Alexis had a Pilgrim's Picnic at school the other day. Her class recited Psalm 100, and the Lord's Prayer. Then they did a sweet little Tee-Pee song that we all enjoyed. We then ate lunch brought in baskets, just like the Pilgrims. We had finger foods like dried and fresh fruit, cheese, and rolls. Alexis was told a week before that they would need to bring "Indian" food, and she stressed about it all week long!! After it was over, she found that the "Indian" food was not so bad! Oh the stresses of Kindergarten! Uncle Ryan and Grandmommy came to visit this past weekend and Alexis announced to all that she was in love (this is her 4th boyfriend this year)! A boy named Shepherd (hmm? not a bad name for a boy, whom your daughter loves, to have) made her laugh last week, and that seems to be the token trait to win her heart. We just smile and change the subject quickly. Aaron is loving having Alexis home this week. He gets pretty lonely when she is gone to school every day. Aaron has become obsessed with the cross lately. He finds them everywhere, telephone polls, games of dominos, etc. He'll say "Mom, look, it's a 'Jesus died on the cross'!" His favorite thing is to drive by St. John's hospital at night to see the lighted cross on top of the building. He just stares until it is out of sight. One day he was looking through a picture bible and he stopped at the page with Jesus on the cross. He was quiet and seemed troubled. I asked him if it was his favorite page, and he said sweetly, "no, mommy, I don't like when Jesus dies on the Cross." Neither do I buddy, neither do I. I pray that his obsession with the Cross will never end.

Here are some more pictures taken in the last couple of weeks. Eli was a puppy for halloween and the kids wanted him to wear the costume about everday from the time we bought it. One of these pics is of Aaron after he fell asleep in Daddy's chair reading his little Bible. He might never forgive me for taking a picture of him in his skibbies, but then again he is reading the Bible! I love the one of Kevin and the kids. They love their daddy and if he is in his chair you better believe their will be at least 2 in his lap at any given time.

Why a blog?

I have not been very good at emailing pictures or writing emails lately, hmm? So, I thought I would create this site so our friends and family, such as yourselves, could look in on how fast our kids are growing, etc. My family is much too far stretched across this country, and I miss them. I have some friends with blog sites that I check in on from time to time, and it allows me to feel like I am not missing out on so much. Some of you may not even know that we are back in Springfield, MO and we have added little Eli to our family. We are now a family of 5, and it is wonderfully crazy. Alexis is in Kindergarten at Grace Classical Academy, Aaron is 3 and home with me right now, and Eli just turned 5 months old and taken on the role of "entertainer". Funny how the babies of families figure out so early how to make people laugh! I will post pictures as frequently as possible and keep the "blogging" to a minimum! Just an occasional update, maybe. We just got back from Harding's homecoming, and realized how much life changes so quickly. It was good to see the friends who have affected our lives so positively in one way or another. We never thought we would go back as often as we do, but with PaPa Bill Chism on the board, my little brother Ryan kicking on the football team (next year is his last year, unbelievable), and generations of Harding Alumni on both sides of the family, we just keep going back. It was good to see everyone. Here are some of the latest pics of the kids. We love you all!