Brooke's six year pictures

Brooke has really grown physically and maturity wise since she started first grade. I remember when she used to cry every time we took her to get her pictures taken. Now, she acts like the little model. More importantly though, we are thankful for her sensitivity to others and to the Lord. Six is looking good on you, babe!

Basketball season begins

Today was opening day of our church's Upwards basketball season. Andrew's team won 34-12, and Andrew was responsible for 7 of those baskets. In fact, when he first came out, he made his first 5 shots. He won the "offensive player" of the game award.



It was also Gary's coaching debut, as he is coaching Wesley's 5th and 6th grade team. The coaching continued on the sidelines, as Wesley sat out for a time.



Wesley's team also won their first game 18-12. Wesley made one of the baskets for his team. Overall, it was a fun day and the boys really gave 100%. It was good to see our gym filled with many new players and parents.

Beard Christmas 2009

As I lay in bed on Christmas Eve, I considered the Christmas holidays and how Christians often spend them. On the following morning, after we read the Christmas story (and the kids eagerly anticipated their gifts), I shared my thoughts. What if we threw a birthday party for Andrew. We all knew it was Andrew's birthday, and we were happy that he was in our midst. We were glad to be together to celebrate his birthday. However, the whole group of people brought gifts for only Brooke and Wesley. We all played mom and dad's favorite games; we ate Wesley's favorite foods. Yes, the party was in Andrew' honor and we gave him a moment of attention, but our main enthusiasm was for all of the "stuff for us." I think we can all relate. As Christians, we know that Jesus is the reason for the season, but how we spend our Christmas just puts this special guest in the "corner" of our celebrations.

I pray for myself, my family, and all of my friends, that we are able to place the Lord as our first priority, on Christmas and in every day.

As I know so many of our family will not be able to share a Christmas with us, so far away in California, let me share some of our family traditions and events from this Christmas 2009:

Though it is a blurry picture, we spend much time enjoying the video games. Thanks to all of our distant family for contributing to that activity. Below you can see the three guys playing Mario Kart.


This is my second year directing the children's handbell choir at our church. They performed in both services on Sunday morning. As you look at the faces, you can see how hard they had to concentrate on the music. Next year, I am going to work on making sure they can think and smile at the same time.

On Christmas Eve, we all enjoy the many finger foods that sit out all afternoon and evening. We also attend our church's Christmas Eve service. The bell choir played again in this service.


Wesley's class put on a special chapel, re-creating the Christmas story. Wesley was one of the three magi.

The 4th and 5th graders at VMS had a Christmas program. Wesley played a shepherd. See if you can find him in the group picture below. I must admit, I had a hard time locating him :)

To count down the December days until Christmas, the kids get to open a pocket of their advent calendar each morning. Some days they find a small gift; some days they find candy; other days, the pocket is filled with a notecard stating an event that we will be doing that day.


Trimming the Tree: Every year, day after Thanksgiving, we decorate our Christmas tree. Every year, the kids get a new ornament to add to their collection.

The princess turns six

Brooke had her sixth birthday today. She is such a joy to each member of this family; we can't imagine one day without her. She is her daddy's girl. She admires and is watched out for by her two big brothers. Her mother would be lost without another female in the mix. Happy Birthday, princess!


Yesterday, she had a party with several of her friends from school. They enjoyed the game "Kiss the frog" (the female version of pin the tail on the donkey). Putting the lipstick on was the best part (below).

Brooke got right on the mark :)


Brooke with one of her closest friends, Juliana. Juliana is still wearing the remnants of lipstick "gone wild."

Brooke enjoyed the package from Gramma. Thanks, Gramma and Poppa!


As Brooke was lying on the floor tonight, sick to her tummy of cookies and birthday cake, she replied: "I don't know how I got to be so big!" My thoughts, exactly, sweet one.

Season---endings and beginnings

Andrew's football season ended today. It was a nail-biting game down to the last second. His team ended the season with an 8-2 record. They lost 16 to 22 in a division playoff, just one game short of the Super Bowl. We were very proud of Andrew's abilities and his excellent attitude. When I asked Andrew if he was going to play again next year, he said, "Oh, yes, for sure!" I am thankful for his head coach. As the team huddled at the end of the game, his coach stated: "I am very proud of each one of you guys. You are sad because you love football, and now it is over. But there is so much more to life than football. Football just teaches us many lessons we need to learn in life."

