Simply-Victorious

A Season of Growth

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Fri, 27 Apr 2018 21:32:00 +0000

As I'm sitting here on my back porch enjoying the warmth of the sun and the gentle breeze, I'm thanking God for all of this beauty that I am surrounded by. I love hearing the birds and watching the squirrels chase each other up and down the trees in our yard. I'm grateful in Tennessee we get to experience all four seasons. Fall has always been my favorite, but right up there with fall is spring! I love the sounds and smells that spring brings. It may have just snowed but I can see growth springing up out of the ground. Seriously, after our big snow storm here in January that shut everything down in our town for a week, I was outside walking around and I could see my daffodils and iris' coming out of the ground that had just been covered by snow and ice. There is something so rewarding and refreshing about seeing growth happen after a long cold season.

In life, we all experience different seasons as well. I would say for me right now I'm in a season of growth by retraining myself to think differently! What I mean by that is for many years now I have been listening to the lies that the enemy has been whispering. I know what you are thinking, but Sheila you are a pastors wife, don't you know the difference? If only I knew that it was the enemy speaking, but honestly the voice I often hear sounds like my own. The voice a person chooses to listen to can determine what they will experience. Is it a life of peace and hope or a life filled with insecurity, fear, guilt, shame or pride. What we feel is often a product of what we think. The enemy is not creative he is just consistent. I love what the message says in Philippians 4:8 "Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious - the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse." We need to THINK it, BELIEVE it and DO it!! This new way of thinking is a growing process. Growth is not easy, but it is always good!
The truth is the devil is vicious but he is NOT victorious!

Mrs. Noah

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:57:00 +0000

So how many of you are like me and have heard the story of Noah's Ark over and over as a child and even as an adult? How many times when you have read that story has Mrs. Noah ever been mentioned? Not very many times but I think her role plays an important part! We know there is a Mrs. Noah because it says in Genesis 6:18 "I will confirm my covenant with you. So enter the boat-you and your wife and your sons and their wives."

The girls and I are studying the women of the Bible right now. I can't help but wonder how Mrs. Noah must of felt. Her husband got a message from the Lord to build a boat, a huge boat, not to mention that it had never rained before. This was not a little task written on a "honey do list" this took at least a hundred years to build. I can only imagine what the neighbors must have said, "that old man Noah is out of his mind", yet even though others thought they were crazy, Mrs. Noah stood by her husband and supported him! Even though God chose Noah, Mrs. Noah shared his mission.

I remember when we started sharing with others about our decision to move across several states where we knew no one to plant a church. Some people thought we were really crazy. They just could not understand why we would want to do that. Jeremy had a good job at a great church, we were fairly close to our family, a lot closer than we are now, and we had lots of friends. All I can say is that when you start to get "comfortable" in your life, God may be getting ready to call you out of your comfort zone and use you in a way you least expect!! I'm sure while living on the boat, Mrs. Noah's title changed from not only being "mom" and "wife" but maybe even "head cook", "housekeeper", or even "zoo keeper". Mrs. Noah was able to help her husband live out God's plan because she shared his belief in God. There is not one day I regret following God's call for us to move to TN to plant Journey Church. Have there been hard days? Definitely! Have there been days that I miss living by our families? Absolutely! But, I wouldn't change anything! Maybe you are thinking you can't relate to this because you haven't planted a church or built a boat, but everyone deals with changes.....maybe someone in your family has recently lost their job, or you are having to move because of a new job. Maybe someone in your family is dealing with health issues or unexpected changes in your family that you never seen coming. God knows all about those hard times and He promises to never leave us, He is right there with us all the time!!!

I'm sure the day Mrs. Noah walked onto that boat for the last time, she knew life was never going to be the same again!

Back to School

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 21:04:00 +0000

It is hard to believe that it is already time to start back to school. This year school for us looks a little different! For those of you who don't know, Jeremy and I decided that we would home school this year. I know some of you are reading this and saying what?!?!? That is pretty much what I said. I believe it was back in March that we started praying about whether or not we should home school. I have learned never say "never" so I suppose I didn't really use the word "never" when I talked about homeschooling, but I am pretty sure I did say things like, "I don't think I could ever do that, I have no patience or I can't imagine being home all day with my kids".

