Cat, Dog or the Pig

So today Abbie was hanging out in the den and she had been doing some coloring. Brie saw an opportunity to stir up a mess and promptly scattered the crayons all around the floor and coffee table. When I walked through the den, I asked Abbie to please pick up some of the crayons. Now, I have to pause here to tell you that we have been reading a book about the Little Red Hen who wants to plant some seeds and grow some wheat to make into bread. She is on the farm with a cat, a dog and a pig who are pretty lazy. Everytime Little Red Hen wants to perform a step toward growing, cutting, milling, and baking the bread she asks the cat, dog and pig "who will help me?" to which they respond, "Not I." So back to Abbie and the crayons... I asked her to pick up some of the crayons. She looks at me and says, Mom, who will help me pick them up? I said, well, honey, I'm about to go up and find Brie's "haci" so she can go down for a nap. She looks at me and says matter-of-factly. "Okay, so who are you, the cat, the dog or the pig?" I nearly fell over. Not much to say to that, I picked up the crayons with her. Gotta love kids!

Eggs to Baby Birds

Here are some pictures of our eggs a few days ago and the baby birds today.

Hatching Day...

We have had the pleasure of watching some birds make a nest in the wreath on our front door and lay four eggs. These eggs are as tiny as they can be! Today when I went to check on the eggs, we had not only eggs but also BABY BIRDS!! They are sort of creepy looking but they are also such a little miracle. Today they have survived people coming up to our front door, me walking in and out of the door without knowing that the eggs had hatched, a torential storm and constant interruption by my camera and the kids checking on the newest residents of Sugar Creek.

Chicken Dance

So a few nights ago, the girls and I were hanging out finishing our dinner and recovering from a crazy busy day. While I was working in the kitchen, Abbie was wandering around looking for something to do. I suddenly heard hysterical laughter coming from Brie. I look over at Abbie, grab my camera and the video here is what I saw...Enjoy Abbie's Chicken Dance.

Secret Sisters...

Tracie and Abbie
Tracie and Brie

First let me say that the pictures with this post really have nothing to do with it except that I'm smiling in them and that's what I have been doing a lot of lately thanks to some secret sisters. Yes, someone or several someones, I don't know which, have been leaving the most delightful surprises on my car and on my front porch in such beautiful bags and envelopes. I don't know what to say except "THANK YOU!!!" And that's just not enough...I have loved all the gifts from my annoymous secret sister(s). Each one has brought squeals of delight from me and from my girls. Abbie and I just keep looking at each other exclaiming "Who is doing this!!!!" quickly followed by something like "Open the bag Mommy and see what you got!!" I told my husband that's it's been better than a lot of my birthdays! The gifts are so thoughtful and are exactly the stuff that I love! I know, I keep using exclamation points but seriously, even as I sit her writing this, I'm equally flabbergasted by this sweet, secret, generous outpouring of love and selfishly loving every minute of it...I'm such a girl!! So, thank you so much. I just can't say it enough. I am so blessed by the people in my life and so grateful to the Lord for placing you in my life. More than anything, I am blessed by the friends that He has brought around me to keep me smiling while Phillip is away. Thanks to you and thanks to Him for you! Love and Hugs~ Tracie

Our Blessings

While Phillip has been in Kuwait, we have experienced the most incredible blessings. I know that the source of these blessings is the Lord Jesus. We are literally overwhelmed by His outpouring of love by His people. In the last month, our computer has broken, our washing machine broke and my vacuum cleaner broke. Small things, yes and no. Our computer crashed the night before Phillip left and it was the only means of communication we would have with him in Kuwait so it was important to us that we get it up and running. Nick Ferguson, the son of one of my parents missionary friends came over and fixed my computer and swept it of all the viruses that were making it slow. Then my washing machine literally broke in the middle of the spin cycle while there was a full load inside. My mom finished the load at her house but I was still in desperate need of a washer. Enter Action Jackson (aka: Gary Jackson our "furniture guy"). We called him, he had a washer without a dryer that he would sell to us at a great price. We drive out there and when we get there, to my astonishment, he wants to GIVE us this washer and will deliver it and set it up and take my old one away. Why? Because he wants to repay my parents for their kindness to him over the years and because he wants to help out a solider's family. This was a HUGE blessing. It's a fabulous machine...works great, has a large capacity basket and most importantly: cleans like crazy!! Then the vacuum cleaner literally caught on fire while I was using it. Sparked, shot out what can only be described as a small electrical flame and then poured out smoke. It was dead, no coming back from that kind of destruction but God had a plan! I had a older Hoover (like more than 10 years old) that worked great but I had stopped using it when I got this new one...I thought I had killed the old when I sucked up a belt thingie under Abbie's bed. Turns out, it was repairable for a super low price ($26.00) and I was able to shell out another little bit for an extra machine so that I can keep one upstairs and one down. The man that helped me, Rick at Rick's Vacuum World on Kiehl Ave in Sherwood, was wonderful and as it turns out, his son is a fire fighter at Station 2 in LR. Small world. There have been so many blessings that I can't really even contain them all in this posting. From annonymous gift certificates, notes of encouragement, invitations to be involved with other families, playdates, job opportunites, PRAYERS and so much more we have been so abundantly blessed. I thank God for the way that He has moved His people to care for my little family. In the scheme of things, that He loves me and mine enough to do that when He is busy keeping the world on its Axis is phenomenal.
Praise to Him who is Holy and thanks from this daughter of Christ Jesus who deserves all the Praise. Thank you Lord for loving me so much and for providing in every need and blessing us even with things we didn't know we needed and weren't expecting. We love you.

More Graduation Pictures

Abbie Grace and Mrs. Marabeth

Abbie Grace and Ian Walker
Abbie Grace and Her Candy Diploma
Future Crestwood Cougars: Hope and Abbie

Abbie getting her certificate with

Mrs. Marabeth and Mrs. Jamie