Costumes

Happy Halloween everyone. Here are my children in their costumes this year. Kaden was a ninja, Kenzie an angel with her sidekick Madi, Cami the hippy chic and Kai the nerd. Enjoy!

Scarecrow

Kaden was to dress as aa scarecrow today for his Kindergarten class for two reasons: fall harvest and red ribbon week (to scare away drugs). He has to be one of the cutest scarecrows I have ever seen!

Pumpkin Carving

Every year, we carve pumpkins as a family. This was the first year that everyone was old enough to draw their own faces! The little ones required some assistance carving, but the faces are their own! Kailyn named hers scary man. Cami made a funny face, suprise! Kaden drew a cute face with Sponge Bob teeth and Kenzie drew hers with a mean mouth. Precious memories for the future. This is one family activity that we all treasure and look forward to. We love fall!

Happy Fall Ya'll

Since it has been a while since I put up any pictures, here is one of all four kids in front of our new house! It's beginning to feel a little like fall here in SE Texas! Love ya'll & miss you.

Where's The Beef

For those of you watching the aftermath of IKE, take a look at our food supply here in Houston. There is NO meat, dairy and very little produce. I finally found some beef at Sam's and a little chicken.

I have never experienced this before so this part of a hurricane never crossed my mind until I lived it. Please keep all of us in your prayers. There are over 1.5 million still without power and the temperature is rising along with the humidity. Also if you can imagine all the standing water and the number of mesquitoes it is producing. I have friends who are starting to get frusterated. All in all, people are still in good spirits.

I would like to point out what a great country and continent we live in. I have seen convoys of utility trucks numbering up to 18 in a row. There are people here from 31 states, Mexico and Canada helping all of us restore power, cut down trees, and clean up debris so we can move forward. Mayor Bill White of Houston has set up a fund for all those helping Houston get back on its feet. I will make sure of the web address and post it as soon as I can for those of you who would like to help out.

"Thank you God for this great city and this wonderful country we are so priveliged to live in. This country is so great because it is based on You. Please continue to be with those in need and help us to restore and rebuild as quickly as possible. Please help those who have lost so much, many of whom I know and love, get the help they need to reestablish the lives they have worked so hard to build. Thank you so much for the wonderful, kind-hearted people who are going way beyond what they can do to help. It is so awesome to know there are still great people out there. We love you and are so thankful for all of our blessings, even in times like these. Thank you so much for giving us your Son, who gave us the ultimate example of what a giving spirit is. Please help us all strive to be more like Him. In His precious name I pray, Lord. Amen."

Hurricane IKE

In fear of what the meteorologist was telling us and the size of IKE, we made the decision to board up and head to my brother' s house in Dallas for safety. Our 4 1/2 hour drive turned into 11 hours and we took the Beltway around the really bad traffic on I-45. For those of you who have never gone through anything like this, let me enlighten you. It is surreal watching the place you love, where your life is, your possessions are and your friends are be engulfed by a storm this size. We spent 2 days not knowing if our home was still standing, or if we even had anything to come back to. We were watching from afar. Our beloved Galveston was declared uninhabitable, only 20 miles away from our house. Needless to say, emotions were high. We laughed and cried and just laughed. Thank God for technology. We were able to get in touch with our friends via face book and our cell phones.

On Monday, Kevin and I headed back to access our own damages. We were anxious, but Houston didn't look as bad as we expected. The damage was selective, a luck of the draw per say. There would be huge damage in one place and none in the next. As we pulled into our neighborhood there was not one stop sign standing, several light posts down and fencing everywhere. We pulled into our driveway and noticed our fencing down and roof shingles all over. There was a patch of roof gone, but as we took all the plywood down and entered inside, it didn't look too bad. We have roof damage, ceiling damage and some wall/ door damage, but all in all, we faired very well.
It is amazing to be on a corner lot and have the least amount of damage in our section of our neighborhood. Our neighbors across the street have water dripping from their walls, a huge hole in their game room and all of their possessions are destroyed. Their house is not livable. The next three houses down from us have substantial damage from walls, roof, carpet, possessions. We are so lucky.
Thank you Lord for sparing us from such damage.

How lucky are we? Our house is repairable, the people who are buying our house only had a porch light damaged. The house we are buying in Sislbee, TX only has fence damage. What a miracle! There are so many other who did lose everything. Please keep them in your prayers. Please keep all our city and county officials in your prayers. This is a mess. We are a wonderful and resilient city. I know we will recover. I have faith that Galveston will rebuild and reopen. Until then, there is much work to be done. Please remember those who need help. If you can, offer to help them. If you can't help, pray.

"Dear Lord, Thank you so much for the blessings our family has received. Thank you for our safety in the storm and the minimal damage to our property. Please be with those who were not so lucky. Help them to understand that You did not do this to them. Help them to have the strength to move forward past their hurt and to recover. Please show me where I can be of use to others during this time. Thank you for the beautiful, non- humid weather you have sent us as many struggle without electricity. What a blessing. Thank you Lord for your love and compassion. We love You and thank you. Thank you for Your Son, who through Him makes our salvation possible. In Jesus name I pray, Amen."

