"Pimples"

So this morning on our walk, some dogs came up to a fence and barked at us. Jackson asked, "Are those pimples?"

Huh?
Nick had to explain to me that he meant pit bulls.
Oh.
Hehe.

Back to School

Monday was the first day of our new school year. Some were excited to get back to work.....others not so much. Jackson was very excited to "do school". (Please just ignore his first day of kindergarten attire....long sleeve shirt on a 100 degree day...He picked it out himself and was very proud of it...)
So far, I'm pretty happy with the schedule we have going, and I'm looking forward to a productive year of learning.

Happy Birthday, Omi!

Sunday we celebrated Omi's 79th birthday. We had one of her favorite meals--spaghetti, and ice cream cake. We are blessed to have her in our lives and to get to spend most Sunday afternoons with her.

And her adventure begins.......

Thursday morning, (was that really only 2 days ago?) we left the house, headed for CBU.....

Here is a view of the car, loaded up with all Cara's stuff!Almost 10 hours later we pulled into the Days Inn (we had a Walmart stop, a lunch stop, and one or two bathroom stops.) We checked in and went to dinner. That was Thursday.
Friday morning we headed to CBU and got there just before 9 am. After checking in, some very nice college students helped us lug all that stuff up to the 3rd floor. We saw the room and were thinking, there is NO WAY all this stuff will fit on Cara's half of the room. But we fixed her bed as high as it would go, so she can use under her bed for lots of storage. After a couple of hours, we got the room looking like this:This picture makes me so sad. It was taken from the suburban as we were pulling out.

I snapped a couple of pictures of the University on the way out:
We left later than we were hoping, and got stuck in this:
Luckily, Jackson was able to amuse himself on the way home:
It took us almost 10 hours to get back home, because of bad traffic and stops, and we didn't get home til about 12:40 in the morning. Yes, I am very tired today and I miss my girl, but I talked to her last night and was glad to hear she went to dinner with a couple of girls, and of course she has Colette nearby to help her along.
Today at the grocery store, I found myself missing her already. Just little things, like thinking oh, that 8 pack is enough, since Cara is gone, and thinking of how she likes to organize the shopping cart when she comes shopping with me (which amuses me cause, well, if you have ever seen her room, you would know why that amuses me...) I know she will be coming home Thanksgiving, so I will hold on to that. And I know she is in God's hands and that He sent her there, so I will hold on to that too. And I know she will be ok and have some fun along the way (ya hear that, Cara?).
So, that's about all I have to say right now about everything.
I love you, Cara Beth.

We are home from taking Cara to CBU, but that is another post. Because first I must post about Danny and Jackson's birthday party.......

So, last Sunday was a big day. We celebrated Danny and Jackson's birthday. Yes, I know Jackson's birthday isn't until the end of the month, but Cara requested we celebrate before she left, so it was kinda a combo birthday party and last Sunday for Cara home kinda day.

First, Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Scott and Aunt Lynn came up for our church service, which included special music by many of the kids and singing some of Cara's songs. So that was a special service.
Then, it was time to come home for the birthday party. Ralph barbecued hamburgers and we had presents and Danny's traditional dirt cake and ice cream. To make a full day even fuller, we went back to church in the evening for a homemade ice cream social. Scott and Lynn stayed for that so they could take Cara home with them afterwards til Tuesday afternoon. ( This was so Cara and Lynn could spend some time together and also so Cara could get her hair cut and colored to get rid of the koolaid red that never quite went away.)
So that was last Sunday. It was a special day with family and friends.
Trip to CBU post coming soon, but now I must spend some time with my family and at some point, I guess I have to buy some food for this empty house....
TTFN

Vacation Pictures.....

Our trip to Snowflower was restful and relaxing. We swam in the pool, played around in the lodge, played in the lake, did a little fishing, rested, read, ate, and ate some more. Nothing fancy, just spending time together.
Monday Cara and I went shopping and spent all day getting stuff together for college....stuff like a coffee pot, little odds and ends, an iron, some last minutes clothes....just a bunch of stuff.
I'm so tired I can't remember what else we did this week, but today we went to spend the day with the H family. That was nice, lunch was good, and the company was even better. Then tonight we had our last Friday night pizza before Cara (and Colette) head off for CBU. I had the audacity to think of making something else for dinner tonight, but the kids set me straight about this being the last Friday night pizza night with everyone together, and so pizza it was. :-)
Now the little ones are tucked into their beds, the big kids are talking and laughing in the other room, and life is good. I'm not gonna think about Cara being 8 hours from home just yet......

Cara's Off to College Shower

Yesterday we had the privilege of attending Cara's "off to college" shower, at our church. It was wonderful to see Cara so blessed and spoiled. She received lots of very nice things, and will be very warm and comfortable at college, with new blankets and sheets and lots of other things. I'm amazed at the love and generosity of our church family. Here are just a few pictures of the day. I'm really sorry I didn't get a picture of Cara and Marilyn, since Marilyn put so much work into making such a nice shower...I will have to get one later.

And now, time to finish getting us ready for our week at Snowflower. Can't wait to get out of here!! We all need a to rest and recharge our batteries for the changes ahead. (When we get back, we still have 1001 things to do (and buy) to get Cara ready.)

P.S. Please pray for healing for my Mom, who broke her toe a couple of days ago!