Scriptures for school

In the never-ending quest to teach my children scripture, I decided to choose verses for them for this school year. I wanted to select a verse that would be specific for each of them.

For Zach, I chose Philippians 4:13- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Zach is usually good at things that he tries. However, when things are difficult for him, he experiences anxiety or does not want to participate at all. I want him to remember to ask the ultimate giver of strength and talent when he needs confidence.

For Calyn, I chose I Corinthians 10:31- Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

Calyn too has success in most things she attempts. I want her to know who created her and gifted her with her talents. I also want her to remember to use her talents to please God and to bring him glory.

I wrote the scriptures on the binders that they carry to school each day. I'm sorry the picture is not great.

1st grade for Z and C

Today was the first day of first grade for Zach and Calyn. Zach was not too excited to go, but Calyn was very excited. They are in the same class again this year. The class is 2/3 boys. They have a few friends from their class last year. Their best friend, Sydni, is in the class next door. I think it is going to be a great year for both of them.

Only binders allowed in first grade (no backpacks):

new kicks:

I love how they still hold hands:

Recognize this guy?

When Zach played catcher last spring, his job consisted of standing next to the adult catcher in hopes of catching a foul tip. Fall ball has changed everything. His team moved to a new league to get some experience with machine pitch baseball. Now Zach has to wear full protective gear and catch fast moving balls. He has done such a great job and is getting more and more involved in the action on the field. His team has had a rough go of it as many of the teams are older. But true to the past, fall ball has been a chance for them to grow and develop as baseball players.

Join the club

Zach lost his first tooth tonight. He was pretty excited to finally lose a tooth.

 Calyn lost her third tooth yesterday.

They are both getting so big. They start first grade two weeks from tomorrow!

God's Promises

In the last two weeks, we have driven to Colorado and back (via Los Angeles, California). One night we were fortunate to see several rainbows. Calyn excitedly exclaimed, "God sure is making a lot of promises." While she did not quite have the correct understanding of the rainbow, I loved that she connected the rainbow to God and his promises. Her statement got me to thinking of all of the promises that God makes to his children. I am thankful that He is God and that even when we do not see the big picture, we can rest in Him, his love, his goodness, and his promises.

A 1st for our first and a 2nd for our second

Zach hit his first home run tonight. It was also a grand slam. He was one excited little boy. His batting has steadily been improving all season, and he hit well all night tonight. For his last at bat, he knocked it to the fence for a home run and ended the game.

AND

Calyn lost her second tooth. As you might remember, the dentist pulled her first tooth. She let me pull this one. She was also quite proud of herself and of her momma.

It has been a busy and exciting first week of summer.

First and Last

First day of Kindergarten:

 Last day of Kindergarten:

 Good friends:

Great teacher:

Kindergarten graduate Calyn:

Kindergarten graduate Zach:

Mrs. Daniel's Kindergarten class: 

 2nd place Kindergarten AR reader:

 1st place Kindergarten AR reader:

 Top 3 Kindergarten AR readers:

Zach and Calyn had a wonderful year. They learned so much. They learned to read. They learned about presidents, Texas, dinosaurs, sharks, plants, and teeth. Zach and Calyn learned to be a good friend and how to respect other peoples' personal space. They celebrated Fall, Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day, Spring, and the last days of school. Their class won the Spring Box Top collection competition and received sno cones from Bahama Bucks.
Their teacher was so good. She taught them a lot. I was impressed with the way she treated her students, especially compared to what I saw from other teachers. Zach and Calyn wanted to attend school everyday and passed on every chance to go home early. I think that says a lot about their overall experience. They chose to stay at school even when other students were going home early.
Zach and Calyn also received a special award for PE. The PE teacher chose them as the best athletes in their class. They both also were recognized as top AR readers. Calyn took first overall for Kindergarten. Zach took second. This was the first year they even recognized Kindergarten AR readers. I personally think it was because they had earned so many points. Both Tim and I read a lot. I am thankful that my kids enjoy reading and learning.
I am thankful that Zach and Calyn had such a good first school experience. Tim took them to school alot, but I also took them many times. We made it a point to pray for them before they exited the car. I often prayed about how thankful I was for their school, teacher, friends and just the opportunity to go to school. I knew they did not realize how fortunate they were to go to a good school, but I wanted God to know that I was thankful. I also wanted for them to see me thanking God for these things.
We are looking forward to summer. We have a lot of fun things planned. We will also slow down and enjoy our time together.

Mom's Day 2011

My friend Melissa just posted an excellent blog entry detailing our shared Mom's Day. You can read it here. In case you don't click on the link, I'll give you a synopsis. We (the Dallas' in our car and the Williams' in their car 12 miles behind us) set out for Amarillo early Sunday Morning. The purpose of the trip was to see Curren Gomez get dedicated (along with 40 other new arrivals). Eric, the girls, the grands, and the nannies all took the stage to dedicate Curren. I know this day was hard for Eric and his family but I was so proud of all of them and blessed to get to spend the day with them. The week leading up to the service was really tough for me. I struggled with really missing both my mom and Brie. While I know my mom is in far better shape in heaven, sometime I play the "what if" game. I wonder what my life would look like now if mom had stayed healthy. What kind of relationship would she have with my children? I could go on and on. I usually don't because I am satisfied with her being whole in heaven. For some reason it hit me hard this year. Most likely because I was also missing Brie and feeling so broken for her children. I know that God has and will continue to place wonderful, godly influences in their lives. But selfishly, sometimes I just want Brie back.
The day in Amarillo was good. I had a rough time during praise and worship, but made it through. We all had lunch together. The kids played in the kiddie pool and watched a movie. I got to hold, feed, change, and love on the Champ. We left in the late afternoon. We stopped in Tulia so the rest of my family could meet my cousins' newly adopted baby boy. We got to eat at Chipotle (my favorite) when we arrived in Lubbock. Once we got home, the kids were excited to give me all their homemade goodies. They worked hard on their cards and poems.

