Fun with Family

A few weeks ago we were privileged to have some very special people come to our home for a visit. My aunt Erma, uncle Marvin, and my cousin's daughter, Brittany came from Kentucky to make some Florida memories. Although the visit went by very fast, we had such a nice time together. We were able to take them to some of the attractions here close-by.

Here are 3 of the kids conked out on the loveseat. Joseph was still going strong.
We allowed our kids to stay up and wait for them to come since I knew they were too excited to sleep, or so I thought. Joseph saw an airplane go over and said that Erma wasn't in there. I asked how he knew that. He had an answer--he said that the plane went past. I guess he expected it to come to a screeching halt in my front yard.

One of the first places we took them to was, of course, the beach. Here the kids wait for another wave. They were all wet and sandy from head to toe but they had a blast.

Erma, Brittany, and I.

Erma enjoying the beauty of the ocean breeze.

Brittany is collecting a few shells and ready to get warm.

They also were able to take a tour of the Jupiter Lighthouse. Here Marvin begins the long climb to the top.

They made it!!

We all went to Lion Country Safari on Saturday. Here is one of God's neat creatures.

A nosy zebra. It is so neat to be so close to the animals as you drive through the park.

I love this picture of Lydia and the ostrich that kept pecking at our window.

Here they are in front of the waterfall.

The petting zoo.

Oh no, Samuel has been eaten by a lion!

Julianna pets the giraffe.

Brittany gets close to the gentle giant.

Brittany feeds a Lorie bird.

Marvin, Erma, and I take a rest.

We all went on paddle boat rides. Here are the boys with Doyle.

Brittany in front of a purple bougainvillea.

Samuel gets a new hairstyle.

The girls saying "good-by" before going to school.

Brittany took Joseph on a little picnic before she left. It was so thoughtful of her to think of that. I know he enjoyed his time with her.

Thanks to Tim and Patty for letting Brittany take that long first plane ride with her grandparents to make some special memories with us. We loved having all of them.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYDIA!!!

Lydia turned 7 on the 28th of April. I am just getting around to posting her party. The day after her birthday, we welcomed family down for a week-long visit. We have had so much fun together. I will be telling you about that in my next post. This is how we helped Lydia celebrate her birthday "Little Pony" style.

Lydia with her cake.

Close-up of cake.

All ready for the guests to arrive.

The kids playing a Little Pony Memory game.

A friend enjoying Lydia's collection of ponies.

The Birthday clan.

Time for lunch.

Let's open the presents. She got so many nice things from her friends.

Craft time--busy little bees.

We had the party the Saturday before her actual birthday. We took cupcakes into her classroom on her real birthday.

We also had a family time on her birthday evening. Here Julianna proudly gives her a couple of gifts that she made herself.

We finished the day by reading "Happy Birthday to You" by Dr. Seuss.

We called it a day, went to bed, and prepared for company to arrive.

"Spring Cleaning the Girls' Room"

We made the decision to stay in Florida for Spring Break. This was due to the fact that Doyle still had his private lessons and public school bands to teach. We also looked at the price of gas, food, and lodging to go to IHC, and decided to skip it this year. We enjoyed the convention through the internet. It was not all a bad deal. I watched the choirs sing and Pres. Stetler preach while the kids combed my hair. I ate a grilled hamburger while Duane gave the closing challenge.(He said he was glad someone was fed during his sermon). I also spring cleaned the girls' room while listening to Dr. Kaufman. I am having a hard time convincing Doyle that we should ever go back to Ohio. I explained that it was not the same because I couldn't talk to my friends. He said, "Call them up after the service is over." I have decided that honesty is important and some of us have to admit that the real reason we go to IHC is not for the preaching and singing-we can do that now without ever leaving home. It is, in my case, to see my friends, give them a hug, and solve the world's problems together. I am struggling on how to convince my husband that a few hugs are going to cost him a few hundred dollars. We did discuss the fact that we want our kids to experience the big picture. I grew up going to IHC, but Doyle grew up here in Hobe Sound where I believe it is safe to say, is like a mini convention all year long. We will return to Ohio, but not every year. I do like the internet idea. I think I enjoyed more services than when I am actually there. Why am I telling you all of this?? Oh yeah, The spring cleaning--I guess I am trying to say that I was sad not to see my friends, but was able to deal with my grief very well by spending a relaxing week with my family. We were able to do some fun stuff with the kids, and I was able to get some projects done that had been on my list for awhile. Here is one of the fruits of my labor.

