If your child becomes my in-law...

(I stole this idea from a blog by Em, and I thought I'd take a stab at it)

If your child becomes my in-law,

I just want you to know that I am praying for you.  When I am up at night with sick kids.  Running around like a taxi driver.  Throwing in the hundredth load of laundry or picking up another pair of shoes.  I am thinking of you.  Because chances are, you are doing the same exact things.  Taking care of, and molding the children that will someday hold the heart of the ones I love so dearly.

I'm praying you will stand firm against the pressures to have all the "in" items and to over-commit your family.  That you will shut out the evil in the world that tells you aren't doing enough.

I'm praying you'll know when to mention that an outfit is inappropriate or when to bite your tongue that it just isn't something you would wear.  Or when an attitude is standing up for oneself of when it is being rude.

I'm praying you will take your children to church...that the mothers and fathers of our future grandchildren will know the true meaning of worship.  I pray that this will be a pleasant habit, even if it means missing out on some weekend fun with friends.

I'm praying that your love and commitment to your spouse grows year after year and is an incredible example to the children that are watching you.  Your relationship is an example to how your child will love my child.

I'm praying that you will have strength to make it through the most incredible job that the Lord has ever given us.  I pray you will have patience, courage and peace through the years.  And I am praying you keep your eyes on Him.

Will you pray these things for me too?

You don't know how much it means to me that you take good care of your child.  I know it is tough.  Some days are awesome and some days you feel like a failure.  But your child will wake up next to mine for 50 plus years.  Your child will be the one standing next to mine when our grandchildren are born.  Our children will be together, in sickness and in health.  In plenty and in want.  In joy and in sorrow.  Let's make sure we equip them the best we can.

I promise to tend to their hearts tenderly.  I promise to plant seeds of Christ daily.  I promise to teach manners.  I promise to encourage humility, peace, and selflessness.  I promise to hug my kids tightly and teach them to love back appropriately.  And I promise to continue to pray.

Someday we will sit on opposite sides of the aisle.  I don't know about you, but there is no doubt I will be a blubbering idiot.  We will watch our little babies suddenly become husband and wife and make the same vows that we made to ourselves and have kept....against all odds and only by the grace of God.  And we will watch these children create families of their own with the elements we have given them.  The elements we are giving them today.

But until then, I'm going to keep on doing what I'm doing.  And pray the Lord covers all my holes.

And I'm praying for you!

Meet Cadi

Catherine Sophia, born yesterday (9/26) at 2:45 to my youngest sister, Ruth.  Mollee and I got to meet her early this morning.

Homecoming 2014 - "Let the Games Begin"

A great, fun, long day!

I went and ate lunch with some of the kids and enjoyed popsicles in the courtyard with Daegan, Seth and Colin.

 Here is the car Mollee's art class helped decorate last year titled "Let the Games Begin".  They even won recognition for it regionally.

 After the Upper School got seated at the football field, the Elementary School paraded over!

 And, yes, Mrs. Davis has A LOT of Spirit!

 And so does Mrs. Beirne!

 Coach Spence leading the school song!

 Then home at 12:30 and back to school for alumni stuff at 6:00 and game at 7:30.

We got to sit with the David Caines crew and the JR Caines half crew.  Peter thought it would be funny to hold Louisa.  :)

 Choral (alumni too) signing the National Athem

 And, I took this shot out of pride - the two dots to the right of the score board are Daegan and Isaiah.  When the anthem started, Daegan jumped up and stood toward the flag.  

 The sky looked rough, but it was a good night

 Go Chargers!

 During halftime, the school presented a check to the Willa Ibach, as a representation to Lynn Perkins (sisters) whose son is struggling with a lung disease and may need a lung transplant.  This year the class of '94 (being 20 years) was able to pick who Spirit Week supported and we picked Gideon Perkins!

 And the High School Spirit floats, sticking with the game theme -

Freshman: Clue

 Sophmores: Monopoly

 Juniors: LIFE

 Seniors: Candyland

 Seniors won for their float, but in the Spirit competition for the Elementary School, 5th grade won!  Whoo-Hoo!

Now, back to boring school next week....

Oh, and we played a great football game.  Typically, with such a young football program we get killed at homecoming and nobody cares, but this year it was actually 14-14 and then the other team scored another touchdown.  So, we lost 21-14, but a good game!

Spirit Week

This week has been Spirit Week at school, which I enjoy waaay too much.

