The Hair Salon

I thought these pictures would bring a smile to your face. We have now opened a place to have your hair done. That is, if you would like it done the way a kid does hair. I found my kids doing this. They had a towel draped around Joseph's neck. They sprayed water on his head and combed away. Since he loves to have his hair played with, he thought this was great.

Of course, Julianna and Samuel had to do Lydia's hair too. They were using a spray bottle with a fan on it and I was waiting for the fan to get caught in her hair. Samuel called me to the "shop" and said, "Look, mom, She looks like that guy on the hundred dollar bill." First of all, I was impressed that he knew what one of those things looked like. The more I looked at Lydia with her new hairstyle, I had to agree that she did favor Ben Franklin. He had taken her ponytails out and her hair was sticking out. We have been working with the kids to learn to laugh at themselves. When Samuel said this, Lydia said, "I'm not crying mom." I think she realized how funny it was. By the way, I let them do my hair sometimes but I don't think it is necessary to post those pictures.

Happy Father's Day

JULIANNA'S JOURNAL

Julianna is our 10 year old gal. She is our first born and likes that status. She will be in the 5th grade this fall and loves school. She enjoys an academic challenge. We are very proud of her accomplishments and remind her that it was God that gave her the abilities she has. She has been taking violin lessons for 6 years and piano for 3. This past year she added band. Doyle has her playing bells and other percussion instruments. She is very organized and likes structure in her life. When school let out, she thought we should put our plans on the calendar: water day on Thursday, craft day on Wednesday, etc. Since I like being organized, we get along well. We do have to work on being flexible.

She loves God and really wants to please Him. It is rewarding to see her having her devotions and growing spiritually. She is very good at making chocolate chip cookies and enjoys shopping with me. We feel privileged to have her as our girl.

Julianna has very long hair--it comes to about her knees. We bought her a book for her birthday with hairstyles for long hair. We tried a new one yesterday called the rope braid. It turned out pretty neat. When we went to the store, a woman came and asked her if her hair was real. We got a kick out of that. Julianna thought it was funny to think about buying a wig that long.

Recently when Julianna was playing a game and wanted to do something else while she played the game, Doyle explained that she could not do both things at the same time. She had a response, "Oh yes I can Dad, I'm a woman." We have to learn sometime, don't we ladies.

SAMUEL'S SITE

Samuel is our 8 year old guy. He is all boy and loves the outdoors. He is always bringing baby lizards to the back door to show me. I'm amazed at how he can catch these critters. Samuel will begin 3rd grade this fall. He does well in school and we are very pleased with his love for God. I really value the times he comes to share the details of his day with me. He wants to do right and is very sensitive to be honest.

Samuel recently saved his money for "Heelys." It takes him awhile to make up his mind but once it is made up, he feels good about his decision. They were pricey so Doyle and Samuel did a lot of research before buying. The big day came, but when he got to the store, he was 3 dollars short. Dad paid the last remaining bucks, but Samuel would not even put them on until he had come home and worked the money off by doing odd jobs. I saw him out there pulling weeds and my heart was happy.

He went into a store with me last week. We left the rest of the family in the van while I "quickly" checked out the bargains. He could tell that I was having trouble leaving the store and said, "Mom, if you will close your eyes, I will lead you out." You have to love a kid that is so helpful.

LYDIA'S LINK

Lydia is our 6 year old lady. The best way to describe her is to say that she lives life to the fullest. She just finished kindergarten and is excited about 1st grade. She is very dramatic about her feelings and life in general. She makes friends easily and just loves to be around people. Every family needs at least one kid like Lydia. The other day she told me, "I'm so glad Dad picked you, you are the best" (What do you say to a comment like that?) I felt like saying, "Do you want ice cream, fudge, or how about a dozen cookies?" I thought about giving her all of the above.

We were sitting in the commissioning service Sunday evening. It was a very emotional time when all the candles were lit representing the lights going into all the world with the gospel. I decided to use this opportunity to explain their mission. Lydia leaned over and said, "When are they going to come to Florida and tell them about Jesus?" I told her that that was our job.

