Girls fun at the Shore!!

Jacqulin had the entire week off for Fall Break. So, while we were enjoying Aunt Sonya's place we had some friends join us. This is the crew at a local restaurant.

Kayli, Corrie, Deborah, Rachel, Morgan and Jacqulin.
Thanks Aunt Sonya for a great week in Gulf Shores.

Happy Fall Break 2011

We just needed a couple of days to stick our toes in the water, toes in the sand!! Thanks to Sonya and Billy we were able to do just that. Silly thing, Luke only has Monday and Tuesday off and Jacqulin has the entire week off. So, we headed to Gulf Shores for a long weekend.
God blessed us with beautiful weather and this weekend is "Shrimp Fest." Oh my word, we have had phenomenal shrimp and a fun time just being together.

Happy Birthday Bert September 29, 2011

We got to spend Bert's birthday watching a middle school football game and Jacqulin cheering. We didn't even get to eat dinner until 8:30. I did make homemade banana pudding - from scratch - though.
Happy birthday Bert, we love you.

"Say What?"

This is Bert's favorite cheer. The girls seem to like it a lot too. The say "Say What?" and point to the girl beside them. Then there is something about the referee not being your friend "no, no, no, no!" I don't write 'em I just tell you about 'em.





The eighth grade girls decided to put the black under their eyes.






FLASH MOB


This football game was also part of our school fundraiser. During halftime the student body was invited to the field to perform a "Flash Mob" dance they had learned during P.E. They had a great time and the dance was fun too.


'Stand up and clap your hands!'


I promise it was only 10 minutes ago that Jacqulin was Hannah's age and in Kindergarten. I love how they are both looking away. Hannah on her tip toes is so precious. Before we know it she will be as big as Jacqulin without standing on her tippy toes.

Jacqulin loved that the Hoods and Mrs. Donna got to come to the game. She loves Hannah and Hunter so much. And I think they like her o.k. too.



This is Jacqulin saying 'Mom, take the picture I have to go.' Too funny.

Neither rain nor darkness nor big puddles in a muddy field will keep us from cheering.

Every school is different and you work with what they give you. This field only has stands on one side so, the cheerleaders were really close. Plus, it had been raining and the girls were standing in mud but that was to miss the giant puddle to the left.


Middle school football games are played on Thursday night. This is great for us because it means we don't have to miss Jacqulin cheering or Luke playing in the high school band on Friday nights. However, this is a bad time for family to try to make it to a game when they have to go to work the next morning.
Jacqulin was thrilled that her Papa and Bobbie got to come see her cheer. She didn't get a lot of time to chat but we did get a picture.



This field doesn't have lights. It got really dark really fast.


I love that Kahsia and Jacqulin are cheering together. Notice how dark it's getting.


Papa and Bobbie braved the dark of night and the chilli temperatures to come to the game. Notice home bundled up everyone is when Jacqulin doesn't have sleeves or long pants. She was cold but never complained. I love that girl!

We Will Never Forget - Hard to Remember! 9-11

I have been to New York the past two summers. In July 2010 Ground Zero was still a big hole in the ground. July 2011 the Freedom Tower has truly risen from the ashes.


This year Luke and I, along with our friend Corrie Higdon and her son Alex, went to the World Trade Center Museum. It was very moving.



This is on a wall outside the museum and across the street from the WTC. It's an amazing sculpture that replicates many scenes. People are still using this as a place to greive by putting a Rosary or an american flag.



Inside the museum there are artifacts that were recovered. You can also see that there just wasn't much of anything that remained in it's original state.
This plaque puts it all in perspective: "This steel beam recovered from the WTC site is dedicated to all those who toiled in grueling conditions for nine months to recover 19,979 human remains and remove 1.6 million tons of material."



I sometimes forget that the World Trade Center catered to the whole World. That wasn't just a figure of speech. This sculpture of the world stood in the plaza of the towers. After the attack, this was moved to Battery Park, the park where you catch the ferries to either Staten Island or The Statue of Liberty. It's amazing to see the damage.


I love this picture. Luke was at his first full week of Kindergarten on September 11, 2001. Bert had to keep me from running and getting him. When I did pick him up I remember trying to keep from crying. He tells the story now that when he asked me what was wrong I said ' Some very bady people did some very bad things today.'
Luke is now 16, a sophomore in high school and taller than me. God has made me aware of his grace and love for us. I pray that our country will not be angry and will love like we have been loved by Jesus. I pray that by taking Luke to places like New York City he will see different people from different lands and know that God loves all of them too. Working with children from all over the world sure does soften your heart.

Jacqulin Cheers In Another Cute Uniform!!

S C O R E... Score Freedom Score.







Dancing to a song the band plays. "Go Stars Go!!"



In the stands!! Stand up and clap your hands!!

Thursday night football.... woo hoo!

This is what being a "leader" cheer or otherwise is all about. The second girl from the left is Jacqulin, the little girl is Riley, the cheer coaches daughter, then another Riley who is the girl who talked Jacqulin into trying out for cheer. Jacqulin loves both of these Riley's so much. This picture says so much.




This is my second daughter, Kahsia. She and Jacqulin have been friends since Kindergarter and she is in our Sunday school class. I would like to same I'm her Fairy Godmother!




My sweet girl!! Same cheers different uniform. No wonder people love cheering. It's like playing dress up every day.