It has been amazing to see how God has transformed both Jeremy's and my heart as we prayed about this. Honestly when I first even mentioned it to Jeremy I felt sick, wondering how in the world can I do this and over time as we continued to pray I actually started to get excited about the thought of keeping the girls home and teaching them, which I know could only come from God. So on Marissa's birthday in May we told the girls that we had decided to give homeschooling a try. All three girls were very excited which helped us confirm our decision.

This week is our first week. We started on Monday, not until 11:00, but we did get started. So far the girls and I are really enjoying our time together. I know that not every day will be good. I keep praying that our good days will way out weigh the bad.

While we were praying about this decision, I was doing a Bible Study by Priscilla Shirer, called Discerning The Voice of God. In this study she said and I really was able to relate to it with our decision to home school, "When a thought comes to you out of left field, don't ignore it. Check inward to see if the Holy Spirit is encouraging you to pursue it. I often know God is speaking when a thought occurs to me that makes me feel surprised and maybe even uncomfortable because I know I can't do it on my own power. Then when I take that thought to the Lord and the Holy Spirit brings conviction that will not let me rest until I move forward, I know it is God". I know this idea to home school is not mine. I also know that God doesn't call you to do something and then leave you to do it by yourself!

Thank you to all my friends who have prayed for us and encouraged us through this decision and helped me with curriculum choices!! It is kind of ironic, I use to say while living in Bryan Ohio, "If I was to ever home school (not that I had ever given that a thought) I should do it while living in Ohio, because there were so many great families, who are also our friends, that would be such a great support network. I have no clue why we weren't called to home school back then, but I do know that God's timing is never late!!!

Here are a few pictures from our first day of school!!!

Makayla did tell me she didn't like starting school and not getting any new clothes.

I told her when she actually needed some, then I would buy some for her!

Myah sitting at her desk, she is ready to go and has her area all decorated!

Just noticed I also got the can of paint in this picture, oops!!

We love our bookcases that Papa made for us!!!!! Thanks again dad!

Makayla sitting at her desk!

Makayla reading her book!

Marissa is probably the most excited about homeschooling!

Marissa finally has her own room, and look who is sleeping with her.

We all love Myah but she is a bit of a bed hog!!!

Makayla reading her book

I have no clue why I have doubles on some of these pictures, I was starting to get frustrated and almost didn't post this, so please ignore the double pics!!!

10-10-10

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:00:00 +0000

What seemed like so long away is about to happen. Jeremy and I have prayed many different times during our married life about planting a church. We never sensed that God was calling us to do that for whatever reason, but the desire always remained with us. Then last April of 2009 we started sensing God calling us to planting. This time was different as we talked about it and began to pray, God started speaking to us in a very loud voice. Honestly at times it was quite overwhelming. There were times when we sensed God leading us and we were quite frankly scared because we really had no clue what was all involved. Then there were times that we were so overwhelmed by God's leading that we wept. A friend of mine gave me a journal at the beginning of this journey and I wish I had kept up better with it. It has been so amazing to see God at work all around us. From selling our house twice in a market that was not selling houses to raising support in an economy where the unemployment rate was so high. Even as we gathered our family and moved south where we only knew a few families God was good and put us in the middle of a great neighborhood. We didn't know it at first, but soon we saw God working in some of our neighbors lives and watched as He called them to be a part of Journey Church. So not only are we blessed with great neighbors and friends we are able to serve together with them.

I remember many times over the years taking a walk around the block and praying that God would softened the hearts of those we were to reach out to so that they would be ready to hear about their Heavenly Father's Love for them. I didn't realize that during those times when I was praying I was praying for the people in Western Tennessee. We are already starting to see seeds that are being planted.

We have one more preview service this weekend and then next week Journey Church will publicly launch. Our mission is to help people take their "next" step towards Christ. We all have a step to take, some are just beginning and some have been walking for a while, but there is always a next step to take in our walk with the Lord. Thanks to so many of you who have consistently been praying for our family and for Journey Church and thank you to those who have supported us financially. We could not to this without you!

Some of you have mentioned that you want to come out and be apart of 10-10-10. We would love to have you!!! What an encouragement that would be to us, for you to share in what will be a day to remember in the life of Journey Church. To help with the plans, we have arranged for discounted rates at a couple of hotels (not all of the hotels in Jackson are in good areas). The following are hotels where we have blocked rooms for the event; Just tell them that you are coming for the launch of Journey Church.

