~Jordan is 13~

My how time flies!

Thirteen already!

And very tall! He has me by just about an inch.... and he is closing in on Dad quickly!

Jordan requested cheese steaks and Doritos for supper... I threw in potato salad to make sure he was full! He was glad to have the leftovers for lunch the next day!

He wanted our traditional chocolate cake with peanut butter icing... I wanted to do something a little special so I added a 3rd layer... a brownie layer right between the chocolates... yum! He approved!

It was fun to watch Aaron, Eric and Nathan find things to wrap up for Jordan. They didn't really care whose it was... if they thought he might like it they took it off some one's shelf and wrapped it up for him! Haha! He was so good at opening all his "new" toys.

Gregg and I got him a new racing shirt and we renewed his racing magazine subscription. The real gift is that he gets to drive our Micro Sprint. It looks like his quarter midget but it is bigger and it has a wing. He needs some extra safety equipment, a seat, and some other misc things need to be done so he can drive. We are hoping to be ready for a local race at the end of Sept. To him, it is a very cool gift.

I have spent the last few days trying to burn images into my brain... I know if I blink, he will be gone. What a joy it is to watched him mature. He is my right hand man!

He was born a leader... God, please help him learn to be a servant as well.

He is driven in his racing... God, help him to remain above reproach.

He is intelligent... God, knowledge is a powerful thing... help him to use it wisely.

He is a joy and delight... God, help me to foster Christ-like character in him, in spite of myself.

He was never mine, always Yours... a blessing, a gift.

Thank You for allowing me to be his mom.

Thank You for working in both of our lives.

I trust You with our future.

~Earth Shake~

I was sitting outside by the sandbox watching the 3 little people play. I thought one of the bigger boys came up behind me and shook my chair. I looked around... but no one was there. Then I thought maybe a dog was under the chair.... nope. I probably looked really funny! The shaking stopped and I didn't think a think about it until I got an email from my husband asking if I had felt it.

It is very strange to have an earthquake around here! I remember one about 20 years ago when I was still living at home.

My older boys said they did not notice it... too bad... it is something to remember!

~Coming up for Air~

Another week or so and I'll be able to sit back and enjoy life a little more. My self imposed schedule is a little tight right now and I'm needing some down time! I have been working on some craft projects... some for Kiersten's birthday next week. I have also been starting school... that means reworking my schedule. Things are going undone around here and it is driving me nuts... but I'll get back to it soon!

Anyway, I haven't been writing down my daily blessings every night. I really need to get back into that!

Here are some that I can recall from this past month...

#442 - 456

Kiersten got her cast off!

Bible School

Hearing young and old chatter away on the way home from Bible School

Finishing most of my July goals in July

Loosing my baby weight... for the 6th time (18 lbs in 5 months)... a month early!

Sibling strife turned into teamwork (on occasion)

A fun filled last week of "summer vacation"

A good solid week of school work done with minimal complaining

A good report from the dentist for all four boys

Birthday season is upon us... oh, I have missed cake!

Cool August days (very unusual for us)

Green grass in Aug (another unusual thing)

Free Shipping codes

Crocheting little hats

Felt food pile growing

~ Countdown Has Begun~

We only have three more race weekends! Only two of those weeks count toward their points.

Our day started out a little behind. I was up late last night and slept in this morning. I didn't do my normal day ahead packing because I couldn't seem to fit it into our first week of school. I'll get the new routine... I hope!

Anyway, I forgot the camera card and didn't charge the video camera... but I could use the built in memory and had enough battery to video the races... just not the heats... so it wasn't too bad of a mistake! I think they would have hung me if I forgot lunch!

Here are a few candid shots of our day... I'll be scrapbooking these tomorrow!

Aaron was pulling around a crew... they just love these pit carts!

Jared after his race day was over... doesn't he look hot, dirty and tired!

Kiersten actually fell asleep in my lap after the heats! Gregg made up this little bed for her and she slept there the whole time they were racing. I was so thankful! I have a hard time watching her and the race... she wanders off quickly!... and it was too hot to hold her out in the sun.

Jordan & Jared

Jordan getting pushed off.

No wins this week but all the boys had some good racing. Jordan's car was really loose for his heat and Gregg and I commented to each other that it looked rough. By his 4th or 5th warm up lap he had gained control. He told us later he just had to learn how to go through that turn. The track changes every week because of weather and there was no rubber on it yet. He is a thinker! There were some visiting cars this week so it made it a little more competitive!

Eric was in a wreck during his heat. The other car's bumper ran right into Eric's car... like in his lap! (you can see in the last picture of Jordan how that side of the car is much lower than the other side) We were thanking God for watching over him today. We pray as a family over every race and it is moments like this that you know you are in His hands. Eric's arm is strapped to his seat belt so his arm could have certainly been in the way.

Now, off to get cleaned up!

~The Grand Finale~

Well, we just completed our last week of summer vacation. Bummer. I don't think any of us are ready to get back to school... but it must be done.

I was trying to make our last week fun.... and this is what we ended up doing...

