Brenda's Graduation

While we're waiting on my guest post...


Summer break is more than half way over .  Brenda graduated!!!! 

Brenda and Brian after graduation.

Brenda and Rachel

We were all so proud of all Brenda's accomplishments.  She has already begun her college courses at Spartanburg Community College and will continue towards a Pharmacy Technician certificate in the fall. 

After graduation, Brenda hit the air and headed to New York.  I'll try and get some pictures up soon...

Hunter

Introduced Katy yesterday, (yesterday being the last time I blogged)  :-)  time to introduce Hunter. 

Hunter has been around even longer than Katy. . .

Hunter is Brenda's boyfriend.  At first he was known as Hunter #2, since Brenda's very first boyfriend was named Hunter also.  Now he's be here long enough to go from Hunter #2 to "that boy" to just being Hunter. 

Hunter is very good to Brenda which is very important to Brenda's mama!!!  :-)  and he makes her laugh, which is a large part in why I chose Brenda's daddy - he makes me laugh still!!  

Somehow is harder to allow your daughter to grow up and fall in love than it is your sons.  Would any of you want to have to have a man to man talk with Artie about his little girl and your intentions towards her????  :-) 

Here are some of the pictures I've missed posting over the last two years. 

 

This is Brenda and Hunter's Senior Prom.  She looked so pretty.  He cleaned up well too.  All the pictures following Hunter has long hair.  He cut it right after graduation, so I will have to put up a new picture of them when I get one.

 



Christmas at Aunt Carolyn's

 



Celebrating their 2 year dating anniversary.  They remind me a little of me and Artie but a lot more mature than we were at that age...

 



 

I took them to the park and took some pictures for them. 

 

 

At the beach with Hunter's family.  They seem to love her as much as he does.  His church does too. 

 



Hunter doesn't really care about sports too much, but will pull for Carolina with Brenda.

 

We love Hunter and they have such a bright future ahead of them.  Can't wait to see how God uses them. 

Tomorrow I will introduce ETC...  :-)

 



Updating our welcome

So, I'm not sure even where to start. Trying to update some things. Hope the old pictures didn't hurt anyone's feelings. That's how long it's been since I've been on here... :-)

Looking at our welcome and description - we are still a family of nine and I can still claim for a little while longer only three are taller than me.... They are chasing me fast!!!

Princess is still Queen of the house. Elmo had to go.... He started off as such a cute little thing. But he kept biting all the neighborhood children and especially Brian. He hated Brian!!! :-) Must have been something about Brian being a Redskins fan and Elmo loved the Cowboys!!!

Hunter gave Brenda a new dog for her birthday, which isn't coming up until August and it was May when she got Toby. He is so cute. He's a Pomeranian/Chihuahua. He shouldn't get much more than ten pounds. He's only five right now. Here's a picture of him with Hunter and Brenda before the prom...

.

That updates all the people in the immediate family. Got some new friends to introduce to you soon...

Dr. Doolittle

Brenda trying to rescue another bird....

Sisters

Brenda and her friend Emily

Cute girls!!!

Wuthering Heights

Brenda and I also stayed up really late one night and watched Wuthering Heights. It was a fun movie, she hadn't seen.

Brenda and Hunter also watched Top Gun for the first time. I was surprised with all the language in it - hadn't remembered that from the showings I saw - too many years ago.

Time is moving fast!!

Brenda's 8th Grade Formal

So, we live in Gaffney now. Who knew there was an 8th grade formal? Back in 1982, Artie's and I were attending our first dance - the 8th grade semi-formal. :-) Wish we had got to dress up like Brenda did. Wish we had all the great friends she does.

Here's the whole gang.... (Brenda and Hunter in the very middle)

The pretty girls...

BrendaGirl

Brenda and Hunter. He was such a doll to go with her. They are so cute together!! Hunter home schools so he couldn't really ask her to her school's dance. Brenda didn't want to be the one to invite him, so his mom and I kinda invited them. :-)

Hunter was so sweet to give her such pretty jewelry and flower!!

Summer (Hunter's sister) did her makeup - I know I'm such a mama, but thought she looked so beautiful.

Terri did a wonderful job on her hair.

Why is everyone leaning towards me? They don't want me to feel bad for being the shortest one in the family. (Emily and Stephen are catching me quickly)


Off to the dance.... Such a gentleman!!


I'm sure Brenda will post the pictures of all her friends on Facebook. They took lots of beautiful pictures!! Hope the dance was a beautiful as the kids all were!!

Valentine's Day

It was the most beautiful Valentine's Day I can remember in a long time today.

Troy started the day with an Upward basketball game. He has been a volunteer coach for a third grade basketball team at church with his friend, Kellen. He has so enjoyed it. He loves children (wonder where he developed that love?)

