Magic Springs Trip

One more fun summer trip before another school year begins! Magic Springs is an amusement park in Hot Springs Ar. Where my parents live. I grew up going to it each summer. They have added a water park to the amusement park. It is small like Dollywood but was perfect for our girls. They got to ride on everything they wanted several times. I was amazed at how brave they both have become. They went on things that I won't go on and of course made fun of me for being a chicken. The water park was our favorite due to the heat. We all loved the slides. Of course there were several that non of us girls were brave enough to go down. My Dad went down several water slides with the kids and ended up at the Chiropractors office the next day and on pain medicine. Sorry Dad but thanks for the great memories you made that day with the grand kids. They think your the best. Mom went down them in spite of the fact that she broke her back two years ago. What great grandparents!
This was my personal favorite thing to do, float down the lazy river. The water was freezing which was perfect because it was in the 100's.
We had so much fun at the park with our nieces and nephews. They are all such great kids. Very well behaved, which made it easy to enjoy having 5 extra kids each day. So much fun!! These memories are priceless.
They were all tuckered out from the heat and the amusement park rides. "Can we go back to the water rides" Madie and everyone requested.
Uncle Karl and his nephews, he had so much fun with the boys. I know they are getting older and hanging out with your uncle and aunt won't happen much in the future, so we treasured that they wanted to be with us this year. Karl spent the night with the boys and you should hear all the pranks they pulled on him and he on them. Oh my! Let me put it this way one of the pranks involved the police calling the house. Boys!!! That was actually one that Karl pulled.

Boys will be boys (even when they are 42).

Well goodbye summer now back to having a schedule, home work, bed time and early mornings. YUK to all of the above. Honestly, I love being back on a routine. You just get so much more accomplished in your day. So here we go.....back to school.

Summer is over

I really cannot believe how fast this summer went. I didn't get enough time with the girls or in the sun or to relax or to read or anything. It just flew by.
We do have some tricks up our sleeves for the last week of summer. I'll post all about that next week when I can add some pictures.
I think all in all the girls had a great summer. They loved coming to the church with me everyday and spending time with Addie. They have totally fallen in love with her and she with them. She is pretty easy to love. They have taught her lots of new tricks. She is so smart!
It was nice having them there and getting to just walk down the hall if I needed a hug or if I was wondering how they were or if it was storming in would run Madie who hates storms.
Summer is normally very hard on me because it reminds me that I am a working mom but this summer it was so nice to have them with me.

So all in all I to had a great summer.

Evaluation Time

Evaluation - The process of pointing out the positive and negative of something or someone.

This week I had my three year evaluation with my boss and pastor, Kyle. Having an evaluation is never a comfortable thing and always makes me nervous. But this year was different and I am not really sure why. Maybe because I am more comfortable with my boss, maybe because I have done it several times already, maybe I am feeling more confident (no, not that). When I came home that night I told Karl word for word of how things went during the evaluation. He was shocked at everything I shared with Kyle; the good, the bad and the ugly.

All week I have thought about it and thought how well everything went. This morning it hit me why things went so well because after three years God has taught me that the preschool ministry is not mine but His. He wants it to succeed, He has a plan for it, He calls the people to serve, He gives me the ideas, He gives me the wisdom to run it. HE not Me! As long as I am seeking him he will guide me.

I love to think about how Joshua must have felt when he had to take Moses place. Can you imagine the pressure. Here is the guy who freed the Egyptians, Crossed the Red Sea, Ten Commandment,... Studing the first book of Joshua and seeing how he was nervous but the Lord told him to be strong and courages, to seek him and he would be with him, has been a huge encouragement for me in everything I have been called to do.

One thing I told Kyle was a struggle of mine is to constantly wondering "what am I going to do next, where is God going to lead me or use me". This is so wrong! (and Kyle and my husband told me so). God wants me to wake up everyday seek him, serve him (and others) and when this chapter in my life is over HE will let me know.

By the way, Kyle had positives things to say and things I need to improve on. A year or two ago any negative thing from a parent or co worker would have sent me into depression but now I try to find a positive in the negative and make it work to improve myself or the ministry.