Courtyard by Marriot (731) 422-1818 - $99/night (regular $139). Indoor pool, Jacuzzi, outdoor fire pit.
Jameson Inn - (731) 660-8651 - $79/night (regular $99) free breakfast

As far as details are concerned, Journey Church is meeting at a place called "FunZone" just north of Jackson (130 Allen Woods Lane - Three Way, TN). We have arranged a "Launch Lunch" for everyone almost directly across the street from FunZone at a place called "Cajun Cooker's" (They are know for the best BBQ)!!! We will need to have you RSVP if you are interested in coming to that. The cost for the meal will be $11/adult and $6/child (You can just make a check payable to Journey Church).

If you are unable to make it, we completely understand. Either way, please continue to pray for us as we start this new phase of our "Journey"!

A trip to Chicago!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:48:00 +0000

In case you are wondering, I have skipped blogging for the months of Jan-May. I am hoping to go back and catch up on those too, but I was trying to get some more current stuff on here. Just about every week my to-do list contains blogging, but I guess there just aren't enough hours in the day for me to get everything done on my list. Now that the girls are back in school and all 3 of them are in school now, we will see if I can get this up to date.

While we were home this summer for a couple of weeks. We took a day and just our family went to Chicago. Of course the first stop we had to make was at the American Girl store since the girls had been saving their money for the last several months so they could get a doll.

What a good dad....willing to take his girls to their favorite store.

Marissa with her doll Ivy....

After lunch we took a carriage ride around downtown Chicago and out on Lake Shore Drive, it was beautiful!!

We happened to go to Chicago on our Anniversary. Can't believe we are old enough to celebrate 14 years.

Later that afternoon Grammy and Grandpa came and got the girls and took them home with them so that Jeremy and I could enjoy some time by ourselves and celebrate our anniversary.

After enjoying a nice meal at the Weber Grill we went on a sunset boat ride, it was beautiful and the weather that night was beautiful as well!

The bean.....

Makayla with Lanie....

Myah with Ruthie....

The girls love their dolls....they were so excited to get to bring them home!

Father's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:16:00 +0000

Jeremy preached at Dyer United Methodist on Father's Day this year. This is where we served when we were first married. It was like a family reunion so good to see everyone! After church we were able to go out to lunch with both of our

to celebrate Father's Day! After lunch the guys were all able to enjoy a round of golf!

I took this picture of me and the girls since we were all matching with our black and white outfits!

Visiting with Friends and Family in Indiana

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 14:14:00 +0000

Jeremy sitting and visiting with his Grandma.....

One night it was actually cool enough to have a camp fire, my kids were cold and asking if I packed a pair of pants for them. Don't think we will be having any camp fires until possibly November around here.

Cousins sleepover.....those are always fun!!!!

On our way home we were able to stop in Indy and see my best friend Vicki. We have been best friends since high school. It was quite a sunny morning, I think we were all facing the sun which is why most of us aren't looking or have our eyes closed. So good to see them!!!

Hanging out waiting for the fireworks to begin!

When these two get along it is very sweet!!!

My mom really wanted to take a family picture of us all, not sure if we got the best shot, but we tried!

We had lots of fun at home with our families!

Christmas in March

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Christmas is better in March than July right?!?!

Since I am trying to catch up on my blog I figured I would post a few pictures from our time home during Christmas. We were really excited to be able to spend Christmas at home with our family this year. It has been four years since we have been able to make it home for Christmas. I just kept praying that our week at home would not go by fast so that we could enjoy every moment of it and I think we did!!!!

Here is Sophie and Molly.....you would think by this picture that these two get along...but don't be fooled!!! Sophie is my parent's dog.

It doesn't happen very often that we can get a picture of just the 4 of us.

My sister hosted Christmas.....here is a picture of her family! Thanks for hosting Steph....we had a great time!!!

Nana & Papa with their grandkids....

The kids wanted the dogs in their picture....

The girls still love playing with baby dolls

Waiting to come down the hall to see if Santa had made a stop at Nana and Papa's house.

A quick picture in front of the tree before they opened their gifts!

Notice their matching pj's.

Wonder what this could be??? The girls could hardly wait to open their gifts!

The girls got a DS from their Grammy and Grandpa......they love their DSI!!!

We enjoyed spending Christmas Eve with Jeremy's family!

Here the girls are sitting with their Aunt Duffy!

