The Dreaded Day...

It's 1:18 a.m. on April 15th. I'm sitting in our hotel in Dayton. Everyone is fast asleep but me. With bleary eyes, I'm doing what every law-abiding American citizen (which happens to exclude most of President Obama's associates) does this time of year...filing taxes. Like many of you, we file our federal and state returns early so that we can begin enjoying the benefits of overpayment (typically called a "refund"). But there's more...the school district has to get their extra piece of the pie, and the village also needs a percent. Those are the ones I dread. We live in the village but work outside, so it is a little more complicated. This is my 4th year to file in our village, and I've done it wrong each of the 3 previous years. Why break the routine? :)

I have to say I'm a little pumped about the TEA Parties being held around the nation later today. I probably won't be attending one, but I'm really glad that people are finally getting frustrated enough to let their voices be heard! In the meantime, I'll just continue to be annoyed that I have to fill out these ridiculous forms, and send yet another check to help fund some underachieving government program. Happy Tax Day! :)

Happy Resurrection Day!

Easter happens to be my favorite day on the Christian calendar. I love everything about Easter...from the colors of spring to the songs that exalt the risen Lord. It is just magnificent!
Here are a few pics from the day...



The boys...


The girls...



Aaron loves to sing and preach. When Greg put him up to the pulpit, he was a natural!





Sisters...

Ryan thinks he is cute in Aaron's hat...

Each year, the local U.M.C. hosts an Easter egg hunt, pictures with the Easter bunny, games for the kids, and a light lunch. Although the boys are on the top end of the age range (they wouldn't get their pic with the bunny this year), we enjoy taking the family to this community event!
Kaitlynn looking for eggs (windy day, messy hair!)...



Getting ready for a sugar high...this is better than trick-or-treat!

Kaitlynn and Allison were "lucky" enough to win two of the baskets!

Aaron wanted his pic with Kaitlynn and her basket...

Kaitlynn with the bunny (Alli was scared to death!)...

Fun With Friends...

15 years ago (hardly seems possible!), I began my college days at God's Bible School. Two of my friends, Chenoa Bristow and Stephenie Clemens, were also entering as freshmen, and we were excited to be embarking on that journey together. It didn't take long for me to meet my new dorm neighbor...Angie Tallman. We hit it off right away. That first year was packed full studying, learning, and growing. We have had enormous amounts of fun and good times along the way, and those friendships have remained strong through the last 15 years. Now we have a combined total of 16 kiddos (Stephenie's little girl is due in August)! It's not as easy to get together as it used to be, but we make it a priority to keep the connection strong. I'm thankful for friends!

Dan, Angie, and their 4 boys ministered at our church in a week of revival services recently. God has blessed them with a beautiful and very talented family! It was fun to be able to visit again (especially since we missed our winter get-together this year), and we look forward to doing it again very soon!



Becoming little "men" all too quickly!



The kids had so much fun in the treehouse!

Meanwhile Back At The Ranch...

...Stephanie, Kaitlynn, and Allison have been in survival mode. There will be no pics this post, as you would not want to view the scenes of the last couple of days! Monday evening, Kaitlynn came immediately from school, crawled into Greg's lap, and said the dreaded words, "Daddy, I don't feel good." He told her to go to bed, and she promptly obeyed and fell fast asleep. Since then she has struggled with fever and diarrhea. Last evening, Allison wasn't acting quite right. She had finished her antibiotic for the ear infection, but this seemed different. At 7:30 this morning, she awoke with a nice surprise for me to clean up. Fever and diarrhea. What a combo.
There is no feeling so helpless as to be holding the hand of one daughter who is sitting on the toilet sobbing because "it hurts" while the other is holding my skirt crying the most pitiful "MOMMMMMMMYYYYYYY!" you have ever heard. Why was she crying? Because "it hurts". You can imagine. Because I haven't yet grown a third arm, I can only take care of one thing at a time, and although daddy is very helpful and sympathetic, mommy's touch is a little more "tender"...and tenderness is a necessity right now! :)
I am bummed because my dear friend Angie, along with her family, are the evangelists at our church's revival this week. I have yet to make it. :( Maybe we'll have some time for girl chat this weekend. Lord knows I'm gonna need it by then!
In other news, I was clearing the table after dinner this evening, when I realized that I hadn't heard from Allison in a couple of minutes. The other three were busy doing various things, so I went looking. The first thing that scared me was that someone had left the front door open. Allison knows how to get out, and she loves being out, so I am really harping on the door being shut all the way. I headed down the hall to my bedroom, and found the door closed and locked. Hmmm. I couldn't hear any noise on the other side of the door, so after consulting with daddy (who was in the shower), I went outside to try to look through the window. About that time, Ryan was able to unlock the door (leave it to the 9-year-old), and found Allison with an open bottle of Robitussin. Some was in the floor, and by the smell of her mouth, she had a taste. I have no idea how to measure her "taste" since I don't know how much was in the bottle to begin with, but I have long ago given up rushing to the ER over every little thing. My philosophy is, "If it doesn't kill her, she'll be fine."
So...how's your week?