The summer went where?

I sit here amazed that it is almost Aug. and I absolutely can't believe it. I'm tired just thinking about what all this summer held for us. Of course there was our vacation in May, then camp for Ali, my brother and his family came for a little visit, both kids had VBS and a music camp at our church, we went to Indiana for the 4th of July, had our niece come for a visit, Clark went for his first time at Nona and Poppy's by himself, and many many many swim meets. It has passed so fast. Ali was training 18 hours a week for swimming, which obviously took a large chunk of her summer. She just had a champ meet this past weekend and is now on a 3 week break. What will we ever do with ourselves? Ha!! I think I am ready for the consistent schedule that fall brings. I seem to keep up with that better...I know what is when. This summer I just couldn't seem to keep up.

The kids and I are traveling one last time this summer. We leave bright and way tooooo early Sat. morning to fly out to Albuquerque, NM to visit with some dear friends. We haven't been back since we moved from there when Ali was 5 1/2. I think she has changed a little since then. Ha!! I want Ali to see some of the fantastic Indian ruins since she doesn't remember all that much from living there. I've already started making my "must see" list.

Our trip up to Indiana for the 4th was nice. The weather didn't cooperate much. However, it was much cooler than the heat we have been enduring, so it was fine. We got to see some of our friends from Louisville one day...always enjoy that! Clark was able to meet his great grandmother and two aunts/uncles for the first time. We were able to spend some time out on the lake, which the kids loved. Ali had the chance to tube again, always a bonus for her!

I can't believe I am even typing this, but we are celebrating Clark's 2 year anniversary of being home this week! I am sure I don't know where the time has gone. It was 2 years ago this week that we were handed the final paperwork that officially made us Samuel Ruslan Clark Judd's parents! Wow! What an amazing day that was. There were times I wondered if that day would ever arrive. It did, and I was so thankful God had planned this all out before the creation of the world. This tiny little guy half a world away was brought into this world just for us. One of my FAVORITE songs right now is called What Do I Know of Holy by Addison Road. Love, love, love it...google it and listen!!

here are the words

I made You promises a thousand times
I tried to hear from Heaven
But I talked the whole time
I think I made You too small
I never feared You at all No
If You touched my face would I know You?
Looked into my eyes could I behold You?

(CHORUS)
What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

I guess I thought that I had figured You out
I knew all the stories and I learned to talk about
How You were mighty to save
Those were only empty words on a page
Then I caught a glimpse of who You might be
The slightest hint of You brought me down to my knees

(CHORUS)
What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

(CHORUS 2)
What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of wounds that will heal my shame?
And a God who gave life "its" name?
What do I know of Holy?
Of the One who the angels praise?
All creation knows Your name
On earth and heaven above
What do I know of this love?

(CHORUS)
What do I know of You
Who spoke me into motion?
Where have I even stood
But the shore along Your ocean?
Are You fire? Are You fury?
Are You sacred? Are You beautiful?
What do I know? What do I know of Holy?

What do I know of Holy?
What do I know of Holy?

It just rings so true for me. There were times I just absolutely made God too small. When I had multiple miscarriages...check! When we started the adoption process and felt overwhelmed with the STACK of paperwork...check! When our adoption was put on hold because of changes in the adoption process in Ukraine...check! When we got to Ukraine and the realization hit me that I was going to be in Ukraine without my husband for an unknown amount of time...check! Oh the list could go on and on. However, it was through those times of trials that God revealed himself in such a real way. He carried me, he comforted me, he provided for me in ways people just could not, and in the end I was left wondering why I ever doubted his trustworthiness. He is trustworthy, he is our rock, he is our strength, why do we make him too small? If we are never tested with trials, then he is never able to reveal himself to us in such a profound way. It was through those difficult situations that I came to realize how huge our God really is. He can carry us when we can't carry ourselves, and he wants to. I recently read this quote "worry ends when faith begins...and that faith ends when worry begins." Well put. Now, here I sit in July of 2009 feeling so blessed to have our beautiful 12 year old daughter and our full of life little 5 year old son! (and a pretty amazing and cute hubby too!) I am so thankful for the woman half a world away who chose to give her son life, and give us the opportunity to love him so much more than he will ever know! For that I am so grateful.

I like keeping track of things Clark does that we don't want to forget...so here goes another memory for the record books. Ali had a swim meet this past weekend up in The Woodlands. She decided to act 12 years old, (she is pretty darn good at it by the way) and get a little mouthy with me. I was not so happy, and we proceeded to have a "discussion" about it when we made it to the car. Ok, I admit...I was HOT! However, I was trying to not loose my cool, but apparently Clark thought I was coming across as rude. He blurts out "Mama, God doesn't want us to talk ugly...he doesn't like it...Mama, God doesn't like that." T.C. and I had to hold back the chuckles and try to explain that Ali had been disrespectful. :) It was a great reminder though, that the little ears around us hear everything!

Some pictures from the last few weeks...

summer camp, swim lessons, business trip....

What a title, right? What can I say...I am about to head out to VBS and don't feel very creative right now. Since I last posted, Ali spent a week at a Lutheran camp with friends, Clark had a busy "social" calendar, T.C. spent several days in Washington D.C., and our precious nephew had open heart surgery! It has been busy around here. For starters Ali had a fantastic time at camp last week. However, the laundry that comes back is always disgusting! Ha...just part of it...what did I expect. They went canoeing, swimming, archery, challenge courses, Bible study, met new friends, and the list could go on and on. She loves that camp and is already looking forward to next summer. They offer a family weekend camp that we might look into. While Ali was at camp, T.C. went on a business trip...that just left Clark and me. I didn't realize a 5 year old could have such a busy social life. Ha! He had a play date at McDonald's with a friend, watched a friend's pool being dug another day, went to a movie with friends, etc. It kept me busy! He also had swim lessons the past 2 weeks. He loved it, but not real sure what he actually got out of it. I will be signing him up for another round of lessons with someone else.

Ali had an all weekend swim meet this past weekend, right after camp. Actually on our way home from camp we stopped off in Houston so she could swim one event Friday night. We returned Saturday and Sunday for the other 6 events. She was exhausted from camp, but she did fine. She swam her first 400 freestyle. She was nervous about the distance, but she did well. This Saturday she will be swimming in a champ meet for the summer league. I think we might get a break from meets for a short time after that.

