Yeah another movie from the makers of Fireproof!

Courageous Synopsis

Holy Cow!

Has it really been since May since I've updated?

I've considered abandoning the blog because I've been using facebook instead. But it's hard to let it go completely. And I realize not everyone is on facebook.

So I'll make another attempt.

School has been going well for the kiddos. PT conferences went well.

We're enjoying Junior High football; today is the last game.

I'm trying to post a couple of photos but am having technical difficulties.

FYI: Camper is sold.

Cooper's Birthday

Here's a post I discovered I'd begun in June & am just posting it now...From Cooper's 5th birthday.

Camper For Sale

floorplan this is off their site of the 2010 model, but it is the same as ours except the entry into the "master" bedroom has sliding doors in the center rather than off to the side. Also there is no place for an LCD TV in that spot. There is a place above the pantry area for a TV, though you'll have to provide your own. The dinette in ours is not a "U" but a normal 2 bench sit across from each other kind.

Outside shot

Kitchen

Dining/Living Room area-the slide is where the table/sofa are


Bathroom-sink/toilet/shower/tub

Quad Bunks-These are great & hard to find in used models

Queen size bed in the front


We are so excited! We closed on a cabin at the lake yesterday. So...our camper is for sale if you're interested. With Brad's busy summer schedule we think the cabin will be a much better fit for our family. And I don't have to learn how to PULL the camper! Although I did appreciate the offer from my Uncle & Aunt to teach me.:)

Here's a little info about this super-fantastic camper:

32' 2005 Keystone Cougar Bumper-pull.
Sleeps 10 w/quad bunks (hard to find in a used model!)
Super slide-out in living/dining room area
A/C and heat
Fiberglass siding
Electric jack
Outdoor awning
Queen bed in the front part
Shower/tub/toilet/sink
Asking $16,000.
NADA books this model between $16-19,000.

Spring Soccer Pictures

Chloe's handful of worms. Just a little something to play with during Cooper's game.

Hunter

Cooper's team giving fives after the game.

Cooper

Parker & Kamrie

Mason, Cooper & Malachi

Kids Last Day of School 2010

I had to drag Cooper out of bed for our photo shoot.

Cooper-4 3/4
Hunter-12 1/2
Parker-9 1/2
Kamrie-8 1/2
Chloe-6 7/8

Summer Vaca '10

I can hardly believe the kids will finish their school year tomorrow. Where in the world has the time gone?

It's been a great year, although BUSY. I try to just stop once in awhile and remind myself to breathe. Enjoy this time. Someday when the kids are gone from home I'll be wishing for the noise & the mess & the hectic schedule. I can't wish this time away!

I've been able to be in the girls' classrooms this year once a week & loved that time. I've also been able to go on field trips! That is always fun.

The kitchen/living room project is nearly completed, just awaiting trim work. Which can be this fall if necessary.

Since that project is done we've moved onto the next: downstairs bathroom. For now the shower is torn out & will hopefully be replaced soon.

We're looking forward to summer events like baseball, softball, camps & swimming lessons. Also some CAMPING!

The nights are finally getting warm enough to consider de-winterizing the camper. And then I need some lessons on pulling it. Anyone willing to teach me? :)

Comfy Seats

Aah. We have comfy seats to sit in & a table to eat at! I'm so happy.

And thankful.

When the furniture was delivered yesterday seriously I didn't know if it would fit through the front door. But it's all in & looks super. After several hours looking at all the couch choices I can't believe Brad & I found something to agree on. :)

But, it sure all looked a bit smaller in the HUGE warehouse of a store. Brad keeps teasing me (is he teasing?) that we don't need smaller furniture, we need a bigger house. We may not have room to walk, but we have plenty of seating for all our friends & family.

So, come see us!

Maybe this weekend we'll actually get the kitchen sink installed. The countertops are waiting to be picked up in North Platte.

