Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Not sure that anyone is still checking my page here in blogland after my crazy 6-7 week absence.

Sheesh!

Rachelle and her boys were the headlines for quite a while! They did come and sadly go...it was so good to have them around for a bit. My girls loved every minute with them!



Are they not the most handsome boys!?!

The week of their visit marked a crazy time for us. My husband's assistant at the church went out on medical leave and they were having a hard time finding a temporary replacement for her. We threw my name in the hat, partly knowing that it wouldn't even be considered due to nepotism, etc. But we were wrong! We got a shocking call the Sunday after Thanksgiving that I got the job.

So, ever since 11/29, I have been reporting to Jerry 3 days a week up at our church. It has been a whirlwind. With the help of one of my good friends and my precious in-laws taking care of the girls, it has mainly been a delight. So great to get to see Jerry in his role and interact with the church on a different level. Fun to sneak a few lunches with him and get an extra paycheck. But overall, I am tired! Juggling this new endeavor with the holidays and my regular part-time job definitely was a challenge. Many evening events over the past few weeks about put me over the edge! Alas, his assistant is starting back again tomorrow.

So...hello again! What have I missed!?!

The Ingenuity of the Male in the House

I noticed something strange on my kitchen counter this weekend...


What in the world?

Need a closer look?


I guess the human male in our house got tired of butter getting wasted.

It was a while back when the feline male of the house broke my nearly indestructible Fiesta covered butter dish.

And ever since then this long lanky thing has been creeping up on the counter to get a lick of the pure joy that I always leave on the counter.


Which has resulted in many, many tossed sticks of butter.

Great solution, honey!

***hint, hint...maybe we need to pick up a new butter dish?***

My better half is in Asia

We sent Daddy off almost two weeks ago! He is helping lead a team from our church of 42 mainly highschool students as they teach English camps in Hong Kong.

I haven't exactly been blogging all the details mainly because I don't want you to break into my house or steal my children while our protector is away.

Kidding. I know that God is our protector, but I still somehow barely sleep when Jerry is away.

Lula sure has helped though. Our way cool friends/neighbors, Nick and Shanda, let us borrow one of their Rhodesian Ridgebacks to be our temporary pet/guard dog while Jerry is away.

Isn't she sweet?


Don't let those eyes fool you though...come through our door and you will be attacked. ;)

What have we been up to in Daddy's absence?

Counting the days until he returns basically. 18. Eighteen. EIGHTEEN!





No, we seriously are not homebound or depressed. We have been to the pool a few times and are just trying to stay cool. Thankful to have such good friends that have invited us over to help pass the time. And also thankful that Jerry has the opportunity to serve in such incredible ways. The team has a blog...mainly posted to by the teenagers, that I swiped this picture from earlier today!

Oh wow, I miss him.

So, why post all this now? Because we are headed out on some travels as well! The girls are heading with Jerry's parents to Atlanta for a few days while I fly up to Pennslyvania to see Rachelle and meet her twin men!

I CANNOT wait! And since Jerry has our little point & shoot camera in China...I hope to get some practice in PA with our new camera (just charging now, forgive above cell pics)...a little happy 11th anniversary present to ourselves! I know nothing about digital SLRs, but am thinking I can learn alot with Cooper and Zachary as my test subjects!

I hope to be posting from cooler weather soon...

2 down, 18 to go

At least this one came out at home...and with just the swipe of a toothbrush.




Daddy missed the event again, but got to play tooth fairy when he got home.

And since there were no complaints of bears this morning, I think he has found himself yet another role around here.

Father's Day Weekend

After a long week of teaching VBS and wrapping up swim lessons I was really looking forward to Father's Day weekend myself. Typically when a holiday falls on a Sunday it means that Jerry doesn't have any meetings--a rare and special treat. Getting to ride together and sit together at service as well as having his help getting the girls in and out of church is a bonus too.

We celebrated his dad Friday with a train ride to the zoo for a special evening event and a big homemade breakfast the next morning.



My dad is in Canada, which left Sunday completely to celebrate my Jerry.

It started with snuggles from his girlies and then it was off to church.


We grabbed lunch at a new-to-us burger joint which happened to be on a trolley stop.


So we rode the trolley to the end of it's line which was downtown.

Walked a couple of blocks and ended up at the base of this building.