This week Ali and I are helping with VBS at our church. We are working in the craft station. Clark loved his first day yesterday. He talked non stop on the way home telling us what all they did. He did have a mishap with his glasses though. During the ending assembly in the sanctuary, a child bumped into him and the glasses went flying and were stepped on. OOPS! However, they were able to be bent back...thank goodness.

Our little nephew, Kai, had open heart surgery to repair the hole in his heart. He did great and is home already! What a blessing. I hear that he looks 100% better now. His coloring is good, he has energy, and he is eating much better. Can't wait to see his "post surgery" new self.

Well, I will post pictures later.....gotta run to get Ali from morning swim practice and make it to VBS on time.

Summer is in full swing around here....

How did summer get to be such a BUSY time? I thought it was supposed to be laid back and lazy. Ummmm, not with a swimmer in the house. Ali's new swim coach kicked the schedule into high gear now that all the kids are out of school. Starting this week, there are 11 scheduled practices per week. Yes, you read that right! That means twice a day Monday-Friday, and one on Saturday. They can miss a "max" of 2 times a week bumping it down to a mere 9 practices a week. In his words, "if the HAVE to miss...otherwise they should be there." It is like swimming boot camp. They are lifting weights, running, and of course swimming. She doesn't seem to mind. As Ali put it, "I sure won't get bored this summer." So true, so true! Though she will be eating us out of house and home probably more than usual. Can you imagine the calories you burn working out like that?

Clark had his final soccer game last weekend. He wishes the season wasn't over. He really enjoyed it. The same church offers flag football in the fall, won't that be a riot? He is starting swim lessons tomorrow morning. Though according to Clark he can already swim. He is truly convinced of that! I mean, he has spent more time watching Ali swim than almost anything else...but he thinks that in and of itself means that he can already swim. Ha! We shall see.

Ali and I are helping with VBS this year. Ssshhhh, she doesn't know that yet. I sorta kinda signed her up without her knowing. Moms are good like that, aren't we?

Ali and her best friend, Sierra, are at my parents house. They did this last summer, and wanted to repeat it this year. They were SO excited to be going for a few days. Clark really misses her...it is too quiet around here.

A couple of weeks ago my brother and his family came for a few days. We had a fun time seeing some sights around town. Yes, that means we got to see our stinkin' cute nephew, Kai. He and Clark are going to get into some serious trouble together in the future...I just know it. Aaahhh, boys!

The kids and I have already started exploring some things around the Houston area. Last week we went to the George Ranch We really enjoyed it. However, we didn't get to see everything, as we had to cut our visit short. Clark fell and banged his knee up pretty badly...as I mentioned earlier...BOYS! Oh well, we have an excuse to go back now! We have also been to the Houston Museum of Natural Science to see the Genghis Khan exhibit. We want to go back and see the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit. Oh, I can't forget this exhibit we saw when my brother and family were in town. Ali was in heaven!

Ali had a swim meet at UT in Austin over Memorial weekend. She loves swimming at a college pool! Anyway, while we were there we saw the most incredible sight. We were returning to our hotel room after dinner one night, and noticed the sky was filled with black things flying around. We couldn't figure out if there were birds, butterflies, etc. It finally dawned on us that they were bats...LOTS and LOTS of bats. Ok, there were seriously thousands of bats. It was the most amazing thing.

What is everyone doing this summer? Leave me some comments and tell me your plans!!

soccer, last day of school, time with family

Mickey, Mickey everywhere!!!

We were back to reality on Thursday evening, as our vacation came to an end. Ali was very sad to leave the magical world of Disney behind. Clark claimed to be ready to see his dogs and cats. Whatever the case, we had a fabulous time at Walt Disney World. We visited all four parks, and one of the water parks. We were even able to see a space shuttle launch from Cape Canaveral last week.

We began our vacation with a 2 night stay in Ft. Walton Beach, FL. That was our stoppin' ground many years ago when Ali was a baby. The kids really enjoyed playing on the gorgeous beach and riding go-carts at a favorite spot in Destin. We even got to enjoy some scenic meals overlooking the ocean...a real treat for me. After our relaxing couple of days at the beach, we headed down to the Mickey overload. Our hotel was so much fun. It was called Pop Century Resort and it had HUGE icons from the 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, and 90's. It was a lot of fun to just walk around and look at the buildings. You can go here and check out the resort. The first night we took the kids to the T-Rex Cafe at Downtown Disney. It is the same idea as Rainforest Cafe but with a dinosaur theme. Clark loved it of course, but Ali did also! She said she liked it better than Rainforest. (we never know what our preteen will like) The next day we began our race to visit all of the parks, with our first day being spent at Magic Kingdom. I mean, you have to see that magnificent castle first, don't you? We had lunch reservations that day for a character meal at Crystal Palace. We had lunch with Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, and Tigger.The food was delicious and it was fun seeing all the characters make their way around the room. The second day we spent at Epcot. Let me mention something before going ANY further....Orlando was having record heat while we were there. Oh lucky us! It was in the mid 90's the entire time. If there is something you should know about me, I am not toooooo crazy about the blazing heat. I have a problem with overheating, and it can turn ugly. Ha, I won't go into detail. We tried our best to stay hydrated. However, despite the heat....did I mention RECORD heat :) ....we didn't let it get us down. We did, occasionally, resort to sitting through cheesy 3-D movies to take advantage of the A/C! Hahaha. Ok, back to Epcot...the heat got to us that day and just didn't feel like going through all of the countries. We rode rides in the future world, met characters, and quickly walked through the countries...and called it a day. The kids enjoyed swimming at the hotel that evening to cool off. The next park visit was Animal Kingdom. Ali talked herself into riding Expedition Everest (a roller coaster) and found out that she LOVED it. She rode it multiple times and wanted to ride it even more. We saw a wonderful Lion King show and fun parade. Animal Kingdom is a great park with a great safari ride. We took a break from the parks the following day, and toured Kennedy Space Center. We were able to see a shuttle on each launch pad....very cool. Our fourth park to tour was Hollywood Studios. This was one of Ali's favorite parks. We had a fun lunch at Sci-Fi Dine In (on Mother's Day) and had a great time. It looked just like an old drive in theater, only indoors. They dim the lights so that you feel like you are outside...with stars glowing on the walls, etc. This was Ali's choice as we did the character meal for Clark. We sat in old fashion cars converted to tables, all facing the HUGE screen playing old sci-fi movie clips. Clark enjoyed this park as well. He was able to see Buzz Lightyear, Lightning McQueen and Mater, Woody from Toy Story, and characters from Little Einsteins. That night we stayed and watched an amazing show called Fantasmic. Ali claimed that it was the coolest thing she had ever seen. The next day we went to watch the launch and didn't visit a park. On our last day, we went to one of the Disney water parks, Typhoon Lagoon. We all agreed that it was the best water park we have ever been to. There was a huge wave pool, a snorkeling pool where you were able to swim with small sharks and fish, and there was so much shade! It was lovely, and we will definitely go back if given the chance. We finished that day with an afternoon visit to Magic Kingdom again. We stayed and watched the incredible fireworks display. Clark was just simply amazed. It was a wonderful ending to a wonderful vacation!

