now this is going way back...

This is Kerry Chapman's 4th birthday party. Up top, Tanner and Pierce; down below, Kerry and Nathan.

This is the day we found the baby bunnies when we were mowing our yard. Kenzi held one of them for a really long time. They were unbelievably calm...either that, or just scared stiff!
This was Pierce's 4th birthday party at preschool. Ms. Melissa was his teacher, and Pierce really adored her! Sitting from left to right is Luke, Whitney, Kerry, Avery, Pierce, Michael, and a small portion of Kierstyn. Grandma 'Carty brought Spiderman cupcakes!

Heaven's Glory

This is the amazing sunset we saw on our trip to Milwaukee this summer. Michael is quite the photographer.

new pix of my babies

I finally pulled out the memory card from my camera and stuck in my computer tonight. Man, you guys have been missing out! I just wanted to share some super cute photos! Enjoy!
This is the rock pond we all built this summer.

This is Kenzi's first day in preschool (Ms. Beth's class), and Pierce's first day in the Pre-K class (Ms. Sandy's class).


This was Halloween, 2007! Pirate Pierce and Princess Kenzi Lynn.

For Halloween our church small group loaded up the back of a truck and attacked the neighborhood. Harmony was Hannah Montana, Lucy was a princess (I think), Emma was Sleeping Beauty, Chloe was Snow White, Pierce, Kenzi, and Sam was a football player. We were all amazed that we didn't have any duplicate princesses! Thank goodness we covered them all! Oh, and there's Annika hiding behind Hannah Montana's hair! She was the cutest little fury tiger!

It's National Talk Like A Pirate Day, Matey!

My pirate name is:

Red Bess Roberts

Passion is a big part of your life, which makes sense for a pirate. Two things complete your pirate persona: style and swagger. Maybe a little too much swagger sometimes -- but who really cares? Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

Click to play | Make your own Smilebox

tubin' and bruisin'

We've had so much fun with our boat this summer! It's our quick get-away this summer! These first pictures are from June 30th. We went over to Bull Shoals and rented a small tube just for an hour to have some fun. Reluctantly, Pierce and Kenzi both got on it with me. Our super duper driver, Dad, took it really easy, and they both had a good time! Needless to say, they didn't last very long. About 30 seconds and they were ready to get back in the boat.

A couple weeks later, June 13th, we went out again ~ This time at Table Rock. We rented a bigger tube that seats lots of people. It was this big triangular shaped tube with two indentions that easily held two adults or probably 4 kids. Unfortunately we didn't have our camera while we were on the boat, so we didn't get any pictures of us on it...but you wouldn't have believed them even if you HAD seen pictures! Pierce was so comfortable already, he was standing up on the tube pretending to be surfing! Michael was with him of course, hanging on to his life jacket, but he was definitely a little ham! I rode three times, once with Michael's best friend's girlfriend, Stacy, once with Alex, and once with Pierce. I think it's common knowledge that Bull Shoals is a much calmer lake than Table Rock, but these pictures out to be pretty good proof. Michael took me for the ride of my life when I was tubing on both lakes, but only yesterday did I end up looking like I'd been in a car accident! These 3 pictures show what my legs look like this morning! OUCH! These bruises are actually welts! They're hard and 20 different colors of purple and yellow and black! Needless to say, I'm just a little sore today!

I think next time I might just stay in the boat!

4th of July

On the 4th of July our family followed tradition and went to the I Love America Celebration put on by James River Assembly at the Springfield Underground. It was a really great time, and the BEST fireworks show I've ever seen! The fireworks were bigger than ever, brighter than ever, and more in sync with the music than ever! Great choreography! Here are some pictures of our day!

This is Pierce (4) and Kenzi (2 1/2).

This is Kenzi and her cousin,
Nickolys (9 months).

This is Kenzi and her cousin, Austyn (12).

The weather was great that day! Brandon Beck and Tom Trtan both said it was going to rain, but the rain went south, and then went north.... and we had beautiful skies all day long! God is good!

teacher's pet

Okay, teacher moment here: I hate feeling like the teacher's pet. But sometimes you just have this idea that you really want to get out of your head. It really bothers me when people are so closed-minded about new ideas. You know who I'm talking about, the people who are negative about doing something new for some reason or another. Sometimes I just think they're lazy and stuck in their ways. Sometimes I think they're jealous that they aren't in charge, or they aren't the one who thought of the idea. I'm not really sure what the "Christian perspective" I should have on the issue is. Like PLC for example. There are so many people who didn't like the book Getting Started. I, on the other hand, really DID like it. I really agreed with the theory behind it, and I really think that some of those types of changes need to be made in our school. I know the book was a little redundant, but there really is no need to be quite so critical! Don't we all teach "2 stars and a wish"? Shouldn't we comment on the good more than the bad? Okay, this is going far away from the topic I wanted to talk about.... let's try again...

