Matching Brothers

Stuart and Doug went to Wal-Mart last night to pick up some things they needed for Horizons next week. They came back with matching black pants, white shirts and white ties (as in picture). They stopped long enough for me to take this picture!

As I am typing John comes down to thank me for pancakes....the only of a million children who ate that come back and was thankful:) Thank YOU John! I asked him what I should title this blog? He said "matching brothers?" ...I said give me something snazzy. John said, "ummm, I am not really the person who comes up with those funny sayings or whatever you call them". LOL But, in honor of John, this blog is thus named "matching brothers"!

End of t-ball

Seth's t-ball season has ended. He is very sad. But, tonight they had a pool party and he was tickled to get to go. Scott and Caleb went with him. Caleb was going to swim with him:)

Cast -away

Jacob is castless now! He was so very glad to get it off. He said he could feel "air" on it...lol...spent a long time scrubing. He has a "cast tan" now....white hand and brown upper arm.

Brotherly love

This picture is perfect in my mind! Brotherly love. Stuart, Doug and Ryan. Stuart has lived here for 2 1/2 years with guardianship and pretty much the two years before guardianship. Doug, his bio brother, is with us often and I am glad! There is just nothing sweeter long term than family...and siblings will be with us always(in a perfect world). I am very proud of these two guys!!

My friend Liz has three precious little girls 6,3,1. She is really struggling right now. She is bi-polar (not taking meds!). Her husband, also with mental issues, has cancer. Doug and I talked about it last night. Doug had asked about the girls and I explained. There were of course the "are you adopting them" questions. No I am not. I am simply loving them. Liz has told me many times she just wished I would adopt her. I guess I have, or at least seem to have. We have had the baby for a few months. The baby is a bi-racial, and does not share the same bio father with the other girls. I have talked and talked and talked to Liz about the girls NEEDING to be together, but she simply has not realized, or will not, the merrit. Two days ago she came to get the baby. The baby, you know spoilt from my house, is too much for her. She brought all three girls back the next day, and last night called a mental health crisis line. She needs help. I have tried to talk to her about meds HELPING! Her father (not helping) tells her to toughen up! How not fair of him! I told Liz, "fair" is meds for her. She is suicidal and so badly need counseling. So for now, she is at Western State, getting the help she desperately needs!!

Growing up.

I blog alot about Seth. He is a funny character, not to mention the baby, so we tend to think him funnier and stinkier. But, it will not be long until this guy is big and rotten just like everyone else! I love both of these pictures! Seth and his best friend in the whole world Hayden sat side by side at all the All-Star games. Hayden's big brother Zack played with Ryan. They were caught up in silliness and talking. Hayden in the Red shirt and Seth in maroon. I thought as I looked at this picture "He is really growing up!".

The second picture is just a perfect Seth picture! He can do whatever anyone else can do! His chain came off the bike and he drug the bike to the door(right up to the door!) and promptly fixed the chain....to mom's surprise. I thought he was just "acting" like he could fix it....NOPE. He can!

Contentment

Tonight in Bible class we talked about contentment. Things that get in our way of being content and such. It seems that material things are one of the biggest obstacles for an average person who is trying to be content. Walkin out of Wal-Mart tonight Scott asked me how long I thought the big inflatable slide would last? hummm....a day or two until someone put a whole in it. I was talking to Scott about my class at church and we laughed that if everyone lived at our house .....where the "things" of this world might last a day or two....perhaps a little longer if stretching! It puts perspective on what you purchase. Even at it's best best...the lifetime of any piece of furniture in my house is seriously compromised! A couch another family might have for 15 years is likely to not last a forth of that time at mine. All my "best"(meaning surviving) stuff is ancient in "stuff life".....it has out-lived its projected lifetime...lol...and maybe then some!

So, my handle on "stuff" is not an issue for me in looking for contentment.

Now contentment and food?? THAT is an issue at my house:) For example, Sarah bought these strawberry crushes at the store this morning....I do not think anyone will be content until they are all gone!! Doug and Caleb are trying thier best to help the crushes leave this house!

My friend Leslie!

My friend Leslie is THE BEST baker in the world:) Or at least to my cookie/pie/cake loving family! Every few days Leslie comes in with cookies or cakes or pies or (as she did yesterday) frozen desserts! About a year ago Tasha asked me if Leslie was a Girl Scout...lol...because she makes more cookies that any Girl Scout we know:) Not a week goes by that we are treated with her gifts!

