12 Years Old

Thatcher, our youngest boy in the family just turned 12 years old on Tuesday, April 22nd. Thatch is our little "bundle" of joy! He loves to play/watch football, practically goes wherever Tanner goes, is caring, loves the color red, tells jokes and can do something none of the rest of us can do--bend his pointer finger almost all the way backwards to where it touches the back of his hand!

We love you, Thatch! Happy Birthday!!

New songspot

I was recently informed by my sister Abby that the website allowing me to have music on my blog is going to be no more...at least for a little while. Does anyone know of another place where I can get free music for my blog? I've noticed other blogs having playlists, but it's been awhile and I have no idea what their addresses are.

Also, I'm thinking about some fun new additions for my blog. Hopefully I can begin taking away your suspense sometime tomorrow. *smile* But, for now...it will have to wait.

Let me know if you have an answer to my question!

THE longest post ever?

I'll leave that all up to you once you've finished reading and looking through this entire post! So much happened last week!

I've not been good at updating my blog, lately, and so I guess I'm making up for it now.

Last week, I celebrated my 21st birthday. Normally, I don't celebrate my special day more than once a year, however this time around, I celebrated it not only once...but three times!

#1: On Monday, we planned on celebrating my birthday by going out to a surprise restaurant for dinner and then coming back home and opening up gifts. However, since some of the kids weren't quite feeling up to par because of sickness we decided to post-pone the dinner and just open gifts. So, Dad grilled some chicken and Griff & Bek came over, still, and joined us for dinner. Once we were finished, we moved into the living room where I opened up my gifts and then enjoyed cake & ice cream. Bek also cut my hair some and layered it for me. It needed a trimming!

#2: On Tuesday morning, Mom and the kids came into my room singing "Happy Birthday" with a tray in tote and served me breakfast in bed. They fixed me a nice breakfast of French Toast and gave me a new Martha Stewart magazine along with a vase filled with daisies, daffodils, a carnation, and a hyacinth.

#3. On Wednesday night, my family planned quite a surprise party! Around our house, (and many others!), Wednesday evening is SOCCER. We went as usual, but as I said above, the kids had been battling some sickness and weren't feeling well enough to play. Only two of us ended up playing from our family, but Ab still came along to watch on the sidelines. During one point in the game, I talked to Abby and she acted like she didn't feel good. It was asked if she needed to be taken home, but she refused. Once our game was finished and we chit-chatted a short while afterwards, we said our goodbyes and I told people that we wouldn't be going out to fast food (which is what we normally do after soccer) since Ab was sick. Mom had told me earlier that Thatcher might want something to drink other than water and that I should stop by the gas station and get something for him after soccer. (Yes, that part was true...) So, we drove to the gas station with my "sick" sister reclining back in the passenger seat, picked up some pop and made our way home. As we drove down our street, the soccer group was there filing into our house for my surprise birthday party. Ab confessed that she felt wonderful! Mom fixed Sloppy Joes and my annual birthday cake, Gertrude Armstrong, for everyone to enjoy. I had no idea that she was doing all of this! Thank you so much, SOCCER GROUP and FAMILY, for choosing to be so sweet and thoughtful to me on my birthday! (The birthday song really didn't sound all that bad, either!) *Note: If you want to view pictures of that evening, just go to Ab's Spot, http://www.soccergirlab.blogspot.com/ So, I guess you could say that I REALLY celebrated my 21st birthday to the fullest! Even though I celebrated my birthday three times that week, the partying wasn't finished, yet.

A long-time friend of mine is getting married in May and I'm going to be one of the bridesmaids in the wedding. So, I had a "Bride-to-Be" Dinner Party for her and the young ladies from our church on Friday evening. The decorations centered around a very summer-time theme. Since neither my mom and I grill, Griff was a sweet enough guy and grilled shishkabobs for our party. The night was filled with talking, laughter, and pictures. Special thanks goes to Griff, our chef, and Mom, Bek, and Abby for helping to make the night a success! Wow, that's probably the longest post I have ever written! Now...it's time for PICTURES!!! I'll post them from the beginning of the week on. Enjoy!!

21 candles

"Griff the Griller" along with one in training.
The Party
Back row: Beth, Bek and Megan
Second row: Kristin, Jessica and Liz
Last row: Courtney, Allison, Stephanie, Christie
Kristi, Mary-Kate, Rebecca, Nicole and Lacey

More to come

Hey everyone! Just thought I would let you know that I have several pictures to post and other fun stuff to share about this week. Hopefully I can do all of that on Saturday! Stay tuned!

Can someone please help me?!

Well, as you've noticed, I have once again updated my blog. The only problem is, I don't know how to get my music to play!! I deleted the widget and then added it again and still I have problems. Does anyone know what I can do to make it work again? I really, really want to get it playing!

