seriously love playing dress up...

She is just TOOOO cute!! I love it! I love having MY little girl!

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In other news... JOB news:

So. As of today, (things change every day... actually, more like every hour around here) hubs has 2 full time employee job offers on the table. Both offered him what we were asking. One is in our town and one is an hour away in the next state over. Sounds great right? OPTIONS! WOO! I am beyond thrilled to FINALLY! After 5 weeks, have some real options in front of us...

Here's the thing... At least two companies in our town (and possibilities of many more in the our State and the State over and beyond) have jobs they have asked hubs to contract out. He's already started a little bit of the contracting.

So. What to do... What to do.

Take the secure job with the secure income, and contract on the side? (My head says YES!) or... take a risk and keep going with hubs own business which is not as secure (in my mind anyway), but offers more flexibility. Flexibility is nice with 5 kids. We are always wishing we could visit family in Washington more... this may open those doors for us... If you have any insight, DO feel free to share!

As we weigh these options and mull them over please pray with us that God would give us wisdom, LOTS of wisdom in these decision making days... we want what God wants for us, nothing more, nothing less... whatever that may be.

All up here... (tapping on head)

To celebrate the 4th of July I had all 5 kids dressed in red, white and blue... that's how we celebrate our Independence. :)

Unfortunately, I didn't get a single picture of all 5 kids. In fact, this picture is the last one I got before my camera died... can you believe I didn't charge my camera in preparation for the 4th of July?? I can't. So sad.

I had just snapped this photo and had my lens on the boys when the blue screen flashed LOW BATTERY at me and then DIED.


I missed getting pictures of my boys setting off their very first fireworks, or of Keziah clapping and squealing at the show... sigh. I would say I could hang on to the memories up here in mah head... but my memory isn't what it used to be. The boys will come visit me when I'm 90 years old and tell me stories of how they got to light fireworks when they were 10 & 7 and how I almost had a heart attack and kept yelling "run AWAY from the fireworks!" And I'll say "that didn't happen, I have no pictures of it... besides what kind of a mother lets her little boys light fireworks.... What? my memory is JUST FINE!"

Book Worm...

Nothing gets this girl wigglin' across the floor like a good book. I have never seen her move so fast. Isn't that hilarious?



Seriously. She always goes for the books, every time... passing up her toys. Hmmm... maybe she'll be a lover of books like her mama and biggest brother.

First Tooth...

The Gift of Giving...

Tim and I are always trying to think of little ways we can teach the kids to give without expecting anything in return. One idea* I came across was to find out what the garbage man's favorite drink is and have it for him when he comes to get the garbage. BRILLIANT! So that's what we're doing this summer. The kids look forward to it every week. I love watching the joy on their face when they hand him his ice cold coca cola, and the excitement when we are at the store and they remind us to get the garbage man's drink. So Fun!!

Today Tim & I took the kids into town and walked around with some of the youth from our church handing out free drinks... water, gatorade, soft drinks. It was fun to see how surprised people were that we were just GIVING them a free drink... no strings. It was also interesting to me how hard it was to GIVE AWAY free drinks...

Any other fun ideas? Please share!!



*I am pretty sure I first heard this idea from Angie Smith.

Faith = Risk.

We're going on a month unemployed now. A month. When I wrote this, I really didn't think a month later we would still be sitting here... waiting for answers.

We finally heard back yesterday from the one business we were kind of holding out for that they decided not to hire hubs.

I cried.

Hubs is out today meeting with a couple different businesses and dropping his resume off with some others... but I don't know. I feel like any of those places would be settling... maybe I'm wrong... I don't know.

The thing is... we have a lot of debt. We have a big mortgage payment. Not to mention the FIVE kids to feed thing. We have put ourselves in a situation where we can't really afford to take a huge pay cut.

I wish we could.

I wish we could so hubs could have a job he LOVES.

Do I still have faith that God will take care of us? Absolutely. Does that make this easy? No. I'm scared. I'm sad for hubs. He is SO strong. He keeps encouraging me that God IS taking care of us. But I can see he's sad too.

Faith is not faith without risk. I can't keep that thought out of my mind. What does that mean for us??

I don't know.

Happy Father's Day...

You are the BEST daddy four boys and a girl could have!! I love you Tim!!