Funny story about Menards: After we placed the reorder on the countertops they told us since it was a reorder it would be priority so it may be quicker than 2 weeks. So, after a week we called nearly every day to see if it was in. Greg & Mike know us by name & know what we want as soon as we call. Mike called us early yesterday morning to tell us our order is in. Then later in the day Greg called us also.

After all our phone calls I'm sure they are wondering WHY we didn't run & get it as soon as they called!

Minor Setbacks

We haven't had any major problems as we've started remodeling our house, for that I'm so thankful.

I ordered the wrong style of hinges online, so I'm waiting to hang the doors until I get the right ones. I have them sitting there waiting like a puzzle to be put together.

And our countertops look beautiful. Or they will.

We mis-measured, so the one section turned out about 1 1/2-2 inches too short. And too short is too short. No way to stretch it or cut anything to fix it. So, we're waiting for a new piece before we can install them & the sink.

We purchased flooring yesterday, hoping to install it this weekend. We also ordered carpet for the bedrooms. It'll be like a whole new house with new flooring! I'm very excited about that.

For purchasing used cabinets unseen online & for doing much of the work ourselves, we haven't had any totally unexpected costs or mistakes. I'm grateful. Though we have to eat the mis-measured section of the countertop, it still won't cost us that much more to replace it.

We're looking for a counter-height table to put in the center as well as living room furniture. I purchased an antique cabinet last week for our TV to stand on. It's coming together & easy to see the end in sight at this point.

I'm also thankful for Brad & his willingness to work hard in his spare time to complete it.

House Project: Making Progress

House before we moved in.

Getting some new windows. See the hail damage from last summer on the siding?


You can kind of see the "old kitchen" area behind the kids. The kitchen is the area on the left & the "dining room" was on the right. I can't find a different picture right now.

Newly sheetrocked area.


It's so good to be making progress on the house. Thanks to several good friends, we had new windows put in last Sunday & now sheetrock after yesterday.

We have a plumber & another friend to finish the sheetrock this week.

I am nearing completion on the cabinets also. There will be some new ones that will also need stained & poly-ed, but those will be easy since they won't need stripped.

It will be SO nice to have it done. Thank you so much Rick, Aaron, Brian, Kelsey & Bruce for your work. We are indebted.

I know there will be favors returned this summer come roofing time. :)

And we will love it.

Tomorrow's agenda: Shop for countertops, lights & more cabinets.

Crutches...sort of

I've been on crutches since last Wednesday. Well, crutches & sort of a hobble on the heel sort of a walk.

I haven't posted much about my foot since the morton's neuroma surgery in December, because not much has happened, including healing.

The surgery in itself was a success. I have no pain like I did for the most part of the year before surgery. But since there was no pain, I also had a few complications, probably from being active on it too early.

The stitches didn't dissolve completely, so the incision opened back up around the first of the year-about 3 1/2-4 weeks after surgery. And it's been open ever since.

It is closing, but
ever
so
slowly.

Finally after a 2nd round of stitches (that were in 4 weeks & didn't do a thing), plus bloodwork to rule out all sorts of nasty infirmities, the doctor came to a conclusion.

He said, "I've been wracking my brain & called several other doctors to figure out what was going on with your foot."

A toe joint capsule had opened up & was leaking fluid into the incision site, therefore preventing the healing.

Aah. Finally an answer.

Now what? We wait. See you in 3 weeks. Keep it dry. Wear the post-op shoe.

No change after 2 weeks, so I called the doctor again. They said why don't you try crutches for 4-5 days & we'll see you on Monday.

I was wanting to get agressive on the treatment. But crutches??

Inwardly I cringed as the nurse told me, but I decided if I wanted to get more agressive on the treatment I'd best do what they recommended.

And you know what? I do believe it's working. I can tell today there is no fluid leaking.

Yeah!! Now that's an answer to prayer.

What have I learned from all of this?

