Saying Good-bye to 5th Grade

The beginning of this year was bittersweet. We parted ways with our homeschooling years and moved forward into private school. Boy it went by fast!! It was quite an adjustment. At home his assignments were given and he completed one before he started another. At school he had to finish it at home. Keeping up pace in a group setting is different than on his own. He was usually done with all his school work by 1:00, with some breaks. But, that was probably the biggest adjustment. The LONG day. But, he really enjoyed art, p.e everyday, and band. He managed to make all A's and B's. I thought he did great for having to make such a big adjustment. His teacher, Mrs. Rodriguez, was already a family friend. We were delighted she would be his teacher. She had her first baby this year so JD also had the blessing of Mrs. Cahill as a substitute. We are thankful for their great team work.
 He did a major invention project this year, he made a hot air ballon out of Legos. He also made a video series completely made with Legos of the Holy Week. (and went to Lego Land for his birthday)

This year he participated in:
Band
Card Club
Basketball
Baseball (pictures to come after he gets his award)
Handbells
Drama Club
Several fundraising for our Mission trip with the church to Haiti!
And continues to be a book worm!!
Went on the 5th/6th grade Camp Lonestar retreat.

All of this kept him pretty busy but he had a wonderful time! Here are some pictures of this wonderful year!!

gaga ball at camp lonestar

Handbells

Canoes at camp lonestar

golf at Incredible Pizza with Zach

A hunting game with Zach

Lego Land!

basketball award with Coach Knowles

Jammin out to Bohemian Rapsody

Pastor Aaron Tilt

On my last post, I stated he was certified. Today's ceremony officially ordained Aaron, Doug, and Craig. Doug is the school pastor and they called him Mr. B. One of the pastors visiting called them Pastor A, Pastor B, and Pastor C.  That had not occurred to me! Too funny! I just thought I might share with you a little about our day. Some of you were toooo far away to attend. Share in our blessing here.

This morning was a normal church morning so we all headed out to Sunday school and Aaron was staying for the service. I figured God wouldn't be too upset with me if we skipped out this morning to be more prepared for the afternoon. Thank goodness all my cleaning was done ahead of time. Now I just needed to get ready to have family over for lunch and the kids to do some last minute stuff. Derek had his girlfriend Savannah there to help. He went and picked up the lunch while I made a place for it.
Once the family arrived and Aaron was able to get home, we dug in. I waited untill Aaron finished his lunch and I couldn't take it any longer!! The kids and I had a suprise for him!! We had a friend make a stole for him. This was a unique gift!  We made cut outs of our hands and feet. She placed these on colored fabric to represent all four church seasons. I can't thank her enough for using her talents to make this gift. Thank you Ramona!!

After lunch and visiting with our family, it was time to head out to the church. We had plenty of seats reserved for our family. I then needed to meet up with the other wives to see what our role would be in the ceremony. I have had many people ask me, "Are you ready to be a Pastor Wife?" I even read several books. I was worried about what would be expected. Quite honestly, I have too much normal wife and mom things to do. We have great examples of pastor wives in our church already. Sharon and Ashley are wonderful Godly women!! So, I have decided it is okay to be me. To be the wife and mom I have been and continue to support his ministry. To be his helpmate in new ways that God reveals to me everyday. Whether I am a pastor wife or not.

The service started with music that was so majestic you felt like you had a glimps of heaven. God has generously blessed our church with talented musicians. You can feel the worship flowing from every organ note, trumpet sound, typhanny boom, bell rang, string instrument, flute fluted, and surrounding choir members singing. To see and hear all the Lutheran pastors in the area proceed to the front of the sanctuary singing was quite overwhelming. Soon, they were kneeling at the feet of the man who would be ordaining them. All of the pastors took turns laying their hands on them and giving enouraging words of wisdom and scripture. The Board of Elders and Deaconess presented them with a gift as well. Then they called the wives to come and place the official stoles on them. While placing the stole (very neatly I might add) the pastor tells us we may kiss our husbands if we would like. I'm sure I was red in the face. I gave him a quick peck. I'm pretty sure it landed somewhere completely unromantic, like his eye  or nose. Thankfully he was facing the altar, no one saw.:)  I red all over again once they were able to get up and bring us roses!! I love roses! Sweet.

What a special day. He is thankfull for all of the cards, gifts, encouragement and prayer. We enjoyed one gift of wine tonight! We are excited to see what God has planned for this journey!! Here are some pictures of the service.

They are Certified!

This last Friday was a special day for the vicars serving in our congregation!! After 2 years of hard work, studying, and turning in lengthy papers, and giving sermons of their own by God's authority, they have become officially certified to be ordained as pastors in our church. They will be pastors of the specific ministry they are called to do. Craig will be our music pastor. Doug will be the pastor of the school. Aaron will be the pastor of pastoral care. The congregation is so proud of them and has expressed endless support. What a blessing!! Nancy and I were blessed to be a part of this special occasion. We were able to spend alot of time getting to know each other better and how we can support each other in this journey. We missed you dearly Nia!!! Here are some pictures of this blessed occasion!!


We invite you to the special service in which they will be ordained in to the church and committed to their service to the Lord. Mark your calendars for May 27th 2012. There will be a reception to follow.