She is my hero! Someday I hope to have the time and love to do as she does!

Although she is so good that we all give up out diets everytime she comes in. Sarah asked not too long ago (as we were trying to eat healthy food ONLY) if it was okay for her to have a cappacino cookie? I said "sure Sarah, one is fine". She immediately said "I quit my diet!" Laughing I told her it was not neccessary for her to quit, just have a cookie! She looked over and said, "What about 9 cookies?" I smiled and agreed that that was a bit many. She said,"That's why I am quiting, I already ate that many!" lol

Spectators!!

We have plenty spectators:)

Sub-district over!

Ryan's team played Chester Co. last night in the final games of the sub-district. We won the first game 12-11 and lost the second 13-5. Our team and thiers will advance to the district this coming weekend. These were taken last night.

Caleb is driving! Almost!

Today Caleb and I (and Seth) were at the Driver's License Office at 7 am this morning. Caleb took his permit test. And he passed. So he is driving....lol...but not alone:)

Ryan for President!

Tonight on the way to the game Ryan was asking about our friend John Overton, who is running for DA. He wanted to know if "John Overton was running for President?" We explained that John was running for DA....then explained exactly what that position was. After a lot of talk, Sarah said, "You could be President someday Ryan". He thought a minute and said,"Ryan Smotherman for President, humm...does the President have to work?" LOL!! He might be a politician after all!!

What a pair!

These two are a fine pair! You can tell just looking at them! Blond, Blond, Blond....and the bluest blue eyes!! They kept taking these pictures in the van on the way home from the game. Scott thought there way a police or something behind us(the flash kept going off)! These are just a few of thier pictures!!!

Sarah and Ryan

All-Stars move on 16-9

Ryan's team won again tonight....seems this might go on forever.....but we are all enjoying it while it does last! Ryan did really well.

Funny election signs:)

As we traveled today there were tons of elections signs! A couple struck me as pretty funny....ya know I am pretty easy to amuse:) They both were running for Sheriff in two different counties. the first was Ricky Roten...which I am sure is not pronounced as "rotten"...surely not...who would want a rotten sheriff? The second was Leggett for Sheriff. All I would think of was the "long ARM (or in this case LEG) of the law"! As I said, I am pretty easily amused...and obviously bored!

SARAH's HOME!!

Sarah is home from Boston! She had a great trip. I really don't think she wanted to come home...lol. She had some really neat experiences and still thinks Medical School is where she is headed. Sam, Zack and I went to pick her up at the airport in Memphis. The picture is of the three of them waiting for her baggage.

Jr High Missions Trip

Jacob and John left Saturday for thier week-long stateside mission trip. they were really excited! I caught Jacob on the way to the van, but John had already loaded up:) I know they will have a great time!!

Ryan's team WINS!

Tonight Ryan and his team played a great game! They called the game in the 5th inning, the score was 16-4. Ryan tagged a guy out sliding into home and threw a boy out from home to first. He had a good hit and just a great game! He was really tickled! As were all the little and middles who went with us!

Ryan ALL STAR baseball

Ryan's game was tough last night. They lost thier first game of the tournement 20-12. Tonight they play again. It is double alimination. Last night Scott, Chelsea, Papa,Stuart, Doug, Joseph, Caleb, Jacob, John and I went to watch. It sure was nice to have all my big guys with us. It meant a lot to Ryan. Big brothers opinions and support hold a lot of wieght! Tonight all my little/middles will go. The pictures were from Friday night.

Scott's 30th birthday!

Scott had Rosie convinced that he was 30 and I was 40. But in fact he turned 43 yesterday. He was home with us all day....a real treat for us! We had a busy day and it was really nice to be able to share it all with him!

This was cake time last night. Our dear friend Tammy Doran made him a birthday cake, his favorite, her strawberry cake! It was wonderful, as always!!

Azkaban

Tonight we have all been watching Harry Potter. Most of my big kids have read the books and the littles seen the movies. Michael is such a neat guy, remembering plots and characters. He was sitting by Carlton, explaining to Carlton that one of the characters was going back to Azkaban. Carlton (who I have seriouslly worried about lang with) replied, "I think they need to send him somewhere worst than Azk..Azkan...whatever that places name is!"