As you can see in the photo, Lydia is missing a few teeth. She had caps put on when she was 1 year old (a run-in with an iron bed) and has had them replaced a few times. Recently one of these came loose; I decided no more replacements at her age. One came out naturally and the other 2 were knocked out on a marble table. Let's just say that was not a pleasant sight. She also cut the gum and bruised her mouth in the process. Well, we have gotten used to the new look and she has not stopped whistling since.

JOSEPH'S JINGLES

Joseph is our youngest, and we can't imagine life without him. He is 3 and keeps us smiling. He gets so much attention from his older siblings. He hugs us and tells us that he loves us. When I say, "I love you more," the game begins. He says that he loves me up to the moon and he thinks that he has won. I know better. When I smile at him, he winks and clicks his tongue. He constantly is saying things that keeps us laughing.

A few nights ago it was crazy. The kids were so wound up and could not go to sleep. He kept coming into our room for silly reasons. I finally said in a rather firm voice that I wanted them to settle down and go to sleep. In fact I said, "Do not come in my room again." Joseph came creeping back and said, "Mom, do you have a bad attitude?" I had to smile.

One of my favorite stories to tell is the dentist story. I knew every dentist appointment had not been positive but it wasn't until recently that I realized just how dramatic these visits were viewed when our rabbit died. I nonchalantly asked Joseph if he thought Oreo had made it to "rabbit heaven" to which he replied," NO, HE WENT TO THE DENTIST."

Flowers from Our Yard

Recent Walt Disney Trip

I refuse to go crazy

Well, It is summer and we are all relieved to be on this side of the school year. Maybe I am getting old or people are trying to make me go crazy by putting more activities on my calendar, but it seems like the month of May looked a lot like December. Living on a college campus can get a little busy during these months. So I have come to the conclusion that it might be a plan of "those in charge" to push me over the edge. Just when I thought I was coping, My husband announced to me of the next week's activities. I mean it was full. It might be a game between ministries to see who can cram the most on the calendar. There were recitals, parties, baccalaureate, graduations, and a host of "end of year" events to attend. I finally figured out why they do all of this. If they can get everyone to go nuts, we could open our own insane asylum. It would be government funded so this would make us "self-supportive." They would let the teachers out on good behavior to teach their classes and we would never have to beg from those rich people on Jupiter Island again. Just an idea. Well, if this is part of a plan, I have decided to beat the system.

Since I am not a faculty member and they could not admit me on some type of legality, and since my husband doesn't go crazy as easy as I do, I will use the internet to come to my rescue. Yes, that is what I said. This past May it dawned on me that I did not have to attend every activity that was offered. When my husband dashed out of the house with his cap in hand and his gown blowing in the breeze to attend baccalaureate and graduation, I gathered the kids around the computer to watch Daddy and a host of others march down the long aisle. I was a little concerned that he might fall asleep without a kid on his lap, but then I had my cell phone. I could always call and wake him up with his phone vibrating in his pocket. I put a batch of cookies in the oven and came back to clap for the speeches and graduates. If I had wanted to, I could have banged pots and pans, and hooped and hollered and nobody would have cared. So with a glass of tea in hand , I enjoyed the graduation. Until the day they let my dear husband carry a child on each hip as he marches with the teachers, I think I will enjoy this activity from the comforts of my home.

Mother's Day Gift

We had been checking into leather love seat recliners. Doyle made it special when he surprised me by having one delivered the day before Mother's Day. As you can see in this photo, Mom is not sitting in it. There are a few other people in the house who enjoy it also.

Our New Adventure

I have been wanting to do this for a long time--so here goes. We are excited about keeping in touch with our friends and family. Since school is out, and we have had time to catch our breath, we are starting to have a new "normal" around our house.

Doyle just began band camp today. This is what he does during the summer for fun and income. Lydia had her kindergarten graduation last Friday morning, June 1. This was a big event. Her class did a "King of the Jungle" musical with graduation following. We are very proud of her. She sang a solo, played her violin, played the slide whistle for one song, and thoroughly enjoyed performing. She received a certificate for providing "stand up comedy" for the class. I would like to blame this "award" on her dad, but those who know me know that I am the one to "blame." Since I am just getting started with the blog, I will catch you up with a few highlights from the past few months.