The girls had fun baking cookies with Nana

Christmas program and going away party

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:00:00 +0000

Makayla's class had a little Christmas program the last week of school. They did a good job and it was fun to watch. Then that afternoon her class had a little going away party for her. She was super excited that they were having a party for her!!! They played a couple of games and had some snacks and then we took some pictures. If was very sweet of her teacher to plan that for her. Just a couple of weeks ago she got a big envelope in the mail with letters from each of the kids in her class. She must of read over those letters 10 times or more.

Makayla with her teacher

Makayla and her BFF

Makayla and her class

Even Marissa and Myah got to play Heads Up 7 up!

Makayla - during her Christmas program

Loading the truck

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 13:06:00 +0000

In a housing market that was not doing so well, it is truly amazing how quickly we were able to sell our house!! About 2 weeks after we listed our house we sold it. We were amazed and knew there was no other answer to why we sold it so quickly other than God. About the time we were suppose to be closing we found out that the couple who was planning to buy our house their financing fell through. We didn't understand why this was happening? We knew God had sold it but why this now? We just continued to trust and quickly put our house back up on the market. We had several more showings which was very encouraging and then it happened 1 week after we re-listed the house we sold it again!!!! Here we were in a market that houses sat for months and months some with only a few showings and we were able to sell our house twice!!! God truly is amazing! Originally if we had sold our house the first time, we were gonna have to find a place to rent or move in with a family for a few months until we actually moved to TN, which was really stressing me out about what we were going to do. After we sold our house the second time, we had some friends who very graciously allowed us to move into an empty house they had for sale. We only needed to stay there for 2 weeks and it was perfect! Made me realize maybe this is why our house didn't sell the first time, this timing seemed to be perfect!!

Has that ever happened to you....you pray like crazy about something and wonder if God is even hearing you because nothing is happening or what seems to be happening isn't what you were expecting. God's timing is ALWAYS perfect!! He has our best in mind!!! Don't give up!

So I have to say, when we first saw the big truck pulled up we both thought there was no way we would fill it. I mean seriously I was picturing my furniture moving all around in the back of the truck while it was on it's way to Tennessee because there was no way we had enough stuff to fill it all. WOW.....I learned quickly that we do have lots of stuff way to much stuff!!!! Let's just say by the end of it, we were asking do we really need to take that?

The guys did a great job with the piano!

I wonder what all of my neighbors thought when they

saw all of my stuff in the front yard....

Makayla and her friend Syd....they are showing me that they both lost their

top two teeth together!

more stuff.......

Awhh.....i really do miss my house!

We didn't have a garage for a couple of weeks!

The BIG Truck.,.,..

Thanks to everyone who helped us load and unload the truck. We couldn't have done it without you!!!

By the way I didn't take any pictures of unloading the truck....I think I was just a little overwhelmed at that point and it didn't even cross my mind to take any pictures! Oh well.

A skating good time!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:29:00 +0000

Before we moved we had a skating party for all three girls. Actually when we told the girls we were going to be moving back in August one of the questions Makayla had was could she celebrate her April birthday before we moved with all of her friends in Ohio. So that got me thinking it would be fun to have one big skating party where all the girls could invite their friends and have some fun.

I have so many pictures from this but as I got looking through them I noticed I have a lot of dark pictures, and somehow I did not end up with a picture of Makayla and Syd, not sure how that happened.

Thanks to everyone who came out and made this a special memory for my girls. Believe it or not they still talk about this!!!!

Hello.....is there anybody out there?

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 04:18:00 +0000

Yes....I know it has been quite some time since I have been on here to blog. Let me just say that there has been a lot going on......Birthdays, Holidays, sick kids, snow storms and oh yes.....a big move half way across the country. I have lots to share with you but before I do I am just curious who is still following me? So if you are still reading this and glad to see a new post other than soccer pictures that have been on here for the last 4 months or so, then leave me a comment and let me know you are still out there!

Fall Soccer 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 17:52:00 +0000

Another season of soccer down. It seemed that this year it got cold real fast, so those Saturday morning soccer games weren't as much fun to sit and watch and then there were some Saturday's that we were there for 2 hours watching both Marissa and Makayla's games.

The morning we decided or should I say finally remembered to bring the camera was a foggy day. It just seemed like the fog never really completely lifted, which is why all of my pictures from that day are so hazy looking.

Here is Marissa waiting on the sidelines for her coaches to rotate her back into the game.

