Shower Season

It is the season for Showers. NO, we don't shower just in Spring as in the days of old ; it is Wedding Shower and Baby Shower Season!

Today I went to the Wedding Shower for a dear friend's son's future Bride. Did you get that? My friend Brenda's Oldest son Taylor is getting married! Isn't he perpetually 12? I guess not. Just like, I'm not perpetually 35 any more. :)

So, it is a garden type, restaurant type shower. That means CATERED! That means Really NICE! I was excited about going, so I could meet Taylor's new bride, and spend time with my friends, but boy was I nervous about what to wear. Yikes, what should I wear?

I asked Mike and he said, "go as you are". Yea right. I'm sitting here in overalls and a ponytail.

So I broke out the makeup. While it is just me, in color, it was necessary. I wore a dress, but realized, I really do need another dress. This one I got at the thrift store so it was old when I got it, and now it is REALLY OLD. :)

So you wanna see what I looked like? The girls liked the colorized mom.
I just had a good time. I liked the colorized mom in overalls, when I got home. :)

Kellie Jo is a PRO

Here is the newest on Kellie, Jason and Parker. It seems that Kellie and Jason are already pros at taking care of Parker. Kellie was doing what all mom's do; cutting fingernails so they don't scratch themselves to oblivian, and little Parker had a bleed. It seems the fingernail got a little too short. :)
So, did mom freak? NOT! She already knows the trek to the hospital. Before you know it, they will probably be on first name basis. :)

Way to go Kellie!

Hospital Visit with the Keiths

And... a good amount of the rest of the world. :) There were many family and friends at the hospital last night supporting the Keith's in love and prayer. The coolest thing happened. Last night at 8:00, they woke Luke up, and he knew he had been in an accident. He knew he was in the hospital, and he wasn't in pain. The pain meds are working great. (morphine drip) He had surgery yesterday to repair the mandible and jaw. I watched the Keith's be so gracious to the parents of the young man who was driving the vehicle and asked them to join us. They are heartbroken over what has happened. Their son is doing well and out of the hospital.

One of the great things last night was that the Nurse said, it was a miracle that Luke didn't have brain damage. Eating a tree usually is a good indicator that there will be brain damage, but he doesn't. He has acutally improved so much that even she was surprised considering the extent of his injuries. Today they will try wean him from the ventilator. All good news. No, GREAT news!
Praise the Lord

We Never Know

We never know when we wake up in the morning what events will unfold our day. Our only guarantee and comfort in this life, is that God knows, and he will carry us through.

Our dear friends, Lance and Bobbie Keith's son, Luke; who is also Josephs's best friend, since childhood, was in a terrible car accident on Sunday. He is in the Trauma Unit at Baylor Medical Center and at this writing is in surgery. He has many broken bones, and trauma to his body thanks to a tree.

Luke is planning to get married this Spring and has so much ahead of him. This is a detour, and even though we didn't see it coming, God did.

We are praying for this dear and precious family that the Lord will hold them and keep them through this trial, and bring them comfort.

If you think about it during the day, please hold them up in your prayers. They are much appreciated.

I'll Never Know How Much It Cost.....

Tonight we went to Ministry Group. During our singing time, we sang...."here I am to worship, here I am to bow down, Here I am to say that You're My God, You're altogether worthy altogether lovely altogether wonderful to me.... I'll never know how much it cost, to see my sin upon that cross, I'll never know how much it cost to see My sin upon that cross.........

Then, I pondered, How much did it cost?

If God put the entire existence of the world into place; the sun, the moon, the stars, the planets. He created man, and man fell, and He redeemed mankind. The Cost? The COST? His SON. He sent HIS son. Not mine, not yours....HIS.

He was wounded and bruised for my transgression and iniquity. He was smitten and stricken, and a man of sorrows acquainted with grief.

What did it cost; the events to take place that God put in place? Eternal planning, eternal love, an eternal mindset. So far beyond my finite, conceptual mind that I can NEVER fathom or understand.

But one thing I DO KNOW...

He did it for me, and he did it for you. He DIED that I might live. He died that YOU might live.

Don't take it for granted.