1. I would still recommend Dr. Raska to anyone shopping for a podiatrist. He & everyone at their clinic have been nothing but helpful & kind.

2. I have a new appreciation for people dealing with chronic pain (from before surgery) & disabilities. At least there is an end in sight for me. And since surgery there has been very little pain.

3. Buy a cast/bandage protector if you have a cast or somewhere you need to keep dry. That has been a life-saver the last 3 1/2 months.

4. Do your research. It's ok to google your symptoms. Then you know what questions to ask your doctor, or possible treatment options. Talk to others, they have good ideas too. But don't get freaked out by the extreme cases you read online.

I know eventually my foot will be back to "normal." God is faithful & is teaching me humility through it all. He is the great physician & the ultimate healer.

Murray Meeting Clyde

Murray met Grandpa Pete's dog last week for the first time. They had so much fun. Clyde would just put his paw on Murray & pin him down.

Fetch

I've been fairly impressed with Murray so far. He seems very smart. He was fetching for us without training from the day we brought him home. Here's Brad & his furry friend.

Date Night Photo Shoot

The girls had a great time with Daddy last night. Evidently the movie they watched wasn't necessarily great for little girls which was a bit disappointing but all in all they had a fun time. Especially the getting ready & picture time.

Cooper cried for quite awhile after they left saying he never gets to go on dates.
Parker said "aren't you having fun here with us?"
Cooper said, "no we're just staying home! that's not a date!"

Squeeeeze.

Furry Murray has grown a lot this last week. Hopefully enough he can't squeeze through the gaps in the fence anymore.

We left him outside last week at night (after barking a lot in the crate the first night). Brad built him a kennel outside with a heat lamp & cedar chips. He likes to go in there. But in the middle of the night I heard barking.

Lots of little baby-puppy barking.

So finally I checked on him & couldn't see him from the back door. Hmmm. The barking is coming from the other door.

He'd squeezed out of the fence & was sitting on the other back steps barking for us to let him in. I was so glad he hadn't wandered off or that someone hadn't taken him. Or that he didn't get into the street.

I didn't sleep for awhile after that. He's been the crate at night since & hasn't barked hardly at all.

He's a great fetcher too! No training & could fetch. Wish I could say the same for housebreaking. Can you breed them for that skilll?

First Dates

The girls have been getting ready since after school for their Fathers & Daughters Night at Girl Scouts. They'll get their picture taken, eat & then watch a movie together.

They were so excited. I'm anxious to hear about their evening.

This event has also sparked some interesting conversations about dating later also. And some even about kindergartners kissing kindergartners. Seriously??

Brad said, "If a boy kisses you, hit 'em! If you get in trouble we'll stick up for you."

Hot Chicks

Check out the hot chicks in the opening scene of the Football 101 2009 video...

1st Few Days with Murray

Newborn?

So tomorrow we go get Furry Murray. We are looking forward to it, but I'm also wondering,

Is this my last full night of sleep for awhile?

Will it be like having a newborn in the house again?

Ugh. Am I really up for this?

I'll let you know.

Garage Sale Success

Saturday's Mega Garage Sale for Missions was a huge success. The gym was PACKED with every kind of treasure imaginable. There were probably 50 people at least waiting at the door until we let them in at 8:00 a.m.

There was very little left over at the end of the day. Several bags of clothes were donated to the Catholic Church & a few boxes were rounded up to take to Goodwill. Otherwise everything went out the door to satisfied customers.

The proceeds for missions was $2,145.00!

It was a great time fellowshipping together as we worked. And did we work!

Thank you to everyone who donated items or their time. You are appreciated.

Dillan & Petska Kids

We had a great time (again) at the Petska's house for Christmas. It's always fun for the kids & the adults. I'm so thankful they let us all come crash at their house for several days at a time. Here's 1 of about 20 shots of the grandkids all together. This was the best of my photos, I'm hoping Theresa got one where they were all actually looking at the camera.
Orrin-17
Lathan-16
Flagan-15
Macon-14
Talon-8
Hunter-12
Parker-9
Kamrie-8
Chloe-6
Cooper-4

Treasure Hunt

You can go on a Treasure Hunt from 8-5 on Saturday at the Imperial City Gym at CWC's Indoor Mega Garage Sale.

