My Sister

I am thankful for my sister, Diane . . . yesterday she came over and rearranged a room for me that I had been trying to figure out for ten months. She's so good at it! She is always helping me with not only my
decorating issues, but much more. Diane helps me to be a better person. She is always holding me accountable for things such as diet, nutrition, sleep, "me time", and more. I am grateful that she is so willing to spend so much of her time helping me. Thanks, Diane!!

Fun at the Arboretum

Today, we went to the Morton Arboretum with some of Caroline's friends. The day was just beautiful . . .not too hot, not too cold. Just right. :)

The kids had so much fun wading in the water trying to catch tadpoles (toadlets). Luke loved jumping from rock to rock.

As you may have guessed, Luke got himself a little bit wet. Not to worry...we had extra clothes. :)

Caroline was super-focused on catching herself a "toadlet", which she accomplished.

On top of Stone Mountain. . . the kids sat up there for a long time. They said they were pretending to be eagles.

Just a little farther!!

Caroline with her friends. . .Jillian, Alix, and Noelle.

The trees were in full bloom and BEAUTIFUL. . .just like Caroline. :)
Luke enjoyed being Spiderman for a few moments.

We had a great day enjoying God's creation.

Hangin' Out with Grandpa

I'm thankful for my dad. He has such a great relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ. It humbles me to see how devoted he is to walking a good Christian life. One of the things that I remember most about growing up with him as my father is that he was so faithful about having quiet time with the Lord every morning. Despite the number of things on his "to do" list for work or the lack of sleep he got the night before, my dad was (and still is) always up before the sun came up spending time reading God's Word and praying. I remember seeing the light peeking out under his closed office door when I would get up in the very early morning to start getting ready for school. I knew just what he was doing and I liked that he was so consistent about it. I definitely have not been very good at spending quality time with the One who created me. Ever since I had babies, I make up excuses (like getting a few extra minutes of sleep!) to not have this much needed quiet time. I am going to really work at making it a priority like my dad does.

Our kids look up to Grandpa so much. He is so funny and really has a good time with them. (See him in the picture? That is very typical of the things he does with the kids.) He makes them laugh, but he also makes them think. He always has good conversations (especially with Jake) about God and I am so grateful for that.

I love you, Dad!! Thanks for being a good example to me. I am blessed to have you as my father.

Psalm 5:3 (New International Version)
In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.

Sunny Sunday

What a beautiful day we had in Chicagoland!! High 70's with a little breeze. . .can't ask for anything better. I was so pleased because I got a lot of landscaping finished and I also got a chance to play a good ole game of baseball with the kiddos. Luke can hit the ball out of the field!! He amazes me! He can hit better than I can. (notice our awesome catcher)

Jake, of course, was the pitcher. Daddy wished he could join in
Caroline went inside and said she was going to return with a surprise. . .

After our game, Jake helped out with a few things that Daddy can't do right now.

I'm sad to see this weekend go. . .it was so beautiful and I didn't have to tutor at all, so I got to spend a lot of time with the kids.

Oh, by the way. . .Jake had a game on Saturday and he pitched one inning and struck out three people in a row! (they won)

Favorites on Fridays . . . Like Oprah's "O" List, But Not Really

Favorite Character on LOST: Jack

My favorite character has always been Jack because not only does he take charge and save a lot of people with his medical skills, but I think he looks just like JOHN! :)

(I wanted John to pose for a picture that would make him look just like Jack, but he refused. . .you'll have to use your imagination and pretend that John has a tough look on his face instead of a nice smile.)

Jake's First Game of the Season

Jake's first baseball game as a Rockies player was last night. He pitched for two innings in a row and struck six people out. We were so proud of him.
This year he is playing on a team in Wheaton instead of Geneva. It's fun because now he can play with kids that he knows from school. One of the things he misses is playing with his cousin, Jack Krieger. Another thing he misses is having a number on his shirt. His coach is one of his friend's dad. John sure wishes he could help out. He is going to go to practices and give pointers from the bench. :)
Oh . . . Jake wants me to let you guess who won the game. . .


Luke was having fun playing baseball at Jake's game, too. :)

After the game, I asked Luke if he wanted ice cream or pumpkin granola for his snack and he shouted "pumpkin granola!!!!" That's how good it is!! :)

My Absent Blessing

There haven't been many pictures of this blessing lately because he is never home!! His life has been filled with fun play dates, school, baseball practices, and birthday parties. Jake is a happy guy when he is a busy guy, so I am glad when he is out doing fun things with good Christian friends. He LOVES to be around his friends and he absolutely has so much fun playing baseball. His first real game is tomorrow evening. I am praying that he will be able to play in it. .. as he was going to bed, he told me how bad of a sore throat he had. Uh oh . . . hopefully a good night of sleep will do the trick.

I'm always so thankful when Jake comes home and we get a chance to read together (we've been reading the Hardy Boys every night for a couple of years now. .. it's "our thing"). I cherish my time with Jake.