Soccer Season Begins!!!

Yesterday, we began the fall season of soccer for Dakota.

Blue Thunder took the field!!!

With the age bracket changing at this stage of the game, only 4 original Thunder boys are back.

Sarah and Mark are still coaching!! YAY!!!

And we've gained 9 more boys to complete the team!

Only having 3 practices before the first game, they did great!

Dakota passed several times to other forwards which led to scoring!

It was hot yesterday!  And we were just watching!

The boys were drenched in sweat!

It's hard to get back into playing hard when you haven't played hard all summer!

I wanted to post a few pictures of the game!

If you're in town, he plays every Saturday on Air Force 2!

We'd love to see you out on the field!!!

Way to go Thunder!!!!

5-0

It's Been 1 Year!

Yup!  We have officially been in the house 1 year!!!

Seriously, it doesn't feel like it!

It has gone sooooo fast!!!!

Not much has changed with the house in a year.  It looks about the same, except the tree is in the ground! :)

We have added a few bushes and a tree (that is dead, i think) in the backyard, but the front is the same.

Our walls are stained and have nicks in them after a year! We have kids!

After the rain from the hurricane, the driveway remained stained like a rusty color.  Still not sure what it was on Darrin's truck, but something sure did stain the driveway!  But on a whole, the same!

We are blessed to have a house of our own!  Maybe we will eventually paint and do some other stuff inside, but we are very happy with it just the way it is 1 year later!

Time flies!!!  Can't believe we have been in the house a year and Texas 3 years!  WOW!!!!

GUESTS WE HAVE HAD OVER THE PAST YEAR!!! (in no particular order)

Family:

• Papa
  
• Pappy & Granma
  
• Aunt Shelly, Dean and Stephen
  
• Whitney

Living Hope Friends

• The Williams - Patrick & Kelli
• The Williams - Eric & Wendy
• Angie & Tom
  
• Kyle & Chase
  
• Crystal
  
• Colleen
  
• Kathyrn & boys
• Alisha
  
• Valerie
  
• Becky
• Katie
  
• Erin
• Julie
  
• Nichole
  
• Mary
  
• Christina
  
• Amanda
• Katie
  
• Jalie
• Sydni
• The Freemans
• Jordan
• Randy
  
• Hope Group
• Aguires
  
• Adam
  
• James
  
• Rachel
  
• Royce
  

Dakota's & Kye's friends:

• Roberto
  
• Daniel
• Conner
  
• Anson
• Tyler
  
• Jake
  
• Joseph
  

Other Friends:

• Tom and Alison
• Chris Anderson (for 5 min)
• Sandra and girls
• Susan

If you have graced our home and your name was not on the list, PLEASE DON'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY!!!!  I tried very hard to rack my brain thinking over the past year!  ouch!  It make me hurt just typing it!  If you know me well, you know I have issues with remembering!  And if your name is not on that list because you haven't been over....  

it's time you got yourself over here or down here!!!!

Seriously, my door is always open and I try to keep food on the shelves, 

although it gets more and more challenging as time passes!

A Published Comic Book Artist in the House!!!!

I am proud to announce that the 3 Stephens Boys' dad, Darrin, has his first ever comic book published and ready to be in your hands!!!!!

Drum-roll please!!!!!!!!

Kaeru-Boy 

If you haven't seen his link along the page here, check it out here!

Kid friendly and parent approved!  Check it out! 

They (Jorge, the writer and Darrin, the artist) are revealing & selling these this weekend at a comic convention in Baltimore and then again at another one in Dallas in November.  My brother, Kory, is actually going to the convention on Saturday and plans to buy one from Jorge and of course get it signed (it will be worth more) by Jorge and Darrin later!

So get online and buy one for yourself!!!!

Maybe you can be one of the few who will be able to say....

"I knew him before he was famous!"

"I bought one of the original 150 printed!"

How exciting would that be!!!!  Really!?!  This is more than his cover he did awhile back!

This is a whole comic, 24 pages, bound and REAL!!!!

Way to go Babe!!  Very proud of you!

Love ya!!!!

Middle of September Already?!

My "4" Boys!

I realize that it is really past the middle of September and I have only taken 2 pictures this month!

What is wrong with me!?!

Where has the month gone!?!

I have not gone anywhere!

No visitors have distracted me!

Life, life has happened and I have not documented it at all this month!

I have to say that having 2 in all day school has made things way different!  We leave early and I do alot of taxiing!

With the Ike last week, that definitely took alot of our time, but it was fabulous!

Yesterday, Kye finally told me he didn't like school.  He tells me every morning as I attempt to wake him that he doesn't want to go to school, but yesterday was the first time he told me he didn't like it.  I know that isn't entirely true, because every day when I pick him up he tells me he had a good day, he doesn't cry going into the school (unless I haven't zipped up his jacket the correct way), but I know he is enjoying his day in Kindergarten.

I actually subbed in his room the first week on school!  That was fun!  oui... Kindergarten!