Then tonight he went to his first formal with a good friend. I so love friendships.

Brenda was recently hurt by a friend and another friend stepped up and made her Valentine's day special. I think he probably touched my heart more by befriending her than he did hers. It's so hard to see your children hurt, but then so joyous to see them happy.

Artie and I went to dinner as Brenda babysat the littles for us; just basking in the joy of knowing our children were happy tonight. We have had many evenings out where sometimes it seemed like the worries of the day would have sunk us under if we had allowed them. But tonight was so different - very light and breezy and full of joy. We got to reminisce on our own prom nights (we had three of them) and growing up days. Its is such a blessing to be married to my best friend and to have grown up together as well. I loved him when he was just a boy and his daddy was driving us to the mall!!! Ohhh, love....

Myrtle Beach 2008

Here's a picture that Brenda's D-Group leader, LeAnn (in the middle in the white shorts), sent me from their beach trip. They had so much fun. They got up extra early each day to go out on the beach and have their quiet time. (Brenda is in the green tank top)

The beach trip is always such a fun time and special to have time to really focus on God. Brenda was happy to strengthen her relationship with God to an even deeper level. If you pray for her, her prayer is to be more diligent in her alone time with God - reading her Bible and praying.

Brenda's 13th Birthday Party

Brenda started off her birthday party with a Jonas Brother's birthday cake. What could be better huh?


There were presents
bowling dancing,


a cake fight :-)

and games. I think the girls had a fun night. Brenda has been blessed with great girl friends!!

I'm so proud of the young woman she is turning into.

She finished the evening off by spending the night with her friend, Emily.

Jerusalem Project: God of this City

Brenda will be working this week with the Jersalem Project. Please keep her and the team in your prayers. I just know it will be a wonderful week!!

Our "Jersalem" is Gaffney, that is where the teams will be working. They will be helping with home repairs, painting, and small building projects - like wheelchair ramps. I'm sure it will be a growing time for all.

I'm so proud of the whole team. Isn't this why we raise our children? To be the hands and feet of Jesus, to reach out to the poor and needy?

Brenda - Not Getting Wet

Brenda with her Interpretive Dance Team

Here is a performance the girls die for an assembly at Granard Junior High. Brenda is on the bottom right in the picture and then on the front row far right in the video (grey t-shirt). Sorry, the video is a little dark and wiggly. I don't know what's wrong with that camera person!!! The song they are dancing to is True Beauty by Mandisa (from American Idol). Angie Wilkerson does a great job teaching them.

Here are the lyrics... It's a great message for teenage girls...

True Beauty

Do You think that a California girl is supposed to have curls and wear a jean size 3?

All the curves in all the right places, spray tanned faces like on TV?

And we read in the gospel of Vogue that we're all supposed to dress and move and be

Visions of perfection

Such a misconception

'Cause the real connection is deeper than the eye can see

Chorus:

What's inside of you

What's inside of me

The hands that made the moon and the stars

The mountains and the seas

Made you wonderful, beautiful, marvelously

Let the whole world see your

True beauty

Don't know much about Dolce and Gabbana

Seems like a lot of drama to me

And you can keep all your red high heels

And open-toed shoes - I'm good in my bare feet

Lets get down to the nitty gritty

Enough sex and the city

What about purity?

Skin is just the surface

The passion and the purpose that's burning down inside us

Is really what we need to see

Chorus

Doesn't come in a bottle, doesn't come in a box

You can't spray it on, you can't wash it off

You can't nip and tuck, you can't sew it up

So don't waste your time

It's the love in your heart, the peace in your soul

The hope in your smile lets the whole world know

This little light - you gotta let it shine

Chorusx2

Carolina Wrens

Easter afternoon during our Easter egg hunt, the children found a bird's nest in our old grill. Daily the kids would peek in and see how the baby birds were doing. There were five.


One day it looked as if the babies were dying. We kept a watch out and the mama bird didn't come back. We weren't sure what had happened to her and looked up online what to do with abandoned birds. It said to feed them bread soaked in sugar water. So, every 2-3 hours Brenda and Emily fed the tiny birds and they seemed to come back around. Three died, but 2 thrived.


They loved when the girls feed them. Finally they were up strong enough to begin learning how to flap around.
This little birdie flew from Brenda's hand up to her shirt. SCARED BRENDA TO DEATH!! :-) (the ugly scratch on Brenda's face was from her doggie - Elmo - it looks much better now!)
Emily even held one of them.

Here they are up close.

After days of no birdie mama, the mama (below) reappeared (or another mama adopted them?? does that happen?) She began coming and feeding them for the afternoon and then they all flew off by nightfall.

The girls had so much fun with them all. It was sweet of God to help them save 2 of the 5 and allow the girls to learn even more about the Carolina Wrens. (Emily's bird from last semester in school)