I thought that our school should "collaborate" through a blog like the elementary is. It's a great idea. We don't have time in our meetings on Fridays to collaborate about the stuff we want to talk about because of our "norms"... and the topics of conversation have already been chosen for us. So can't we do some real, honest, open collaboration through a blog? That was my thinking. So I asked our principals about it, got the go ahead, and made the blog. And I made the first post on the blog, and now I feel like a big dork. Like everyone who goes to the intermediate blog is going to be like "Who does she think she is?" or "Why does she think she's in charge of this?" or "Who made her boss?" When really I just wanted us to be able to talk about PLC, and no one else was going to do it. You know? I hate feeling like the teacher's pet! And then to make matters worse, I had this other idea that I didn't think was too shabby either. And I was literally afraid to share it with anyone because I didn't want to start up TWO new things during the summer when I'm supposed to be NOT thinking about school. But, I guess if my goal as a teacher is evolving into really really really helping my students learn, and I think I have a way to help them do that, then I would not be being true to myself if I didn't act on that. So I emailed Sue at FirstPLACE today to tell her my idea about getting more community members involved in our classes as tutors, and she loved it! So I emailed my principal, and we'll just have to wait to see how she responds. Sometimes I'm more afraid of how she'll respond than anything. That's really why I went to Sue first. What is this fear of mine? I know it has to be deeper than just face value. Afraid of being thought of as the teacher's pet. Afraid of telling your principal that you've got a great idea. Afraid of people knowing that you are working on school stuff during the summer. Man, who is this scaredy cat? And why is she so scared of everything? Someone give me a verse to memorize. I just need to worry less about what the world thinks of me, less about how I am perceived or talked about, less about lots of things. Less. And just try to be true to my heart and to what God lays on my heart to undertake. True.

It Runs!

Well, we made it safely home from Milkwaukee. The trip was really great; there were really only a few times I feared for my life. :-0 We took I35 from K.C. up to Des Moines and then got on I80. We drove through torrential downpours from about 15 miles inside Iowa until we reached the Minnesota border! No kidding! It was at least 5 straight hours of rain so hard that we could barely see the lights on the car in front of us. Praise be to God that Michael is such a good driver! I would have had to pull over many times, but he just kept on trekking! At one point in time we were listening to the local radio and heard that there was a tornado just 8 miles south of where we were driving, and if we would have stopped when I wanted to pull over, we would have been right in the middle of it! On Saturday morning we heard on the local news channel in our hotel room that there some of the places we drove through had recorded SEVEN INCHES of rain during the rain storm! We picked up the boat on Saturday morning, and took it straight to Pewaukee Lake to see if if it ran the way the dealership said it did. Michael took it out first, while we waited for him at the boat launch. It took him about 30 minutes to get it going (something was going on with the motor), but once he did, boy wasn't it great! He brought it back to the dock, and Pierce and I got in to go for a spin! It was awesome! We had a boat! We went to the Milkwaukee County Zoo after that, which was great! Michael then made a last minute decision to drive all the way home that evening. We drove from 6:00 on Saturday night until 6:00 Sunday morning (with a few stops here and there). There's so much more to tell, but right now my eyes are closing on their own, so I'm going to have to do a little sleeping. Here's to Road Trips!

Spontaneity

My husband is the most spontaneous person I know. If I had a dollar for every "fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants" thing he did, I would be rich! Well, probably not...for every dollar I got he'd go buy something else spontaneously! But it isn't only spending money, it's everything from eating out, to camping trips, to big road trips! Today is a prime example! I left my last day of summer school at 1:30 this afternoon and called Michael as I was pulling out of the parking lot to see if he had eaten lunch yet. He proceeds to say those legendary words, "Honey, I did something today. It's kind of good, but it's kind of bad." That's when you automatically know that he's bought something. Sometimes it's tools, sometimes something for the yard or house, but not today... today he bought a boat! NO JOKE! And not just any boat, a boat in MILWAUKEE! That's at least nine hours from here! Now, we've made plenty of big eBay purchases as The Branson Bean, but I must say that this is the LARGEST purchase so far (as far as size is concerned). It's not a new boat, but it's a working boat, which is more than we have now. And he did get a really good deal on it, seeing how we paid less than a third of the bank loan value on the boat. It's a cute boat, a Bayliner. It's a little worn, but a little TLC sure will help! So, summer vacation has officially begun. We'll be off tomorrow morning for Milwaukee to pick up our new boat! We'll probably take a pit stop at the zoo with the kids. We hear it's a 'gotta see' adventure! Then come Monday, you'll find me out on the lake! WOO HOO! Maybe I WILL actually get a tan this summer!