Mommy! Why do we Curse......

"Why do we curse when we sing that song?"

??? What song???

"Hail Jesus You're My King!"

Apparently Sarah thought we were singing

"Hell Jesus Your're My King!"

She is a true Texan! :)

Our Katie

I just want to say something about our Katie. Katie is my very first grandchild.
She was a package deal, and came along with her mom into our family. When I first met Katie, she was a spunky 5 year old. Now she is 11. WOW! What a great kid. What a great grand kid! I just love her so much. She is one of the lights of my life. I love it when she comes to stay the night. I love it when she participates with us in all our craziness. She has openly welcomed each new child into our lives without hesitation, even though she knows it takes gramma time away from her and Lilly. I'm so proud of you Katie. BTW- she won the spelling BEE at her school and is getting ready for JUNIOR HIGH! I can't believe it. She is one beautiful girl.

So here's to you Katie.

I love you

Gramma!

Our Weekend Retreat

Last weekend, all of us were able to go to Family Retreat weekend at Peaceable Kingdom, located just outsie Killeen in the Hill Country.

Peaceable kingdom is a 5013c campground dedicated to serving children with special needs and their families. The Camp is awesome. When we arrived there was a dinner waiting for us, and table games. Then everybody headed up to the theater for more games and a Friday night movie. We then went to our cabins and got snuggled into bed. Every bed in the girl's cabin was taken so Erika and I shared a bed. Anna slept upstairs and Sarah slept on a top bunk across the room. There were giggles until about 1 in the a.m. and then it finally got quiet.

In the A.M., Mike and Anna went for an early walk and the rest of us headed to the main lodge for breakfast and games. Then they divided us into 4 groups. The girls were in 2 different groups and Mike and I wound up in the same group. There were team events including pulling ropes with a hook on the end in order to pick up blocks of wood and move them into a designated area. Some of the children had to tell everybody what to do and which way to pull. (there were 5 or 6 ropes connected)
Then there was Z. A cable tied between trees that formed a Z. They had to figure out how to get between trees with just that line to step on. (2 feet off the ground) TEAM WORK! Then there was the 3 wooden platforms of different size. 4or5 people stood on the platform with 2 planks of wood in different sizes. They had to figure out how to get everybody to the next platform without touching the ground.

Then there was the carnival in the afternoon, put on by a group of teens from the area. After a Chinese dinner, put on by the local Kiwana's club with decorations and all, there was a cool round the fire marshmallow roast. Then, it was time to go to the theater once more.

On Sunday A.M. we headed back home. We really had a neat time.


We were able to meet some wonderful families whose children are all served at Scottish Rite Hospital. I have never met a finer group of parents.

Our Goats Have Arrived!

We have some very excited girlies around here. On Monday afternoon, we picked up 2 of our new baby goats. The 3rd one, a boy, is still too young but will join us soon. The babies have fit right in. They are letting the girls feed them by hand and also letting them walk them on leashes. Oh, has this ever brought huge waves of joy!
The goat in the Pink Collar is Erika's. Her name is "Sweetie Pie". The goat with the yellow collar is Sarah's. Her name is Joy. Anna's is the boy and she still can't decide on a name. She has been googling pet goat names for a few days and her head is swimming in ideas. If you have any goat name ideas, leave a few in the comments. She'd like that. He looks like the girls, but he is a boy. :)

Now you may wonder why I have a picture of the Turkey in this blog. He's just so cute and was courting the goats. He gets very confused. :) But..... what can I say, he's a Minich! :)

Our Very Newest Family Member

We have a large family and we are spread out all over the United States. But that doesn't mean we don't stay in contact and think about each other each and every day!

Our newest family member was born just last week, February 21, 2008. His name is Parker and weighed in at 7 lbs. 10 oz's. and 19" long. Kellie, his mom, who endured quite a labor, is our first cousin once removed, and 2nd cousin to our children. That makes Parker, our.....????? Hmmmm. Newest Family member.:)

Kirk and Robyn, our cousins are the proud grandparents.

