedule will be good for all of us. We have enjoyed playing with cousins, gathering school supplies, and watching movies this week. We also helped out at our local "good will type" store. The kids really had fun with that. I was amazed at how much help they actually were! Thad is doing great except for missing all of these kiddos:)
Not too much to report here. Hope your week is going well.

Goofy Pictures for Daddy

Lauren has been checking all the school supplies to make sure they work properly. Can you see the orange marker all over her legs??? (Click to enlarge) Also notice the shoes in the background. She got two new pair of sandals and I find them lined up like that everyday.










This seems to be how I find them most of the time now-fighting or wrestling.










Ethan did not want his picture taken so he ran away. I got him this time though;

We Had a Storm Last Night

Not in the house but outside. It has been a scorching wave of heat here. The high temps each day has been 102F. Miserable Hot!! Last night there was an unexpected thunderstorm with very high winds. The tv reported to expect 60mph winds but I think they were stronger than that. Check out these pics I took for Thad.


















The trampoline was moved from the back yard to the front!!







The pump house was turned upside down. It is a very heavy one maded of wood.










Across the yard at the pool, tables everywhere and even one umbrella in the pool.







No damage to anything and we are thankful for that. This was a pretty impressive storm though;)

What about Wendy?

Just a few things about me that you may not know:

**I am NOT a morning person!!!
**I recently decided that I like coffee.
**I love to watch the same movies over and over if there is nothing else worth **watching. My latest: The Holiday
My favorites: Father of the Bride 1 & 2, Sweet Home Alabama, The Notebook
**I love to walk to the mailbox to get the mail.
**I like to mow the yard (ipod+alone time = :))
**I want to travel all over the world.
**I like to cook new things.
**Pajamas should match---everything should match!!
**Simple is better.
**Pedicures are heavenly.
**I sing and dance all the time.
**I am no longer afraid of flying.
**I love for my house to be clean and it drives me crazy that it is not.
**I love to watch TV while I eat.
**I love tulips.
**I have traveled as far north as Canada, as far west as California, as far east as D.C.,and as far south as Brazil.
**I love completing a To-Do list.
**I love a bargain and ebaying.

Ok, that's just a few. How many of you are brave enough to respond with a list of your own???

What a Weekend!

Our weekend started off with a date for Mom. I had the pleasure of going to the movies with three gorgeous guys!! Yes, I even liked Wall-E. It was lots better than I thought it would be. We ended the evening with a grocery shopping trip coming home with all of the "extras" that these guys think are necessity.
We got the dead grass mowed on Saturday morning and made sure Jewell was cool enough in this scorching heat. We picked up Lulu at Grandma's house and made a little trip to the watermelon patch. We had to bring home a watermelon for each boy;)Then we took a couple of watermelons swimming with us at Meme's house.

All is Well!!!

All is well here. Thad finally got off and safely arrived at his location up north. He is busy testing today. Assuming he passes the test, he will be ready to spray tomorrow. It seems that he has no cell phone service where he is so don't be mad at him if he doesn't return your calls. And..after I got his phone all ready for this trip;)

The kids and I have been keeping busy by cleaning this week. I am trying to get a little more organized before school starts. We are enjoying our last weeks of summer vacation.

That's all for now.

Do you have your six pack yet?

This is the conversation that I am listening to while we put on sunscreen. My oldest is asking his 10yr old friend this question.

Bren: "Do you have your six pack yet?"
Friend: No, what's that?
Bren: Ya know. These muscles in your stomach.
Friend: No, I don't have one yet.
Bren: Well, this (pointing to his six pack) is how you get a date.

After a little investigating, I found out that Aunt Jen has taught my child this important rule to getting a date.

Thanks Jen! ;)

And He's Off....

Well, not yet but tomorrow he will be. We are busy tying up loose ends with things here at the house and with the airplane. I even got Thad a new SIM card for his phone so as of now, he has NO excuse for not calling you back;)
Thought you guys would be interested in this post. I had a request to see some of the art on Thad's helmet so here goes:










a Flying Tiger of course. This is on both sides.











This is the patch that the American pilots wore in WWII to let the Chinese know that they were volunteer American pilots fighting for the Chinese. I guess you'll have to google it to find out exactly what it says.










And last but not least....Redneck Aviator on the front. What else would he choose??



Sorry that I didn't get the helmet in full but the mirrored visor kept getting me in my pjs. So this is it. Pray for him as he is away and flying all day, every day.

God is so Good!!!!

Need I say more???

A Little Holiday

We had the opportunity to get out of town for a long weekend, so we headed North. We went to a fabulous 4th of July celebration hosted by a local church. There were kid games galore,concerts and fireworks. We took a break from the celebration to visit a nearby cave. Since I haven't quite learned how to use my camera, this is the only shot that turned out! I mean, how many times do I get the opportunty to use the night vision feature?? Anyway, the kids loved the cave after they realized that daddy was bluffing about cavemen attacking us:)
And... the blue stuff all over Lauren was a cotton candy sucker! Can you tell that it was yummy?

Double Digits for Brendan!!

Can you believe my firstborn is ten???!!! I wanted to do the whole picture thing starting from when he was a baby but I am not that handy with our scanner yet. Maybe I can do that sometime in the future. We celebrated his birthday for two days. He loved that. We took him to the gocart/laser tag place on Tuesday. We all had a good time. Then we had his cousins for a sleepover. We started the morning with our now, traditional Happy Birthday cinnamon roll-complete with candle and song
























Harrison, Bonnie, Ethan, Aaron, and Brendan baked the cake. Then Ethan and Brendan did the decorating.















Our finished product---a Happy 10th for Brendan.















This is Lauren washing the dishes. I guess it was her day for clean up duty.

I love it when boredom sparks creativity!!! This was the scene at our house this week. I was working in the flower beds and the kids really wanted to go swimming. It was so hot!! They started off playing with the water hose. Then it ended up like this...








homemade water slide!!!!









Water plus cousins......









plus mud equals tons of fun!!!

More Pool Pictures

We can't get enough of these summer time shots!!!










Ethan's turn!!!









Aaron learned to swim without floaties!!! Hooray!!!









Lauren did not want her picture taken!!










Aubrey (my niece) enjoyed watching all of my wild children!!