I can't really believe I have been on staff for three years. I am so honored and blessed to be able to serve my God at FBC www.fbcsmyrna.org and in my community.

My Baby is 7! 7 that is so old

Madie turned 7 yesterday, June 21st. I can't believe it 7, that seems so old. We had a High School Musical Party. She is our singer. Her gift was a Karaoke machine. They sang and danced all afternoon. I must admit I have tried it out myself. Karl got a good laugh out of that.
Izzy and Madie the next Cheetah Girls
All the partiers!
Rebecca got Madie with some icing on her nose, isn't she a cutie!

Camp Pictures

This was OMC - Organized Mass Chaos - so fun so messy!

Karly with Green hair.
Karly's Crew
All 60 of our FBC Kids




Ok I thought I would post some camp pictures. I included one from the wreck for my folks; I didn't even tell them. "Sorry Mom and Dad but we didn't even need a band aid".









Jeff Slaughter

This was me at "Slaughter Salon", Jeff Slaughter does your hair to raise money for missions. He used freeze hair spray and it stood straight up.

The tip was painted purple. It totally embarrassed Karly but then she went and had hers painted green. Picture up top, she is still so cute.

This pictures was during our church group quiet time that we had each morning. It was so precious to see them reading their Bibles and writing in their journals.

Camp was so much fun!

Kids Camp 08

Camp is going great!!!

We are having a blast.

We are very thankful for how awesome our God is and so grateful for his hand of protection. Monday's events have not ruined our camper experience. The kids are having so much fun that they have not mentioned it since we got here (unless they talk to their parents).

We had one salvation last night (Brett Derr). It was precious and awesome to see such an emotional time for him as he knew he needed to be saved. He was nervous but really wanted to do it. Others have told us that they want to go home and get baptised. It is just neat to watch them as they are growing and learning about their God. We are all growing even us old folks.

Our verse this week is Jer 29:11, what an amazing verse for us to focus on this week after the bus wreck on Monday, that He has a plan for our live, not disaster but a hope and a future.

Well I must go, I am the photographer for our campers. I have taken almost 300 pictures and I am going to make disk for the parents. I am loving getting to walk around and see all of them doing their different tracks. I know parents have been worried but I hope after seeing the pictures they will see how much fun the kids had and how they did not let the wreck ruin a great week.

Keep us in your prayers, that God will continue to move in our kids and the other campers.

"The Original Meyer Manor"

We visited "The Original Meyer Manor" my in-laws place for a little R-n-R. We had a great time. We got to see all the niece's and nephews including our newest one, Ms. Sadie. She is a doll like all the Meyer kids. We swam, we tubed, we rode the jet ski and of course ran from the water balloons.

One of the best things was getting back with our kids. My folks took them to Hot Springs after VBS, so we were kid less for about a week. Which was nice for about two days but then boy was I ready to see them. It was way to quiet without them. We did enjoy going out to eat without the extra noise and watching a movie without being interrupted but we were both very ready to have them back. They had a great time in HS with all the cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents.

We were planning on maybe doing Disney again this year but when asked what they wanted to do it always comes back to going to Ar to see family. We know someday they may not feel this way so while this last we will just save the money and go back to Ar.

We celebrated our 15th Wedding Anniversary on the 4th of July. I can't believe how fast time has gone by but then on the other hand I can't remember not being married to Karl. He surprised me by taking me to Union Station for the night, Maggion's for dinner, Melanie S. had the girls. We went to the Pancake Pantry for breakfast and then went shopping in the Village and down town Franklin. It was perfect!! Oh I also received an amethyst ring and surprised him with a new wedding band.

A few thank you's:

To Mom and Dad for taking the girls, thank you Mr. and Mrs. Meyer for showing us a great time at the lake, thanks Melanie for watching the girls for our anniversary.

Also
To mom and dad thanks for all the years that you prayed that God would give me a wonderful husband, he did.

To Mr. and Mrs. Meyer thanks for raising up such a great man to be my husband and the father of my girls. I know that without your example and up bringing in a Christian home, he would not be the husband and father he is today.