If you want to experience pure unadulterated awe, just take a small child to Disney. I just loved watching Clark light up every SINGLE time he saw a character. He especially loved having his picture taken with them. He would rub their noses, bellies, etc. The characters got to where they would rub his nose also. He loved it. I was constantly wondering what was going through that little head of his. I remember doing the same thing with Ali when she was small and we took her. It was pure bliss to just take it all in through my child's eyes. I couldn't STOP taking pictures.

Well, I will leave you with LOTS of photos from our trip. I took some at the water park with a waterproof camera and still need to have it developed.

What's going on with me?

Oh me oh my....my blogging just continues to go downhill. Or I guess in reality I am just so busy living that there is not much time to "write" about it.

I will back up to Easter. We had a wonderful couple of days with my parents Easter weekend. They came up for a night and joined us at our "Journey to the Cross" at church. They were able to watch Ali and I make our acting debut as ladies explaining the palm branches. Ha!! Ali wasn't too thrilled. (ummmm, she's a preteen...enough said) The program turned out wonderfully, especially considering it was the first year for it. Easter morning...not sure what we were thinking...but we decided to attend our sunrise service. I will admit that it was a lovely service, but we had to leave our house at 5:40am. (yawn!) Thinking we will catch the second service next year! Anyway, it unfortunately rained that afternoon, so the Easter bunny had to leave the eggs inside this year. Creativity was the key to pulling that off.

Last weekend was spent at the University of Houston for one of Ali's swim meets. It was the first long course meet of the season, so Ali was a little nervous. She did just fine, and looks forward to other meets during the summer. She decided to join the community summer swim team in addition to her year around team. We will have swim meets every Saturday mid May through the end of June. We are changing year around teams as of this Friday. We weren't completely happy with some dynamics with the team, so another opportunity presented itself and we ran with it. We hope this is a great opportunity for her...a new coach, new team, and a more dedicated Ali. She truly loves the sport of swimming and wants to push herself to improve. She is probably going to start swimming 6 times a week now. Don't ask me HOW...but we will figure it out as we go along. I know it sounds crazy to a lot of people (going to swim practice 6 times a week), but if it is what she loves...then we will do what it takes. Some days that means running from swim practice, to a soccer game, and back to swim practice...but that is life as we know it. And have I ever mentioned, I LOVE my life. Even with the chaos of running 10 different directions at times, I wouldn't change a thing.

Clark is loving soccer. He had his second game on Saturday. The game last week was rained out. We have gotten massive amounts of rain 2 weekends in a row...enough already. Ha! Anyway, he ran his heart out at the game. He definitely wants to have the ball...ALL the time. He will even try to kick it away from a kid on his OWN team. He doesn't care...he just knows he WANTS that ball. It is pretty funny. He is understanding the rules better now, which is definitely a good thing. He actually kicked it to the correct goal this week!!! That was a great bonus. He will be sad when the soccer season is over. However, there is an indoor soccer place here that I might look into. Well, speaking of Clark...he continues to make us laugh with a few funny sayings. Here are a couple from the last few weeks.

Clark: (he was playing with an 18 wheeler truck and he proceeded to tell me what he was pretending...) "Mama...I am driving, Ali is right here (pointing to the passenger side) and you are in the back." (meaning the trailer portion....GREAT...see where I line up in the grand scheme of things)

Clark: (we were in the van on the way to the swim meet last weekend and he was drawing on his magna doodle) "This is you, Mama...you only have ONE eye because an alligator bite it off." (ummm, that is just fabulous...he erased it and started over...but this time...) "Now you have a hundred eyes and LOTS of legs" (his drawing this time was a person with MANY eyes and LOTS of legs...I am beginning to get a complex)

We are down to 5 days until we head off into the wild blue yonder!!! (vacation that is) Wew, lots to do between now and then. I keep telling Ali to wear old clothes this week so that I can keep the newer things clean and get them packed. We will see if she listens. We decided to spend a couple of nights in Ft. Walton Beach, FL on the way down. The beach is just too beautiful to pass up. The kids will enjoy playing in the sand, and T.C. and I will enjoy some relaxation before the craziness of "the happiest place on earth." Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Disney as much as a child...but relaxing, it just isn't. I might also get to see some old friends along the way.

13 years.......seems crazy to say that. T.C. and I celebrated our 13 year anniversary this weekend. How is that possible? Seems like just yesterday he was sweeping me off of my feet as a cadet at the Air Force Academy. Surely I'm not 13 years older....I mean I was JUST a 21 year old young thing becoming rather smitten with a handsome young fellow! How did the time pass so quickly? Yet, when I look at where we have come since those days so long ago...I realize how much time has passed since then. We have lived in 4 states, not counting Colorado where we started....have 2 children, endured graduate school, spent time on active duty in the military, and changed careers to hopefully settle down. Wew, a lot happened in a 13 year time frame. All I know is that we are more in love now than we ever knew possible. God blessed me beyond measure when he sent that cute dark headed cadet over in my direction...and my life would never be the same...thank you Lord!!

Here are some pictures from Easter and beyond....

Easter and beyond...

I am getting worse instead of getting better at this blogging thing! I'm not sure what's up with that. I guess I feel like my weeks are repetitive and therefore not usually "blog worthy" if you will.One day leads to the next, and before I know it, yet another week has flown by. I am looking forward to the approach of summer. Things might slow down a bit, and I can perhaps enjoy some laid back time with the kids. It is nice when we don't have deadlines with schoolwork, and preschool to run off to. The kids will have their usual activities of swim team, gymnastics, and hopefully some swim lessons for Clark. Somehow though, summer seems a little more carefree. Ahhh, I look forward to it.

