growing up...

Kids' birthdays are so much fun! We are all excited about Bella's sixth birthday which is coming up next week. She is such a big girl, very independent. She doesn't like for me to help her get ready for school, she wants to take a "shower" (I insist on washing her hair!), she's only in kindergarten and she doesn't want to hug and kiss her daddy when he drops her off at school!!! She's growing up too fast!

The name Bella means "beautiful" in Spanish...


I am working on a slideshow with pictures taken during the last six years. Of course I'm a bit biased, but I think she was such a beautiful baby. I mean, the boys were beautiful to us of course, but really, it took them a while to get cute!

Anyway I did a birthday-girl photo shoot with Bella, and I thought I'd go ahead and post some of them. I'm saving my favorites for later, but these are some fun pics of her being silly.

Thanks for stopping by...be sure to check back for the birthday pictures and slideshow next week! :=) Hope you all have a great Lord's day...

ap

stop, look, and listen...

Just recently, August 20, Angela entered the post "just evan and mommy."

While viewing the post I saw the picture of Evan wearing the baseball helmet. As I clicked on the picture, viewing the larger image, I couldn't help but to stare at his shining, gleaming eyes; his soft, sweet, kissable face; his cute little nose and the smile that so many times has captured my heart.

As I stared into Evan's sweet little face a sense of guilt overcame me.

You see, there is rarely a day when I come home tired from work that my son Evan fails to greet me at the door. He sweetly smiles as he opens his arms and enthusiastically says, "daddy's home!" So why do I feel guilty? Because too many times I have taken him for granted.

Guilty because I once again realized that I am rushing through life without taking time to enjoy some of the most precious moments I will ever have with my family. Is it just me, or do we rush-rush-rush on a daily basis and miss the details? If you have children, have you stared into their eyes lately? Have you noticed the details of their eyes, their nose, the freckles on their cheeks? Or are you carelessly moving so fast that you are missing the details of life's precious moments. How many times has your child wanted to share something important to them with you and you were too busy to stop and listen. Once again, I am guilty. How about your spouse, if you are married? Oh boy, this is where I get in big trouble. :o)

The Lord has so blessed me with a wonderful, patient wife, and beautiful children and I don't even deserve it. What an awesome responsibility. What will we do with it?

I am posting a picture that Angela used in a previous post. I just think it is a beautiful picture of the children.

Thanks for "listening" as I rant. This is unusual for me, but I thought I would share some intimate thoughts.

rp


Click on the picture for a larger, much more detailed view...

just evan and mommy...

We are looking forward to a quiet week...last week was too busy to get settled into our new routine. This week though I hope to be at home all week except for the day I go into the office. So now I get to find out what it's like to be at home with only one kiddo! =o) We weren't home much last week, but I did find out how much easier it is to run around with just Evan. He does talk a lot more with the other kids off at school...I figured that would happen. Right now he has eaten breakfast, changed clothes, and is playing with his cars. I'm looking forward to spending time with the little guy!

Here are some never-before-seen pictures of Evan...







Well, now I've got to get to busy...thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a great week!

ap

first day of school...

We have had a busy week with the starting of school! I hate to see summer vacation end, but I look forward to getting into more of a set routine. Monday was the last day of freedom, so we wanted a relaxing, but special day. The kids like it when I make pancakes with smiley faces made out of raisins, so they wanted that for breakfast. They also wanted them colored, so we made them green in honor of our school colors which are green and purple. We didn't have any red food coloring or I would have made purple instead of green...so they looked gross, but they tasted great! :o)

Anyway, the dropping off of the kids at school was pretty uneventful. It was no big deal for Bella...she just walked into the room, deposited her backpack, napmat, and supplies in her cubby, and went to her seat! I had to make her say goodbye to me. She doesn't really think too much about things, so leaving Mommy didn't bother her!

Braden, though...well, he was pretty nervous. He thinks about things... a LOT. He was telling me he was nervous for three days before school started. On Monday night when I tucked him into bed, I told him I was praying for him because I knew he was a little anxious. He said, "That's good 'cause I need it!" He's funny. On the way to school, he kept asking Bella if she was nervous. :o)

So we're two days into it and both of the kids are enjoying it. Braden thinks his teacher is great because she actually let them have a soccer match at recess today and she even played! Bella is the line leader in her class this week, so because she is always at the front of the line, she ends up sitting next to her teacher at lunch (which is a little scary for me because the girl will say anything that crosses her mind). She of course thinks this is so great, but she has the idea that she is going to be the line leader for the whole year. I tried to explain that they get to take turns doing that, but she insists that it's her job for the year :) She has a lot to learn yet.

Well, I wasn't going to say much because I didn't feel like taking the time to post, and now it's turning into the longest, wordiest post ever...well, not ever. :o) Here are some pictures from the first day of school...I don't think I was standing still for any of these shots. Hope you enjoy anyhow!


Braden unloading his supplies...you can tell how nervous he was...


The big kindergartner...not a bit nervous!


Braden with his 3rd grade teacher, Mrs. Ruwersma...


Bella's special kindergarten backpack that she got to pick out
(it's white!!!)...she even picked out the color and font for her name! :o)


Already hard at work!


Bella with her K-5 teacher, Mrs. Ewing...


They were all so happy to see each other after school...
it was so sweet!

'86 reunion slideshow...

It has taken a week, but the slideshow is finished! There are so many pictures that they move kind of fast in order to get them all in, but at the end of the slideshow, you will be able to view each picture individually. Thanks to Chelle for sharing the oldies from her high school picture album...I swiped a few of hers from the reunion too. Thanks, Chelle! :o) We had so much fun with you guys...hope you enjoy the show! And now, a word from Ringo...

