Labor Day 2007

Well I started this post back in September but forgot to publish it then forgot about it all together, anyhow here it is a bit late...We asked Madeline what she wanted to do for Labor Day and she, without hesitation, said "canoeing!" So we checked the weather and with no rain and a mild forecast we made plans to go. (There is a great place to canoe on the Brazos River just outside of Glen Rose, TX about an hour away.)

All Madeline wanted to do was swim or throw and collect rocks. It was an absolute beautiful day...until! About 1 mile left to go we heard a distant rumble of thunder that quickly became an all to close CRACK of lightning and BOOM of thunder. A storm rolled in very quickly. It was about the second rumble of thunder that we began to row faster but our fastest was not fast enough. With about 100 yards to go we spotted a group camping that had a open air tent canopy so we pulled off and got out of the water and rode out the storm under this flimsy canopy with two complete...but very nice...strangers.

The storm literally scared the pee out of Madeline and almost me to be honest. Other families who were also rowing as fast as they could had to pull off on sand bars or steep banks andflip their canoes over themselves.
the storm lasted about 20 minutes and although we were a bit frazzled (not kelly) we finished the last 100 yards.

Fall Family Fun Night

Madeline was a Kangaroo that adopted a lamb for Halloween (you can see in her pouch the little lamb hanging out). Unfortunately, her mother did not have the foresight to take a full length picture of her. Our church had a Fall Family Fun Night for the community where we had Trunk or Treat for the kids. We decorrated our truck as a old time county jail. We had trunks that were a real fire truck, a fire station, a gamestore (gamestop), a zoo, a dump, and a Krispy Cream. Madeline was more interested, though, in handing out candy to other kids rather than getting it herself.

come and listen

Over the years I have spent many summers and a few cold January's ministering to orphan children in Targu Mures, Romania. I have said that if you can hold a child, play with a child, or love a child this mission trip is for you. Most of these children have heard the gospel and the promises of God but they have never experienced it. That is what we have been called to do, show them Christs love through our love...it is that simple. I know most of these children personally and have watched them grow. I love them! I have not been able to go to Romania to see them for 2 years and my love for them has only grown stronger in that absence. When I see their picture or think of them a tear comes to my eye. I pray for them by name that they would come to have the joy of knowing Christ and that Jesus would write His name on their hearts and their name on His hand.

favorite pictures

Here are a few favorite pictures I have taken over the years from China, Romania, Hungary, England, and USA. I hope you enjoy them

the greatest show on earth

Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls welcome to the greatest show on earth...At the last minute we decided to go to the Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus and it was a good thing. Madeline was very excited until we got there. She suddenly became frightened of the clowns(I do not blame her because I'm not particularly fond of clowns myself but I posed with 2 less imposing ones to try to ease Madeline's fears...it did not work) Last year at the Shriner Circus a clown came within 3 feet of her and she got so scared she wet herself. Well she was able to control herself this year but buried her head several times in Daddy's shoulder when the clowns came close. Her clown anxiety gradually fadded when she realized that they would stay far away from us and she settled in and enjoyed herself. She danced threw most of the show and loved eating a hotdog and popcorn, the jumping puppy dogs and tigers the most. When the circus was over (9:45pm) we thought Madeline would fall asleep very quickly for the car ride home not so she talked and talked about it all the way home. But within 30 seconds of her laying down in bed she was out, sleeping peacefully with her new white tiger stuffed animal souviner.