Family Pics

Sorry!!!

Poor,neglected blog! I apologize. I am not "transitioning" well into the working mom role. Not as much free time really stinks. Not that I have ever had much free time with four kids! Anyway, weekends are precious so I have chosen other things rather than sitting at the keyboard. I look forward to our Christmas break. I hope to post some pictures and catch everyone up.

New Adventures

I am going back to work! I will be teaching fifth grade this year. I am excited and nervous. I am so happy that all of my kids will be at the same school. So we will all have the same schedule which makes going back to work so much easier. Everyone wasn't excited at first but after a trip to school and to get school supplies, they are eager to go! The kids will be in 8th,4th,3rd, and Kindergarten so I won't be teaching any of my own. I will miss homeschooling because we had a great year and learned so much! I am sure this year will be a grand new adventure too! I can't wait to share all about our year. Pray for us as we begin a new schedule, routine and so on.

Our Summer Photos

We were bored and needed some entertainment.
















Love these braids flying in the wind.




















We spent a ton of time in the pool(hot tub in this picture).

















Big Paw's watermelons! Putting another in the fridge right now!



















Brendan showing off his new knife. My kids are fascinated with weapons!

New Skills

Happy Birthday Aaron!!!

My baby boy is eight years old!!!!
















He still loves legos!!!



















Friends celebrating his special day with him!!!

Prayer Request

Please pray for my niece, Anna Cathryn.

She has been in the hospital since Wednesday night. She was having stomach issues due to ecoli. She has since been transferred to Shreveport due to kidney problems. Please pray for her kidneys to function properly and strength for her family. She is in the pediatric intensive care unit and needs lots of prayers!

Vicksburg Flood Photos

This picture was taken as we were driving back from Vicksburg. You can see the water all the way up to the levee. If you look closely at the bottom right, you will see the roof of a small building.









This is a business on the river. It was completely surrounded with water. The owner had to boat out to his office.















All of these buildings are riverfront-not acutally supposed to be IN the river.
























A very swollen river

The Flood of 2011

These were taken sometime last week before the river crested. This is the Mississippi River at Vicksburg.


















This is part of Diamond Jack's Casino. If you look closely, you will see the water up to the middle of a window.

















We were able to drive right along the river at this point. We tried to take pictures to show how high the water was but it was difficult to really capture it.
More pics to come.

Did you know that I sell Avon????

I am no longer serving as director of the non-profit where I have been for three years. I decided that I need to be at home more with my kiddos since we are homeschooling. I took the position before we began homeschooling and will miss it. We do look forward to having more time to do our school work and definitely more time to go on fieldtrips.

I AM selling Avon. I have been selling it for about a year and a half. It doesn't take up much of my time. We enjoy trying all of the products from bubblebath to skin care to make-up. If you are interested in purchasing something from me, you can check out my website.

www.youravon.com/wcooper8533


If you order $30 worth of products, the shipping is free!!! Just choose the direct delivery option.
If you live close to me, I will be glad to deliver to you. Choose the personal delivery option.
If you are interested in selling avon, leave your email address and I will contact you and let you know how.



So that's the end of my little advertisement. There are alot of people who aren't aware that I sell it. There are also alot of people who would love to order online with free shipping so I am just getting the word out!!

Too early for snakes????

I don't think so.


We enjoyed a beautiful day Saturday. We played outside most of the day. There were about eight kids at my house at all times. When everyone went home, my boys decided to play hide-and-seek in the dark with their flashlights. Aaron came running on the back porch and noticed the cat, Black Ninja, playing with something. He came running in the house to tell me that it was a snake. I made them come inside so I could investigate. When I opened the back door,I heard a sound that I hadn't heard before. I wondered if it was possible that it was the snake. It just got louder. I had no idea how big this thing was and didn't want to find out for myself. Don't get me wrong-I can kill a snake and have before but not when it may be a rattlesnake! I called for reinforcement. My brother in law happened to be at home and came quickly. The snake was coiled up under the grill.








This is the after picture. It was about two feet.















I am so thankful that it didn't get to my kiddos first. So scary that it was on our back porch!!!