Soccer time!

Well, soccer season has started up again and we're taking advantage of it! Here are a few pictures of last night--before & after the game. :-)

Tanner & Thatcher

Lacey & Abby

Bek & Griff
Liz & Ab

Our colors!

Thatch & Tann

HE LIVES

I serve a risen Savior, He's in the world today;

I know that He is living, whatever men may say;

I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,

And just the time I need Him, He's always near.

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me and talks with me

Along lifes narrow way.

He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.

~Alfred H. Ackley

Happy Easter!!

Brothers & Sisters

A Belated "Happy St. Patrick's Day"!!

Hey everyone! Yes, it's been awhile since you've heard from me. I just haven't had much to post! There isn't too much to report other than the fact that this past weekend was pretty full. On Friday evening we attended a friend's wedding (if you visit Ab's Spot you can view the pictures there); on Saturday morning, we made our way to a special choir practice for Easter Sunday's program; on Sunday, we attended church and on Monday (St. Patrick's Day!) we enjoyed a hearty Irish meal while visiting with friends and playing a game.

Since I failed to post a festive greeting yesterday, I'm making up with a short little Irish prayer I found, today.

An Irish Prayer

May God give you...

For every storm, a rainbow,

For every tear, a smile,

For every care, a promise,

And a blessing in each trial.

For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share,

For every sigh, a sweet song,

And an answer for each prayer.

Also, to those of you who voted in my latest poll, my correct age is 20 years old. :-)

Picture taken from www.irelandpictures.net

Updates

Okay, folks...time for another update! Please bear with me as I try to redo my blog. Some of my "fun" things were automatically deleted since I chose this particular background.

More updates coming soon!!!

Prayer

By now, some of you who have visited are thinking, "How boring! Nothing new!" I'm in TOTAL agreement! Sometimes you just don't know what to post. (Do my fellow bloggers understand my dilemma?) But, I thought I might post some notes taken during our pastor's recent sermon on prayer.

• Prayer is NOT A demonstration of your righteousness--ever.
• Prayer is NOT man-centered, nor is it earth bound.
• Prayer is NOT self-talk
• Prayer IS a dialogue between you and the Father
• Prayer IS a communication with the Lord
• Prayer involves speaking and listening
• Express thanksgiving during your time of prayer
• Prayer is an intimate conversation with the Father
• We may call Him "Abba Father"
• When in prayer, I need to "shut the door" on everything else
• When you're in a group and praying, it should be as though you are alone with the Lord, speaking only to Him. Our focus should not be on what they are hearing.
• Pray on someone's behalf...but talk to the Father
• God wants to hear you speaking to Him

You can pour out your heart to Him. He already knows...but He still desires to hear from you.

"The Lady Loves Pink"

Well, today is a special day for someone special in our home. It's our mom's birthday! Roxanne Martin came into this world on February 27th. She is the third child and only daughter in her family. When my grandma found out that it was a girl, all she could say was, "Goody, goody, goody." :-)

Mom is a very caring, thoughtful, loving, and fun mother who absolutely LOVES the color pink, and is a major KU fan. We love her so much and have been blessed to have her as our mother.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Persuasion

Okay, Jane Austen fans, there is a treat for you! Last weekend, we purchased the newest BBC version of Jane Austen's, "Persuasion", on DVD. We girls watched it and it was good! The costumes weren't quite so revealing which is always a plus. (Note: There was one part where the dress wasn't very good, but compared to other JA films, modesty wasn't a big concern). Although the movie is condensed to "93 minutes", it's worth watching and one I could recommend.

Sky & Sunset...

Here are some pictures of sunsets and the sky from years gone by. :-)

Pretty...

Be Still, My Soul

"Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.

Leave to thy God to order and provide;

In every change, He faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend

Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end."

Katherina von Schlegel

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!!!

No more code!

Hey everyone! Well, if you're one of those unfortunate souls who couldn't post because of the little "code" on the comment page, then you don't have to worry about it anymore! I changed my settings which will, hopefully, allow you to post. Let me know if it still won't let you!

Nine Years Old!

Well, I’m very late in writing this, but needed to get it posted. Molly turned 9 years old last Wednesday, January 30th. Molly has a unique story. Nine years ago, on January 29th, our family was planning on moving our belongings into our new home. However, we didn’t plan on Mom going into labor the very same day! (The night before, my dad jokingly told her to take it easy or she might have the baby--he was right)! Molly arrived at midnight, January 30th, but wasn't breathing immediately. However, the Lord miraculously worked and she began breathing. Molly is a very thoughtful young lady who enjoys tea parties, playing with her brothers, likes helping in the kitchen when it comes to baking, and is the most affectionate child we’ve ever had.
We love you Molly!