I worry about this! Carlton thinks he is funny. And I really do not think he knows the true way to say the word. At 12 (to Michael 8) HE should want to know the proper way to say words. For the longest I thought it was just delays due to past losses. But I know that Carlton has seen the movies more than Michael, and he just does not care about such details!

I am so unsure what to say to help him correct this!

Love of reading!

I love to read, and hope to pass that love to my kiddos! Seth is at that sweet age where he wants to read so much! He actually thinks he is reading! I have caught him several times in the last couple of days "reading".

Bagels?

Miss Amanda loves bagels! She has been funny with textures and I was very surprised to find she loved bagels of all things!

Seth's first TRIPLE!

T-ball game:)

Seth is loving t-ball. Tonight a big part of my crew were there to cheer him on...as seen in blue:)

I mean what I say

Today my little girls got into my art closet and took ALL the paint and markers and glue sticks to Rosie's room to "paint and play". Chelsea stuck her head in the door and asked if mom knew what they were doing? The reply was,"Yes, she said it was ok as long as we did not get it on anything". hummm....paint, bedroom and girls....does not seem likely that they COULD keep it neat. I walked down and "found" them, they all had to work in the living room and clean thier rooms(not that big a deal, but movement was requiered). THREE hours later I was on the way to the pool and low and behold they had not finished thier jobs.....well, Mercedez had...that's it.

As I told people to get swimsuits on they began to rush to clean....too late. I sat them all out. Isabella felt she had been greatly wronged. She resorted to name calling. The others "got it", but were sad(lol...a nice word for whiny, sulky and pitiful). I suppose next time I ask for a job to be done, perhaps it might. Either way, I mean what I say.

Nannies and Doctors

Chelsea filled out a nanny application yesterday. It was more of whim. I KNOW she is wonderful. I KNOW she can do about anything. She filled it all out and within 2 hours had a mom of 6 in California offering her the world to come. Great for Chelsea's confidence, although I did point out that I offered benefits(including car insurance and all healthcare, dental and clothing) with a competitive salary....lol. And it is true! I had rather see her go into the mission field( a love of hers) than be across the country nannying. I really just do not want her to go anywhere. Is hard to let my children "be free to be who they are going to be"!! Especially Chelsea.

Sarah is across the country as I speak,but she will be back in a few days! She is having a great time. Today she will be disecting a heart. She will be at Harvard Thursday. She did not like the flight there and has refused to fly home! So I guess I might have to live without a child:) Actually, she will be home and complaining about the next flight very soon:) I cannot wait to hear about all her work! She is going on and on about DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS ....she very much is intersted in this! She talked at length about the children it helps! Children and medicine is where her heart is.

Always an eye opener to me is the fact that there is no ONE path to good! There are so many. My two big girls have servants hearts, but in two different directions. What blessings they are to me!

A chocolate diet?

It has nothing to do with my life personally, but the idea sure did make me laugh! Yesterday it was announced that Jenny Craig was being bought for 600 million dollars by....no other than....Nestle (yep the chocolate company!). It just made me laugh! I suppose a chocolate company can move into the diet market....hedge thier bets so to speak. Will be interesting to watch!

Joseph was baptized today!

Joseph, my dear son who is away on the Senior High Missions Trip in Long Beach Mississippi, called today to tell me he was getting baptized! What a blessing! I am so proud of him! What a great day it is!!

Prayer

Yesterday morning in church the point was made that we should pray that our children be able to withstand the harshness of life rather than pray that they have an easy life. Children/people who never have to deal with difficulties will break at the first hurdle they face.

If this is so, my kiddos ought to all be fine...lol. As always, there is no "one prayer" that is a fix all for everyone. But I think for my bunch it is perserverance and most of all the Lord!

So how do you REALLY feel Scott??

Pretty funny! Bout how I feel sometimes! Scott never reads my blog:) He might should....I guess I will see pretty soon if he does:)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

Today is FATHER's DAY. I suppose Scott would say it is not much different from most other days....except he did get a couple of gifts....some funny cards and sweet cards. Daniel's "Fathder Day" card was among the funnies...that is exactly how he says Father!

The pictures are of Scott in his new sun chair! Except today there is no sun, so we took the pic inside:)