Here is the entry to the girls' room. When we redecorated a few years ago, they decided that they wanted bublegum pink walls. Doyle was a little hesitant while he was spreading on the paint, but the girls love it.

Here is the border. The theme is butterfly-ladybug. I took three of the colors out of the border and comforters to paint the accessories.

I have so much fun picking up treasures at yard sales and painting them to match the room. This was the case with the simple desk. I think that paint can make almost anything pretty.

This is Juliannna's dresser. She also has become a horse lover, so she took her leftover material from the Easter dresses and covered a bulletin board. She displays her horse stuff there.

The white dress is the dress that both girls were dedicated in. The pink one Julianna came home from the hospital in.

I even paint the ceiling fan blades.

This little dresser is for puzzles, crafts, and the girls personal things.

I really like the lace curtains. They wash up so nice and calm the bright room down.

This is Lydia's dresser. It was one of those deals where I think I paid $5.00 for the piece.

Here is a tea set slong with Lydia's little shoes hanging over the candle.


It was good to clean up, throw away, give away, and reorganize. That is a glimpse into the room of my little ladies.

"Hibiscus Hugs to Lifeless Lizards"

Joseph is a sweet kid that brings me flowers on a daily basis. Since we have about 20 hibiscus bushes, he makes sure to bring me a few blooms to put in vases. It is an unwritten rule that we have to give hugs and kisses when fowers are brought in for mommy. I love to see him running toward me with a hand full of flowers and his arms outstreched. Here he is with his gift--nice little boy.

About 20 minutes after the gift of flowers were given, Joseph arrived back inside the house with another gift. He had his hand behind his back and said,"Mommy, I have a surprise for you."

He then showed me his surprise--a dead lizard. This critter hadn't seen the light of day for awhile. I know this because his eyes had rotted out. I was definitely surprised.

Do you want a closer look?

I told him to take the lizard back outside. Of course, Joseph remembered where he put the lizard because he took daddy outside to see him when he came home for lunch. Doyle asked Joseph if Mommy liked the lizard and he said "Yes." What did I say to make him think that? Joseph was not done showing off his amphibian. When the kids came home from school, he went outside and brought the stiff critter back in to be viewed once again. He then proceeded to show Lydia that the head could be twisted off. That was all I could stand. I held out a trash can and told him to put the head in the trash. He did and ran through the house with the remaining parts of the lizard. I went after him and asked him where he had put the headless lizard. He was glad to show me. He opened up the container where we keep our dog food and pointed. There he was sitting on the dog food. I know at this point I should have ended this episode, but the kid in me said, "Leave it there-Julianna will be home from sewing class in a few minutes and she will feed the dog." I did not want her to miss out on the family fun. Sure enough, she came home and opened the dog food lid. I heard her say, "Oh my word, there is a lizard in the dog food." She is not afraid of them, but was not used to seeing headless ones in the dog food. Oh well, that was enough excitement for one day. By the way, I only give hugs for the flowers--they definitely look better in a vase.

"My Family Helps Me Celebrate My Birthday"

Saturday was my birthday. Oh, I will go ahead and tell you. I turned 41 and to be honest about it, I don't have any reason not to tell you that. My grandma lived to be 93. She gladly told her age and felt like "if God had let me celebrate another birthday, I shouldn't be ashamed of it." My family made my birthday very special. Here they are waiting for me to open the gifts from them.



When asked what kind of cake I wanted, I decided on a dessert rather than a decorated cake. This cake had caramel and chocolate chips in the middle. Served with my favorite mint chocolate chip ice cream, it was quite yummy.

Doyle got me a large Yankee candle. I have been smelling this one every time I went into a store that sold them. It is Vanilla Lime. It smells soooo good.

Julianna was so excited about my birthday because she has been taking sewing classes and she had made my gift. She made me a tote bag in earth tones and a cute pink and green pillow. She hand made my card with old buttons and did a chalk picture on black paper. It was so neat to receive such thoughtful gifts.

Samuel got me a family plaque with picture frames. I had wanted one of these, so I was very glad to get it.

Lydia got me a puzzle like the ones at Craker Barrel. We have all enjoyed this gift.

Joseph's gift was some delicious mints. He was very eager to share with me after I opened them up.

It was indeed a great day. I feel so blessed!!