The countdown has begun for our vacation. We leave 3 weeks from Sunday to head down to the "happiest place on earth"....Disney World. The children are so excited. (ok, the big kid is too...and that would be ME!) I have such fond memories of going there as a child, that I want our kiddos to have that too! We will be getting 5 day hopper passes and plan on visiting all of the parks along with one of the water parks. It is such a blessing that they are having a special for military right now and giving away a 5 day pass to the military member (and we LOVE free!!) and only charging $99 for the other family members! What a great deal. It is saving us quite a bit of money. I also found a great rate at one of the Disney value resorts. I go a little overboard on all the vacation planning, but hopefully it will pay off in the end. We have reservations for a character meal with all of the Winnie the Pooh characters. Clark should enjoy that. We wanted to do the same character meal that we did last time, when Ali was 7. However, it was already booked....who knew you needed to plan your meals 3 MONTHS ahead of time. Jeepers! Hopefully it will be a week filled with many wonderful memories that we will think back on for years to come.

Clark had his first soccer game last Saturday. T.C. was sad that he had to miss it. It was his National Guard weekend, so he had to work. Well, the game was definitely "America's Funniest Home Videos" worthy!! It was hysterical. Clark sure had enough enthusiasm. He would get so pumped when ANY goal was scored...even if it wasn't his team member. Ha! The kids would generally kick it into whatever goal was closests to them, regardless if it was the correct one or not. Clark is turning out to be quite the ball hog. He got tackled a few times as a result of that. Oh maybe the rules will click in the coming weeks.

Ali made good grades on her last report card...all A's and a B. Thank goodness she got her daddy's brains. I think she is looking forward to this being her last 9 weeks of the school year. She has another big swim meet next weekend. It is at the University of Houston. She is really wanting to join the community summer swim team again. It is hard juggling 2 different swim teams, different practices, different meets...not sure yet what we are going to do. She swam on that summer team 2 summers in a row, and really looks forward to it. Oh the things we do for our children, like live at the pool all summer long in the 100 degree heat. :)

Ali got her braces off last week. To say she was excited is an understatement. After 4years of having first expanders and braces, a small break with permanent retainers, and then braces again, she was ready! Her teeth look beautiful. (thank goodness, after all the $$$ spent..haha)

We hope you are enjoying spring. It is lovely with all the flowers and trees in bloom. The warmth in the air, and the wind in the trees. For us Texans, it is a much appreciated time of nice weather before the heat of summer arrives.

I hope you join us, as we try and turn our focus to Jesus' empty tomb. May we anticipate the celebration of the resurrection this Easter weekend. I am so undeserving of what Christ did for me at the cross. But so thankful he paid the price for OUR sins! Thank you Jesus.

Here are some pictures from the last couple of weeks. Clark attended an Easter egg hunt at the church where he goes to preschool...the bunny was there too! He was so excited.

Spring breakin' it...

Wow, it has been a while since I posted. I am getting bad at the whole blogging thing! I guess I just get busy living daily life that I forget to blog about it. Life is passing me by at an incredibly fast pace these days. I see first hand how our children's childhood will pass all too quickly. It makes me sad at times. I just want to freeze time sometimes. (and at other times I want to fast forward...haha...just kidding...just a fleeting thought when I deal with yet another tantrum or preteen attitude)

We have been spring breakin' it this past week. It was a fun time, free from school and other activities. We went to Lake Charles and spent several days with my parents. The kids always enjoy getting royally spoiled by the grandparents. Funny how when you become grandparents, you forget all the things you didn't let your own children do when they were young...but somehow it is perfectly fine for the grandchildren!! HUMMMM....oh like cookies for breakfast, coke galore (or should I say Root Beer..and I believe Mom's words exactly were "Ali can have an much Root Beer as she wants, I know it is her favorite" heehee), candy (as often and as much as they want), etc. Hahahaha...oh Mom and Dad you know I am kidding...Ali and Clark LOVE the spoiling immensely. I wish I had had that growing up, so I am so thankful they do!

While in Lake Charles, we were also able to get some baby Kai sugar!! He is so precious. He is over 11 lbs. now, I believe. At six months old, that doesn't sound like much...but considering he started out at just over 2 lbs., that is great!! That little guy will be going off to kindergarten before we all know it.

We were also able to fit in a couple of outings with friends towards the end of the week. Ali wanted to get together with a friend from church, and Clark wanted an outing with a school friend. Bayou Wildlife Park was one outing. It is a lot of fun. You take a tram ride around acres and acres of land where the animals are free roaming. There is also a petting zoo...Clark fell in love with a baby goat. For Clark's outing, we went to the Downtown Aquarium and had a great time. We had never been before, so it was fun trying something new. We had lunch at the restaurant, and rode the shark voyage train. It goes through a shark tunnel, which the kids loved.

This weekend was mostly filled with house cleaning. Ummmm, not my favorite chore...but a necessary evil. We did, however, manage to sneak in a trip to the beach on Saturday. Galveston is slowly but surely trying to make a comeback. The beach was packed! The kids made sand castles til' their hearts content.

Today I HAD to clean out Clark's closet...wouldn't it be nice if those things cleaned themselves out? Ahhhh! By clean out I mean pull EVERYTHING out and start over. I did get a little sentimental cleaning out his dresser. I came across the clothes I bought him in Ukraine! They were so little. He was so little! He wore 12 month shorts back then. (sniff~sniff) The next couple of days I am tackling my side of the our closet. We bought a new cabinet today that I am going to use to get organized in there. I am bound and determined to organize that closet!!! I am wondering......after cleaning out a couple of closets......can this qualify as my "spring cleaning?" But too bad we have to start out in the garage next. YUCK!!!! Now that will be a major undertaking!!

Clark started soccer this week. It was so cute. Let me tell you, what he lacked in talent, he more than made up for in enthusiasm. Hopefully the rules will sink in eventually! His first game is in a couple of weeks.

Ali gets her braces off on April 1st. She can't wait. The countdown has begun.

