Big Girl ...

Last night we converted Katiebug's crib into a toddler bed.

First, she danced in it ...

Then, she helped Daddy put on the front new rail ...

Then, she climbed in and out and in and out and ...

Then, she invited her brothers to join her ...

"C'mon Joshe and Dadeb"

We all said prayers ...

(yes, this picture is staged afterwards because I could not capture in action)

And she went down to sleep ... she did not cry or get up or sneak out or call for us or anything! The monkey that had started climbing out of her crib and falling twice her height to freedom went right to sleep and is still there right now (7:45 a.m.)!

to a big girl ... slow down, please!!!

We love you Kate!

We are family ...

We spent Saturday afternoon and evening at the lakehouse! The kids love, love, love seeing their cousins. I have a range of first cousins from 8th grade - 48 years old ... really ... just my dad's brothers/sisters kids. Then we have second cousins galore (most of my first cousins now have at least a couple of kids) ... and then my brother's children were there (my kid's first cousins) and well, it makes for a complicated mix, but-oh-so fun and so amazingly close. We laugh and laugh together. We all put on our swimsuits and actually lay out on rafts together ...no comments about how much weight we need to lose and we just laugh when it takes someone ten tries to finally get on the raft. We stay up very late and talk and laugh until we cry. The conversations range from funny jokes to what God is doing in your life right now ... I think and perhaps I am biased that we could be a perfect family! And let me reassure you that we have difficulties of every sort (children born out of wedlock, downs syndrome in a first and second cousin, divorce, death of a first cousin and uncle -both tragic, cancer and chemo, and I could go on) but we stick together and pray diligently for one another and somehow I believe God has taken this crazy-messed-up group of people and allowed us an opportunity to glorify Him through our relationships with each other. We live, laugh and love well!! I love my days with my extended family ... thanks Mom and Dad for being willing to open your lakehouse to so many people and for all of your cooking, Mom!

Josh by the boat

Caleb and cousin

Kate loves the front yard swing

to family, laughter, and the lake ...

Happy Memorial Day!

Kindergarten Graduation

Josh graduated this morning from Kindergarten.

I had a good cry in the shower at 6 a.m. and thought "keep it together".

They did a play in the main auditorium on the big stage with microphones and everything and he had lots of lines which were said perfectly. He had an Old MacDonald solo which was precious. I cannot put into words how much I appreciate the influence of his teacher this year. She has encouraged him to honor God in every aspect of his life and it shows.

After graduation, hubby took Josh and I for a special brunch at a fancy place with no siblings!!!

I asked Josh as we left what he would miss the most about Kindergarten and he said without skipping a beat "Mrs. Morgan and Recess".

Time flies ...

We are getting excited and overwhelmed daily at my house. Where did the time go?

• Josh's last day of kindergarten is today ... graduation is tomorrow morning. He will do a program (with memorized lines, a solo, and everything) and then walk across the stage for his diploma ... makes me get teary eyed just thinking of it!
• Mexico is right around the corner! We are finishing up the planning stage and buying the supplies and still praying ... focus for this week is to pray for the translators. Specifically, that they are faithful to the times they are supposed to work, that they may be touched by God's message, and that we can create relationships with them and get to know them, too.
• Caleb's last day of 2nd grade is Wednesday morning... did you hear that??? Somehow, in the blink of an eye, I have a third grader. Just watching and listening to him overwhelms me ... when did he grow up??? Where was I?? And why do all of the girls' parents in both boys' classes keep coming up to me and talking about the "crushes" their daughters have on my boys ... we don't like girls over here (except mommy and Kate and grandmothers and teachers)... please don't mess that up yet :)!!!
• Kate does not stop ... ever! Yesterday, I heard her wake up from her nap and then, she appeared! Yep, she climbed out of her crib ... we all stared at her, shocked! She was quite proud of herself and giggled aloud at our amazement!
• Caleb's team is going to the playoffs ... should be fun!
• My precious friend, R, celebrated her birthday yesterday ... I cried and cried because her next one will be celebrated in Quito, Ecuador. I am so excited to see God's plan for her and her family as they work in the mission field, but I will miss her living down the street so much it just hurts!! Happy Bday sweet friend ... miles are not going to change your friendship for me :)!!

Go back to bed????

This morning as I pulled backwards out of my driveway at 5:40 a.m. I heard and felt a crash all at once ... oh no, oh no I ran into Chris's truck! I jumped out in the rain and looked ... yep, damage! I ran inside and quietly told my husband that I just ran into his truck. The sheets flew "You ran into it?!?!" "Yes" "Ok, ok let's look" At that point I started learning a new lesson in grace ... he was not mad, he did not get flustered, he even said "that's what we have insurance for" and "Shan, it's ok!" I hope I can react in the same merciful manner to accidents!

Then, I left for my bible study. I arrived back home around 7:00 a.m. and stepped out of my Surburban and fell ... completely on my booty and yelled out of pain and shock. Caleb heard the boom and came out to find his mother sitting on the concrete with scrapes from the car going up her back laughing/crying like a crazy person!

At what point do you just go back to bed? I mean it would be a safer place today if I was in bed! At what point?!?! Oh, that's right, I have an almost 2 year old ... we don't go back to bed! I think I will stick to playing dolls today... surely that is safe, right?!?! plus, my bottom and back don't hurt from the fall if I stay sitting ...

