Eight Days of Hope

Cedar Rapids is in need of help from the horrible floods this summer.

Coming October 26th -November 2nd Eight days of Hope

Eight Days of Hope was meant to be a one-time visit to the Gulf Coast with a handful of people after Hurricane Katrina. God has allowed this ministry to blossom into so much more! On five different occasions thousands of volunteers have descended on the Gulf Coast to minister to people needs and help them put their lives back in order after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. We also recently had our first non-disaster relief effort in Tupelo, Mississippi. We partnered with Global Outreach as they complete their offices where they will train and equip missionaries before they depart across the world spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ! For our sixth disaster-related trip we will be ministering to the people of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, following the flooding that has affected over 4,000 homeowners this past June. 8 Days of Hope VI will be visiting our country’s heartland as we try to help hundreds of these homeowners in this area who did not have any flood insurance and are left without the use of their homes. We will be doing mechanical work, electrical, drywall, carpentry and painting jobs just to name a few.

We're volunteering through our church, please join us to help those in need!

I can no longer be a Sunshine Girl!

Yes I'm one of those that 25 years ago (man does that make me sound old or what?) used to fry myself out in the sun with my friends. We were obsessed. Obsessed meaning, laying on black roof so we get better rays, using that silver blanket reflector thing to lay on, using iodine and baby oil, butter, I think we even tried cocoa cola, and other things we heard would get us a better tan! The worse was one Memorial weekend that was still a little breezy out but I layed out in sweats, socks and bathing suit top, and I got wind burns on my chest! I had 2nd or 3rd degree burns with blisters covering my chest and it looked like raw hamburger and hurt like you know what! I left school to go to the dr. and he gave me pain killers and sauve to use on it. I couldn't certain things and had to wear a baggy t-shirt so it wouldn't touch it. Then when I was a senior in high school the tanning beds came out. I LOVED them! When I was in college I worked at a tanning and toning salon. When I was able to later in my adult years I bought my own tanning bed and had my husband build a special tanning room in our basement to fit it. But with the kids honestly I barely ever used it. One of my all time favorite things to do it to lay out by a lake, ocean, pool, backyard with a good book. I used to do this when the kids would nap. Well a couple of years ago I started noticing the signs of all that tanning. So I quit. I used sun screen but occasionally still tanning because I liked how it made me look and feel. I occasionally use the spray on tans but it's not the same as the sun.
well I went to the dermatologist this week for bumps on my face and she immediately noticed a tiny pink scar looking thing on my arm. Yup! Skin Cancer! It's the most common one, Superficial Basal cell skin carcinoma and luckily doesn't spread but I'm done with the sun! Scary! I will wear sun screen every time I set foot outside. My Dermatologist has the clearist, smoothest, prettiest skin I've ever seen! She is my motivation. Wish I thought of that 20 years ago! I'm not trying to make light of skin cancer. I am still a little in shock. Don't let unique looking spots go people! I saw some awful pictures online, and they were all so bad because the person ignored it and waiting on treatment. Mine didn't look bad at all and I hadn't even noticed it. Unfortunately people that get that have had one are at risk for more. I slathered on the sun screen before the soccer game tonight. A friend was kind to recommend some nice, natural self tanner. (remember the days of QT?) For now I'm just worried about my skin being exposed to any sun at all! AND all the pictures and stories I found online were of people 70 and older! That was a little depressing! Now I'm off to research the best sunscreen out there. This picture below isn't mine, but similar to what mine looked like except really only looked like the pink dot.

I was told to get my "Smarties" up!

We were all sitting around the table after dinner. My kids started talking about how they wish they were home schooled. They know two families in the area that home school, plus some kids that went to Vietnam with us, that's it. But it's funny because they will bring them up because for some reason they think life would be easier if they were home schooled. They said they could sleep in sometimes, take fun trips and not do so much home work. So this is when my dear sweet 6 yr old princess says, "you better get your smarties up Mom!" What???!!! Does she not think I'm smart enough to home school? We all laughed so hard at her for saying this but now I'm like, What? Why the heck would she say I need to get smarter? AND she IS only 6 for petes sake! I try to live up to the blond image and it has gotten me this far in life, but now I may have to dye my hair! AND I will remember this when it is college time sister! Smarties Up...... what will she come up with next?

A sad day

It was a sad day in Vietnam Adoption Land. Vietnam adoptions officially stopped. I'm so sorry to all those waiting that didn't get referrals. Hopefully things will get resolved in the future. Check out this link
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jp1qmvyR1pqc_TliypfenNxy6wJQD92TTMR80

This will be a hard thing to explain to our kids when they get older. I pray ours was all done ethically.

The things she says........heavy on pictures

My Rockstar turned 6!Raven with friends at Rock Star 6th b day party


My handsome boy. 2 older girls told him there was a dance this year where he would have to ask a girl to it. Was that a hint? Back off girls! Stay away from my boy!!!!



This girl just LOVES her milk!

she felt this suit was a little weird!
Just chilling in her floaty

kids fun on the 4th at grandma and grandpa's
Our Jet ski died on us out in the middle of the Ozarks! Twice!
Our maze of boxes the day of our move. Kids thought it was fun!

Yes Dad is playing barbies with the girls! I love this picture!!!!
Dad and Rockstar Raven at her b day party
Fun with the girls on my 41st!
Grandma and Grandpa just put in a pool by their lake home! kids love it!

"Bayben!" "Bayben!", "Ri-Ri"!

This is what Paisley calls her sister and brother. It is so cute to listen to. She is getting a loud voice like the rest of them. She will often imitate her sister. So if Raven is yelling "mom!" she has to follow saying the same thing. In the car it can get a bit annoying with then all yelling "mom" trying to tell me about their day all at the same time. I had her at work the other day and caught her imitating me sticking the end of a pen in her mouth while she was drawing. I didn't even realize I was doing that as I was writing some orders down.


Raven started 1st grade and is loving it. Loving the time with her friends most of all. She did have to turn in one of her "crayons" today. This is a disiplinary thing. She was talking of course. She started dance classes today. She has Jazz followed by ballet and tap. She loves it, but wondered why in Jazz class they weren't doing some moves that Hannah Montana does like swing the hair around. (picture little miss ham bone swinging her head so hair goes across face) She really wants to take piano. There is a fabulous teacher right down the street from us. I don't really want to buy a piano just yet. I want to make sure she's commited. She said she could just get a nice keyboard for now. We're still thinking on this. Our nights are pretty full!

Rykers in middle school now! 6th grade! Our school goes up to 8th. There are only 14 in his class and only 4 girls. But the whole middle school does a lot together. He likes it so far. They brought home a book they use in Bible each day. It is awesome! Teaches them about peer pressure, treating others equal and not judging no matter what they may be wearing, and has a whole chapter on integrity! I just love it! It teaches them about choices and references back to the bible. He just started soccer this week and drum lessons. He is loving both so far. He has a great drum lesson instructor. I think he will learn a lot. They also have a new music teacher at school that seems really good as well.

We ended our summer fun with a long weekend to a amusement park and spent a lot of time in the hotel pool. Why do the summers have to go so fast! I cannot even believe this weekend is Labor Day weekend! It saddens me to think of the weather ahead. I think we'll take up snow boarding and ice skating this year to get in the spirit of the season!