A week in the life of our soccer players

Had a pretty busy week with soccer.  Carson's team won their tournament last weekend, Cameron's team won their tournament this weekend and Chandler's team won last night 5-0.  If I sit and think about our crazy schedules I have know idea how we do  practices, games, school, homework, projects, church, jobs, laundry, house cleaning.. the list goes on but somehow we make it work and not perfectly for sure but it is our life and we do our best.  Our boys know we love them and the Lord and really after that nothing else matters... oh except sleep..haha
Have a wonderful week!!

So Much has happened

So much has happened since I have last written.  Even the page setup that I am writting on right now is different.

Since February- Chandler turned19, Carson turned 10, We ended the school year in May.
Chandler left for Columbus, Ohio where he played with the u19 & U20 teams.  David, Carson, Cameron and I visited him and while there we went to Kings Island(what a blast!!) The U19 team won Nationals, it was televised and was so exciting to see our son play soccer on t.v.
My mother-in-love( diagnosed with Alzheimers 3 yrs ago)  fell on June 14th, feeling that he couln't keep her safe at home anymore at home as this was the 3rd fall, my father-in-love decided it best to put her in a nursing home, she spent 1 wk in the hospital, 1 wk in the nursing home, 1 wk in the hospital again, 1 wk in a hospice facitliy and then quietly took her last breath  with family surrounding her on July 15th.  Thankfully we were able to get Chandler home in time to see her before she passed even though she did not recognize any of us in the end.  She was a fiesty fun woman and has been greatly missed.  Father-in-love is trying to keep busy but misses her so.
Finising the story--Chandler started soccer back at U of M, another school year has begun for Carson, Cameron and I. David has continued working and just celebrated 29 years with FedEx. My Dad had a mild heart attack and thankfully was able to get by with surgery that put in two stents rather than by-pass surger, so we are praying that this along with diet/exercise changes he will be back to himself very soon. We just got back from a soccer tournament in Atlanta last night for Carson's team where they won 1 game and tied 2 but didn't advance.  Now going to spend this Labor Day preparing for the week and going to see our favorite #5 play tonight in the Tiger's game.

Now after recapping 6 months in 1 paragraph I guess it really isn't necessary to write daily. ha!!As I looked through the pictures that I wanted to choose for this post I realized I really should blog more often because there really are do many other things that occured and details that I want to remember.  I have to try to make the time to record these days as I know my memory is not as good as it once was.. ha

Well it's been a while and I am full swing back into teaching, taking my kiddos to basketball practices and games-- Close to the end though and time to move onto Soccer full time. We have been practicing for the last 3 or so weeks but due to basketball haven't made very many soccer practices. Sometimes I am so overwhelmed at my schedule that I really try to only concentrate on one day at a time-which seems to make it more manageable.

Chandler is about to go to Brazil with his college team and he is pretty pumped about that. We are so proud of him. He has recently rededicated his life for the Lord and has changed his already pleasant attitude to an even better one. He is leaning on the Lord for so many life decisions right now..

Carson and Cameron are the ones keeping us hopping around with all their activities but as long as they are happy and thriving well we will continue running them everywhere.

I don't want to wish away any day as I know we are not guaranteed tomorrow, but I do look forward to the summer. The school year is just long enough to pour myself into the lives of the ones God has put into my class. In the three years I have been teaching I can honestly say I don't have a favorite class. They are like my own children each class with a different dynamic and personalities..

We did visit Yogart Mountain last night. What an awesome place. A little pricy but I will for sure be back!!

About to start my busy weekend.
Praying for a great one!
Blessings,

My Mouth, My Heart

I read this in my quiet time this morning:

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Proverbs 14:23-- the note regarding the verse said that if we store up good things in our hearts, our words and actions will be good. "out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks"-- this was somewhat convicting to me this morning. I had to ask myself what is in my heart? What is coming out of my mouth? Oh it is easy to have sweet kind words overflowing when things are going good or going "my way" but what about when I have been hurt or wronged? Then it can be a different picture. Oh it shouldn't be but it usually is-- The Bible tells me to keep your tongue from evil-- it doesn't say keep your tongue from evil only if you feel like it... so Lord, as I was very convicted by these vereses in my quiet time today I ask that you help me to guard my heart so that when I am hurting (like now) only things that are pleasing to you will come out of my mouth and that rather than going to the phone to complain about my hurts to others in a negative way, I will go to your throne and leave my hurts at your feet.

And to think---- I thought I didn't have time for a quiet time this morning.. This was a message I needed to hear today. Thank you Lord for your Word.

Some things that make me smile....

Watching Chandler play soccer

Seeing Cameron put this on after I burned the bacon
Looking goofy while trying to stay warm at a ridiculously cold soccer game
My young ones dressed as baseball players for Halloween since they decided at the last minute to go out

Hubs and Cameron at a Tiger game with the Tiger

catching a fish in the backyard

Organinzation in the garage

everyone's toothbrush in one bathroom--makes for hectic mornings but fun conversations occur over the two sinks

organization in the bathroom

and of course The Cross where My Lord paid it all for my sins!(I took this one night in front of our church and thought they looked so pretty)

Blessings

Happy Monday/Happy Birthday!

Back to school today.. I challenged by 5th graders to think of one word for the year.. Can't wait to hear what they come up with..
Although I am exhausted, and there have been a few changes at work that affect me, I choose to have a positive attitude and to trust in the Lord for his leading.



I have to wish my son's girlfriend, Cathleen, or as Cameron calls her "CathAleen" a happy 19th birthday... we love this young lady!!

Blessings

Yes or No? In or Out? Up or down? Open or Close?-- so many choices yet so often I let life make or dictate the choice for me.. Not any more......

I was challenged by an article in the Praise and Coffee web magazine on the Praise and Coffee blog about choosing one word to focus on for the year. I loved all the words that she used in the article so I tried to make some of them fit in my life and they could have but I wanted the Lord to give me a word that would challenge me and my life. I waited and prayed for 3 days and today the word came..... So without further ado....... the word is ..... CHOICE .... I seem to forget that I always have a choice. My circumstances, don't have to dictate my response and yet so often they do. I can choose to be happy in any and all circumstances, I can choose to not respond hatefully, I can choose not to gossip, I can choose to treat my family with the love and respect they deserve, I can choose to read my Bible every day, I can choose to pray,I can choose to be the best teacher I can be, I can choose to say no.... there are so many choices that I can make.. rather than feeling trapped by my circumstances I choose to embrace them and be present in the moment whether it is a good moment or a bad moment....

So if you were to think about it what one word would you choose(another choice ha!) for your new year?
Blessings,