Double Celebration Day - May 26

May 26 was a day of double celebration -- Memorial Day and Jeff's birthday. We are grateful for the sacrifices that our country's veterans made for our freedom. The weather was absolutely perfect, so we spent most of the day outdoors.

Jeff had requested breakfast in bed BEFORE he got up at 5:30 a.m. and exercised. Uh, yeah....that happened. I told him if he wanted to sleep in and get up at a reasonable hour, then I would bring him breakfast in bed. Poor guy ended up with a bowl of cold cereal. As is tradition in our house, we decided to have him open his present after breakfast. His gift was in the back of the van because none of us could lift it.

Outdoor fire pit, Jeff's gift
Unfortunately, he had to put it together, too.

Abigail helps with lunch on the grill

I'm pretty sure Jeff beat
Katherine bad throwing washers.

After lunch, it was time for swimming and volleyball.
The pool was a little chilly for me, so I was designated photographer.

Holmes Team A

Holmes Team B

Some great action shots of volleyball. I learned how to use the "continuous shots" setting on my camera, so I ended up with about 75 pics of the games. I pared it down to four.

The looks on their faces were funny when Katherine's great shot tore down the net.

We put 4 and 3 candles on the cake because
"Dad, if we used 43 we could burn the house down!"

After cake we headed downtown to see the Fort Worth Cats
take on the Shreveport Sports.

This was our view of Dodger, the cats mascot.
A couple times I thought he would fall on us.

Rebecca learned how to keep score in baseball. We stuffed ourselves with snowcones, frito pies, hotdogs, cotton candy and pretzels. The game was exciting and the Cats pulled off a last minute win, 6-5. (Thanks to Jeff and his rally cap.)

Most exciting was the fireworks show after the game. Beautiful! I wish I had pics, but my camera doesn't have that setting. All in all, a wonderful day celebrating the great men of our country.

Summer....You're My Favorite

I love Summer. There is such a freedom that I feel during this season. The girls aren't laboring with schoolwork (or asking me for help) and my allergies go away...ahhhhh. There's a huge relief in just those two things. So, in no particular order, here are my top twenty reasons why summer is one of the best seasons.


1. the beach
2. a crystal clear blue pool
3. fresh fruits/veggies
4. vacation!
5. Diet Coke with Lime
6. snowcones
7. mission trips
8. colorful beach towels
9. tanned skin
10. flip flops
11. flowers
12. sleeping in
13. July 4th fireworks
14. green grass
15. a long reading list
16. freedom from strict schedules
17. sand
18. food on the grill
19. scrapbooking time
20. the smell of sunscreen

I hope each of you has a wonderful, blessed summer. For those of you still in school, hurry up and finish. We've got some suntanning to do!

Awards Day - May 17

On Saturday we attended the Grace Prep Elementary/Jr. High Awards Ceremony. Rebecca received two awards: Honor Roll and Top Student in Science. Abigail was given a certificate for High Honor Roll. Both girls had a wonderful year and we are very proud of their hard work and success in the classroom this year.

Top Students

Emily and Rebecca

Emma and Abigail

After the ceremony we headed downtown for a celebratory lunch at Billy Miner's. It was a gorgeous, sunny day and we did a little window shopping after lunch. Later that afternoon we saw "Prince Caspian" at The Palace. It was sooooo good.

Some pics of downtown. The weather was perfect. I love the reflection of the clouds in the skyscraper. The girls made fun of me for taking ANOTHER picture of Bass Hall. Why not? It's hard to resist.

Sweet girls.

Ahhhh....Hydrangeas

I love hydrangeas in all their different stages of growth. Mine are growing more every day. I can't wait until the plants are full of pink blooms.

I'll Sing Your Praise

This has been an especially difficult week. One of my dear friends, Lisa, lost her husband on Friday morning. He suffered a heart attack at the age of 45. Gone. In an instant. No warning. It was a privilege to attend the funeral yesterday and see the memorial to Johnny's life. One of the most precious things Lisa said to me a few days ago was that she had no regrets. There was nothing unsaid between them and God had given them a wonderful week together. I wonder how many of us would be able to say that? I know this situation has given me a greater appreciation for my family, along with an awareness to love them more every day.

I've struggled greatly this week with lots of "Why, God?" Why would God take someone so young? Why would he take him away from his wife and 13-year old daughter? While reading my Bible this morning, I "happened" across Psalm 146. As I read those words, a song our choir sang recently came into my head -- "When I don't know what to do...I'll sing Your praise." So, that's what I'm doing this morning. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say. So, I'm going to praise.

Psalm 146

Praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD, O my soul.

2 I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortal men, who cannot save.

4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.

5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD his God,

6 the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
the LORD, who remains faithful forever.

7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets prisoners free,

8 the LORD gives sight to the blind,
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,
the LORD loves the righteous.

9 The LORD watches over the alien
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

10 The LORD reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the LORD.

Piano Recital at Steinway Hall

I would like to begin this post by saying that I am jealous of my children who played on a Steinway & Sons concert grand piano for their recital on Saturday. It was beautiful! Seriously, even the smallest 5 year old boy, who played a one finger melody, sounded great. Katherine played "Fountain in the Rain" by William Gillock. Abigail played "Spinning Song" by Ellmenreich. Together they played Pachelbel's "Canon in D." It was a brief recital, with only seven students playing -- the best kind!

Mrs. McKay, our new teacher

I Have Tomatoes!

I went outside to water my tomatoes and upon close inspection I actually have little, green tomatoes. I am growing them in pots because I don't have a good garden spot. I'm trying two types: patio and cherry. As soon as I saw the patio tomato, I ran for my camera. I could almost taste my first one, picked fresh, with lots of salt. Mmm...and then, a tomato sandwich, and then a BLT...I'm salivating now. I wonder how long it will take before the first one turns red? I'll keep you posted.

Scarborough Faire

Genny and Abigail went to Scarborough Faire in Waxahachie for the GPA 5th grade field trip. The weather looked ominous, but thankfully the nice office ladies at GPA prayed the storms away and we only had to endure about an hour of gentle rain. (During lunch, but what's a little water on your turkey leg?) We had a great time watching several shows: Medieval Weapons, Birds of Prey and the Joust. Abigail most enjoyed the interaction with animals. She rode a camel, an elephant and got up close with rabbits, goats and a pink horse at the Petting Zoo.

So funny...the minute we stepped off the bus
a man in costume yelled, "Put your hands on the bus!"
And they did! He was very impressed how quickly
they obeyed. The girls look a little suspicious.

Hannah, Emma, Abigail

This sign made me laugh.


Yummy turkey legs (with a little rain)

We're on an elephant!
I think Abigail talked Emma into riding.

A beautiful bald eagle that had been shot
in his wing and could no longer fly.

Abigail's in the back of the camel.
Couldn't get her to look my way.