Rain or Shine...the Party is On!

Ben and I have been a part of a small group Bible Study for 5 1/2 years. You can imagine how we have come to know these other couples as family. Because we meet once a week without kiddos, we like to get together with our kids from time to time. Last Saturday the Long's were very gracious and had us all over for a BBQ and pool party. Wouldn't you know it, it has been steamy hot the last 3 weeks and this day we wake up to a cloudy and rainy day. Well, the Lord allowed the rain to stop just enough time for everyone to enjoy the pool for a little while.
Jeff and Suzanne thank you for wonderful hospitality and for sharing your new "toy" with us.

Ben throwing Kacie

Brylee and Jake getting ready to jump in the pool

Kaleb, Jake, Brylee, Kacie and Katherine

Enjoying the water

Visiting Family in Omaha

We all had a wonderful time this past weekend visiting Kari Jo (Jodie's sister) and her family. It of course went by way to fast and the goodbye was bitter-sweet as I expected. They are moving to Germany the first of October. Justin, Kari's husband is in the Air Force and that is where their next orders are taking them. I am sad of course because they will be there for at least four years. However, I know that the Lord is going to use them there in mighty ways to bring Him glory. It brings my heart so much joy to see how they are truly wanting to live their lives for the right reason...
Kari, I will miss you and always know that I am here for you!! Thanks again for the wonderful hospitality and encouraging words!!

The kids had a lot of fun playing the Wii together. Amazingly there were only two Wii injuries!

Jake and Jordynn playing on the "spider web" at the Omaha Zoo. Awesome Zoo!

Jordynn and Kacie watching "Little Mermaid" together.

Cousins...Kacie, Jordynn, Jake and Hunter

A Summer Day at the Zoo

Jake and Kacie at the new Penguin exhibit





Jodie, Jake and Kacie in the humid jungle building



The new penguin exhibit

Life is but a vapor...

Last Friday evening our family went over to the Torgerson's and had dinner with their family and with the Rockley's. Some of you reading this may not know who I am referring to. However, more of you do know who I am talking about when I say I had dinner with Deana and Susan from my Shocker days. Yes, we had a little shocker basketball reunion and our families got to hang out.
What really struck a cord with me the most that evening is that life goes by SO FAST!! As we were sitting around the dinner table(of course talking about things the guys could care less about because they had no idea what we were talking about), I realized that it seemed like yesterday that Susan and I would sit in our duplex and talk about life together and that Deana and I would discuss that coach needed to just start her and let me come off the bench. But that was over 10 years ago.
The Bible describes it so clearly when it talks of life on this side of heaven being like a vapor. Remember when you were a kid and you would breathe on the car window and draw something in the condensation. But all too often the condensation would disappear too quickly and the picture would be gone. That is the word picture that comes to my mind when I think about really how fast life goes by... Deana and Susan thanks for the reminder for me not to waste my time here!! And thanks for hanging out with me and my family! The two of you will always be special people in my life :)

Hanging Out With the Cousins

We had such a great time with Addi and Logan (Ben's brothers kids)the last couple of days. They live just 30 minutes from us, but it seems like life gets busy and we don't see them near as much as we would like.
They had a BLAST at the pool together! And of course we had to beat the heat with a little popsicle break...

Rose Hill Rockets

Jake's baseball team, The Rockets, finish their second season. Jake improved his game quite a bit this year. He can catch fly balls with his glove up and his bat speed increased too. It brought Ben and I a lot of joy to watch him, mostly because you could tell he was having so much fun. And that is what matters the most...having fun!

Air Show 2007

Last Sunday afternoon we went to the air show at the Air Force Base in Wichita. We went with some friends of ours that have 3 boys. Jake has a lot of fun hanging out with them. However, it ended up being one of those activities that we could at least said we did... the afternoon was SUPER hot and the airplanes were much louder than the kiddos wanted them to be.

Kacie, Jake, Mitchell and Chad

Kacie actually fell asleep during the Blue Angel presentation...

she must have been very tired!

Jake sitting under the wing of an airplane waiting

for the "loud" planes to be done.