Makayla

Makayla and her friend Keegan were both on the same team

This was a fun game because the girls got to play against their friends. I think some of us parents were about to loose our voices that day, all in fun of course!!! Here is a picture after the game, which was a tied game.....see they are all still friends!

This is actually unusual to see all of us just sitting and watching 1 game. Usually we are back and forth between different fields since some of our games were scheduled at the same time.

Don't let that sun deceive you it was still cold out!

It's weird to think that was our last season of Soccer in Bryan. The girls had lots of fun playing, we will see what next year holds, maybe we will play soccer again or maybe we will try something else out.

Random pics

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:33:00 +0000

Here are some random pictures of the girls and friends.

Here is Makayla and Sydney rocking out in their matching PJ's....

We enjoyed having Cooper come and visit one afternoon....

One evening we took a nature walk....here is Myah with her friend Claire

This is also from our nature walk...Marissa with her friends Chloe and Grace

Tennessee Here We Come

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:20:00 +0000

In case you haven't heard yet, YES we are moving to Tennessee. We are working with an organization who helps plants churches. We are very excited about this next adventure God has for us. There are a lot of details in this process and instead of duplicating what Jeremy has already been blogging, I thought I would just give you his blog so that you can keep up with what we are doing. www.justjeremy.net

He explains what it means to plant a church, why Tennessee and how all of this came to be. It is quite a story you will want to follow. Please feel free to leave comments so we know who is following along with us.

Marissa's Baptism

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:24:00 +0000

About two years ago or so, Marissa really started to ask a lot of questions about what it means to have a relationship with God. She was asking lots of good questions! Then one night after dinner about a year ago, she said that she wanted to officially make the decision to ask Jesus in her life, so I got to pray with her. Jeremy was actually out of town for a conference but we called him as soon as we finished praying.

We are so proud of you Marissa! This is the best decision you can make. We are praying that God will use you and that you will have a boldness and courage not because of WHO you are but because of WHOSE you are....a daughter of the King Most High!

Marissa with her best friend who also got baptized that day

It was a very special moment to have her dad get to baptize her!

We were thankful that our family was able to make it out to be a part of this special day!

Here is a link to our church website where you can see Marissa's baptisim video http://newhopecc.org/story.aspx?storyid=60

2009 First Day of School

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:50:00 +0000

It's that time of year again, the kids have all started back to school. This is quite the crazy year. I have 3 kids all in 3 different schools who all have to be dropped off and picked up at different times! I have to admit I wasn't ready for them to go back but I sure am glad to have a routine to our days again!!!

Marissa's school starts at 7:30 and she is at the middle school, yikes! She is doing pretty well with the new wake-up time and enjoys getting home a little earlier in the day!

Makayla was very ready for 2nd grade! She is so excited to have her best friend with her in her class and couldn't wait to start the day!

Makayla with her BFF...

Finally the day came that little Miss Myah got to start preschool. She was very excited!!! Although I kept saying that Mommy will be sad and what will I do while she is gone, so one day she said, "Mommy I don't want to go to school, I don't want you to be sad," so I decided maybe I better stop saying that. She had her first day and had a great time!!!! She has the same preschool teacher that the other two girls had!

So you may wonder what is Sheila doing while the girls are in school, well let me just tell you this, there are only a couple of hours a day that I actually have with out any kids and those two hours go really fast! Yesterday I had Bible Study today I am catching up on the blog and trying to pay bills, nothing too fun around here!

I love that I am able to stay at home. I feel very blessed that Jeremy works so hard so that I can do that!! I realize not everyone is able to stay at home, and that is okay, but for me this is right where I am suppose to be and I am very grateful!

Our trip home this summer

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:02:00 +0000

Every year while Jeremy is gone away on a missions trip me and the girls make a trip back home. I always look forward to this week!!!!! We usually do lots of our back to school shopping during this trip. We also enjoy getting to spend time with our friends and family!!! This trip the girls got to go to Vacation Bible School with my mom at their church and they all had a blast. They even asked if they could go again next year!

Here are a few pictures from our trip home.

friends....

My friend Kim

Sophie thought she wanted to play bean bags with us!

We visited the candy factory...yummy!!!!

There are always tractor rides at Grammy and Grandpa's house!

Here is Aunt Duffy giving the girls a ride.