While it was the end of the football season, it is also the beginning of the Christmas season. We always decorate our tree the day before or after Thanksgiving. The kids enjoy hanging their ornaments---one new one for each year. I love December, and all of the busyness and festivities that it brings.

Gary was able to get a few colorful pictures of the sky from our backyard. Whatever season you find yourself in, remember to thank God for his undeserved blessings and never ending love. What a great season to praise God!

Hodge Podge pictures

The five of us were pleasantly surprised when Gary's mom and dad called and said that they desperately needed to get away. Gary's dad has been working too much :) Well, they started driving and arrived at our home 4 days later. It was so much fun having them visit for about 1 week. Thanks, Mamaw and Papaw for coming out to see us. I don't know if they really got a break, but we were ecstatic to visit with them.

Back track to Halloween night and guess what my two boys decided to dress up for on Halloween??? Yes, football players. Wesley decided to skip out on the jersey and replace it with this special t-shirt from Gramma Sturgill. "No questions.....just put the candy in the bag."

I couldn't leave out this angel face. She did not dress up like this for Halloween, but she did get her face painted on our last trip to Knott's Berry Farm.

It has been a busy month, but I wanted to get some pictures out. We love you all (unless, of course, we don't know you and you just happened upon my blog)!

Fall means pumpkins

Growing up in the mid-west, I always loved fall. The cool crisp, evenings, and the colorful, falling leaves. For reasons other than these two, I still love autumn. We do have cool, crisp evenings (occasionally), and I actually see a tree losing its' leaves every once in awhile. Pumpkins, however, are in abundance. There are pumpkin patches everywhere!


Yesterday, the kids picked out their own pumpkin and we brought them home to carve. If you look carefully at the picture below, you will see each one behind their respective pumpkin. They named them "Jack," "O" and "Lantern." We even roasted the pumpkin seeds. I have to admit that has never been one of my favorite treats, but Gary said "it is something you have to do every once in awhile, just because it is fall!"

A California Visit

May I never cease to be amazed at how God works things out. I especially notice when He works things out in ways that I want. Dad was asked to speak at an AACS conference, hosted at none other than Ventura, CA. Thank you God for using them in ministry and allowing it to be in our own backyard :) Below are some pictures mom sent me from the weekend. It was good for Gramma and Poppa to be able to watch Andrew in action on the football field. It was a short, full, enjoyable weekend for each one of us.

A new look

Wesley had an appointment today to get things checked out with his broken ankle. It has been three weeks since the break. He and Gary made a morning of it and went out to IHOP and then proceeded to the doctor's office. Wesley did get his cast removed. It was an interesting process, as he explained it to me :) The x-ray showed good improvement, so he is now able to wear a boot. He is still reliant upon his crutches, but he is able to remove the boot for sleeping and bathing.

I have heard people's horror stories about casts and the itching and the stinking. So, it is nice to have a protective wear that can be removed when he is sitting. We were also happy to see that his leg did not have any bruises. When the cast was put on, his leg was badly bruised, but he has healed rather nicely.

Thanks for the cards, comments, and prayers. He is doing great!

Wherever you find yourself

Last night, Gary and I had the privilege to attend a Casting Crowns' concert. What a blessing it was and a challenge. I write this post to challenge any Christian who reads it, but also as a reminder to myself. I know I will come back to this in a couple of months, when I find I need a reminder.

One thing I love about the music of Casting Crowns is that it gives such a clear message of glory to God and hope for a very lost world. The songs are filled with so much Bible. In fact, each CD lists numerous Bible verses that support the message of each song. It is fun to be able to sing what the Bible states to be true.

The lead singer, Mark Hall is a youth pastor in Atlanta. He, like so many Christians, has been a Christian for a long time and often finds himself in a "rut." I love the analogies that he used. He talked straight to Christians: "At church, everything makes sense. We know how to live and what direction to take. Everything is black and white. But once we leave the church doors, so often, life turns gray." He went on to explain that he knows he is a Christian. His heart belongs to the King of kings, but as a Christian, we often have a brain that is lost. We make excuses for not sharing the gospel. We prioritize so many things over God's call on our life. We rationalize our good, but not godly choices. We pursue our career, rather than His calling. We work so hard to have a personal relationship with God, that it never affects anyone outside of our own person. We forget that we have one purpose on this earth and Satan keeps us plenty busy doing everything but that purpose.

The song below is one I have listened to repeatedly today. I know I get caught in the middle often, but I pray God just keeps pulling me closer to Himself.