Thursday, June 25, 2009

Feeling Accomplished

I haven't had time to blog much lately. It has been a busy couple of weeks, but thought I would give a quick update on a few statuses........

First, Gabe (he's the five year old who hated swim lessons) is now a little fish. The boy can swim better than his siblings. Amazing what 2 weeks of lessons can do.

Secondly, Zander made ALL STARS for the 7/8 year old team this past year. It was an amazing and fun year. I can't begin to tell you how much he has grown and matured in the game of baseball this year. His ALL STAR team was made up of primarily first graders, so they were a very young team. We were not expected to win any games in the tournament. Anyhow, last weekend his team lost the first game against a super team (one that will probably win the whole thing). They were sent to the losers bracket where we thought we would just lose and be out. But much to our surprise and after a Saturday full of alot of fun and baseball games....our boys won 3 back to back games on Saturday....which led us back to meeting up with that first team that beat us. We did not win the tournament, but I was very proud to see the hussle, good attitude, and listening skills that Zander showed during his play. All the boys were great and it was a fantastic and great learning year.

Thirdly, I manage to survive my self training of how to make and edit a video into a movie using windows movie maker. Let me just say....I almost gave up because I really had no idea what I was doing. But I managed to train myself in 3 full days (with a few tears, dirty words, and sleepless nights) I finally compiled a video for Father's Day to share last Sunday! And get this, I even look forward to making many more videos! Hopefully it will only take me a few hours instead of a few days the next time around!

Lastly, getting the house back in order. I have begun the summer "To Do" list and have managed to clean the masterbath, the closet, the utility room, and weed the flowerbed. I still have so much to do and only have 2 days until my sister in law and her kids are in town! I still don't understand why it must take having family come in to kick start the cleaning spree.

Well now that I have bored you with a quick catchup.... I will let you check out the video at the GBF Children's BLOGspot. Just click here!

Monday, June 15, 2009

Take a Peek at Our First Family Field Trip Day!!!

Today was so much fun! This was our first FAMILY FIELD TRIP DAY for GBF! It was a small group but a great group to start with! I am copying/pasting what I blogged on the GBF CHILDREN'S BLOG.... then click on the pictures to see us having fun!!!! God is good!

Today we took 12 kids to Frank Buck Zoo. It was an absolute great day all the way around!! Despite the heat, God was good to provide shade and a good breeze which made it very comfortable for all of us! We spent about an hour and a half at the zoo looking at all the animals (big tortoises, feeding giraffes, and listening to a bird say hello) and enjoying each other's company!

The second half of the day we enjoyed at the park.... The kids played hide-n-seek, made up some funny dance routines, and even had a nice train ride!!!! We also had a pleasant picnic under some nice shaded trees!

We ended our day with a swim at the Scales' house......Thanks so much for having us!

We have some great kids and they all acted and treated each other very well!!! What a great and awesome day this was!

I am looking forward to more fun on Family Field Trip Days. Our next outing will be June 29th at Denton Water Works!!!!

Take a look at some of the pictures posted on the GBF CHILDREN'S BLOG!

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Tyler State Park: Summer O-Nine

Here is a clip from our trip last weekend to Tyler State Park. The friends in the pictures of the Bostiks, which was Todd's roommate in college and in his bachelor adult life! We had a great time!!!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Things Left Behind

My mom came this past Wednesday to steal the kids away for one evening. That night was the same night that the tornadoes and such came through our area.

Well as you know, when kids sleep over somewhere, they usually leave some of their belongs behind.......or evidence that they have been there.............

Take a look at what my mom just sent me ;-)















Nothing like a manipulative with some jalapenos!!!

Thursday, June 11, 2009

To Swim or Not Swim is the Question

This week we started Gabe on swimming lessons. Let me say.....DRAMA!!!!! For a dare devil, tough, little guy, I do believe I found his weakness. Now that I think about it, he was afraid to get too deep in the ocean while on vacation in Florida and he also had a fear of SINKING on the waverunners! HA!

Today was day 3 and yes, the crying was much less. But the first and second days were HORRIBLE! I guess it has been a bit hard on me because I know my baby is not a crier and to see him so terrified is just so sad! I feel helpless, but he needs to learn to swim and not rely so heavily on the life jackets.

