Weekend Highlights

Friday night at the Southside game... (the Rebels took care of Rogers by the way ;) Here's a pic of Kristen and the other majorettes that got to take part in the pregame festivities. They did so well! Good job girls!!!

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Saturday was a full slate of football. Jake's team endured a tough contest against a great team, but came up short - we'll get 'em next time though!

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Below are some pics from Clay's game - it was a fun one to watch! We ended up on the winning side of this one. Clay did awesome - his athletic ability and game instincts definitely come from his father!

As captain of the defense, he gets the call from his coach.

His position is middle linebacker - here's a GREAT tackle he made that caused a fumble.

WAY TO GO #11

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Sunday..... was a great day at church, followed by a house full of teenagers that night. Russ is teaching a series called LIFE 101 (Lessons I Face Everyday). We capped off last night's lesson with a rowdy game of "Spoons". Let me tell ya, this group (mostly girls) is not timid and shy when it comes to grabbing those spoons - lots of bloodshed last night!

So Proud!

Well guess who just got September Student of the Month at school? JAKE did! The award is based on attitude, grades, citizenship, etc. and boy, are we proud. He really loves school and adores his teacher Mrs. Humphrey. Thankfully, he takes "staying on green" (behavior color system) very seriously! The picture above shows his award t-shirt and certificate. The picture below shows what he's really like, once we get home - a mess! Ha Ha...

"See You at the Pole"

Mornings are busy. While most people were getting up, getting ready, and getting where they needed to get, teenage students all over the country were gathering at their respective flag poles to pour their heart out in prayer over their friends, their school, and their nation. It's called "See You at the Pole" and is a student-led prayer assembly held on the last Wednesday morning of September. Kristen had an opportunity to lead out this morning at her school, while Russ was asked to give a "salty" message to her peers. So neat to see!

Russ and I LOVE teenagers - we've been involved with that group for roughly 18 years now. In fact, several of the teens we ministered to in the past are now working with teens themselves, which is THE coolest thing! I've always thought that junior highs and high schools are some of the biggest mission fields out there. Attitudes about life and faith are, in many cases, set by the age of 18 - yikes! I am so convicted about praying for this generation and even more so, I am compelled to pray for my own teenager - Sure, I want her to be strong in her faith, but I want MORE for her! For her to allow God to use that faith and discipleship, put it in action, and influence other students. The harvest is plentiful....

NCR Fighting Tigers

Wow, there is just nothin' cuter than a 6-year-old in a football uniform. Well maybe I'm slightly biased...
Here is Jake getting ready to play for the NCR Fighting Tigers(#3) - he plays defensive safety and is very serious about it. Case in point - If coach tells him to look for the ball to be run on the right side, he'll look on the right and ummm.... only on the right, even though the play goes left. He's obedient to a fault when it comes to football! But he learning SOOOO much! He has a wonderful coach (Coach Johnny) who simply loves God, love kids, and loves football, in that order!
We're excited to watch him learn teamwork, discipline, and skill. Even though they hurt at the time, Jake LOVES showing off the bruises he earns from time to time. (Now they are not THAT bad, all you protective moms ;)

A big thanks to my talented daughter who made the banner - she and her sweet friend, Sarah, stayed up late (after an exhausting night at the fair :) to make something Jake would be proud of. Thanks Kristen!

I'm Supa-girl!

That's what she claims, anyway! Well I just had to post this pic of Madi in all her glory. She is the classic strong willed child - always happiest when she is in control :). In fact Russ has come up with a new word - "Mad-itude" whenever she's displaying her less-than-cooperative side! I know this trait will serve her well someday
(.... right???) Maybe it's because she's the youngest she feels the need to keep up with (and surpass) everyone else around here! A side-note: she HATES having her hair up in a bow, ponytail, braids, etc.... and she will only tolerate it if we're out somewhere. She much prefers the natural look of wild curls all in her face and would have no problem at all wearing that same dress (in the pic) EVERY DAY, and of course, being barefoot!

All that to say: Gosh, we love this girl SO MUCH - her little face makes me melt. Madi adds a lot of excitement to this household and we pray God will grow her up to be a real life Super Girl for Him.

And the year was 1988....

Do you remember what you were doing? Boy, I sure do! I was graduating from high school and - I'll save you the mental math - it's been 20 years! Check out those senior pics above! Russ was so cute, but I was about as "eighties" as it got! Part of me feels like it's been a lifetime ago, another part feels like it was last week! Fortunately I had a really great high school experience - I'm a Springdale Bulldog fan for life! Although I can think of some things I would have done differently, overall, the memories are sweet. I met my future husband, made some lasting friendships, participated in a lot of activities, learned from some mistakes, and received a few honors along the way. Now that I am a mother to a teenager (and another one approaching quickly), I can better appreciate my parents' wisdom and sympathize with their worry. Recently I asked my mother how in the world she was able to let me just drive off BY MYSELF into this dangerous world?! Come to think of it, I need to ask my sister-in-law (who has a brand spankin' new 16-year-old) how it feels.

Back to the class of '88 - Our former classmates are planning an awesome reunion - I'm so disappointed that we can't attend due to our sons' opening night of their football (see previous post!) season as well as other obligations that day. I'm counting on old friends to give me the complete scoop though ;) Hopefully we'll get to attend the alumni game the Friday night before - (Ugghhh - more football!) - haha

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?....

And not just on Monday nights, like the song would indicate. Football appears to have taken over our lives in recent days! Clay (11) and Jake (6) are both playing for the Boys Club - it will be Clay's 6th year and Jake's 1st year to play. Practices occur on a daily basis (as does the laundry that follows :) and actual games are coming up soon. Clay LIVES for practice - he simply cannot get enough. Jake, on the other hand, hasn't fully appreciated the concept of "practice makes perfect" - he's ready to just play the game and get the sticker that follows!

Oh, and Kristen (14) is not immune from God's favorite sport (as my husband fondly refers to it). She participates in band and performs majorette routines during the halftime show at her junior high games.

So in a nutshell... there's not a day of the week that we do not spend either watching (TV too!), practicing , attending, or playing the game of football!

Birthday girls

I want to wish a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my two favorite nieces today!!! Ashley is sweet sixteen and little Erin is four today - two sisters that share the same birthday (12 years apart)! I hope their day was a special one... I love them dearly...

My first post!

Ok, it seems I'm always a step behind the times, but I finally decided to take a dive into blogging! I don't know how I've convinced myself that I actually have the time to post, or that anyone would be interested in the daily happenings of my family, but I'm going to give it a whirl. :) I think more than anything I want to have a "record" of life in this household at the height of it's craziness. What I wouldn't give to have started when my 14-year-old was little!! What a great piece of family history I would have maybe had.... Regardless, there's no time like the present!

Also, I used to love, love, love to write, if only for myself, so perhaps this will be an appropriate outlet for me to rediscover that.