Marvel Monday (meaning Super Heroes):

 Tropical Tuesday (ES version)

funny story - even tho Mac is my biggest supporter of Spirit Week, he was not thrilled about having to wear a button down to school.  So, as you can see, he has a dark shirt underneath, which was one of his favorite t-shirts.  His plan - shed the uncomfortable shirt as soon as he got credit for dressing up.  When he left for school that morning he said, "Daddy, when you see me tonight - I WILL be wearing a different shirt".  Stinker!

 Fairy Tale Tuesday (MS version) - in case you can't tell Mollee is a fairy and Tavis is Paul Bunyan??

Wild Kingdon Wednesday:

 We had no power that morning, so I had to use my flash :(

Theme Thursday - each class had a game they had to dress up like

Mac had Twister and Capps had Monopoly, Daegan - Operation, Tavis - Mario and Mollee - Life

 The kids were finally start to trust my face painting...

And Friday - CHARGER DAY!!!!!

 Pep Rally at Noon, Football Game at 7:00.

And since it is 2014, that means this is my classes 20th year reunion at Homecoming - say whaaat??

Mac's Spelling Test Update

Here he is studying on the right night:

 And he got a 100!!!  Whoo-Hoo!!!

Our scientific study shows that if you study BEFORE the test, you do a lot better than if you study after the test.  Lesson Learned!

Mollee and Friends

Mollee went out with a bunch of friends today to the mall (ahhhhh) and then to Cici's Pizza to be goofy.  I picked her up at 10:00 PM.  Guess these thing were coming no matter what.

This is what the girls were doing in the parking lot when I got there to pick up!

Sometimes, #5 gets lost in the shuffle

Well, that is an understatement.

If you refer back to my post about Parent Orientation you will learn all about having no idea about Mac's daily notebook.  The daily notebook is where he needs to read a book, do flashcards and have his parents sign a form each evening.  All his peers have turned this in daily, but he has failed to mention it as we have talked about homework in the evenings.

A small glimpse into our evenings: Right now, no sports.  My office is from home, so we get home from school 3:45/4:00 - kids get snacks, I go back to my desk.  At 4:15, I am usually yelling down the hall (toward kitchen/homework station area) for everyone to get started on their homework.  Throughout the next hour or so, children are in and out of my office asking for my signature on this agenda or that reading log, etc.  Kids are also asking for help on math problems or asking what a word means that they came across in their reading.  At 5:30/6:00, I pretend like I am almost done with work as Daddy comes home from work.  And I pretend like I have a plan for dinner.  Jason starts to check math assignments, I try to get away from my desk to find textbooks and notebooks are scattered all over the kitchen and kids are upstairs, downstairs and outside riding bikes.  Mollee is usually listening to her iPod and ignoring her brothers during this time.  Tavis is usually in panic mode over what he forgot from his locker that day.  Daegan is working on his work and getting done. Capps usually did his work at school and Mac usually does nothing during these hours....

So, Mac is #5.  I made a deal with myself not to let him slip thru the cracks.  When we had him, I had no intentions of him being the baby of the family, but I really had no intentions of him being spoiled either.  But he never got spanked as much as the others and he definitely gets lost in the shuffle when it comes to school work.

We are getting a little bit better at reading at night, and only slightly better at flashcards.  It is hard.  As you see my glimpse into my evening, by the time I get out of my office, I then get dinner going, we eat late and then we never return to the Elementary School homework.  I know, I know.  There are many out there that are in the midst of sports and their evenings are even more chaotic.  We've been there and will be there again in the Spring, but as my job gets progressively busier, I am taking awhile to adjust to five with homework, versus four - especially with two in advanced math and ALL math needing to be checking EVERY evening! (And next year - high school)

And, this brings me to the reason for my post today.  I think this post could also be called "Delayed Spelling Test Studying".  In our chaos, I do not promote last minute studying, but it happens.  We may have been cramming for Mac's spelling test on the last night possible.  And he has not been doing well at all.  He has gotten some fairly terrible grades.  Last night, we were looking over the words and doing our studying and I just happen to be looking at some school e-mails and noticed it said "Spelling Test 9/11".

"Mac, did you have your spelling test today?"

Keep in mind, we were in the middle of studying them.

Blank stare.  "Hmmm.  No."

"This form says the test is going to be Thursday, not Friday"

Black stare.  If you know Mac, you know what look I am talking about.

"Mac, did the teacher stand in front of the classroom today and call out the words and you have to write them down?"

"Oh, yeah!  We did that."

*sigh*

So, apparently, we didn't know about the daily notebooks and his spelling test has been on Thursday each week and we have been cramming hard for it Thursday night!  And. He. Has. Said. Nothing.

Welcome to my world, People!

Mimi's Birthday