Update - as of July 30

Hey there friends and family... who ever reads this blog...

It has been a while since I last updated folks about things going on with us so this will be a boring long, no, picture, post... :)  so if you dont wanna read.. no worries :)

Jim is still doing Title Insurance out of our home... He works a LOT.  It is nice to have him home even if he is working.  

Hunter and Haley start school August 10.  Haley will be in first grade and Hunter in Kindergarten.  He is a little apprehensive.  He has told me many times that he misses Mrs. Jones and wants her to move here and be his kindergarten teacher.  (She was his preschool teacher from Cal).  He also talks all the time about his friend Nate :).  He told my mom when she was out here last that when she comes next time to bring Nate... When my mom told him that his mom would be sad if Nate left her, he said, "Well, she can come too... they can live with us!"  

Haley and Hunter are now sharing a room... (Haley and Jonah were last I blogged).  Jonah is having sleeping issues... well, more like going to bed issues... once he is asleep he is good to go, he just needs to have a good cry before hand and that tends to get in the way of Haley's needed sleep.  With school coming... we made some changes... Joe has his own room.  Haley and Hunter sleep in the same room yet have their own rooms down stairs with all their things.  Our house is a 5 bed room home, but two of the rooms are in the basement and I dont want my little children that far from me... 

We are looking for a new church.  We have been attending Corner-Stone Baptist Church in Jefferson and have really been blessed by the church.  However, it is kinda far from the community we live in.  After a lot of prayer, we feel we need to find a church closer to where we live. 

Jonah and Haley's birthdays are coming up... FUN!  It will be different (like Hunter's was) not having our family and Flipside family around to celebrate with us... 

My parents came out to visit us in July.  We celebrated my dad's 60th birthday!!!  It was a nice visit!  I started to do a post with pictures and all from their visit during a lightening storm and lost internet connection right at the end and it didnt save... so I am a little bitter and will post those pictures later :). 

That's it for now... :)  

Indy baby!!!

July 8 - 11 Jim and I packed up the kids and headed north to Indianapolis to visit our good friends the Lassiter's.  They were out visiting Carrie's parents who live in Indy.  They drove all the way from Cali so the least we could do it drive 9 hours to visit them :).   When we pulled up... we were greeted by fireworks... and a small lawn fire :). 
The kids hung out like a day hadnt passed.  This is Hunter out in the back yard swinging!

Their boys... Wes and Wyatt 

We wen to the Zoo!  It rained... but it was warm and we made the best of it...

Wes and Hunt

All of us (minus Bill) at the Dolphin show.  It was fun hanging out together!  

While we were up there... I took a side trip to go visit my friend, Kim, who lives 9 miles from Carrie's parents.  Kim and I were teaching partners in California!  

JIm and Joe in the back yard

We shared so great laughs... It was hard to say good bye... especially when you arent quite sure the next time you will see them will be.  None-the-less I will never pass up a chance to see a good friend!

I love this picture of Haley and Wes... they look SOOOO grown up!

Fourth of July 2009

For lunch we went to My Uncle Roger and Aunt Pam's house for a BBQ.  It was delicious... 
Rodger and Pam live like five minutes from us.  Above is Rodger with Joe and Hunt.  Jonah loves the boat floaty thing Pam got for him to use.  

Get your sunglasses out... me, glowy white chick, next to the tan goddesses... Me with Pam and her sister.

After hanging with the McElrea's (Pam and Rodger), went to the Harris' for dinner... and fireworks.  

Jonah riding on Lukes Gator... :)

Crystal and Jamey got fireworks and put on a show for us :)  

We roasted marshmellows... This is Hunters roasted marshmellow :)  HE likes it white :)  but claims it is roasted... but cold... :)
The kids, crystal and I (me - well, that is kinda a different story in and of itself) caught Fire flies (AKA Lightening bugs).  Crystal got Haley and Hunter to catch these slow moving flying bugs... I tried... I actually caught one opened my hands up to put it in the jar, and I screamed... I REALLY struggle with bugs... :)  

After a FULL day, the kids fell asleep in the van on the way home.

RIP Kiwi Smith - Vandegrift

Well, we are a one dog family now.  Above is a picture of Jonah with Lucy.   

A few days ago, our dog Kiwi, went to the Rainbow Bridge.  :(  She was 12 years old.  She just took a turn for the worst her last few days... She couldnt walk more then five feet before laying down and shivering... she would pee and poo as she walked, having no control... she wouldnt eat... she would let Hunter and Jonah poke her in the face (something Kiwi would never let happen before)....  It was hard to see her go but even harder to watch her suffer.