Well, I will leave you with some photos from our week!

spring break

Goin' for gold

Ali had another swim meet this weekend...today and tomorrow. Today, she got a gold medal in her 50 free!! This was quite a surprise for her, as she doesn't usually place! She was beyond excited. It was a champ meet. She also got a 5th place ribbon in her 100 back. Her hard work is paying off, as she seems to be pushing herself more than in the past. We are so proud of her. We don't care whether she places or not, just that she does her best! But it was sure a nice bonus for her.

Just wanted to brag on our girl a little. Here are a few pictures of Ali's medal, the kids playing some indoor basketball (I know...crazy, this goal should be OUTSIDE!!), and Clark showing off his batman pj's!

Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention our excitement on Tuesday...ok, maybe not "excitement." Ali was finishing up her breakfast on Tuesday when I came in to get Clark something to eat. She was taking her dishes over to the sink when we bumped shoulders on accident. She happened to loose her footing and fell over our trashcan. It was such a freak thing. Needless to say, she headed for the tile with dishes in hand.......glass was everywhere and she ended up slicing her thumb. (her cereal bowl broke in her hand when she hit the floor) We got her cleaned up and headed for the ER. She ended up needing 4 stitches, as it was a very deep cut. The doctor said she was fortunate it was in the pad of her thumb and not further down...it would have cut tendons. She did pass out on the last stitch...it wasn't numb and she felt the needle enter and exit...OUCH! She was such a trooper though! The doctor couldn't believe she didn't even flinch when he gave the numbing shot right in the middle of the cut. It was enough to about make ME pass out watching. (it doesn't take much) However, she just squeezed my hand and made a face. Never a dull moment around here......

swim meet

The season of Lent has begun.....

Growing up Southern Baptist, I was not familiar with the Lenten season at all. However, since becoming Lutheran, it has been fascinating to me to learn all about the traditions other denominations celebrate. This season has to be one of my favorites. We began the season at our Ash Wednesday service last night at church. We were all given the sign of the cross on our foreheads with ashes. It is such a beautiful remembrance of what all this season holds for us as Christians. You can read all about it here. Actually, the children entered and exited the church Sunday with the Alleluia banners. We will not be singing alleluias until Easter morning! Clark made a cute alleluia picture in Sunday School and he carried that, as did the other children in his class. It was so cute! I hope to spend this season reflecting on my life, and all Christ did for me on the cross. Ali and I will be participating in a program for the children called Journey to the Cross. You can read all about it here. We are going to be doing the palm branches station. Children will wave palm branches in the air and place them on the pathway. It will be the first time our church has done this, and we are so excited about it. It will give the children a tangible example of Jesus' journey. I can't wait for Clark to experience it all. The children will end their journey at an empty tomb.

Tuesday did not start out so well for Ali. She should have slept late and avoided the incident all together! But as it was, she was in the kitchen eating cereal when I came in to get Clark some breakfast. She finished up, and was taking her dishes to the sink. I was walking past her headed to the pantry when we bumped shoulders. No big deal, however, somehow she lost her footing...turned around...and fell over our trashcan...onto the TILE floor. Yeah, generally not something you want to face plant on. She, of course, instinctively tried to catch herself........but with her breakfast dishes in her hand! The glass went flying, but the cereal bowl broke in her hand. We didn't realize immediately that she had cut herself...I was more concerned with if she was hurt from the fall. I grabbed her to help her up and we realized her hand was dripping with blood. She had gashed her thumb pretty badly. After washing it off, we realized it definitely needed stitches...so off to the ER we went. The doctor said she was fortunate it was the pad of her thumb. If it had been the lower part, it would have cut tendons...NO FUN! It was a very deep cut, requiring 4 stitches. She was a trooper, the doctor couldn't believe she sat so still for it ALL...even the numbing shot RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CUT. I couldn't watch that part!!! I would have had to have been picked up off the floor....and hospital floors REALLY gross me out! Try keeping a 5 year old boy off the floor....yeah right! Clark definitely got a good scrubbing off that night! Anyway, when all was said and done...she was all stitched up and in quite a bit of pain. It seems to be feeling some better now. The stitches will come out next Wed. She went from an ear infection last week, to stitches...I do believe she is ready to not see a doctor for a while!

Clark is going to play on an Upwards Soccer team! He had his evaluation this past Sat. It is going to be so cute. We had to buy the smallest cleats that they make..oh, and also the smallest shin guards. Practices begin the week of March 9th. He are hoping he runs towards the correct goal. Haha!!

The most recent Clark funny is what he came out of children's choir last night saying. His teacher, Miss Stephanie, was talking to the kids about Lent and that yesterday was Ash Wednesday. So this was Clark's take on it after choir. He came running out to us after choir was over with a cute Lenten calendar page to color. It is in the shape of a cross, etc. and you color one number a day leading up to Easter. He proudly tells us, "today is after Wednesday." Me, "it is Ash Wednesday, honey." Clark, "oh yeah, Ash Wed."

Ali has another swim meet this weekend. T.C. will miss it, as it is drill weekend for the Guard. She hopes to improve her times even more than she did a few weeks ago.

Have a great rest of the week!

Having fun at putt-putt

Last weekend, the kids and I met some friends at Putt-Putt Fun House for a day of goofing off. They had a blast. On Saturdays, they have a great $10 deal that we had to take advantage of! The kids played putt-putt, some games, Ali and Sierra rode the bumper boats, and had lunch. We will definitely be doing that again soon! You should have seen Clark playing putt-putt. It was hysterical! He didn't care if the club was turned the right way or not...he just started swinging! :)

Nothing new around here really. We are trying to get estimates for our fence. We need our entire fence replaced. Can you say it with me........cha-ching!! Yikes. We hope our neighbors are willing to pay their portion. We are supposedly only responsible for half of the fence, but we seem to be the only ones READY to get it replaced! I am a little tired of the ghetto look in our backyard. The orange plastic temporary fencing is not so cute.

Clark seems to be doing well with his speech therapy. I love the therapist, she is SO patient and sweet. She is really trying to get him to focus on the hypernasal sounds. It is going to take some work on his part...we'll get there.

He loved exchanging Valentine's at school this week. He brought home a bag of goodies. He has been taking huge Reese's hearts to all of teachers. He loved doing that. He wanted to bring flowers to his music (hand bells and choir) teacher at church. Isn't that funny? (but we just stuck with the chocolate) A girl in his class wanted to give Clark a special "big" Valentine. The mother thought it was so funny that she had to stop me the other day and tell me. She said when they were shopping for the class Valentine's, the daughter said "I want to give Clark a big one." I thought that was too precious! Such a ladies man....haha.