*************************************************************

I just asked my wife how long it had been since we had the reunion, one or two weeks? She said "one week." Boy, time sure does tend to get away from us, doesn't it? As quickly as this one week has gone, it seems twenty-one years have gone just as fast. I want to thank everyone for taking time from your busy schedules to make the last minute trip to Tennessee. I especially have to thank my wife for all she did in helping us get it all worked out. I am truly grateful to the Lord for my wife and wonderful children. My wife and I had so much fun. The truth is, I was a little nervous about how things would turn out. I think Chelle hit the nail on the head when she said that it had been twenty-one years since most of us saw each other, but when we got together this past weekend it was like we had never parted ways. I don't know about you all, but I felt like I was traveling back in time. I only wish that those who could not make it would have had an opportunity to be here. Perhaps the next time and hopefully sooner than another twenty years, right?

Anyhow, my wife mentioned how quickly the pictures move throughout the slideshow, but at the end there is a photo gallery. It is funny how this is a perfect analogy for how quickly time passes by and in the end what you have are memories.

Finally, when you all were here we talked about the song that we sang at our graduation. If you all recall that was not quite the song that we had in mind. We hope you enjoy the slideshow and the music that should have been our graduation theme song.

Keep in touch!

Ringo

Click here to view the show

last week of freedom...

I should say it's the kids' last week of freedom...my freedom is just about to begin! ;o) Orientation is on Friday night and school starts on Tuesday, so we are almost there. I can't believe how quickly the summer has flown by and I'm sad to see it end. I know once I get back into the routine of things, I will enjoy that too. And I cannot imagine what it is going to be like having only one child at home with me. I'm really excited about having time with Evan...he's mommy's boy too so no doubt he's going to love it too.

Throughout the summer, we have tried to do some fun kind of activity each week with a group of our friends. It is our tradition to do something special the day before orientation each year. So today a big group of us went to the splash park and had a picnic lunch. Of course it's only 97 degrees outside, but the heat index is about 150! Good thing there was water! The kids had a great time as usual. Here are some pictures taken today...

Andrew, Seth, Braden, & Tyler


Tori, Lauren, & Bella


Evan was showing me the car he was playing with in the water...


Since I just remembered today that Bella has to have a physical before she can go to school, thankfully we were able to get her an appointment at the doctor's office tomorrow morning. Fun, fun. She doesn't know yet. Not looking forward to it. Not sure whether you should pray for her or for me...pray for both of us! ;o)

I have some really cute pics taken at this same splash park last week, but I'll have to post them another time. Hope you all have a great weekend!

ap

class of '86 reunion...

We had the 21-year reunion this past weekend for the Madison Avenue Baptist Academy class of 1986. I think Ringo should post about this since it's his class, but I can tell you that we had such a great time. Out of eleven graduates, eight of them were here at some point this weekend. We had to take a different group picture every day because a few of them couldn't be here the entire time, but we are just so thrilled that we were able to spend time with all of them. Ringo can say whatever he wants to say, but I personally feel blessed to have gotten to know every person who was here this weekend. They are Ringo's classmates, but I feel that they are now my friends too. I am amazed that every one of them are in church and serving the Lord (and if you heard their stories...they were so bad...you would be amazed too). ;o) I really could go on and on about how much we enjoyed ourselves...we laughed, we cried (sometimes at the same time), and heard about how the Lord has worked in people's lives to bring them where they are now. It was just wonderful...okay, I'll stop now.

I am going to include some of the group pictures here, but I have so many I'll have to put a slideshow together. You won't believe this, but when we were about halfway to the restaurant for dinner on Friday night, I realized that I forgot my camera. That should be a cardinal sin or something. I hope someone (hint, hint) will send me some pictures of Rae and her family because I only got pictures of Rae when she came to the house afterward. I don't have many of our family either, but I know everyone else does. When I get some of those, I'll post my slideshow. For now, enjoy these...remember you can click on any picture for a larger view.

Here is a shot of the 21-year old graduation announcement...


Group shot from Friday night after dinner...Clockwise from back: Ringo, Karen, Tony, Rae, Chelle, and Jodi


Group shot from the picnic on Saturday...Clockwise from back: Ringo, Tony, Lichi, Chelle, Karen, and Jodi


The grads with Pastor and Mrs. Sexton, who hosted a luncheon on Sunday afternoon...L-R: Ringo, Shan, Tony, the Sextons, Chelle, and Lichi


The grads and spouses...L-R: Shan & Kristi, Tony & Missy, the Sextons, Chelle, Lichi & Stan, Ringo & Angela


The grads, spouses, and children...Shan's kids, Nick & Allie; Tony's kids, Thomas & Regan; Lichi's son, Benjamin; Ringo's kids, Braden, Bella, & Evan (and we look forward to meeting Brendan, Chelle's son next time!)

bella's first sleepover...

Last week was a big week for Bella...she went to her first sleepover. And not just any sleepover...it was for two nights and it was an hour away!!! Never have I seen a child more excited! Of course she had no problem going for so long and so far away, but I was a little bit anxious. I knew she would be fine, that she'd have a great time, and all that; but I am a mommy after all...I'm supposed to worry a LITTLE! :o}

Anyway, they did so many fun things, I'm sure Bella didn't want to come home to the real world. (Now she knows how I feel afer a week of vacation.) Thank you to the Ivys for having her over!

So while Bella was gone, the boys and I enjoyed a very quiet two days. They had a few spats, but they were mostly very sweet to each other. Here are some pictures of them...and also some pictures of Bella and Libby taken a couple of weeks ago at the Bible club...







After their baths, I found them sitting on the couch watching
a movie...so sweet!



Hope you all are having a great week!

ap