I really think that in another week, he will be swimming though. You know why??? Well today at swim lessons, his buddy Landon showed up and he is swimming much better than Gabe. Landon and his swim instructor showed Gabe some new tricks, so Gabe was determined that if his friend can swim under water, than so could he! So guess what, my scared little boy got real brave and did indeed swim under the water!!! YAE! He is not a pro yet, but at least I saw the fear subside for a brief moment and he was confident again!!!

He didn't want to leave today either!!!

Wonder if we can have Landon at his lessons again tomorrow??? HUMM!!!!

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Pool Wanted!

This is what we have to do to cool off on a hot summer day at the Turner house. Maybe a $200 inflatable pool might be a wise investment!





Thursday, June 4, 2009

Occupation Guestimations! Fun Stuff!

Ok, thought this would be a fun blog to start!!! I would love to hear about what you thought you would grow up to be throughout your childhood and adolescent life! Then lets guess what we believe our children will be in their adult lives....

For me, the earliest memory of really wanting to be something when I grew up was in the second grade with Mrs. Ferguson. First of all, that was one my most favorite and memorable years;-) I remember studying the SOLAR SYSTEM that year and how interesting that was! I can recall the "passion" of wanting to know more and really becoming an astronaut. I think I even wrote a paper on it! For years, I thought I would truly be an astronaut!

Later, I thought I would become a family psychologist! This was my plan throughout most of high school and even in the first years of college, until I realized the job demand and pay was not as highly valued as the "education" time! I had no plans of wanting to stay in school any longer than the four to five years I was already committed to! So with the path I had already chosen, the best way out of college was to use those courses to become a special education teacher.

My first adult profession was a special education teacher and coaching. Was I good at it!!! NO, it was one of the most stressful times in my life.....trying to finish school, teach, coach, newly married, and my dad was deathly sick. I was trained to teach MR students and to test and diagnose these students. My job and my training were not a match, so that didn't help!

I decided to quite and become a stay at home mom for the next 5 years.

I went back to teaching at a private school sometime later.... This is where I felt God was finally showing me "where I fit" in the professional world of jobs. I finally felt I was doing an excellent job in the area that God had equipped me and trained me for.

Now I am a children's pastor. I still know I am on the RIGHT PATH, but still have no idea where he will take me from right here! Only time will tell!

MY CHILDREN'S OCCUPATION GUESTIMATION!! HA.........
1. I think Addison will be veterinarian or zoologist or something to do with animal care. She has a heart and love for animals.
2. I think Zander will be a coach or youth pastor. He is a social yet sensitive kid. He tries hard to be do the right thing most of the time and cares about others. But he is 100% boy and loves all sports and tries to be the best he can be as an athlete!!!
3. Gabe is a bit on the WILD side.....he is a rough and tough dude but seems to be a leader in most situations! He loves to be the center of attention and loves to talk or sing. He also likes to feel needed or wanted. I think he might be fireman or policeman...someone with athority but always needed! Plus he likes wearing uniformed attire! HA!

I can't wait to hear about your Occupation Guestimations!!! Have fun with it!!

Monday, June 1, 2009

Summer is Here

We returned late Friday night from our Florida vacation! Back at home, it is summer. It is quiet warm outside, the sun is staying up later into the evenings, kids are running in and out of the house, and wet swim suits are found on both the front and back porches!

Today is the first Monday of our summer break. Now it is time for me to figure out a new work schedule for the next couple of months. It will probably take a week or two to get in a routine though.

So what do we plan to do this summer????
-Sleep in and stay up late
-Swim at the Roberts ALOT
-Go to the lake
-See friends and family that we don't get to see during the school year
-Have some playdates (waterpark, zoo, and museums)
-Get reorganized for the upcoming school year
-Loss 15more lbs
-Try to sneak in another vacation by fall.....
-Go to a few good movies
-Have a few date nights with the hubby
-Play lots of games
-Work in the flowerbeds
-Teach Gabe to read
-Teach Addie to blog
-Keep Zander busy
-Kids spend the night with grandparents (and maybe Todd and I too)

I love summers even if it is darn hot here!!! Still a great time for everyone!!! What are your plans this summer!