"An Amazing Hero"

"I don't have eyes; I can't walk. Big Deal--I have the gift of music." These words are from a young man named Patrick Henry Hughes. The more I learn about this guy, the more I realize I need to learn. Doyle received a music magazine with his picture on the front cover. When you see a guy playing a trumpet from a wheelchair in the marching band, you know there is more to the story. First of all, the word "marching" implies movement of feet. In Patrick's case, his dad does the movement. Before I get ahead of myself, let me explain that Patrick was born without eyes and he cannot use his feet. His arms do not extend fully. When you look at his baby pictures, you can imagine the pain his parents experienced realizing he would definetely be handicapped forever. Well, it depends on how you define handicapped. Yes, his dad said that he knew that he and his son would never play baseball together, but they noticed early that he had the gift of music--they would play music together. Before he was 2, he was taking requests from family members; he then would play them on the piano. It didn't stop there. He learned to play the trumpet. When he went to college at the University of Louisville, the band director wanted him to join the band. He did and he is having the time of his life using his gifts. His dad is a remarkable man who attends all of his practices and pushes his wheelchair through all of the maneuvers. He also works the night shift at U.P.S. so he can go to class with Patrick.

I watched an interview where his dad said, "I couldn't be happier." When I started reading all of this info. about his life, I called my brother to see what he knew. My brother lives in Louisville and my niece attended U. of L. He said that he was a local hero. Well, he certainly has become a hero in my eyes. When you go to his website at www.patrickhenryhughes.com, be sure to listen to the song by Bloodkin. It is entitled, "Why Us," and focuses on the fact that God has blessed the Hughes home with Patrick's life. Instead of asking "Why Us"? in a negative aspect, It asks,"Why Us--why would You choose to bless us with a son like this?" Patrick dwells on his abilities, not his disabilities. I was so inspired by this story, and thought that my readers would too.

AN INSPIRING WEEKEND!!

Wow, we really had a full, but profitable weekend. It started out with field day for the academy on Friday. This is a day when the students compete in various sports. It is a fun time to be with your kids and cheer them on. We went home hot, sweaty, and sun-burned.

Here is where I found Samuel after the competition. I think the shade felt good.

Julianna takes a rest between activities.

Lydia gets serious about the relay race.

We rested awhile and then got cleaned up to go hear a symphony. This was the first time we had taken the kids to the Lyric Theater in Stuart. The tickets are usually $40, but since Doyle had let the Atlantic Classical Orchestra use the school's instruments for a promotional picture--they wanted to thank him by giving us tickets. I was a little nervous about keeping four kids quiet during a performance, but they were great. The orchestra was joined by The Treasure Coast Youth Symphony for the last number. We know several of the kids in this group and wanted to support them. Everyone did a great job, but we were blown away by a young lady named Caroline Goulding. She was a guest concert violinist from Ohio. She played a lengthy violin concerto totally memorized. I had never heard an adult play as proficient as she did, so I was even more amazed when I found out she was 15. It was incredible. You can check out her website.
Saturday was the women's retreat here at Hobe Sound Bible Church. Sarah (Wolf)Fry was the guest speaker. She did a wonderful job talking to us about Living for Jesus in the real world. It was very encouraging and inspiring. I have been able to share some of the truths that she presented to us. It is so neat to see how God is using her to help others. I remember her because I watched her grow up while I was at G.B.S. I feel kinda old.
Well, I got home from the retreat in time to get everyone ready to go to another concert at our church. I must digress here to say that Doyle was very glad to see me when I came home. I opened the van door and was licked on the leg----by our dog. I thought you would like that one. The dog was out of the back yard because they were giving her a bath. Doyle had also mowed the yard, and got some other things done. Three of the kids were playing in the water and one was in the bathtub. He said, "Oh Sherilyn, I am so glad to see you. It has been one thing after another all day long. Daddy do this, Daddy I need you. How do you do it?" I just smiled and looked at the dripping kids on the back porch waiting to come in. Take that back, I didn't just smile, I said to him. "That is why we go on these retreats. Even if we never learned anything, We know that our husbands appreciate us more when we come back." Doyle is extremely good with the kids and he tells me often how much he appreciates and loves me. I feel very blessed to have him as my husband. He gladly told me that I was now on duty and he went outside to finish the yard. It could be my imagination, but I think he took his time out there.
So, after we got the kids cleaned up again, we took them to hear the Florida Salvation Army Band at our church. This was the last concert of our concert series here at H.S.B.C. It was an all brass/percussion band and we really enjoyed ourselves. It was extremely interesting to learn the history of the Salvation Army and to hear stories of how God is using them. They played some really neat pieces, and we left feeling inspired again.

Dr. Peak gives one last "Thank You" to the Salvation Army Band.

Whew!! I feel tired just telling you all this. It is no wonder I was exhausted on Monday. I will save one more story about an inspirational kid for my next post.