They also got me a new bike which my friend, Laura, helped me pimp out with a baby seat. Pictures of that will have to wait.

I love being a mom to my kids. Although they do things that annoy me like Zach showing up to baseball practice without his shoes. Not just the right shoes, but shoes at all. Or like Abby peeing in my bed as I type this post (she was in my bed because she has strep again and Tim is out of town again). They also do and say funny things like Calyn coming upstairs in the middle of the night saying that Grant's crying is making her ears hurt. Today, Zach pointed to a Chihuahua in the car next to us. While I was impressed that he knew the dog was a Chihuahua, Abby didn't see the dog and said, "Where is the enchilada?" Abby does not think it is funny at all when Grant scratches or bites her. She is however, the first to comfort him and feel bad for him when he gets punished for scratching and biting her. She hugs him and tells him, "It's okay bubba."

There is almost never a dull moment at our house. I would not trade our chaos for anything. Losing my mom and Brie has taught me a lot about not taking things for granted. Brie and I talked just before her death about whether our goal was just to survive or to thrive. We both decided while we go through seasons of just surviving, we did not want stay in those places. We wanted our families to thrive and our relationships with Jesus to thrive. I think I am more than surviving but still have a way to go before I can claim to be thriving.

The fifth of May

I found the cutest cookies on one of my favorite blogs. Sweet Sugarbelle is a South Plains native and makes me want to bake more. Her cookies looked like this:

My cookies looked like this:

I made guacamole and queso for dinner:

We had the tortilla chip cookies with guacamole (fruit dip) and salsa (strawberries and kiwi) for dessert. Tim questioned me as to when we started celebrating Cinco De Mayo. I replied, "When it gave me an excuse to make something cute."

Prayers Please

My cousin's family is going through a very difficult time right now. Would you please stop and pray for them? Please pray for peace and comfort and understanding.

Also, tomorrow we are headed to Amarillo. Curren is getting dedicated. Please pray for the Gomez family as they go through their first Mother's Day without Brie and for Eric as he dedicates his son without his wife by his side.

One more- our family is also going through a very challenging time. I do not have the freedom to share but would appreciate if you would pray for courage, wisdom, and encouragement for my husband.

Thank you!

One down, seventy-nine to go

 Before:

After:

Calyn recently "lost" her first tooth. She had to have it pulled by the dentist because it was infected.

Thinking about her teeth, reminded me of the dinosaur project the twins did for school (not sure why but probably all of the teeth we the kids had to cut out). The twins worked with one of their friends and they each produced a dinosaur fossil head. They were Zach's archeopteryx skull (2 liter Sprite bottle), Calyn's tyrannosaurus skull (gallon milk jug), and Sydni's triceratops skull (half gallon milk jug and paper plates).



How can you tell when Grandma visits?

Your dinner plate looks like this:

Your baby toddler looks like this:

Your big kids smile like this while they play outside in 50mph winds:

Thanks Grandma for a fun visit.

Resurrection Sunday 2011

We had a wonderful day. We went to church and then headed over to the Buschman's house for lunch. Grant and Addison hunted a few eggs after lunch. The weather was beautiful. Neither of them touched their lunches, but they each stopped and opened each egg in order to get to the goods inside.

  

 

This was Grant trying to give Addison a kiss. Addison declined his offer.

We are so very thankful for the sacrifice Christ made for us on the cross. Today we celebrated that He is Risen!

Brie's Blog Book

Carrie, Melissa, and I helped Brie's dad turn her blog into a devotional book for mothers. This was such a labor of love. When Tom first mentioned the project, I eagerly agreed to help. I had no idea that he meant that we would have to get started immediately. Talk about fast forwarding the grieving process. All three of us went through Brie's blog and pulled out the posts that we thought pointed to how Brie lived her life for God and dependent on God. We edited the posts for ease of reading and then added scriptures and journaling questions. Although the job was rushed, I think the book turned out great. All proceeds form the sale of the book will be used to pay for college for Mali, Eleri, and Curren. If you want a copy, you can order a book here or I can deliver one to you. We are asking for a $20 donation for books delivered locally (they are also available in Amarillo, Dalhart, and Dallas) or $25 if ordered on-line.
Thank you everyone for your continued support and prayer for this family. Please do not grow weary in praying for them.

Hair cut

Before Grant turns one and a half (tomorrow), I figured I'd better blog about when he turned one (and a few other events since he turned one).

This picture does a good job representing the four Dallas children. Grant is questioning why he is where he is and why someone is taking his picture. Calyn is carefree with an easy smile. Abby is being her usual the rules-don't-apply-to me self. Zach is sulking and finding great joy is frustrating his parental units.
We celebrated Grant's first birthday with a backyard bbq on September 11, 2010.

We had family and friends celebrate with us.



There was a lot of food.There was a happy birthday boy.This one is for Brie:).Grant was trying to impersonate a smurf.Luckily he had an appropriate change of clothes.

At the first of December, I took Grant for his first haircut. It was so sad to see his baby hair fall to the ground, but he did look so handsome after the cut.

Before:

During:

After:

He has gotten his hair cut twice since these pictures.