You know, a baby is always such a wonderful thing. The sweet smell, that pathetically sweet cry, the gums without teeth, that special dazed look that dares to focus; such special moments. We look into those little eyes and realize that a whole separate, special, new life, apart from us has entered the world. And while he is apart, breathing on his own, a separate intity, he is also very much a PART OF us. He is totally dependent upon his mom and dad for his life, and what a lucky little guy to be born into such a loving family.

A couple of days after Parker was born, he gave his mom and dad a big surprise. Actually, he gave them a big shock. Parker came into this world with hemophilea.
He let them know, by bleeding. Of course they took him to the emergency room and the
diagnosis was made. He has been in the hospital and at this writing, I am not sure if he is home yet.

No parent wants to hear the words that their child will be different; that their child will suffer more than other children; that their child has a "condition". The words and information go in, and swim around somewhere and we are overwhelmed with trying to comprehend how this could happen. How come us? How come Him?

I don't dare to know the answer to those questions, but there is one thing I do know.
It is that GOD already KNEW. He will hold your hands dear family as you go through the fire. He will be with you as you raise this precious little boy to be all that he can be. And Parker will grow, and smile and laugh and reach out to be loved, and it is so wonderful that on the other end, his family will grow and smile and reach out and they will all connect and love each other and be thankful for this precious little gift. And we cannot wait to meet our new little family member.

Congratulations!

For those reading this blog: Please hold Parker and his family up in your prayers.
They have much to glean about his condition and much to ponder.

Thanks

Sam the Man Turns 1!!!

Samuel Parker Minich has turned 1 year old. I can't believe it. He is such a sweet baby and full of ENERGY! I am sad that I cannot see him as much as I would like, but I know that I'll see him again soon. Happy Birthday Sweet Baby Sam.... and Happy 1 year anniversary to Joe and Becca. (parent anniversary that is) :)

Peaceable Kingdom

This is where we will be heading today. We are so looking forward to the mini vacation for the girls.

http://peaceablekingdomretreat.com/

Washing Machine Woes Or....

How To Spend A Zillion Bucks At The Laundry Mat!


The Washing machine and I have a love hate relationship. I love it when it works and hate it when it doesn't. This week, I hate it.

It is broken yet again. It is only 9 years old so I really don't get why it is so tired. Although DH did pull two dollars and 56 cents in change and a guitar pick out of the water pump last year.

Well, I had several loads of laundry to do, because I kept doing the same load over because it wasn't spinning right and the laundry was too wet. It finally died and refused to spin any more. It wasn't a burned wire like last month. It was the motor.

So, since we are going camping this weekend and need clothes to wear, and I do not like going on vacation without a clean house, we took a lovely field trip to the laundry mat.
Do you know how hard it is to find one of those babies? They aren't very popular around here. We had to drive quite a ways and the place was pretty decent. But a load of laundry was between 1.00 and 1.50, depending upon the pre-soak choice.

The dryers were 25cents for a 10 minutes. Then you had to pay again. Of course it was about 75cents to a dollar by the time we were done drying.

The grand total was 14.50!

I have been directed to look at LG washing machines. So far consumer reports are great. The prices are a little steep, but if you consider how much laundry mats cost, they are cheap.

Goats Are A'Comin'

It has been 7 long months without sheep or goats in our yard. In previous posts I mentioned how our sheep were devoured by coyotes. It was a sad event, and we have done some research on dogs that protect livestock etc. But.... I just hate dog poop. If the girls were a little bit older, maybe it wouldn't be an issue, but I just don't like the idea of Erika falling in the yard and landing in dog poop.

Goat poop is great stuff. Great for the garden, and it is hard and round, so even if you get near it, it isn't nearly as devastating as dog poop.

That said, Dad made a shelter for the Turkeys, and we are going to convert the former Chicken coop into the goat barn. Here are some picures of the girls, "Will Work For Goats!"

Today Is Becca's Birthday

Happy Birthday dear Becca.

Becca is one of the most beautiful people I know, both inside and out. She is the loving wife of our 3rd son Joe. She is the loving and dedicated mom to our Grandson Sam. (who will be 1 at the end of this month)

I am so glad that Becca is in our lives. The first time we met Becca face to face was when Joseph was still in college. The two of them had been conversing over the years and were dear friends.