Ali is just swimming her heart out. She has another swim meet in 2 weekends. She is also thinking about playing in the "strings" band for the Lenten season at church on Wednesday nights. She is going to take a look at the music this week to see if she can play it. Our music director was so excited to find out that she plays the guitar. It will be good for her to play in front of a group and to get comfortable with that. God has given her a talent that I want her to learn to share for His glory!

God gave me the MOST precious moment this morning. He does things right when we need them the most. Ali has swim practice on Saturday mornings from 8-10am, and this is one of my days to drive (we carpool with another family). I usually take Clark to a McDonald's playland to play for a while during the wait. This morning was a little rough, he got in bed too late last night...and I had to wake him up too early this morning. Needless to say...he was a little whiny! I was trying to do a little of his speech therapy homework in the van before we headed to McDonald's...there were a few tears shed...and a little frustration coming from the mom, I admit! However, we make it to McDonald's, order our food, and start eating. After a few minutes, a nice man (maybe early 50's or so) comes up to our table and rubs Clark's arm. He told me what a precious boy I had, and what a blessing he was. The entire short time he talked he was just staring intently at Clark...it was beautiful. He almost looked like he had tears in his eyes. It was very touching. I just told him thank you and that yes, he was a blessing. The man then just walked off. It left me wondering if this man had gone through something sad with a child, but I will never know. However, it also instantly reminded of this wonderful blessing that sat right before me eating his sausage biscuit. He is SUCH a blessing, and I was very thankful for that reminder! We will always be grateful for the children God has entrusted to our care.

I am posting some pictures from our outing last weekend...and our furry babies.

putt putt

Ali....the serenading swimmer

Ok, maybe she can't REALLY mix her two interests. However, she was in a swim meet this past Saturday, and also a guitar recital. She literally hopped out of the water from her last event, and ran into the dressing room to change for the music recital. We made it in time, thank goodness. She was nervous about the recital, as she doesn't like to play in front of people. However, once she started, you couldn't even tell. She did a great job. I will post some video clips at the end. She played a duet with her teacher. Her teacher considers her one of his "advanced" students...so after only playing for about 3 years, that isn't too bad. She really loves it.

As for the swim meet...we were blown away. She improved SO much from the last meet she was in. She shaved 30 seconds off of her best 200 freestyle time. That is awesome! Her second best improvement was shaving 24 seconds off of her best 100 backstroke time. We were so proud of her! As her coach said after one of her events, "if you can do this well at the meet...don't be farting around at practice." Hahahaha!!! Ali thought that was pretty funny. I must say, the girls can definitely do some talking at the practices. Ha!! (to be expected) As Peter Pan says, "girls talk too much." :)

Clark is coming right along. He began speech therapy a couple of weeks ago. His first actual therapy session was today. The last 2 weeks were evaluation. They are working on his hypernasal speech. The therapist is hopeful it can be correct. She said a little time will tell if it is actually a medical issue that doesn't allow him to cut his airway off when saying some sounds. Hopefully it is just a matter of retraining. We will wait and see. Each week we will have "homework" to work on prior to the next weeks session. He did just fine today...was a little distracted with some toys that were in the room. Of course, the boy lives to play!!! The therapist was impressed during his evaluation. She said he has a great grasp of the English language after only 1 1/2 years. We have been trying to do a little more schooling at home. He is doing so much better on writing his letters. He started out behind the curve, but we are hopeful that he will catch up. He would just much rather be riding his bike than sitting in front of some school books. (of course) Another funny I can add to the list...the other day Clark comes out of our bathroom holding MY toothbrush:
Clark: Someone left their toothbrush on MY sink
Rachel: Well actually that is OUR bathroom and that is MY sink...so I left my toothbrush by my sink
Clark: (with a confused look on his face) You need to put your toothbrush up.
hahaha!!!

swim meet and guitar recital

Happy Birthday...to my honey!!

I just wanted to send a Happy Birthday shout out to my wonderful husband! We decided to celebrate last night, as we had to get Ali to swim practice tonight. It was fun. Ali cooked up the dinner with a sandwich recipe she got out of one of her cookbooks. She even made the cake, though she let Clark act like he helped a little too.

T.C.'s birthday

It's been a long time......

I can't believe I haven't posted anything for several weeks now. Time flies. Not much has happened at all...guess that's why I didn't want to bore you guys with the details. Ha! Sadly, we didn't get our Christmas trees and decorations down until LAST weekend. Can you believe that? It seemed to be one thing after another on the weekends, hence the delay. The house felt so much larger after it was all put away. I mean, we do kind of go overboard with the decorations...I admit that. (2 big trees downstairs, 1 smaller one on the landing upstairs, and 1 in each kiddos room) What can I say, I LOVE Christmas decorations...it is just the putting away that gets me every time. YUCK!

I thought I would share some funny things that Clark has said over the last couple of weeks. (more or less I just want to have a copy of it so I don't forget!)

I was helping Clark with something in the kitchen one day and he told me, "thank you, Mama, but I don't need any help." (ummm, ok..at least he was being polite, right?)

We were running late for gymnastics last week (as usual..haha) and I ran a yellow light (ok, that happened to turn red right as we were passing through it) Clark yells out "red means STOP...you didn't stop" and later on our way home we came to a yellow light and he tells me "be careful." How funny is that?

Some twin babies were being baptized last Wed. night at church, and after the baptism was finished he tells us in a not so inside voice, "I want a baby at my home."

Yesterday during breakfast (out of nowhere!!) Clark informs me, "I want a baby at my home...I didn't get one for Christmas...I can have a baby boy in my room and Ali can have a baby girl in her room." So I ask him if his "baby" is going to sleep in his room and he says, "no, in yours"......love how he doesn't feel the need to run adding 2 other children to our family by ME first. hahaha...gotta love kids!

So as you see, Clark can say the funniest things at times. God definitely added him to our family to keep us young...or at least try!

