Tears, Smiles, High Fives and Laughter!

A MOTHER'S 1ST DAY OF SCHOOL PRAYER
I wonder what you're doing now,
and if everyone is treating you kind. 
I hope there is a special person, a nice friend that you can find.

I wonder if the teacher knows
Just how special you are to me.
And if the brightness of your heart
Is something she can see.

I wonder if you are thinking about me,
And if you need a hug.
I already miss the sound of your voice
And how you give my leg a tug.

I wonder if you could possibly understand
How hard it is for me to let you grow
On this day know that my heart breaks
For this is the first step in letting you go.

The last few weeks at our house have been filled with the hustle and bustle of the closing days of Summer.  We have had so many exciting moments filled with laughter and high fives and days where tears tried to creep in, but were quickly filled with a grin.

Jasper started his first day of preschool on Tuesday, August 20 and Danica followed up with Kindergarten on the 21st.  They both were perfect at drop off and had superb days! 

Danica has also learned how to ride her bike, without training wheels (in one day) and is now mastering the art of starting herself and not needing a push from mom or dad!

We often take for granted the time we have with our children and try to hustle through the day, our moments with them slip through our fingers why rush them when we have them.  We are excited  for Danica and Jasper and the new experiences they have in front of them!

Prayer...What are your thoughts

Truthfully, how do you feel about prayer?  Just four days ago my opinion on prayer was very different than it is now.  I pray, my children pray, my family prays, but I have never, NEVER seen first hand the power of prayer, so I was somewhat cynical about prayer.  Yes, I said it, I was cynical about prayer, I did it but wasn't really sure it did any good at all.
Well last weekend, our little community and a family very close to my family was facing the unbelievable, there daughter disappeared, she was taken "in broad daylight" and was at the hands of a very dangerous, unpredictable young man.  A young man she once trusted, but in recent years and months, has only feared.  Kelly and I received word of her disappearance and it simply made our world stand still, we ate dinner at one of our favorite restaurants and I told Kelly later, "I don't even remember how the food tasted."  We returned home shortly before midnight and I got ready for bed and just began to pray, as I prayed tears filled my eyes.  I couldn't comprehend what the family was facing, what the victim was facing and I wasn't sure my prayers were enough.  I logged into facebook and so many were active online, I simply posted "No one is going to sleep, we need candlelight and prayer together."  The time and place was set, after determining tonight is when it had to happen, tomorrow could be too late.  At 12:30, what would become about 22 people would begin to congregate, we stood quietly waiting for others to show and around 12:45 I broke the silence with simply the words "she is strong..." I am not one to share openly about my faith or even speak up in situations such as this, but I felt it on my heart, and so did many others.  We prayed, we sang, we cried, we hoped for a joyous reunion.  People came, people left, we prayed some more, we prayed for her strength and intelligence to figure out a way to get away, we prayed for her captor to have compassion and set her free.  After nearly 14 hours of being held captive, while we held vigil, an extremely faithful young woman was able to convince her capture to take her to an Emergency Room.  We started praying at 12:45, she was dropped off at 1:15 at the ER, called home to give her parents the greatest gift, her voice and while still holding vigil we were informed of her safety.  Prayers are powerful.  Our God is an Awesome God, he reigns from heaven above, with wisdom power and love.

God put it on my heart to pray with friends that night, I don't know why he picked my heart, but I know he saved a precious soul in this young woman and she will go on to do great things.  I admire her and hope that I can raise a daughter with her grace, strength and faith in something much greater than us.

I witnessed something many people never get the chance to witness, they just have to have faith in.  This young ladies story has forever changed my life and I know that it will be a testimony that will "save" many others lives too.

Never underestimate the power of prayer!

She's 5, He's 3....Tell me again where does time go?

Interestingly enough, I could have become pregnant and given birth since the last time I posted on our blog.  It has been an insanely busy Fall, Winter and Spring.  I finally feel like we are catching up with ourselves, just in time for it to start all over again.

Danica has finished her 2nd year of preschool, she graduated Memorial Day Weekend, and is into her 2nd week of "Kindergarten Camp" (I refuse to call it Summer School).  She loves it!  Kelly and I don't particularly enjoy the attitude that accompanies with it due to her lack of sleep, however.  She had her 5th birthday party over the weekend, a Willy Wonka party.  We had alot of fun and it was officially her first "friend" party.  However, I found myself quite sad on Sunday when I was entering her 5th birthday information and her Preschool information into her baby book and realized that her baby book is complete.  How could her baby book be complete?  I feel a little selfish being so sad about a time in her life that she is beaming....so I guess I will jump on her bandwagon and just enjoy!

Jasper celebrated his 3rd birthday with a Scooby Doo extravaganza and is gearing up for his first year of preschool!  He is enjoying his one on one time with Daddy while Sis is at Kindergarten and has a true love of the golf course...Daddy is in heaven!

We are preparing for a family vacation to Florida, getting some projects done around the house, taking swim lessons, going to gymnastics, hitting the links, and just trying to soak in all of the family time we can before school starts and football is in full swing.