Then.... She came for Thanksgiving. Wow! What a week. She and Joe went from teenage friends to adult friends with futures in mind all in one week! By the end of that visit, they were talking marriage! They had their first date that week and Joe took her to Down Town Dallas by train. (so his driving wouldn't scare her to death) He even got off on the wrong exit and left her on the train. Somehow, they found each other on the tracks, and it was full steam ahead after that. LOL

She has been such a delight to our family and we love it when they come to visit us from Maryland.

Happy Birthday dear Becca. :)

Tim's Birthday

Tim's birthday was yesterday. February 15, 1981 at 6:00 in the morning. Tim is our delight and our favorite #2 son. :) He has grown up so much and is a MAN. Wow, all our guys are "MEN". I'm so proud of him. He is a good son,brother,husband and uncle. Most importantly, he loves and trusts the Lord with his whole heart.
Happy Birthday dear, favorite #2 son. :)

Happy Valentine's Day

It is another Valentine's Day. Love is in the Air, along with the smell of Chocolates and Steak. :)

We are having our Annual Valentine's Dinner tonight. Every year we invite a different couple and have a steak dinner, with table cloth, low lights, nice dishes, etc. We don't go anywhere, we do it at home, while the kids have a pizza party in the other room. The kid rule is: Don't disturb the dinner guests. They get to stay up late and watch a movie and eat Pizza.

Today, we are making some fun things in school, all Valentine Related. Word search, story, color pages, and the All important Valentine.

Mike was surprised by a card this a.m. (I can never wait) Inside, Sony and Cher singing
"I Got You BABE"! Ahhh. too fun.

Erika's Surprise

This morning Erika was up when we thought she was still getting her normal beauty sleep. I heard a few little bangs in the room but didn't think anything about it.
When she wakes in the a.m. she always calls for us to come and get her.
This a.m. however was different.

Bouncy Sarah came running into the kitchen to tell us that Erika was UP and DRESSED!
What?

So we went to investigate. Sure enough, she pushed past her fear and became brave. She stood without her legs on and got her clothing from her drawer and dressed herself.

This is HUGE. As she learns to get more proficient at it, it will free her up to get around when she doesn't have on her feet. So in the middle of the night if she needs to use the toilet, she will be able to go without calling for us to carry her.

What a great surprise.

Spud Night At Awana

Tonight was bring a Spud night. Here is what the girls came up with.

Joseph's Birthday

Tomorrow, will be Joseph's Birthday. He is our FAVORITE NUMBER 3 Son! I remember when the boys were young I used to tell them... You are my favorite #2, #1,#4 or #3 son, depending upon whom I was talking to.

I remember Joe being a baby just like it was yesterday. Where did all that time go?
Now Joe is a father himself!

When Joe was little, he was just a big bundle of energy. He was what today would be called ADHD, with some attitude added to that!

The Lord used him in my life to keep me on my knees in prayer and in the Word, searching for ways to reach that stubborn yet tender little heart of his.

Joe went to bed with a glazed over exhausted look on his face that was saying "I MUST PLAY" "I MUST PLAY" "I MUST PLAY".
And he played with his whole heart, his whole body, his whole soul. And when something went wrong, he mourned with his whole heart, his whole body and his whole soul.

Maybe Joe is why I'm so exhausted to this day. :)

Well, I was so worried when he was 3 that he'd be one of those kids who went to prison OR he'd be the Apostle Paul. I knew there would be nothing in between for him.

At 10 his goal was to learn every guitar cord in the history of guitars and at 12, he started to look at theology very closely.
He started reading RC Sproul and all about "forensic justification".

And now, he is in Seminary. (reformed theological seminary) He is married to his wonderful wife Becca, whom he met in an RC Sproul Chat Room where NEITHER was supposed to be, but my guess is they were the only 13 yo's in there. :)

So, happy birthday to my wonderful, favorite #3, energetic, ADHD with attitude, non prisoner, Apostle Paul lovin',wife lovin', baby lovin', seminary lovin', Jesus Lovin' Son.