I had my first official "girls night out" last weekend. It was so fun! I mean, of course after all these years I have gotten together with other moms, etc. But this was a larger group of gals that gets together once a month for dinner or a movie, etc. A mom at Clark's preschool invited me. Clark and her daughter are friends. Anyway, we went to one of those movie theaters where you order dinner and eat while watching a movie. I hadn't been to one of those before. We saw Bride Wars which was really cute. Afterwards, we went to a French cafe and had desert, etc. It was a lot of fun...I plan on making that a monthly ritual now. I took along a good friend of mine, and she enjoyed it as well.

T.C. offered to take Ali to swimming this morning because I wanted to get in another Curves workout...guess I better get off of this computer in a minute so that I can do that!!

Ali is doing well. She has a swim meet all next weekend. We are anxious to see how she does, as she hasn't been in a meet in several months. She also will participate in her first music recital for guitar. She isn't thrilled about that...she doesn't love playing in front of people. It will be good for her though.

All of you out there.........if you have put in some type of wood flooring....give us your comments. We are thinking about putting some in within the next year or two. Who knows if it will actually happen, but we would really love to. We have an interest in bamboo flooring. We don't know anything about it though. We really just love the idea that bamboo grows back so quickly.

Better run workout before the fam gets home. LOL!

random...

Happy Birthday, Clark!!

We simply can't believe it...5 years ago today, thousands of miles away...God brought our son into the world. We will be forever thankful for that! This little man has brought so much happiness (and craziness) into our lives.

He has had a fun few days. He started out celebrating on Saturday, with a few friends over for lunch and cake. (a batman cake, that is!) Today I brought cupcakes to his school so he could celebrate with his classmates. You should have heard all the kiddos when I walked in with the goods...."yeah...yippy...look.." We finished up the birthday with a trip to play at the McDonald's playland while Ali was at swim practice. He had a great time. He was excited this year, as he understood more of what was going on. He goes for his check-up tomorrow to see how he has grown this year. We are hoping he is at least on the growth chart now! heehee! Interestingly enough...his sister is off the chart in the other direction.

Clark's birthday

Update on our Christmas

We hope everyone had a blessed Christmas! Ours was quite nice, albeit a little rushed to get everything squeezed into Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! Since we traveled the week prior to Christmas, I didn't get everything done prior to our travel that I would have liked. However, in the end it worked out great. We spent Christmas Eve making cookies, attending a service at church, singing Happy Birthday to Jesus with cupcakes, hunting for Rudolph in the sky with Clark, putting out milk and cookies for Santa, talking about the following day being Jesus' birthday, etc. It was a fun day filled with much anticipation from our children. When I tucked Clark into bed that night, he was giddy with excitement and told me "I am SO excited!" It was priceless. He woke up on Christmas morn asking if Santa (or Noah as he calls him at times) had come. Ali, being 12 now, is still a little "too cool" to act too excited. Ha!!

The kids had a wonderful time searching through their gifts. Ali's favorite gift was an electric guitar (what were we thinking?) and Clark's favorite was a Batman batcave. He also got a bike and was proud as he rode it around the kitchen.

After we celebrated as a family and had brunch, we headed out for our Christmas service at church. It was a nice way to turn our focus back to the true meaning of the day. After the service, we made our way to Lake Charles, LA to spend the day with my parents and brother and his family. We were able to see baby Kai again. He has grown since we last saw him at 3 1/2 lbs. as he is a little over 7 lbs. now!! What a precious little guy.

We returned Saturday afternoon from Louisiana....without our kiddos!! My parents wanted to keep them a few days since they were on break from school. I miss them...it is just too quiet around here!

We are trying to work in our 4th bedroom while the kids are away. We wanted to surprise them when they returned home with a new playroom. However, we are never going to get that room finished in time. Oh well!! We have decided to turn our guest room into a playroom for the kids (and T.C. when he wants to play Guitar Hero!!). We are taking the beds down...adding some shelves for toys...setting up Clark's drum set to go with Ali's electric guitar...etc. We still WELCOME guests as we asked for a great Comfort Zone Raised Aerobed for Christmas. It is so neat...the height of a regular bed...but portable when not in use! We thought it was the perfect solution. I think the kids will love having a space that is theirs for all the excess toys/games/movies!!

Here are some pictures from our Christmas.

Christmas

Long time no post....

Well since I last posted we have traveled to and from Indiana, visit with our friends in Louisville, celebrated Ali's 12th birthday, watched Clark be an angel in the children's program at church, made our annual gingerbread house, took Ali to a Toby Mac concert, anticipate the celebration of the birth of our savior, and much more! Oh yes, we also got a little snow down here in south TX! It has been one busy December. This week I just want us to slow down and enjoy the season. (is that possible...the slowing down part?)

We just returned home Sunday from our week long trip up to Indiana and Kentucky. Traveling with 2 kids and 2 dogs definitely had its interesting moments. Ali was able to celebrate her birthday with old friends from Louisville. We had 2 parties in the same day! (she got 2 birthday cakes!!) She had the first celebration with some homeschooled friends. They had a blast making an ornament, playing out in the cold, and having pizza and homemade hot fudge ice cream cake!! (talk about yummy!) Later that evening, she also had cake and ice cream with her friends at our old church. She enjoyed her day very much!

In Indiana, the kids had some special time with their cousins Jackson and Sawyer. Clark and Jackson are only 8 months apart, so they played cars and trains until their little hearts content. All in all it was a good time.

Yesterday Ali and her best friend were able to have a little joint birthday celebration with a couple of friends. (their birthdays are only a few days apart) They went to a place called Main Event and played laser tag, inside golf, and arcade games. They had a blast.

Now I am in a mad rush to wrap gifts for my side of the family, unpack/finish laundry/and repack to go to see my family Christmas afternoon, get everything ready for our kids "Santa" visit, hopefully bake some more Christmas cookies, etc. All that said I need to get off of this computer. Heehee!!

We hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas as we reflect on the birth of our savior!

December

A new roof at last....

As I am typing this, our roofers are on their way! We will finally get rid of the blue tarp that has been covering our roof for 2 1/2 months now.

Though we all ate way too much, our Thanksgiving was absolutely wonderful. Our friends flew in from New Mexico, and my parents came in. We had fun cooking in the kitchen and enjoying a delicious meal.

The day after Thanksgiving, we hit the stores at 4AM........or NOT!!! I can never bring myself to do that...I breakout in a cold sweat thinking of those crowds. However, we did take our friends to Space Center Houston. We stayed all afternoon and had a great time. We took a tram tour, watched an IMAX show on becoming an astronaut, and walked the exhibits.