Here's Your Sign

Five months ago, when Kevin received his promotion, we never dreamed we would still be here in Houston. This journey in our lives has been rather difficult, but I am thankful that we have gone through it. I think it has made us stronger as a family, even though there were times I didn't know if we could do this or not. I think God has shown us how important each person is to the balance of how this family works. He knew we had taken some things for granted. We are now reminded.

Perhaps one of the things I am most thankful for is the rally of my friends. You know who you are. Thank you for being there when I needed someone to vent to, someone to watch my kids, someone to eat dinner with or watch a movie with. Because Kevin has been gone during the week, there have been opportunities to share that otherwise would not have been there.

Remember the saying about not knowing who your friends are until you really need them? It is so true. What an awesome way of showing how true you are, to lend a hand, an ear, to share a meal. "Thank you God for these wonderful people you have brought into my life. Although our time together here has been short, I know that 90 miles is not going to even dent what we have. I can only hope that I have been as good of friend as the ones you have given me. Thank you for allowing my three precious daughters see what women can do for each other. Through these friends, they have received life long relationships too. In a world where women are catty and everyone wants to be the best, it is so refreshing to see just plain ol good people. I can see your works being done here. I know your plan for me has not yet been completely revealed, but I am ready for the challenges that lie ahead. I am refreshed and renewed. Thank you Lord for all you have given me. I am so blessed. Most of all, thank you for your Son and the plan that allows me to be human, but still be saved. In His precious name I pray, Amen."

I have grown here. I have had opportunities that were not available or I was not ready to take on before. God has shown me new gifts I was unaware I had. My spirit is stong, my faith is stronger. Yes, much of this is due to my personal relationship with God, but I truly feel that my Church family and friends have played a big part as well. I am thankful for our time here in Houston. I look forward to seeing the seeds grow from afar. I anticipate great things in Beaumont too. I am anxious to see how these stepping stones lead to the next stage in my life.

I am going to soak in the next 19 days with my peeps as much as I can. I didn't want to wait until we left to let everyone know how great Southeast people can be. I love you and can't wait to share more time with my friends.

Real Friendship

Some of my "out of control friends"!

Having lunch with friends is something I enjoy. During a lunch date with a girlfriend, our conversation gravitated towards Christian friendships. I was astonished to hear her concerns about the superficialness of relationships with Christian women. I, too, have felt the disconnection from some Christian women. I want to go much deeper than the typical, "Hi, how are you?". However, as a typical human, I just figured it was me. You know, its you, its me...

I have a past, my own story. I desire to share it with other women who will see where I have been and how far I have come from there. I want to share my experiences, my life with people. That is what friendship is about. I even would love to have someone to keep me in check with reality and pick me up when I fall.

How is any of the above mentioned possible if we remain superficial? How come it is so hard for us to get past chitchat and open up to share our lives? After all, Adam was lonely so God created Eve. We must be a social people, or we would not desire such a connection with people. We are created to fellowship, to have relationships. Why is it so hard for women in the Church?

Our society today, more than ever is me, me, me. It is difficult to not be sucked into the facade, but it is not God's way. God clearly tells us to go and make disciples of people (Matt. 28:19). Is that possible if we don't know our Christian family?

My friends, being a woman is a powerful gift from God. We, more than men, are chatty and social and desire meaningful relationships with other people. We are nurturing. Inside every woman is a hurt to share, a joy to proclaim or any of that in between. We can tell when women need women. It is cleverly called women's intuition. If we see a sister crying, lift her up. If we see a sister laughing, ask her to share the joke with you. It is our obligation as women, as Christians to share our lives together.

My eyes were opened that day during my luncheon conversation. I am thankful for that. It is not just me. I am not alone in my feelings and neither are you. Finding that out only made me realize how many people I encounter that I have no idea what they are going through. I need to seek a deeper meaningful friendship with my sisters. I encourage you to do the same. After all, truely knowing someone you will probably spend eternity with must have its perks!

First Day of School 2008

Today, along with many other parents, I welcomed back the new school year. After a rough summer, I thought we were probably all ready for school to start, but as it turned out, it was bittersweet.

Kailyn started jr. high today....6th grade. She asked us to drive her. Of course, it is an honor for a jr. high child to want her parents to participate in anything with them, so we drover her. I have to say, I cried a little. I just know she will make great choices and be such a light to people this year. She has grown so much over the past year. I can't wait for her to make a name for herself.

Cami started 5th grade...the big kid on campus. She rode the bus with her friends. I know she will be a great example for the younger kids. They will be watching her. I look forward to seeing what she chooses to become involved with this year.

Kaden began his school career today in Kindergarten. He wanted to ride the bus, but we insisted on dropping him off, especially since Kevin took the day off for the occasion. Karis sent a great postcard last week about letting your child go off to school and I could not read it without crying. I was not sure how I would be today, but I did better than I thought. He says he had a great day, but he is being rather secretive about the whole thing. Our little boy is growing up :-(.