Kye, Dakota and friend, Tyler at Ms. Judy's house, eating trees????

Dakota began soccer practice last week and his first game is this Saturday.  I will try to get some pictures of that soon!  He is doing well in all of his advanced classes and he is reading like crazy!  Not complaining!  Just crazy how fast he reads a book!  He is very ready for soccer to start again!

Kru-man is crazy!  Potty training done a while ago! :)  Nice!

He is adjusting to being at home all day alone.  We go to Bible study on Wed. and on Thurs. when I teach my writing classes, he gets to go play with one of his buddy's Jack!  And Kru is a Cubbie this year in Awana!  So cute!  I wish you could hear him say his cubbie verse, 1 John 4:10, which he said Sunday night!  Way to go!!!!

He says funny things all the time and I forget to write them down immediately so I won't forget, but I will try to be better!  

Road to Recovery - Hurricane Ike

And the road to recovery begins....

Our church has been a shelter since Friday at 5:00.  We are an official Red Cross shelter and currently we have 151 people still at the church.

I have had the honor of serving at the church ALOT over the pass few days.  The boys have come off and on with me as well.  Dakota and Kye helped prepare for the evacuees by unloading cots and setting up bedding.  Weekend services were canceled so that we could get ready.  

I really have lost count of my days and can't remember what day exactly, but we went from 13 to 90 in 2 1/2 hours on Saturday and then from 90 -175 in another 2 hours.

I can not tell you how blessed I have been these past 5 days.  I have met precious people who I will hold in my heart forever, played with sweet children,  watched as a little girl's eyes came alive when she received a brand new jacket, and I could go on and on!!!

Our guests are far from home.  

Many have lost everything.

Many don't know when they will get to go home 

and what will be there when they arrive.

And yet...

they are so kind,

friendly,

appreciative,

amazing.

It has made me stop and look at me.....

would I be acting like this if I were in their shoes?

would I be friendly?

would I be able to smile?

would I be thankful or complaining?

I have been up at church ALOT like I said, and even now as I type this my eyes are swimming in tears, because I can't explain, but I feel compelled to be up at the church.  I love our guests.  I want to be there serving and helping ANY way I can!!  

To hold Braylen!

To get some clothes for Maurice and Wanda.

To receive a bear hug from Christopher!

To hold a sweet Spanish speaking little girl who doesn't know where mama is.

Drive to The Med so Red Cross Randy knows where he is going.

To get to love on and hug these precious children of God.

To rejoice when 2 come to know the Lord at 3:00 AM.

I have been blessed.

Overcome with emotion.

Thankful for all that I have.

We are still days away from being done.  Who knows right now when all of our guests can go home or to a shelter closer to home?  But I'm honored and thankful to be apart of Living Hope and that I have been able to volunteer.

Hurricane Ike

Hello Everyone!

WE ARE FINE!!!

We live 90 miles from Houston and even further from Galveston which 

is already early this morning flooding even before the surge.

College Station is actually one of the cities where they are 

evacuating people to stay.

Just wanted everyone to know we are fine!  We are safe and will 

obviously get rain and wind, but we are fine!

But I hope that through all of this we remember to 

Trust in the Lord!!! 

and not to live in fear and be afraid!

And to pray for those who will lose their homes, for safety

of those who are helping victims of this and for 

people to come to the Lord through this hurricane!

NO WORRIES!!!  WE ARE FINE!!!!!

Can I really Decorate for Fall when it's so HOT!!!

Seriously!

I LOVE Fall, Indian Summer, and I LOVE decorating for Fall...

but....

It's sooooo hot, how can I think of Fall!?!

Yet, I have to tell ya....  I grew up this way.

After Labor Day...

we decorate for Fall

we put away our summer shorts and such

we pull out our sweaters and long sleeve shirts and warmer clothes

AND

we definitely STOP WEARING WHITE!!!!

This being my 3rd Fall here in Texas, I know that none of these "rules" that I grew up with in Colorado and Nebraska, apply here in The Lonestar State.  I know that we wear white here year round and shorts.  I know that I DON'T wear sweaters here, unless I'm at the beach over Spring Break!!!!

I'm not surprised any longer to see white no matter the time of year, and I allow the boys to wear shorts year round.

Here is still my issue....

 

I can not let the temperature outside dictate me decorating my house inside.  I miss the 4 seasons and last year I didn't decorate until Christmas.  It didn't make me happy.  And having beautiful oranges, reds, yellows, and browns scattered throughout my house, make me happy. So I will be venturing up into my sweltering attic and finding my Fall boxes so that I can "Fall" my house.

For those of you in places that are nearing 70s during the day and falling lower in the evenings, please take a deep breath for me!  Appreciate the scenery changing around you daily!  And capture an image in your mind for me!  I LOVE Indian Summer, which is what September is called in states like Colorado and Nebraska!  And I'm looking forward to November when it will FINALLY get a little cooler here! :)