My Girl

Lauren had her first ballet recital last weekend. It was so fun because she loved every second of it. She loved the practice. She loved dress rehearsal. She loved being on stage at the recital. She wasn't a bit nervous or worried about who was watching her. She did her tap dance to "My Girl." It was so sweet!
Here she is waiting her turn to dance.

And He's Off........

Officially on the road.......
never where he expects to be.......
always an obstacle to overcome!

Yep, that about sums it up. He got the call as we were eating lunch at Pizza Hut. We were talking about our plans to go to the Angola Rodeo and those plans quickly changed. We spent the next hour figuring out how to make a 26 hour drive, a two day flight, and study for a state exam in four days! We got it figured out. He passed his test with flying colors(Thank you, God) and is now flying in some frigid temperatures. These are the pictures he took along the way.








He began his trip looking at this:






















Then the weather got alot nicer!














Beautiful!





















Then this.....
















not that pretty when you are in a crop-duster.














So thankful for a safe trip!

ps. We went to the rodeo without him. The kids loved it and can't wait til Daddy gets home so he can see it too!

The BEST.WEEKEND. EVER!!!!!

We saw Sara Evans and Josh Turner on Friday night. (My two favorite country singers)
Then 33 Miles Saturday afternoon!!! It was great to have all of that talent within a 30 minute drive and all in the same weekend!!!! But that's not all.......

I would like to introduce my new neice to you











This is Zoe'Elizabeth. She just arrived home in the states last Friday. She is adjusting very well. She loves her new siblings and she has such a wonderful personality. So excited to have a new neice and watch her as she experiences things for the first time:)

HI!!!

We are soo excited that it is springtime! We are loving the warmer weather! We have been outside as much as possible playing kickball, fishing, riding bikes, working in the yard and anything else we can come up with.

Thad is busy preparing for the upcoming spray season. We are trying to get his things ready to go as well as everything here at the house taken care of. We hope to spend most of the summer with him but that is a "wait-and-see." He is keeping busy at the airport flying with students most of the time.

The kiddos are still working hard at school. We are preparing for the standardized tests that are coming up in May. Brendan has started track. Lauren is getting ready for dance recital. Most of all, they have enjoyed playing with our new neighbors on a daily basis:-)

and for me:

I am still working at the Thrift store two days a week. The kids are with me and have made some great friends there.

I am reading an awesome book that I hope to blog about soon.

I learned to grout tile this weekend;) I am hoping to apply my new knowledge to MY bathroom floor.

I learned to make homemade cinnamon rolls and.............a chocolate stout cupcake that is to die for! More baking experiments coming soon!

That's all for now. Just checking in to let you know that I haven't quit blogging yet!

Happy Birthday Lauren!

Where does the time go? It seems like this was yesterday!! This is her very first birthday.


















Her best friend-Solomon









My five year old

Puppies

So what do you think about puppies?






















Ok, How about eleven of 'em???
















Just in case you're wondering......it's too cold for them outside. They have been staying in Thad's room. Guess who is having to clean that up?? So glad its not me :-)

Kite Flying

Yeah, I know-where have I been...blah...blah...blah.... I just haven't felt up to it-haven't had my heart in it. Enjoyed a little pity party but....I'm back. Up and going. Ready to share, inspire, entertain...whatever you are seeking, I am up for the challenge.
I thought I would share some of my favorite blogs with you. I could use a blog roll but I'm not one for doing things the normal way. I will try to categorize these beauties that I check daily. They inspire me, teach me, help me organize, help me decide what I am going to cook for supper, save me $$$, and most importantly help me keep up with long distance friends:) Here goes:

Missionary Heroes
www.michawn.blogspot.com
www.nevinurey.com
kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com
vankampens.blogspot.com
psalm45one.blogspot.com

Inspiring Blogs
aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com
lysaterkeurst.com

Food Blogs
thepioneerwoman.com/cooking
foodformyfamily.com
www.picky-palate.com
www.blog.superhealthykids.com


Coupons & Deals
www.dealseekingmom.com
bargainbrianna.com
www.couponcravings.com

Hope that you enjoy these as much as I do!!