Kenzie was thrilled to stay home with me by herself. We didn't get to do too many fun things today as she took a 3 1/2 hour nap. I didn't know what to do with myself.

Anyway, we are back to the school schedule, back to homework, early bedtimes, and little tv and computer time (yeah). I am hopeful for a great school year. I know that all three of them will be successful at whatever they do and put their all into their work and friendships.

We, truthfully could not be any prouder of any of them. The Lord has blessed us with some awesome kids!

Hawaii

I went back and looked at all our beach pictures from Hawaii after I realized it had been so long since we were last at the beach. I was just amazed to see how much our precious children have grown since then. They all look so different. This picture was taken on the Leeward side of O'ahu in July, 2006 a month before we left the island to move back to the mainland. They grow up so fast.

Madi

Many of you know that I have always wanted a fifth child. Since Kevin says "Are you crazy? We are done.", I've got the next best thing, Madi. We got Madi, our Yorkie on June 28th from a breeder in Conroe. She is the best dog we have ever had. She is sweet and playful. She plays catch, which is a first for any of our dogs. Although she still needs some help in the potty training department, she is just precious. She has completely converted me from a cat person to a dog person. Of course the kids love her too.

Look closely in the pictures. We took her to get her first hair cut and grooming done. Her groomer loved her so much, she even painted her nails to match her bows! How cute! Kevin thinks she looks silly with all her accessories, but how can you resist such cuteness?

I can do all things...

Over the last four months, our family has been put through a somewhat trying time. We have been separated as Kevin began his new job in Port Arthur 90 miles away. On the weekends he comes home, but during the week, he is away. The first couple of months were very hard on the kids...another move to a strange land, new friends, instability, Daddy gone, etc. We experienced sleeping problems, attitude problems, crying spells, anger, you name it. I have even experienced a bit of depression. It is hard to feel alone and to be left with all the immediate decisions of the house hold.
I told myself the other day, that when I was a Navy wife, I did this all of the time. Why was it so hard this time? Was it because I did not have my Navy wives to support me? They knew exactly what it was like to go through this kind of transition. Was it because I was not used to it any more? Perhaps it was the unexpectedness of this promotion. Then it hit me, I like it here. I have made such wonderful friends that I go to church with, one a former Navy wife. When you are prepared to move every 2 years, you don't get attached like you should. I allowed myself to get attached, deeply to people here. I am so thankful for that.
I know that the Beaumont area is not that far away and there will be many opportunities to keep in touch and see my wonderful friends. Today, I came across this picture of Kevin in uniform. All those memories hit me. God gave me the strength I have been asking him for, or maybe I just felt it. My favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:13..."I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength". This is my reminder that I can do anything because God will guide me and give me strength. I can endure.
"Thank you God for opening my ears to hear you. Thank you for renewing my spirit today. I am so thankful for all that you have done for my family. Thank you for the friends I have met here, who will be in my life forever, as they follow you too. Please show me where you want me to go and where you need me in your work in the world. May I always remember what a privelige it is to be one of your chosen children. Please show me how to bless those who need to see you in us. Thank you so much for your son Jesus. In His holy and precious name I pray, Amen."
May you feel as blessed as you truly are today...

Kai's Baptism

Kailyn made the biggest decision of her life not too long ago. She decided to follow Jesus, to make Him her savior and dedicate herself to Him. What a blessed decision it was for us when she took this step! Kai is a wonderful example for those younger than her. We could not be more proud. She asked her Daddy to baptize her. He was so honored to participate in this event. As she came out of the water, all I could hear as the tears ran down my face was..."my chains are gone, I've been set free". Oh happy day...

Cami's Baptism

Cami made the decision in September 2007 to dedicate her life to Christ. She went through a baptism class with Karis, our Children's Minister at Southeast before she decided for sure. She knew in her heart she was ready, but on the parents' side, we wanted to be sure (if that is ever possbile). Cami chose to have her Dad baptize her, which was an honor for Kevin. We are so proud that she has dedicated herself to better the world with Christ as her leader. What a blessed day!

Beach Babes!

We have lived in Houston for almost 2 years and this was our first visit to the beach. We have been beach snobs after moving from Hawaii, but we have gotten over it. The kids enjoyed being back in the water so much. I must say that I did too. They all are very natural in the water. Kailyn and Cami had a great time boogie boarding, I did a little as well. Kaden and Kenzie enjoyed the small waves and, of course the sand. Kevin and I went hermit crab hunting and caught about 10. Let me be honest, I found a few, but I made Kevin go get them, just in case it was something else (lol). He even sacrificed his sunglasses to get a big one. Way to go honey. We actually brought 4 hermit crabs home with us as souvineers. They are kind of growing on me.

It was so wonderful to forget about all the hectic things that are going on in our lives right now and just chill out as a family, all of us together. Needless to say, we are worn out, but I am so glad we had the opportunity to get away for a couple of days and reconnect. There has always been something about the ocean that makes me sit back for a quiet moment and think about all the wonderful creations God has given us the privelidge to enjoy. I had a few moments to just sit back and enjoy some peaceful time with God, with the waves crashing in the background. What a blessing.