Chefs in the making

Melia and Payton decided to cook today...aren't they cute!

National Cheesecake Day

I will take any "National Day" if it allows me to go to the Cheesecake Factory and get 1/2 price cheesecake.  So yummy.  Kerry and Kristin went with us.  It was crazy busy, but didn't take too long to get a table.  There were lots of people eating cheesecake.

Share a Coke with a friend

Coke has a new advertising scheme and I fell right into it.  Found a Diet Coke bottle with my name on it...literally.

Need to get my crap together

I really need to get my but together again and start making my own mixes and menus again.  I'm not sure that I will do it, but at least I know that I have the book when I want/ need it.

Heaven is for Real

We took GB and Jay to see the movie Heaven is For Real.  Jay was excited about the popcorn...not sure GB enjoyed that....if I remember, she doesn't like popcorn.  The move was fun and Braeden loved taking them to the movies!

GB and Jay

GB and Jay are spending a couple of days here in Texas with us.  We got to see Corin today, so he has officially met the Great Grandma's.  It was nice to play with him at McDonalds and get some family pictures.  We also went to Kerry's and saw them for a little bit.  Kerry had to work, but was up for a little bit...as Tatum slept on his floor.

And she's home

She is home and I hear my times at camp all over again.  She has a much better attitude than I ever did...proud of her for loving God and focusing on him, not on herself.  She is so much wiser than I was.

My insecurities...her insecurities?

Why is it when I send my kid off to somewhere; camp, a movie, youth group, school...why do my insecurities as a child sneak up?  I didn't have a lot of friends growing up. I had the neighborhood kids I played with, but looking back, not sure they wanted to play with me, or if I just was "in the neighborhood" so we played. Grade School was a nightmare. I was always made fun of and never had "bffs" as they say now.  I remember going to swimming lessons and I had so many friends that I showed up for the wrong lessons and no one noticed until the lessons were nearly over...not the leaders, not the kids, no one. So as I sent my daughter off to camp this week, I had high hopes she would be accepted, have a group of friends that loved  her and just generally have a wonderful time. I had full expectations of that and I was really standing on that, until I saw a photo posted today on FaceBook of the girls from our youth group.  Melia is standing off by her self, leaning on the wall, looking lost.  My heart is breaking right now and I can't do anything for her.  Not that she would want me to. I some time wonder if I am the reason my kids never seem to fit in...if My insecurities have been so deeply embedded into their personalities that they are doomed to a life of mine.  Even as an adult, I find myself becoming more of an introvert, not because I want to be, but it is a way to protect myself from hurts and lack of "bffs".  What have I done to these 5 wonderful kids?  Why would the Heavenly Father hand these capable, amazing humans to me...so I can mess them up?!

I know that when I accepted Jesus as my Savior and made him the Lord of my life, I was instantly accepted and loved in more ways that I could possibly understand. I know that I have the mind of Christ and that I am still growing in Favor with God and man.  How do I convey that to my sweet 13 year old daughter?  The one who is awkward, has acne and is "over the top" to cover up her insecurities. (I was like that growing up...you either are over the top, or fade into the background. It seems I've switched as an adult)

What can I do about this today?  I can pray and trust that God doesn't make mistakes. He handed these children into my care and I'm sure he knows that I can do it...whatever "it" is.  I will pray for her that she is having an awesome time and that the camera just caught her thinking about other things.  That she has great friends and they are forming bonds and "bff" status among the group and she will walk away with more love for the Father and her fellow race than she had before she left. I will pray God will guard her heart and not let it get bruised during this week...and I will cry myself to sleep as I do.

July 21, 2014...off to camp

And she's off

Today she heads to camp....I pray it all that she wants it to be.

Happy Birthday

Today I turned 48.  Had lunch with Kerry's, Todd made cinnamon rolls and we picked the cantaloupe that came up on it's own.

Tie Dye...meh

Tried to tie dye a shirt for camp for "Merica Monday...not sure it worked, but she'll wear it anyway.

shopping family day

Had to pick up some things for camp...went shopping.  Tatum came and spent the afternoon with us.

Pray for the Peace of Israel

7-11, what does that mean?