All of the proceeds will go towards Missions.

If you'd like to donate items you may bring them to the City Gym Friday from 5-8 pm. Or call us & we'll come get your stuff.

Murray

Murray, his brothers & sisters all in a puppy pile.
Kam & Murray
Brad & Murray
Murray licking Hunter.
Chloe & Murray's brother.
Little Murray.
We got to meet our little furry bundle of joy yesterday. What a sweetie.

I realize in a few weeks I may not think he's so sweet, but for now, he's adorable.

And since he's so furry...

He's Furry Murray!!

We'll pick him up next week.

Dog Names

Well, the puppy is all picked out. He'll be ready in another week or so. So the job in the meantime?

Choose a name. A good solid boy-dog name.

Here's a few from the list we made today:

Husker
Killer
Superhero Spiderman to the Rescue
Monster Truck Jam
Walt
Gordon
Newman
Alvin
Simon
Theo
Grady
Hawk
Jed
Bolt

Very creative, yet some are a bit hard to say. I'm pushing for either Walt (after the air compressor that's been sitting in our living room for months) or Newman (after my driver).

I suppose there will be some stipulations about who has the final say. Like whoever names it has to scoop all the dog-do in the backyard or has to clean up all the chewed up garden hoses.

Maybe I don't want to give any input after all.

It'll all be worth it for his super-soft furry little ears to pet (or scrub as Cooper says).

thefencepost.com

Chloe's teacher entered some of her student's artwork for The Fencepost's Holiday Contest. The drawings were "what the holidays mean to them and their families."

Here's Chloe's winning entry for the 8 & below division:

What she's excited about: the $20 check she received in the mail.
What I'm excited about: that she's learning that Jesus is the reason and the meaning for the Holiday season.

Thanks Mrs. Cupp for entering the kids' artwork.

Tag, I'm it.

Here are 7 things you may not know about me.

1. I graduated high school in 1993 with 21 classmates and to my knowledge all of us still living.

2. I changed my major from Education to Business during my 3rd year of college.

3. I have moved to another town 5 times in my life.

4. During college I worked at a hometown sports store, The Sports Shoppe, and sometimes still want to answer the phone "Sports Shoppe, this is Terri," even though it's been almost 13 years ago.

5. In 6th grade at our elementary track meet I fell down after hitting a hurdle. A friend of mine, Michelle, stopped to see if I was OK, I got up & ran & beat her. She was definitely a better friend than I was. That was the last time I did the hurdles.

6. When my dad worked as an auto-body man I loved to go to his shop. After he would fill in spots that needed putty & "shave" it off with the file I would sit & cut it like I was cutting hair. I also liked to play inside the empty windshield boxes.

7. When my cousin, Jason, & I were young, we'd play "Missing Persons Incorporated" at my Grandparent's house. We'd make up characters & plots of different missing people & figure out how to find them. It was always a happy ending.

Now it's your turn Jess & Sara. Tag, you're it.

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to my MOM today. You are a blessing to me and so many others. Thank you for your example of God's love.

Frogs

Out of the blue in the car yesterday Cooper said, "I wish I could cut a frog open and see what's inside his body."

I hope that's a sign of him wanting to be a doctor or veterinarian someday & not something creepy.

He wants to know what their bones look like because right now he doesn't even know.

Missing Marley

Our sweet chocolate lab got hit & killed just after Christmas. We're (probably mostly me) missing him. I even miss him running along the fence as I pull through the alley.

It's amazing how quickly he became a part of the family since we'd only had him since May. We'd just gotten through the naughty-puppy phase.

We sure miss the furry guy.