Mothers Day

Why oh why, is it not "Mother's Week"instead of Mother's Day?!?! Today, I got out of bed LATE (and got myself ready for church without even knowing what the little ones were going to wear)... did not cook one item ... went shopping ALONE (with a gift card - yippee), wore a Moms Rock tshirt my family bought me at church this morning all day, did not discipline at all (thank you hubby), played baseball with my family and they let me be the first baseman and they all know I miss the ball a lot, watched a movie together before bed, and just generally relaxed without guilt! Thanks to my precious family ... what a wonderful day you blessed me with today!!
to all of the moms out there ... let's work on making this a week ... what do you think?!?!

Oh Jason, Oh Jason ...

Well, we will see how the Aggies pull through on this one ... our theory, though, on why the judges were so awful to Jason ... he must be pulling in a lot of votes and they fear he will knock out one of the performers who actually has star ability ... if we could keep him one more week, he will be performing in Aggieland! How fun! Well, at least Cook sounded karaoke last night, too :)!! I have to give it to Syesha ... she gets better every week and well, David A. ... yes, your voice is gorgeous but oh this sounds like a "Simon-rude-comment" but ... I'm tired of ya!!!
Ok, more after the results ... Gig 'em, Castro!!
Yes, hubby, sympathy voted again last night!

Mexico Monday -Cinco de Mayo

In five weeks we will be in Mexico ... I am getting so excited. I thought I would let you know the overview of the week today. Everyday we will have a group teaching VBS to the orphans at Casa Hogar, a medical team that will set up clinics in the poorest areas to provide medication, vitamins, and the gospel, and a construction crew that is roofing this year. The American teenagers along with a mentor are rotating through all of these areas to get a complete taste of "missions". In the afternoons the VBS crew will be having recreation and art with the kids ... I am taking materials to make the "old school" friendship bracelets (remember those???). Our VBS curriculum has been finalized and is awesome (an answered prayer) ... we are doing Warriors for Christ and each day's focus goes along with a portion of the movie, Chronicles of Narnia. The art will connect as well with making the helmet of salvation, shield, etc. The recreation will also connect with team building projects, trust games, etc. It is fun to see this all come together.
This week's prayer focus: for the American teenagers' hearts to be open so they can receive a new perspective of our world with what they see and hear that week.
Happy Cinco de Mayo!!!!

Tornadoes

I can't say enough how much I dislike and fear tornado season in Texas! I vividly remember stirring the batter of my birthday cake when I was little in Paris, Texas giddy about having my first slumber party and my town being hit hard by a terrible tornado. Standing on my front porch (before my mother put me in a bathtub with a mattress over my head) I watched the Paris Lumber Co. get hit and catch on fire by a tornado and I will never lose that mental image!! I remember the still, green, calm sky before it hit! I remember the sound of a tornado that went over my home only two years later and took off the roof of the family that lived behind us. I woke up and truly thought I was going to be run over by a train because of the sound! All of that said because today ... I had to "take cover" with Kate in the laundry room while a rotation was above our heads ... it hit east of Tyler and west of Tyler and it was a terrible 40 minutes waiting to see if it would hit us as it passed ... I guess I have done this many times before but today was different because it was calm and green outside ... brought back too many memories! I knew the boys were safe in the basement of their school and hubby was evacuating patients from their rooms to the middle of the hospital (why did he have to be on call during a tornado warning???) and I felt so completely responsible for little Kate! I sat in the laundry room and she loved it ... my undivided attention! Looking back now, I should have gotten some laundry done while I was worrying! I am going tomorrow to get a new weather radio ... and to update my Thundercall. Here's to sunny skies ...

One more thing ...

I just blogged and I forgot something mighty important ... today, Kate stepped on my scale ... it usually turns on but does not register a number because she is not heavy enough ... and well, many people know what we went through in the Fall just to prove the girl has a great, fantastic, amazing metabolism (too many needles) and I am sooooo happy to report that this morning when she stepped up, the scale turned on and the number 22 showed up strong and clear ... we did a little dance!! Usually, after a "weigh-in" I do a little cry because the number is too big (me) or doesn't register (Kate) but today we did a little dance ... 22 pounds! You go girl!! To keep the dancing mood going i chose to skip my own weigh-in!!!
Oh, one more thing, Jason Castro ... I do not know how ... but you made it another week. Gig 'em!!

It's Busy and Fun ... It's Life!!!

Last Sunday we had a very special morning at church. Both Caleb and Josh were baptised ... by their dad. They were all sooooo cute and so sweetly shared their favorite bible verse and well, hubby, was just perfect. He wrote to the boys and told them that he was so proud of their accomplishments in school (so far all As) and their dedication and hard work in sports but what made him most proud was their decision to follow Christ.

Josh had a special tea for moms at school where the kids had a style show of hats ... the theme was Hats Off to Moms. Every child was dressed up as one of the many hats we as moms wear. There was a gardener, a chef, a plumber, a grocery shopper, a cleaner, a banker, and more but Josh came out last and had the most important hat of all ... the prayer warrior!

We also had fun celebrating our precious friend, Ellie's 2nd birthday!! She got a bubble blower, a tutu, and some plastic high heeled shoes ... all of which kate is most excited about borrowing!!! When Ellie started opening her gifts, Kate threw up both arms and yelled "Toys!!!" It was so funny! We love Ellie and the rest of her precious fam! Happy Bday, sweetie!!

other Glenney news ...

We are excited to be helping with our precious friends, the Bryans family, advocacy team. Please check out their blog (it's a link on the side because I have no idea how to make it link in the middle of a paragraph like my other blogger friends can). They are moving to Quito Ecuador to work with street kids ... as sad as we are to not be down the street from them for the first time in like 10 years, we are excited to see them follow God's plan for their life in the mission field. They are a precious family ... go check out their site :). Check out their ministry at Casa Gabriel at www.youthworld.org.ec