Update, October 2009

I am SO FAR BEHIND updating... I'll try to make this a quick update!

Steve - has just finished up coaching Sabastian's football team for the 3rd year. He is busy with work and has lost about 20 pounds! He's gotten off his gym schedule since FB season started but it's over now, so he'll be back in the gym faithfully. We are talking about selling part of the Missouri business which will take some pressure off of Steve at work and that is always appreciated at home!

Savannah - won the first pageant she's ever entered! She is now "MISS ARKANSAS RIVER PRINCESS"!! We are so proud of her. She is also singing in a group of four 9 and 10 year olds. They lead the childrens ministry at church in Praise & Worship. Their group name is SOVEREIGN CORE. It's really amazing to watch them. God has big things in store for them. She is also taking tumbling and is doing fantastic in school.

Sabastian - well as I said above, he just finished up football season and played really well this year. His teacher said at the PT Conference he is a genius - he is reading chapter books on a 5th grade level and never has any problems with math or spelling etc... if we could just get him to write longer stories... She gives him GT work when he finishes his normal school work. He is really itching to HUNT! He has a gun that my dad gave to my brother and has been passed on to him. It's very special... and he can't wait to shoot a deer! I guess he gets this from my brother because Steve is not a hunter.

Me - I am working full time again. I've joined forces with a good friend of mine that I started working with in 1997 and we've opened a Health & Life Insurance office in Fort Smith. We are a "full service employee benefits consulting firm"... the website is being updated and I'll get that out soon. Our office is in a new building and is currently being 'built out'. It will be great when it's done and we can feel more at home in one place ;) All this working has put a damper on my tennis! I haven't gotten to play in weeks but that's ok. There's always "tomorrow." Other than working and being a taxi - not much is new.

We passed the 2 year mark for dad being gone. It's a hard time of year. We all miss him dearly and I'm not sure that void will ever go away, but I am SO thankful for the time I did have with him and the lessons he taught me. I will forever be a daddy's girl!

We are so blessed and I thank God daily for all He's given us. He is a good God. Never failing, never changing. I hope all is well with you and yours.

Summer pictures of the kids... June 2009

www.WendyLWhitephotography.com

I have two good friends that take fantastic pictures...

This photographer is a "friend of a friend" and she did a GREAT job...

Happy to promote anyone who takes cute pictures of my cute babies...

Happy Birthday Mason!

Mason got to make his own pizza in the kitchen... Notice the "11"

Tony & Anthony sang Happy Birthday in Italian!!

Bas & Mason

The 'Little' Girls...

My Sweetie & his high-maintenance Princess...

Steph & Sonja

(not sure why everyone thinks we're sisters -

maybe b/c we have the same crooked smile?)

"the gang"

"da boyz"

We went to Franks tonight for Mason's Family Birthday Dinner. It was PACKED & we had 2 groups of 8 in front of our group of 12 but we got special treatment anyway - from Tony and Anthony... They even sang "Happy Birthday" in Italian to Mason and we all got dessert on the house. YUM! Mason was in Heaven (even though he was sick, bless his heart) since he got to go in the kitchen and make his own pizza... I would say it was a first for him but it wasn't. The kids all got to watch them make Alfredo Sauce. I'm sure Steve wishes I had jumped in on that lesson!!

Brag on Bas

I just have to take a minute to brag on Sabastian... He came home with 2 certificates today. One for PERFECT ATTENDANCE for the year (1st grade) and the other for: RADICAL READER, MARVELOUS MATHEMATICIAN & Reeses-BEST FRIEND TO EVERYONE. His teacher bragged on his writing skills, reading & math levels. YAH BAS!

Some devotions & quotes to ponder...

"Go to the effort. Invest the time. Write the letter. Make the apology. Take the trip. Purchase the gift. Do it. The seized opportunity renders joy." Max Lucado

"He who forgives first, wins." William Penn

"A word once let out of the cage, cannot be whistled back again." Horace

"Be a friend, the rest will follow." Emily Dickinson

"God can't fix a broken heart if you don't give him all the pieces." Jennifer Leigh Youngs

"Nothing enters your life accidentally - remember that. Behind our every experience is our loving, sovereign God." Charles Swindoll

"Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend."

"There is a past which is gone forever, but there is a future which is still our own." F.W. Robertson

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength." Corrie Ten Boom

"Be a first-rate version of yourself and not a second-rate version of someone else." Allison S.

"Whenever we realize we have not taken advantage of a magnificent oppportunity, we are apt to sink into despair. Let the past sleep, but let it sleep in the sweet embrace of Christ, and let us go on into the invicible future with Him. Never let the sense of past failure defeat your next step." Oswald Chamber

Date night...

Savannah, our "resident photographer," had to 'get a shot'... :)

DISNEY ON ICE!!!!!!!!!!!