Fun at the Zoo

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 00:59:00 +0000

In July me and the girls were able to meet Vicki and a friend and their kids at the zoo. It was a great day to be at the zoo and we had so much fun! I am so glad that it worked out that we were able to go! Here are just a few pictures from our day! This is one of our favorite zoos that we will miss after we move!!! I am so glad it worked out that we were able to make it there for one more visit!

In the new African exhibit you can feed the giraffes, it was pretty cool!

Swim Team

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:28:00 +0000

This is the second summer that our girls have been a part of the local swim team. I think for the most part they really love it!! The program starts the first week in June and runs through the second week of July, so it keeps us busy and gives us a reason to get dressed in the morning. I could only imagine what our days would be like if we didn't have that. The girls both have lots of friends that are also on the swim team, which is probably why my girls enjoy it so much!

The girls both participated in three different meets, which means we have lots of ribbons!!! This was the first year we participated in conference. The girls did really well. Makayla was a part of a relay and her team got 4th place. Marissa was in an individual heat and was also in a relay. Her relay team got 2nd! I have to say conference was a really long day, I'm glad we participated in it, but wow....that was a long day!!! Conference was about 30 minutes away and the day started with a thunderstorm and down pour, which delayed everything back about an hour or more. The things we do for our kids.....and this mom and dad wouldn't have it any other way!

Here is Makayla jumping/diving off the block....

Makayla and her best friend Sydney.....

Marissa with her best friend Chloe....

Here is Marissa taking a breath as she is swimming down the lane...

This is Marissa's relay team that got second place...

Friends.....

Makayla's relay team getting their ribbon....

Myah came along with us to every meet and cheered on her sisters....not to mention she was there every morning during practice.....one day it will be her turn!

Swimming lessons

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:10:00 +0000

Myah finally got to do some swimming of her own. Most of the summer we spent going to the pool and watching her 2 older sister practice for swim team. So we finally decided she could do a little swimming of her own. Here she is with her friend Lauren. They will both be going to preschool pretty s0on!! Myah's swim lessons last for 2 weeks and they were each about 45 minutes long. She had fun!!!

On the last day of swim lessons they had free time...so Myah got to enjoy going down the water slide. Not all of the kids wanted to do that, but Myah was very excited about getting a chance to head down the water slide!

What happened in June

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 15:00:00 +0000

So the month of June has been pretty busy, but I decided that I just didn't take enough pictures. Probably because I am so far behind on scrapbooking and taking more pictures only makes me even more behind.

We did get to celebrate my in-law's 40th anniversary with them on Father's Day by all of us getting together and us kids taking them out to dinner. Seems like I should be inserting a picture here but I completely forgot to bring our camera with us, so no picture!!! I did take a picture of them with their camera, I just need to get a copy of it!!

Then the very next day Jeremy and I celebrated our 13th anniversary! We enjoyed a week away in Chicago while the kids spent a week with the grandparents. We heard lots of fun stories from their time with their grandparents. I know they were making memories that will last forever!!! Thanks for keeping the girls, we really appreciate that! Again, no picture of us on our 13th anniversary, because I forgot the camera.

My parents go a new puppy. They came out in June to pick out which one they wanted. I think there were 7 to choose from, but only 3 girls which they had decided they only wanted a female. We got to keep the puppies and their mom for a whole afternoon, the girls were in puppy heaven. They were all so cute, it almost made me want another dog.

Here the one they choose. They finally decided on Sophie as the name for their puppy!

She is very cute!!!

We were trying to introduce Molly to her new cousin, actually Sophie is a step-sister to Molly, but Molly really didn't want anything to do with her. So it will be interesting to see how things go when we head back to my parents house for a visit later this month!

Swim, swim and swim some more. Ever since the first week in June the girls have spent every morning at the pool, actually we all have. Both Makayla and Marissa are a part of the swim team. We are so very proud of both of them, how hard they have worked, we have lots of ribbons from both of them this year!!! They are both great swimmers and this Saturday is Conference.....go girls!!!!

Here is Makayla......

Here is Marissa.....

My Dad ROCKS!!!! All 3 girls have matching shirts that say "My Dad Rocks", we surprised daddy and had them wear them to church that day, he thought they were pretty cool!!!

For Father's Day this year, we got dad a whole day of golf with his good friend Kyle,

which they just did on Monday. They made the most of the day and ended up

golfing 45 holes.

