First day of school

My handsome 4th grader:

Courtney and Katie headed to Middle School-6th grade

My beautiful Courtney....Growing so fast!

Prayer for our kids returning to school

I found this on the internet and wanted to share:

Here we are again, Lord. Their backpacks are loaded and their faces are scrubbed and their lunch accounts are full.
And I know you'll walk with them, Lord. You always do. But a mom still has to ask.
Will You walk with them? Will You whisper to them what they need to hear, when I'm not there to whisper it?
Will You please, oh please, cover their school with the protection only You can give, and will You keep harm far away?
Will You make their minds strong and ready to learn? Will You help them understand that hard work honors the One who created them?
Will You guide their teachers, giving them patience and wisdom and creativity and more patience? Will You bless them for their efforts?
Will You love all those children there, the ones whose lunch accounts aren't full, the ones who feel alone? Will You teach my children to be kind and unselfish and to love those who are different from them?
Will You point them back toward home just as soon as you can?
Lord, I give them to You today and everyday, trusting them to Your care.
Amen.

Most Annoying Types of Facebookers

Straight from CNN.com

The Let-Me-Tell-You-Every-Detail-of-My-Day Bore.
"I'm waking up." "I had Wheaties for breakfast." "I'm bored at work." "I'm stuck in traffic." You're kidding! How fascinating! No moment is too mundane for some people to broadcast unsolicited to the world. Just because you have 432 Facebook friends doesn't mean we all want to know when you're waiting for the bus.

The Self-Promoter.
OK, so we've probably all posted at least once about some achievement. And sure, maybe your friends really do want to read the fascinating article you wrote about beet farming. But when almost EVERY update is a link to your blog, your poetry reading, your 10k results or your art show, you sound like a bragger or a self-centered careerist.

The Town Crier.
"Michael Jackson is dead!!!" You heard it from me first! Me, and the 213,000 other people who all saw it on TMZ. These Matt Drudge wannabes are the reason many of us learn of breaking news not from TV or news sites but from online social networks. In their rush to trumpet the news, these people also spread rumors, half-truths and innuendo. No, Jeff Goldblum did not plunge to his death from a New Zealand cliff.

The TMIer.
"Brad is heading to Walgreens to buy something for these pesky hemorrhoids." Boundaries of privacy and decorum don't seem to exist for these too-much-information updaters, who unabashedly offer up details about their sex lives, marital troubles and bodily functions. Thanks for sharing.

The Bad Grammarian.
"So sad about Fara Fauset but Im so gladd its friday yippe". Yes, I know the punctuation rules are different in the digital world. And, no, no one likes a spelling-Nazi schoolmarm. But you sound like a moron.

The Sympathy-Baiter.
"Barbara is feeling sad today." "Man, am I glad that's over." "Jim could really use some good news about now." Like anglers hunting for fish, these sad sacks cast out their hooks -- baited with vague tales of woe -- in the hopes of landing concerned responses. Genuine bad news is one thing, but these manipulative posts are just pleas for attention.

The Lurker.
The Peeping Toms of Facebook, these voyeurs are too cautious, or maybe too lazy, to update their status or write on your wall. But once in a while, you'll be talking to them and they'll mention something you posted, so you know they're on your page, hiding in the shadows. It's just a little creepy.

The Crank.
These curmudgeons, like the trolls who spew hate in blog comments, never met something they couldn't complain about. "Carl isn't really that impressed with idiots who don't realize how idiotic they are." [Actual status update.] Keep spreading the love.

The Paparazzo.
Ever visit your Facebook page and discover that someone's posted a photo of you from last weekend's party -- a photo you didn't authorize and haven't even seen? You'd really rather not have to explain to your mom why you were leering like a drunken hyena and French-kissing a bottle of Jagermeister.

The Maddening Obscurist.
"If not now then when?" "You'll see..." "Grist for the mill." "John is, small world." "Dave thought he was immune, but no. No, he is not." [Actual status updates, all.] Sorry, but you're not being mysterious -- just nonsensical.

The Chronic Inviter.
"Support my cause. Sign my petition. Play Mafia Wars with me. Which 'Star Trek' character are you? Here are the 'Top 5 cars I have personally owned.' Here are '25 Things About Me.' Here's a drink. What drink are you? We're related! I took the 'What President Are You?' quiz and found out I'm Millard Fillmore! What president are you?"

Who would you be??

I think I am a Lurker with s bit of self promoting for my business.

Save the TURTLES!

My daugheter is in love with turtles. She even has a box turtle that her Uncle Steve caught for her in Oklahoma last summer. If you ask Courtney what she wants to do when she grows up her response is "I want to be a Turtle Rancher". I've never heard of turtle ranchers but she is an animal lover so I'm sure whatever she does will be in that field.

I received an email with a picture attached this morning from Courtney. Her email read "Save the turtles.They need it."

Courtney is headed to middle school

I can't beleive how quickly time goes by. We picked up Courtney's schedule yesterday at the middle school. We helped her find all her classes and put her school supplies in her locker. They also took school pictures for their student id cards.

I hope she has a fantastic first year in middle school....starting August 24th!

Lake Holbrook Weekend

We had a very enjoyable weekend. We were able to spend the weekend in a lake house in Mineola. It was nice to get away. No computers or television or phones. Back to the simple life.

The kids fished, swam and enjoyed running around outdoors. As you can see from the pictures, my nephew Gavin took a liking to Courtney's friend Katie. At one point while picking up groceries Gavin pushed his mom's hand off the shopping cart and said Katie push. The adults enjoyed playing cards and talking.

Many thanks to our friends for sharing their lake home with us. Also, this home is for sale so if you are interested in purchasing lake front property just an hour and 20 minutes east of here let me know....I'd love to help them sell it as they have already purchased a new lake home.