Had a blast with my babies and good friends today. Was very impressed by Disney On Ice.. Was afraid it might be "too kiddy" but all the kids loved it! It's been a great day!

Tennis today...

Stephanie with Doubles Partner Stacey Glover
Part of the team: Mary Liz, Steph, Christy, Nancy, Lisa & Marvina

Easter 2009

Kids "family" b-day party, 2009

Hard to believe it - Savannah turned 10 on 3/30 & Sabastian turned 8 three days later, 04/02. My how time flies!

Devotion

...Get rid of the baggage of old relationships, pointless fears, and false indebtedness to those who seek to manipulate you. There are enough painful trials in life, why endure the ones you can lay aside? (taken from "The Word For You Today" devotional)

Savannah's knee x-ray

Savannah's knee has been hurting for a couple of days so we went in for an x-ray today. The x-ray shows she has "Osgood-Schlatters Disease" which is a fancy way of saying her bones are growing so fast that her muscles can't keep up. She has gotten so tall over the last few months! She's almost as tall as me. The only thing we can do is give her anti-inflammatory meds. She can't do any dance class or tumbling etc... We are going to try softball practice Saturday and see how that goes. It gives her a lot of pain and she has to wear a knee brace, so please keep her in your prayers!

No school due to rain (or IS there school because Obama said so?)

This morning we woke up to a lot of thunder, lightning and rain... So when I got the kids up for school, it was darker than normal. Sabastian comes in our bedroom after breakfast and says, "Oh we are sooooo not having school today!" I said, "Bas what makes you think that?" He said, "Look outside mom, there's a ton of lightning." So I explained that the only 'weather' we stay home from school for is ICE. So he replies "That Obama, he'll probably make us go to school today!"

Note to my good friend Megan!

Finally got the rest of the Christmas trees down!!!!!! : )

Corky and his 'pack a day' problem... (just kidding)

So Passion Play practice started tonight... I was standing on stage with the kids and we are suppose to really "point and draw attention" to Jesus when he comes in on the donkey. Well in all the years that we've been doing the Passion Play, the donkey was CORKY - one of My uncle & aunt's donkeys... Corky had his last performance last year as he was getting old and is "in greener pastures" now. Well, Bas didn't realize Corky was gone and when Pastor Jason referred to the donkey as "Rose" he was a little confused. He said "Mom, where's Corky?" I said, "Well Bas Corky was getting old and his teeth were gone and Uncle Mark had to cut up his grass for him to eat... and he died." Bas said, "Well, did he smoke or something?"

L O L!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

from the heart

On the way home from church Wednesday night, Bas said quietly, "I'm only happy when G is happy." We weren't too sure how to answer that, so Steve said "How do you know when G is happy?" And Bas said "Because I can feel it in my heart."

Like father, like son.

Well as you might guess, the kids are selling something for school, yet AGAIN... This time it's "Candy bars." Both kids have a box they are responsible for selling. The first day they got their boxes, Sabastian had quite the dent made already. When Steve asked him where all his money was, Bas pulled out just a few dollar bills. So Steve asks him where the rest of the $ is... Bas answers, "I told the girls they could have credit, but I made the boys pay." Oh man...

Bas wants to be a "Scientist"???

OK - it's a funny story that happened a few months ago, but life's been so busy, I haven't had time to "share" lately...

So we are getting ready for church one Sunday morning, and Sabastian is in the shower, taking his sweet time.. and out of the blue says, "I know what I'm gonna be when I grow up" - so daddy takes the bait and asks "what?"... Bas replies "I'm gonna be a Scientist because I finally figured out what 100 + 100 really is... it's 1,000." Steve said "Bas, what is 1 + 1?" Bas answers "Duh, 2." Steve says "How can 1'hundred' plus 1'hundred' be 1'thousand' then?"... Bas replies "uh, hellooooo? Who's the scientist in this household?"

You gotta love it.

Valentine boxes ("I can do all things... with my hot glue gun")

Sabastian's "RAZORBACK BOX" (Don't laugh, it's not easy to make a Hog)

Savannah's "LION BOX"

Marri's "MICROPHONE BOX"
Mason's "TWILIGHT BOOK BOX"

Well that's 4 out of 5 boxes done... I actually have to take a box to work Friday. I'm thinking a grocery bag at this point. I'm tired!

Bas the basketball player!

WOW I am so proud of Sabastian! He made his first basket today and ended up scoring 6 points!!!! After he made each one, he did a little dance and was grinning from ear to ear. All the parents on our team got a kick out of his excitement and his high 5's. It was so neat to see!

We finally got some nice weather today and we are taking advantage of it! Fishing behind the house, bike rides and playing outside. Now if I could only get motivated to take down the 2 remaining Christmas trees...

Tennis Girls Night Out!

'Sorry' to all the people sitting around us... ;)
Stacey - my doubles partner