A little catchup time from the summer.

Logan and Lana went to tennis summer camp.

This was Lana's first in athletics.

Logan is an old pro in the athletic world of elementary school.

They both loved it, but I'm not sure Lana is into sports very much.

Lex had his 3rd birthday on August 19th. Up until the morning of the party, we thought it was going to be a "Thomas the Train" theme. Good thing for him, we procrastinated on the the birthday supplies. (We loved that Mickey balloon. He had weights on his feet, so he hopped around)

Meemee, Dandan, and Daniel came all the way from SC for the celebration.

Our "adopted" family, the Barnes were there too. John is quite good at getting the boys all fired up.

Is he not the cutest Mickey Mouse. Love this kid!!!

Here's Dandan Mickey!

Hey Mrs. Kristina! (or Ms. Trina, as Lex calls her)

I think Mickey is tapping Meemee on the shoulder. He really cracked me up. (I had to turn the fan off, because it made Mickey chase Landon. He was not too happy about that)

I'm not real sure what Jacob is doing, but Landon is quite interested.

Presents!! Daddy likes to help. :)

Choo-choo pez (they were out of candy in a day)

He got trucks.

A bunch of really cool Craftsman tools.

A train set.

They love those singing cards. Well worth the money. Lex played and danced with it until it could no longer sing.

A man can't have tools without a rolling tool box to put them in.

Lex and all his gifts.

Mickey tossing up 3 fingers for Lex. :)

Mickey cake and cupcakes. (This was one of my favorite cakes)

"Make a wish" 

All 5 grandchildren lined up so sweetly for a picture on the porch in the blazing sun. (hahahahahahaha!! I think everyone knows better than that! "The sun's in my eyes!" "He's squashing me!" You get it.)

My sweet baby girl Lana posing before her very serious job as flower girl in her cousin's wedding.

Such a pretty girl!

My handsome boys getting ready for the wedding.

Gotta love a MS wedding with no air. Everyone was so sweaty. (It was a beautiful chapel and wedding)

Here she comes! She practiced until she felt she was doing it perfectly. After rehearsal, she made the comment that they told her to give a fake smile. She said, "I don't need a fake smile, I have a beautiful smile!" That girl is something.          (You can see the beautiful bride behind her)

She stood perfectly still during the entire ceremony.

Meemee and Dandan came back for summer visit #2, for Logan's baptism. They couldn't stay for lunch after church on Sunday, so they took us all to the MS Brave's game Saturday night.

Meemee and Lex

Meeme, Lex, Dandan, and Landon waiting for Daniel, Logan, and Lana to play in all the jumpy blowup things.

Lana shot down that big slide like crazy.

Getting shoes on to find seats, and get some $1 hotdogs. Woo-Hoo!!!

All ready for the game!

Landon loved the mascots. He called them all "Melmo" (elmo, of course)

Sunday morning. Dandan, Daniel, Lana, and Meemee waiting for Logan to show his profession of faith in believers baptism. How awesome is that? He has told everyone he comes in contact with about the decision he made. What a great witness!

Lana and Meemee. We were so glad Net-Net could be there with us too. She just didn't have one of my kids, so I didn't get her picture. (I should probably take pictures of more than just my kids. ooops!)

Here he goes! He looked so little up there, but with such big faith.

He answered the question of who he puts his trust and faith in with "Jesus"

He was dunked. So proud!!

Why not have a baptism cake? It is the celebration of the most important decision a person can ever make.

Logan and his cake.

This is a proud parent, and Logan sandwich. :)

*To catchup a little on our nonprofit Pinwheels and Polkadots...things are going very well. My stuff has been in "Traditions Boutique" for 2 months, and I have $500 to donate so far. I have to admit that I was a little nervous about showing a profit. Every time something has sold, it seemed to go right back into supplies. (So is the life of a start-up business, right?) I ask for your continued prayers that this mission will take off, and that one day, I may even need a partner to keep up with all the sewing. :) We are coming into the busiest shopping season, and would love to have Pinwheels and Polkadots all over the place. Not only is this for money, but we are spreading the gospel one appliqued onesie at a time. I look forward to finishing this year out in an awesome kind of way, and hope that our 2nd, and final year for the adoption grant to Pinelake Church, will explode. Looking to the future...I'm not real sure of God's plans for Pinwheels and Polkadots. I've been asked where I learned to sew, and from that, have found ladies my age interested in learning to sew as well. Maybe a monthly sewing bash would be fun. There are ministries that sew pillowcase dresses, and ship them to Africa. I've seen drawstring backpacks for orphans. Who knows? I do feel my passion is for orphans, and adoption, but God can direct me anywhere at anytime. (I do have an extreme fear for bugs, so I pray that he doesn't send me to the jungle and its mutant bugs. Maybe if I think of them in pillowcase dresses, they won't be so scary...but I seriously doubt it)

The air conditioning miracle

This morning in Sunday school, we talked about the importance of keeping a journal of God's miracles, and our prayers. So, why not share them with others as well?

We have been without a/c for close to 2 weeks. With the house reaching a temp of over 90 degrees, it's been a little hard to deal with. Grass didn't get cut. Laundry didn't get done as quickly, and the house wasn't getting cleaned as well. It was just too hot. The week before the a/c died, we had to replace the water heater, so it made it a little difficult to fork out more cash right away. I have been praying about it, and today, God answered that prayer.

We have some really amazing friends who took charge and asked a repair man to just come take a look. Little did our friend know, that this man has felt a need to help someone. He offered to help others, but had not found anyone who needed him right then. Well, he found us today, and was able to not only fix our problem, but was able to fulfill God's request of him. My friend and I were talking, and she made the comment that people in general hold back others from sharing their gifts, and talents. We don't want to ask for help, or let anyone know that we even need help. However, it can be as much of a blessing to the giver, as the receiver. I felt a great deal of blessing today!

People tend to turn to God when they are hurt, or are in need of something big, but He is there for everything. He is our almighty father, and he wants to protect us, and provide for us.

Please be sure to share the miracles you have witnessed. They are testimonies of our God, and His power. The repair man, and our friends, not only offered help, they gave a testimony of their love, and faith.

Happy 7th Birthday Logan!

Today is Logan's birthday. We celebrated Saturday with friends and family in the pool and sprinklers. Logan had a blast at his Cars 2 party, and looks forward to finishing out his birthday when the movie hits theaters on the 24th. We love month long birthdays. :)