At which point my camera battery died (all little pics from cell phone), but not before snapping this pic of my 3 favorite people.


I don't think I could have imagined a more perfect impromptu afternoon. Especially not 12 years ago when Jerry proposed to me exactly 57 floors above this perfect fountain spot.

I definitely wouldn't have envisioned how needed our afternoon nap would be or that the evening movie choice would be Toy Story 3.

What I did know then was that if a restaurant wasn't busy on Father's Day when everything around it was on a 30-45 minute wait, that you should definitely stay away. Far, far, away. But then again, what I didn't know then was how skewed your thinking can become when you have two hungry children and it is nearing bedtime. (and you don't feel like cooking!)

That restaurant choice, which shall remain nameless and NEVER, EVER, EVER visited again, is the very reason you are getting a Father's Day post today and not on the actual day. You know that feeling of food that is sitting in your stomach but not digesting. Yes. That is the feeling I went to bed with last night.

And in our Daddy's truest form, Jerry bathed and put the girls down for me on a night I was hoping he could put his feet up and take a well deserved rest. Instead it was me who was laying on the couch trying to get in any position that wouldn't further my indigestion pains...subtle reminders of a dinner gone very wrong.

A yucky way to end an otherwise perfect weekend.

Hoping yours started and ended well!

Look What Daddy is Bringing Home Tonight

There were 4 abandoned kittens left at Jerry's work.

No one wants them...does that include us?!?

He sent this picture to my cell...knowing I'd fall in love.

The girls have said the funniest things since learning of this news.

I told them that daddy would be bringing home four kittens this evening and that they would be very scared. That we would need to use gentle hands and quiet voices when we met them because they had lost their mommy.

The questions started:

Jade-Where did the mommy go?

M-I'm not sure.

Jade-Maybe she's at work. No. Maybe she's hiding.

(My thoughts exactly Jade...4 babies wanting to nurse...I'd be out of there too.)

Then I told them that there are 3 black ones and 1 orange one.

Lily-Orange? I didn't know they made them in orange. I want a pink one!

So, needless to say I've got two very excited girls on my hand.

We just called daddy, who should be in route, and he didn't answer. I'm envisioning kittens crawling all over him in his truck. This should be a fun evening.

Anybody want a kitten?

6 four year olds and a size 3 ball

Let the U5 soccer fun begin.

This is going to be an exceptionally fun adventure for us as Lily figures out if she should call the coach by, "Coach Gibson", or simply "daddy". I'm sure he'll answer to either.

We really didn't intend for him to coach. I mean he has played soccer all of his life, and was more than happy to assist, but with his work schedule and the time change on the way, we weren't really sure he could swing all the practices...especially if they didn't want to be playing in the dark.

He volunteered to assist. Then he suddenly started receiving emails about submitting his team name and color choice. Huh? He replied back for 3 weeks stating that he'd only be able to commit to assisting. No response. None.

So, with the season quickly approaching we began to get worried when Lily never heard from her coach regarding upcoming practices, etc. With Jerry getting no response via e-mail, I marched myself up to the Rec soccer office and inquired in person. I went at it from the angle of my daughter not having heard anything from her coach. The lady gladly looked her up in the computer system and said, well, it says here that her coach is Jerry Gibson, isn't that her father? Uh, yes.

So to make a long story short, Daddy will now be known as Coach Gibson for the next ten Saturdays and Wednesdays.

Here is Lily and her buddy Mia, a neighbor girl who Lily happens to be a whopping 5 days older than...who is now her fellow teammate as well.




Notice the pink and purple? We were hoping for pink or purple jerseys. Well, seeing as we were a little late in the game when it came to picking names/colors we were just assigned one. Out of the 29 U5 girls teams in our league, it seems they had plenty of pink and purple requests. Guess what color we got? Lime Green. Dear Lord, may it please be a cute lime green and not a crazy fluorescent yellowish green.

I just got an email that the uniforms are in and ready to be picked up this evening. I'll have to post an update later.

Oh, and did I mention that one reason Jerry decided to coach was that according to the soccer office one of the mom's had already volunteered to be team manager/team mom. Yeah, right. We emailed her to thank her for offering to help and let her know that she needed to get her background check sent in. We got an immediate response stating that she had double checked her daughter's registration form and that she had not volunteered to help in this way. Great.