When our friends had to return to New Mexico, we figured it was time to start preparing our home for Christmas. I guess I am a little obsessed, I admit...but a dozen plastic tubs and 5 trees later...we are decorated. Ok, one tree is very small and in Clark's room! However, we do have 2 full sized trees downstairs, one 4ft. tree on the upstairs landing, and a 5 or 6ft. tree in Ali's room. I LOVE Christmas...the sights, sounds, smells, tastes...and especially celebrating the birth of our saviour! It just all came a little too soon it seemed this year. It doesn't seem like it should be Christmas yet. But, it is and we have to run with it. I am not quite finished with the shopping. We hope to get it finished up very soon. We leave for Indiana a week from Saturday...so I am kind of in a time crunch. We are so excited to also be able to see our friends in Louisville, since it is only an hour away from T.C.'s family!! Ali is TOOOOO excited.

Clark had school pictures taken a while back, and we were to pick out our favorite pose yesterday. Pose? Shouldn't school pictures be you get what you get. That is how it was when I was a kid...you take your ONE picture...and hope for the best. Ummm, it doesn't work like that anymore in preschool. Some (overpriced) photographer shows up and low and behold...we go in to look at the pictures...and Clark wasn't even wearing the clothes I sent him to school in. The photographer CHANGED all the kids clothes into these goofy staged photos. To say they were lame is an understatement. Here is the rundown on the photo shoot...the boys all got their pictures taken in a nerdy button down shirt (buttoned up to the top) and a sweater vest...they even combed his hair straight down like a dork...then another with a soccer jersey and ball and the final one was a NASCAR picture with a jacket and hat on. Like seriously....we don't even watch NASCAR nor does he play soccer. Ummm, hello people!!! I was thinking to myself that I sent him in a polo shirt and cute shorts for a reason. Long story short, I felt obligated to purchase a pose...get this...for $25 a SHEET!! Ugh...

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is enjoying the start of this blessed CHRISTmas season!

Preparations for Thanksgiving....

The time has come...I have put it off for as long as possible. (the dreaded Thanksgiving grocery trip, that is!) I love eating the Thanksgiving meal, just usually put off the shopping trip for as long as I can. However, the day has come!!

We are so excited to have friends from our Albuquerque days flying in on Wednesday. It is Ali's best friend while we lived there, and her mom. We can't wait to see them! It has been 3 years since we last saw them. My parents are also coming in tomorrow for Thanksgiving. We will hopefully have a great time visiting and making yummy foods in the kitchen. However, today is the day to finish getting the house in order and kitchen stocked. (not to mention homeschooling, orthodontics, and swim practice, etc...are there enough hours in the day?)

There hasn't been much going on lately to blog about..same old same old. The kiddos are doing well. Ali had a sinus infection last week and T.C. had the crud also. I think they are both on the mend, or at least I hope. Clark has a touch of it, but seems to be fine.

Last week we were able to have dinner with a family that just adopted a 5 1/2 year old little boy from Ukraine. They live outside of San Antonio and used the same adoption agency as we did. We were in contact with them prior to their traveling to give them tips from the "been there done that file." Their son is SO cute. They have only been home for 2-3 weeks, so he is still speaking fluent Russian. He and Clark just played and played despite the fact that they couldn't speak to each other. It was so funny, I asked Clark that night as we were putting him to bed if he and Jamie talked to each other. He said "no, we didn't talk...yes, we did...but he still talks Ukraine...like I did in Ukraine" Then I asked "well, did you understand him?" He got this funny look on his face and answered "No." Ha...I guess it at least sounded familiar. They were in town for an appointment with a doctor that specializes in internationally adopted children.

Our nephew is out of the hospital. He was able to go home since my sister in law is an RN and knows how to take care of his medicines, tube feedings, etc. What a blessing for them! Now we just continue to pray he gains weight quickly so his little heart can be repaired.

I must start my crazy day! We have much to be thankful for this year. We hope each of you takes time to give thanks to our heavenly father for all the blessings he bestows on us. I know we are thankful for our family...our precious children mean the world to us. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Kids Christmas pictures

Go to www.smilesbywire.com and enter Rachel Judd (space between) as the name and LTPP0019100192JCP as the access code.

Watch out HGTV!

HGTV better just watch out...because my hubby made a pretty stinkin' cool wall today! We have had the idea, for about a year and a half, to turn one of our blank walls in our downstairs into a "wall of fame"...or not so fame. Anyhoo, we wanted all of our family photos in one spot. It turned out so neat. (or at least we think it did) The frames don't match, as we have just collected them through the years...but that is how we envisioned it. Just a hodgepodge of memories. Thank heavens for the engineer in the house! He had the idea to use our living room floor as the design center...he measured the wall...mapped it out on the floor...and went to town. (then just transferred them over to the wall) We are pooped now. We spent all weekend and today either shopping, putting things together, etc. etc. Let me explain...we finally made it into 2008 and broke down and bought a flat screen T.V. We are always (and I mean always) behind the times. But, we're alright with that. We don't really put much thought into buying up the latest and greatest gadget. However, the T.V. that the kids have upstairs in the 4th bedroom (for movies and PS2) is going out. It's only 17 years old...don't know what could be the problem. heehee!! So we broke down and bought a flat screen for downstairs so we could move our old one upstairs for the kids. All that said, Saturday was spent T.V. shopping. Then after we had it set up on our old shelving...we realized it looked pretty silly. Needless to say, Sunday (after church) was spent shopping for new shelves. We finally (like I said...behind the times) made it to IKEA!! That is the coolest store, and talk about HUGE! Too bad it is about 45 minutes away in downtown Houston. Well, that is probably a good thing on our wallets. Anyway, a couple of hours later we left the store with just the right shelves. Yesterday was spent putting them together (again, thanks hubby!!) and moving everything from our old shelves. So tonight we sit here totally wiped out.

Our little nephew is doing better. He is gaining weight again. Now it is just a waiting game for when he is strong enough/weighs enough for the heart surgery. We can't wait to see him again, as he is just such a precious doll baby!

Clark has been doing much better the last several days. God knew I needed some good days. He generally has such a sweet personality, and is so funny. We just have to work through the other issues.

My mind isn't working well tonight...so I will update again at another time. Wanted to post some pictures of T.C.'s handy work.