What happened in May

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Since I am so far behind in blogging, I decided the only way to catch up is do a quick review. So here is what all happened in the month of May. I am sure I have lots more pictures I could post, but I just wanted to give you all a quick glimpse so that I can move on and finally be able to cross this off of my list. Sorry but I am a list make and crosser offer. : )

In first grade at the end of the year, the kids learn about the different animal groups. They each have to pick an animal and write a few sentences about their animal and make a habitat and then give a report in front of the class. Here Makayla is giving her report, she did a great job. She choose to write about Whales.

Happy Mother's Day........this year my hubby and girls got me a new study Bible, which has been great for reading the Bible through in a year, I have really enjoyed it!

For Marissa's birthday this year we decided we would "surprise" her and give her her own bedroom. She knew she was getting her own room, but she had no clue what color we were painting her room or what furniture she would have. We decided to surprise her a week early with her room since she was having a friend over to spend the night, she was very excited about her new room!!!!

That is my old dresser, we had our neighbor refinish it for us. It is fun to see her getting ready in front of the mirror it make me think back to all of the years I got ready in front of that mirror, I even remember getting ready for my wedding in front of that mirror. It is amazing to think I have a little girl doing the same thing now!!

She even got a new bed and bedding of course. It was actually kind of fun picking stuff our for her room. I think it really turned out cute. It's hard to believe just 4 years ago when we moved into this house that was our nursery!!!

It worked out that Jeremy was asked to speak at a parenting seminar at a friend's church back at home the same weekend of Marissa's birthday. So we decided we would get everyone together and celebrate a few birthdays since we have 5 birthday's in the month of May. This is Marissa with her cousin Austin who turned 11 a week after her!

It is also George's (aka Grandpa) birthday the day after Marissa's and my sister's birthday is just a couple of days after her son Austin's birthday.

The kids all wanted a picture with Aunt Duffy!!!

Nana and all of her grand kids!

In case you are wondering what the significance of this picture is.....well let me tell you, my sister's whole family are all Chicago Cub fans and my father-in-law is a die hard Cardinals fan, so there is always a lot of joking and teasing that goes on when they are all together. Here I got a picture of Madi with a CARDINALS hat on, I've been asked by a certain someone several times, WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO POST THIS PICTURE!!!! So here it is!

Grammy and Grandpa hosted our birthday celebrations this year, thanks so much for letting us all come to your house we had a great time!!!

Here is my big girl who turned 9 this year!!!

Since Memorial Day weekend was coming up we decided to take the kids and have them plant flowers at the cemetery. We planted flowers near my Grandma's parents and sibling stones. The kids actually had fun doing this!!

Over Memorial Day weekend we decided to make a quick last minute trip to Columbus. We got to have dinner with some friends and then the next day headed to the zoo. We love being able to visit different zoos with our membership and this was one we all enjoyed!

I just thought this was too cute!!!

Makayla and Spring Soccer

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:21:00 +0000

Makayla decided she would give soccer another try this Spring. She really enjoyed getting out there and playing this time around, unlike when she played last year. Of course maybe some of why she enjoyed playing this time was because she had her daddy for a coach. He really enjoys getting out there and coaching on the girls teams. Although this Spring was a little crazy since he had to travel so much.

I love this picture of Makayla because she was sticking out her tongue,
which means she was really focusing on that ball!

I have tons more pictures of soccer but I am really trying to catch up on my blogging so I only picked a few of my favorites!

On the road again!

noreply@blogger.com (Sheila) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:00:00 +0000

Miss Myah was ready for a nap! I think this was before lunch. Of course we left our house that morning very early!!

Most of trip we drove in rain. I think once we were in Virginia we

finally got a little bit of sunshine.

We have driven before through the mountains and I just remember it being so beautiful, so I told Jeremy since we have our new camera I want to do that again so we can stop and take some pictures.......

We did get a lot of really nice pictures, but our friends that we were going to stay with, told us that we are crazy for wanting to drive through the mountains. They said they avoid the mountains because someone always gets car sick, well we said no worry, no one got sick before.......

We were sure glad to have those sand buckets! We had to make a quick pit stop, cleaned up a little mess and changed an outfit, but after that, we learned from our mistake and everyone got a bucket!!! As soon as we got out of the mountains everyone's tummies finally settled back down, including mine. We tried to avoid driving through the mountains on our way back home!!