That's when I got a new assignment from the Head Coach. I'm reporting to you as Assistant Coach of the Lime Green Pixies. I've never played a day of soccer in my life.

Lord, help us all.

Back to our sweet and blessed reality.

Ah...vacation is sweet.

Jerry and I just spent a week celebrating our tenth anniversary. Our plans were really nearly undecided up until right before we left. Our real gift to each other was this...

Now, before your heads go somewhere that mine isn't, I'm talking about the bed itself. Who knew mattresses were such an investment? Moving from a queen to a king has been heavenly. I am dreaming again...haven't slept this good in years.

Jade just had to be in the picture...I think she may have been the "pillow re-arranger" culprit.

Anyways, back to our trip. By the time we were home from Michigan and had dropped the kids off at the grandparents, I would have just been happy to go sit on a curb. Anything other than the normal everyday.

We went further East to stay near the grandparents and ended up in the quaint town of Natchitoches, La.
It is the oldest town in Louisiana and happens to be where they filmed Steel Magnolias. It was perfect. Plenty of history for Jerry, plenty of shopping for me, and plenty of yummy food for both of us.

There are multiple old plantations that you can visit...we just visited one...so much history. I learned that my hubby really does know what he is talking about when it comes to history. I am still not sure how I sailed through all of that stuff with straight A's and can't remember a dern thing. Anyway, he could have written a dissertation on the differences between how the British, French and Spanish treated their slaves.

These slave quarters were some of the only ones not burned during the Civil War.

An old general store...

The trees were AMAZING.

These horses let me pet them...I had a brief moment of missing the girls at this time...thinking of how much they too would enjoy the "horsies", then I realized I was standing in an ant hill and ran away from them shrieking.

There were also tons of amazing historic churches to tour.

We loved this one...remember when it was covered in "blush and bashful", Shelby's (Julia Roberts) wedding colors of choice?

We didn't have even one stinkin' picture taken of the two of us...oh well, trust that I'm the one holding the camera...here is a shot of Jerry in the balcony...

we really were together. and childless. for six days.

Ahem.

Did I mention the trees were gorgeous?

We even tromped through old cemeteries.

I should have taken pictures of my shopping finds. I found a great new bag, a baby gift for a friend, some fudge for the grandparents, a Christmas gift for an uncle who is hard to shop for, a really neat "4 generations" picture frame, and of course too many trinkets and toys for the girls.

As far as food? Oh my. Diet starts tomorrow! Can you say meat pies? grits? fried green tomatoes? french pastries? Cajun seafood and all the accompanying fattening sauces?

We seriously indulged ourselves in every way. Ate what we wanted and when we wanted. Slept when we wanted for however long we wanted to. Not being on anyone else's schedule was truly delightful.

We both also finally finished some books that we've been reading off and on for an embarrassing amount of time.

Then we finished out the trip with some time at our favorite bed and breakfast, Fall Farm. I wanted to get some sun soooo bad, Jerry laughed at me out there with my swimsuit on dodging the rain drops. Oh well.

Then it was off to get our girls. I wish you could have seen their faces. We have never been away from them this long so I knew it would be good. I really wish I had my camera...I did think about grabbing it...but then thought about how rude it would be for your mama, whom you haven't seen in a week, to be wielding a camera when she comes in the door.

Let's just say they were a little excited.

I feel refreshed, rested, and a little more excited about life in general too. I am thankful to feel more patient toward my kiddos and more endeared to them also. I am always in love with Jerry, but getting to have multiple uninterrupted conversations over many days together...it just warms my heart. A break is good.

Vacation is sweet, but our blessed reality is even sweeter.

A Decade of Love

(I apologize for the poor quality of these pics...they are pre-digital and I didn't want to take them out of my wedding album to scan...just envision me holding a huge, awkward, and heavy wedding album at an odd angle over our scanner...that is why there are only TWO.)

(if you squint, you'll see: Bonnie, Rachelle (of With One Step), Sandi (Jerry's sis), Kelly (my sis), me, Jerry, Mike (who just got married), Eric, Scott and Dave.)
*******************************************************
10 years ago today, I outmarried myself. Everyone in my family would agree about that statement. I have said it a hundred times and I'm sure I'll say it hundred more, but I swear that my mom loves my husband more than she loves me. I don't blame her, I love Jerry more than I love myself too.

In honor of ten wonderful years with you, Jerry, here is a list of ten reasons I'd say "I do" all over again.