Monday - we went to Grammy's house to swim and play Wii

Tuesday - it rained off and on all day so we had lego car races... and the boys went to the race car parts store.

Wednesday - I was going to take the kids out for ice cream and then realized that our favorite little country store was giving away free ice cream (and balloons) with a purchase! What great timing!

Thursday - Jordan and Jared went to Hershey Park with my parents... it was their birthday gift this year. They had a great time... their first time to a real park! The weather was perfect! I took the other four to our local timbers park.

(first pony tail!)

Everything was great til Nathan road this one too many times...

He got sick when we arrived home but recovered quickly!

Friday - We enjoyed cooking hot dogs and corn on the grill and eating outside... I ran out of propane at the very end. We even splurged and gave the kids grape soda.

We split up and got some things done before dark... then we enjoyed a campfire and marshmallows... big ones!

I am happy that even though our summer break is over, we will still be able to enjoy summer weather. It will help keep us motivated to accomplish everything as early as possible!

Tomorrow we divide again!

~Rained Out~

We were hoping for a nice, cool, cloudy day to race.... hoping the rain would hold off until after we were done... nope.

We unpacked, got all the cars ready, had our driver meeting and finished two heats... then the rain came. We were packing up around 1pm... instead of our normal 5pm. I did get some fun shots while we were getting everything set up!

Here is one of the girls Jordan races pulling one of our pit carts with Kiersten and her new BFF Daisy. Nathan is pushing from the rear.

Kiersten loved that Eric was buckled in and his hands were tied down... he couldn't really protect himself! Look at that cheek pinch!

Next she tried to kiss him... but he wasn't going to let that happen!

The kids find the simplest things to play with. They found a spare tire lying around.

And they tried to share it. You sit... then I sit on you....

How about we both sit...

Actually, how about just I get to sit!

Gregg was helping Eric get ready for his heat.

Nathan was helping Jared put his numbers on.

Kiersten wanted to be weighed just like the cars... 20 lbs

I have to admit it was nice getting home a little early. Kiersten and Nathan both got a good nap and I enjoyed some quiet crafting time.

~Baby Doll~

Ta-dah!!!!!


Oh, this was sooo much fun! Here is Kiersten's Christmas doll for this year! I wanted a doll that she could dress, a quilted blanket, and a crochet blanket.



My goal was to finish this project in July... knowing that once school starts I have less time to dedicate to craftiness:-) All I have left to do is add some Velcro. I may decide to crochet some shoes or change her hair... but she is basically done!!!!

The first week I cut the fabric out for doll and clothes... I hadn't decided what I wanted the quilt to look like. This is the doll pattern I used. I did modify the top to make it a dress and I added a skirt. I skipped the diaper because the cute little diaper covers would be nearly impossible to get on if there were a diaper there too.
Week 2 I sewed the doll, bonnet and sleeper. Here she is without stuffing. I put those little beads in her hands and feet so she feels heavy.

Here she is with her quilt and pillow. The pattern for the top only had the top and bloomers... my boys thought she needed a skirt:-)

Week 3 I finished the clothes. Here is her pretty purple dress.

And her sleeper and bib.

Week 4 I made the quilt and pillow.

Kiersten has only seen me cut out the pattern... so this should be a fun surprise! She has her two other dolls filthy from dragging them around everywhere!

This month I need to work on her birthday gifts. My plan is an apron and felt food. I would like to maker her a birthday dress too... but we will see... school starts soon!

~An Unusual Book Choice~

Not my normal read... but it caught my eye as I walked through the library a few weeks ago. It was read the week we all were sick so I had a lot of rocking time to read.

Anyway, I remember when this news broke. I guess we had a TV back then because I remember seeing him interviewed on the news. I also remember thinking he messed up big time... why would you risk your career for drugs. He grew up not too far from my little corner of the world and I thought it might make a good summer read.

It was really interesting.

• I learned a lot about the sport of cycling. I never realized how much the team worked for one person. How they could all push him to the front and let him win! I also did not know they had a lot of planning and race tactics.. I guess I thought the fastest man won:0)
• I also didn't know that the last day of the Tour de France there was really no racing. The winner the night before was allowed to win the last day... a gentleman's thing.
• It still amazes me how driven (crazy) some people are!
• I guess I will say that I believed his story... but this is only his side of the story. I need to google him now and see what he is up to.

I was hoping to pass this book onto Jordan... but the language is bad and he seems like a very angry person that rebelled against everything... not the type of hero I want my boys to have.

I'm adding the rest of this post later in the week!

Well, I googled him. LOL! I didn't realize he had since confessed. It really made me wonder how many other details in his book were true... or lies. I guess I could look at reading this as a big waste of time... but I know God works all things together for good. I was sharing a lot of the information in the book with my family. When I found out the end of the story, I also had to share the news clip of him confessing. It certainly lead to a lot of good family conversation! Isn't it always easier to talk to your kids about stuff when it isn't them in trouble!

I don't recommend this book... maybe I just recommend staying a little more current with the news;-)

~Happy August~