Today is the gas station 7-11 day.  That means free slurpies!  This is the first year we've ever even tried to get one.  It was fairly simple and didn't take very long. We then went to Rachel Ballinger's and Melia stayed to babysit and Rachel and I went to shop at Town Talk.  We were really quite late, but it was fun for the 15 minutes we were there, just the same. I then took her to Trader Joes and we went out for dinner at Panera Bread.  It was nice to have some grown up conversation, although I don't think I do that well any more.  I struggle to find big words and talk as an adult. I'm so use to just speaking to kids...oh well.  She has 5 of her own, so maybe she understood me!

Sharing a room

Being the youngest of 5 girls, I don't ever remember sharing a room.  I'm sure I did when I was really little and is probably one of the reasons Cyndi didn't like me so much when I was growing up. However, we are now sharing a room as a family.  Melia and Braeden are sleeping on the blow up mattress and enjoying sleeping in the cool.  They actually snuggle deep in their covers, because we keep it really cold at night. Praising God for a working A/C and for the window unit in our room!

Why we do what we did...

It's been a few days without photos, but we have continued to wake up, live a day and go back to sleep.  The weather has turned very warm in Texas.  Still not as hot as it could be in the beautiful state. We have yet to hit 100 and we are in July. I believe that is because the Todd Barnett family is praying.  Our central air conditioner isn't working and the repair bill will be very high, so we are praying and believing that we receive an air conditioner.  I know that my God can do this!  We have put the blow up mattress in our bedroom, where we have a window unit, we were blessed with, so everyone can sleep at night. I also am understanding the use of "running through the sprinkler" each day.  It cools off the kids and gives them some time in the sunshine.  There isn't a public pool within walking or even driving distance of our house, so the sprinkler will have to do.  Someday I'll have a pool in my yard and then they can spend the day the way I did all summer... in the water.  Until then, hanging out in our room and running through the sprinkler will do wonders.

Happy Independence Day America!

Today marks a first in a long time for our family.  The boys and Todd were all off together.  We all grouped at Kerry's house, since he has a working central air and had a great BBQ.  Tatum, Kerry and Kristin, Kayla (Kristin's sister) and Catherine (K&K's friend) all bought things to blow up. The kids were in heaven!  Kerry and Kristin's neighbor's spend hundreds, if not thousands on fire works.  It was a beautiful evening.  We didn't go  to SWBC today.

SWBC 2014 Day 3

Today was the day...the camera guy was more excited than Braeden was I think.  He had been planning on how to get him tall enough to operate the camera.  It was so fun to watch the two of them.  He gave Braeden the full controls of the camera.  He got to use the joy stick, and everything.  What a blessing!  Maybe he sparked an idea of new and different careers in the future.  How many of us really think..."hey I want to be a camera guy when I grow up"  We have those opportunities at our church, as they film every service...so maybe someday Braeden will do that at church.  It was also a great day, because Braeden won a dvd of the new SuperKid movie The Mission.  Long story, he was chosen to win it from Commander Kellie...it went to someone else, and the adults in our section were in an uproar about it and one lady gave him $20 to go and buy the movie.  This week has been his week.  He was also blessed with $10 cash to buy a toy from a lady we don't know.  What a fun week at convention for a 4 year old!

SWBC 2014 day 3

As you go to things like conventions, you seem to meet people.  I never meet people and form life long friendships, or even know their names at the end of the week. Braeden on the other hand seems to capture the hearts of people.  (He really is a cute kid)  The first day we were there, I took him over so he could see the boom camera.  The operator showed him everything.  He showed him how to move it, how it was weighted and counter balanced so it could be moved with just a finger tip nudge. How the camera is controlled with a joy stick...it was just really cool.  Braeden just ate it up!  The operator told him, he could come back anytime and he'd show him more.  Then he looked at me and said...really anytime.  I smiled, but their friendship has grown all week.  I think the camera guy looks for Braeden daily.  Today, we asked to take our picture with him and he told me he's been thinking of how to get some really great photos of Braeden operating the camera...goodness, that is a really expensive piece of equipment.  I'm sure he means to just stage a photo. We are going to try and do that one day before the end of the week.

There is a record breaking number of people here!

SWBC 2014 day 2

Again, we heard great speakers today.  We came back for the evening session. I wish we would have stayed last night, as there was a concert of one of her favorite bands.  There just wasn't anyway, I had work I had to do.  Tonight we heard Kenneth Copeland speak. We sat in the "stroller" section...never again.  It was noisy and the other kids wouldn't leave Braeden alone.  A friend went to the ER right before we arrived.  Praying for Ali.