1. You love by action. You are a doer of love. You show me over and over again with every little and big way that you serve me and the girls.


2. You are selfless. It is obvious to anyone that has been around us that you put the me and the girls ahead of yourself time and time again.


3. You are a gentle leader. You don't beat us over the head with what the Lord is teaching you, but gently remind us at timely moments.


4. You accept my apologies with true forgiveness.


5. You are reliable and keeper of your word. I can count on you for whatever you promise.


6. You are a planner. Whether it is a vacation, a family event or just a night out, I can always count on you to have a fantastic plan in store.


7. You come from an amazing family...what a wonderful set of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins our girls have been blessed with.


8. You are wise with your words and can often make sense out of a situation when no one else can.


9. You have an excellent work ethic and are a good provider for our family.


10. You are a hands on and engaging daddy to our precious girls...Lily and Jade...the sweetest gifts yet of this blessed union.

(Pictures of Lily should be up later...she's been at a friend's house all afternoon, but I've got my camera and veil ready for her return.)

I love you and so do they. Looking very forward to our upcoming anniversary trip. Happy 10th, sweetheart!

A Savior on Capitol Hill

Any Derek Webb (formerly of Caedmon's Call) fans out there? Back in the days when we didn't have a sitter racking up charges in our absence, they were a band whose concerts we frequented.

Anyway, my hubby found a little video of Derek singing some thoughts on the election. Since I am the epitome of someone who is not political and also too lazy to post it from GodTube, you can find it here.

That would be on my hubby's blog. The one he posts to about once every two months. Isn't it a funny thing...husbands and blogs? He just had to start one...probably out of sheer curiosity of what in the world I found so fun about blogging...I'm not sure he gets it. Quite. Yet.

Do any of your hubbies blog?

What is this green stuff?

I live with a heckler. My husband. He is constantly joking around and completely in good fun trying to get a rise out of me or ruffle my feathers in some way.

I'm starting to realize that his love language is heckling. I'm not sure if I am blessed or cursed.

Apparently he grew up seeing his Merner and Paw heckle each other in this way and loved it. Sadly I never got to see those two in action. I wish I had...if for no other reason so that maybe I could understand it a bit better.

Jerry and I rarely get ready together in the morning. He is usually out the door around 5:oo AM to head to the gym to exercise, where he also gets ready for work.

Yesterday morning he was off for the holiday though. I was finishing up showering while he was at the sink.

And the conversation begins:

J-What is this green stuff?

K-Green stuff?

J-This green stuff.

K-(peeking out from the shower curtain) What green stuff?

J-Right here. (pointing and tapping) This green stuff right here.

K-(wiping the water from her eyes, expecting to see some strange hair product spillage or remnants of who knows what...finally sees what he is referencing) Jerry, you ___ ____!

In order to keep the blog family friendly, I didn't call him anything too bad....something along the lines of "smarty pants", and the girls were not within hearing distance.

Yet, I did totally cuss back at him. That is just carrying on the family tradition from what I hear from the relatives. When I look at their pictures, I still can't envision Merner and Paw heckling each other in the family room and throwing out an occasional cuss word for good measure.

So, I'm guessing you're curious as to what "green stuff" he was referring to.


The bathroom counter top. That is the green stuff. Which is usually completely covered. It just so happens that this weekend I actually made it past cleaning just the downstairs and the parts of the upstairs that the girls use. I ventured into cleaning the master bedroom and bathroom. Which required me to remove countless bottles of hair product, make-up, random accessories, brushes, combs, cotton squares, q-tips, facial cleansers, contact solutions and cases, etc.

That is the thing about Jerry's heckling. It is always rooted in truth. It had been quite a while since he had seen those green tiles.

I am laughing because I totally had to clear it off again just to take the above picture. Why is it so hard to keep it clean? Between the two of us we have nine drawers and three shelved cabinets to store toiletries. I guess I just don't see the point of moving it a mere 18 inches to put it away only to get it all back out again.

I can't blame my mother either. She always kept things clean and tidy. She was not a heckler. If my room got out of hand she didn't say much. I would come home to a closed bedroom door though which meant she was tired of looking at it.

Maybe next time we have company over I'll hear Jerry say, "Kerry, what is that red thing?"

"Red thing? Oh yes, our bedspread is red, isn't it honey?"