Cancer Cannot...

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Getting Involved!

Ben has made several new acquaintances who are in Cubscouts.  So...here we are!  He seemed very uninterested in joining until the day of the first informational meeting.  Steve rushed home in time to take him and I've been to the scary scout store several times, purchased the shirt, patches, neckerchief, neckerchief thing-to-hold-it-on, belt, belt buckle, & scout guide book.  It seems as if this will not be the last trip as there are LOTS of things at this store.  Oh, and we've purchased a tent.  Oh, MY!!!  

Sunday was his first Cubscout meeting.  I must say, the sweaty boy that came home with a huge smile and rumpled uniform made it all worth the trouble!

Dad and I love you, Ben!  We hope you have some good memories and make some good friends.

Back to School!!!!

All of my boys started school today! YIKES, it's early! In order to get a little momentum on the school excitement we decided to celebrate with the "I-word" at Braum's. Whohoo! We were all excited about that!



Here they are with backpacks on. We got ready a little early for pics and such and had to wait until time to go.



Ben walked in by himself today and Drew only let me go because I asked.
Dad and I love you boys. Proud of you! Congrats on your first day!

Band Camp

Ben started band camp this week. He is taking up the trumpet this year and he seems pretty excited about it! We are hoping for a duet by Christmastime with Uncle Eric!

Our First Year

The above picture shows the 19 people (minus our sweet Susan) who were in attendance the very first Sunday that Commons Church met for worship. We met in our living room and sat on our couches. The kids sat on a blanket on the floor. Steve preached from a folding chair. Corey led us in worship for the first time with his guitar. We have picked up some friends along the way and God has done some really great things. The picture below shows the people who were in attendance on our July 17th one year anniversary. We are in no way about our numbers, but people who love as best they can like Jesus attract others. Fun to see God's work.

July

July hasn't turned out like we thought it would. On the first day of what was to be a two-week family vacation, Steve had a skiing accident behind his Dad's big boat and broke his face! We have spent a great deal of time in doctors' offices and getting him checked out.

Thankfully his eye is not damaged and he was cleared from the eye doctor and his cardiologist for surgery to fix the broken bones. But in the meantime, we had to wait for the swelling to go down. Steve also had a birthday. He couldn't eat much, so I decided we would have a "broken face" birthday party. We had a houseful of folks and Steve took the jokes all in fun. He was unprepared for people showing up with black eyes, but we decided we didn't want him to feel different. We ate soup and milkshakes right along with him. Thanks to everyone for helping to make his birthday fun!

Turns out that Steve was able to swallow some soft fish and mashed potatoes at Pappadeaux after his pre-op appointments. Happy Birthday, Steve! We'll go again when you can chew!

Surgery day was on Tuesday. It looks like they have him fixed up pretty good. He's recovering nicely with still more soups & milkshakes, movies, books, Commons Church work on the computer & some real dinners sliding down. Thanks to Commons Church family for helping us with the boys and feeding us your awesome cooking. We hope to have Steve back to normal soon!

Hello, Summer!

Today was the last day of school for the boys.

They have had some really special teachers taking care of them this year and I wanted to tell them thank you.

Mrs. Bogle,

Thank you for your many trips to Half Price Books and Barnes & Noble. We wouldn't have made it through the week sometimes without them. Thank you for making lessons fun and interesting for Ben, and thank you for your writing advice and your encouragement for us this year. You helped (me!) make it through the day many times. We won't forget the fun of Student Council, Safety Patrol (did he take that orange thing off?), and a crazy amount of AR points.

Mrs. Long,

Thank you for taking care of my "party in a child!" He loved school this year. Thank you for encouraging his love of science and reading and for letting him be himself without getting into trouble. Invention Convention and the Cereal-Maker, the Buckaroo Party, and the AR tests were definitely tops!

You were both prayed for way before we knew who you were. Thank you for being just perfect for our boys.