P.S. My parents are riding with us, so pray for our sanity!

Terrible Two's

I'm just not sure what it is about the age of two, but God truly was showing that he had a sense of humor when he decided that all two year-olds should act the way they do. I have felt that I was being tested many different times in my life: college, the first year of marriage, Zoey's life. But I really think that Kenzi is the most challenging test of my life! She is more adorable than I could have ever prayed my daughter would be, and way smarter than I think she should be, but more so than any of those things, she has more attitude than fifteen twelve year-old girls put together! She already knows how to roll her eyes, cry on cue, say 'no', squeal like a pig, throw herself in the floor, glare, and tell you off! But she also sings the cutest darned songs! Like she doesn't know the difference between the ABC Song, Jingle Bells, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. So you'll hear her walking around the house singing, "Now I know my ABC's jingle all the way how I wonder what you are!" Most people would think it was just really corny, but of course the one who carried her for nine months thinks it's absolutely precious! She actually got along with her brother all night long tonight (knock on wood, they aren't quite in bed yet)! They played with their hoppy balls, chasing each other around the house on them. But by the time she had eaten all of her dinner tonight she was tired of being nice. She spilled a cup of red kool-aid on our carpet, got in trouble by Daddy, and then cried the whole way to get Cold Stone! And when you tried to cheer her up by saying, "Little girls who act nice might get some ice cream," she would just scream, "NNNNOOO!!" Oh man.... If I make it sanely through the next eight months until the big THREE, then I can handle anything!

crazy cat chapter one

New animals always provide for experiences that are unforgettable. As a child, I never lived in a home without at least one animal. In most cases, there were more than one! I didn't live without an animal from the minute I came home from the hospital until the day I left for college. Michael and I have been a little more leary about animals. We've tried a few dogs in our five years, but they never seem to work out. We just aren't too into dog poop.... and it seems that we aren't really too into potty training puppies either. And those who don't like poop and aren't very good potty trainers usually don't have a chance when it comes to dogs. So this time we're trying a cat. She came to us already litter box trained, a true blessing! I don't think I've ever trained anything in my whole life: husband, kids, students... it's a problem I'm working on fixing. Anyway, her name is Mocha, the cat that is. She looks just like a mocha: dark espresso, with milky swirls and the perfect amount of chocolate! We're at the point right now where we're just trying to figure out if she's just being a kitten or if she's psychotic! The cat can jump straight up in the air at least 3 feet! Is that normal? She arches her back like the black cats you see in Halloween cartoons, but I didn't think real cats could ever really arch that high! And when she pounces, she literally grabs ahold of your body like she's hugging you. And let me tell you my leg has been hugged one too many times by that silly cat! Kenzi... now she just treats her like her newest baby doll! She carries Mocha around by whatever body part is easiest to grab: neck, hind legs, you name it! I'm surprised Mocha hasn't puked all over Kenzi! But she doesn't just sit there and take it yet. That's the difference between Mocha and my prize cat from childhood. Gizmo would take just about anything! Mocha fights back though! Kenzi's knees, ankles, calves, elbows, forearms, and hands are so scratched up she looks like she got in a fight with a weed-eater! Poor girl! At night Mocha sleeps with us, which actually means shares a bed with us at night. I think she spends about two hours sleeping and about 5 hours pouncing! It's like she sees our legs through the blankets and automatically thinks it's feeding time! Unfortunately, that's where I'm headed now, but I'm going to get an extra blanket for protection tonight! Wish me luck!

The Beginning of the End

I'm just not sure that I'm making the right choice by creating this blog. You see, I fear that I try to spread myself too thinly many times. My husband is the cause of that really. He's the world's worst over-booker, and his bad habits transfer into my life all too often! Spending time on the computer is a real temptation of mine, even when I know that I have many more important things to take care of. So in a way, I feel almost like I'm sinning by creating a personal blog. Taking time out of my day to write about my life, when I'm not sure that anyone cares? Now although I would like to think that I have a very exciting life, or maybe that someone would learn something or become a better person by reading my daily trials and successes, I know that I really have so much more that I am avoiding when I am sitting in front of this box of technology. My children probably need me right now for some reason: either the ones at my home or the ones in my class. My husband, I'm sure, would greatly benefit from my help at this moment. My home! Oh how badly my home needs my attention right now. But perhaps there is a purpose in my failure to overcome temptation. Perhaps one of you WILL learn from my writing. Perhaps.