Praise be to God the Father, whom all blessings flow!!

Baseball and softball season has officially started. This is one of my favorite things to watch!! I'm a proud mama. Derek is earning extra cash as an umpire. I love to watch him but he and Aaron think it is weird to just go to watch him ump a game. Who goes to a game to watch the umpire..lol.  I sneak a peak if Georgia is playing on a field near by..heehee. Georgia's season started in the middle of March. JD just started. They are both off to a great start!! Georgia has started catcher at three out of four games. Second base is mostly where she is if she is not catcher. Today, she pitched her first game of the season! Boy was she excited!! She did really well. She needs more practice but overall did great. Georgia even got a strike out! They both are doing outstanding at batting. JD was able to show off his strong batting skillz in his first game. Impressing us and his coach! When he hits that ball, it goes far. He scored right away!! Here are some pictures so far. I will continue to brag since I am so proud!



You wish you threw like a girl!

Be a wall!!

Proud of their victory!!

By the way, I'm good at this, Back up!

Bring it!

Road Trip to ACU!

This weekend Derek and I took a road trip to take part in a premire weekend at Abilene Christian University. How exciting!! This is the first road trip we have ever taken alone. I'm sure Aaron was worried. I was very proud of my navigating skills! (part map/part woman skills) Anyway, we made it safe and somewhat on time.

After checking in, we went to the World Famous Bean for dinner. This is basically the cafeteria. When we walked in Derek was slightly overwhelmed. At first, all he saw were students. Was he the only one there with his mom??? After we sat down with our plates, he noticed the other parents and was soon relieved he was not a dork. I had no idea he was that nervous. He played it off quite well.

We then headed downtown for the Film Festival. This was neat because it was kind of like there Oscar night for all the film work done throughout the year. It was a great way to showcase this particular department. We closed out our night with Dairy Queen.

The next morning we started with a brief opening session. A guided tour took us through many departments on the campus. We work extremely impressed by the library. It is so well thought out with everything you can think of to help the students be successful. Books, technology, tech support, office center, coffee shop, study rooms, and top of the line programs for group studies as well. Tutoring sections are clearly set up for help. Just wonderful.

The session on Admissions and Scholarships was super helpful. We were encouraged to find that he was already ahead of the game. Boy was that a relief. It really made our day easier.

Finally, we toured the dorms. It's pretty simple but really let us get a picture of what a real one looks like. All freshmen and sophomores are required to stay on campus. There is quite a lot to get involved in socially.

It was a beautiful and simple campus. Easy to get around was a bonus. It was a great trip and we are  looking forward to the next!!

From One Phase to the Next

Boy, we have had a great year so far! We went from mascot and basketball to mascot and baseball/softball. Whew!! This is the season I love the most with the kids. I want to take a look at the old and what is next.

Derek had a great year as one of the mascots for his school. He really out did himself with each creative and spirited skits. He tried tumbling with the cheerleaders and it turns out, he's really good at it. He started with a back handspring and moved on to a tuck and worked on landing a layout. If you don't know what that means, it means awesome! He and the other wonderful mascot tried out and made it!! Their hard work paid off! What a fun senior year it will be for them next year. They have been told buy administration they are the best mascots the school has ever had!! He is also an umpire for the baseball and softball games. He makes great pocket change and he is still involved in the baseball season. (bonus? He drives himself!!!)

JD had a great season of basketball. They really came together as a team and learned soo much. They began to really learn plays and skill. It was really fun!! He was praised by the coach for his hard work and major improvement. His party included a game of basketball fathers vs dads! He then got out all his baseball equipment and prepared for his baseball season. He is playing for the school team. They have begun practice and games are soon to come. I can't wait to see the season start and JD's strengths. He is super excited!!

Georgia also had a great season! The girls really enjoyed the game which worked in there favor. Proving it does not just have to be about plays. She even showed some of aggression in the games and we told her that she needed to control that so she can also still play well. She displayed great self-control when the aggression was directed at her. She was such a valuable player! But now it is time for her favorite sport!! (mine too :)) She has really grown in her skills. They have put her as catcher and did well. Lots of practice will make her better. In her first game she got a single and a double. What a great game!!!

I'm very proud of there accomplishments! They work hard and play well. I love this time of year and can't wait to see what it brings!!

Is it worth it?

Well, it's almost 11p.m.. I am so tired but glad the day has come to an end. This is the story of my life these days. But it is so worth it. Since we decided to go ahead and put the kids in school I don't mind chasing toddlers all morning (which is fun by the way). It is important that we chose a school that gives the kids a christian education and they have teachers that genuinely care about them. They are very busy with school and sports. I don't mind taking them to 2 hour practices and some how making it work when they have games at the same time in different locations. ( and the nasty laundry that comes with it). I think it is worth it to have them involved with the life around them, learn teamwork, respect for coaches, and what it means to work hard for something. I love our church and the business that comes with it. Some of our biggest blessings have come from our church family. So, at the end of the day, I sit tired and sometimes stressed. I look to the only refuge that keeps me going. The Father above. My rock, shield, sustainer, and savior.

Next weekend I will stand in front of the first of several college campuses to visit. This will be a day I have waited for. 17 years ago, I wondered if my son would have a chance to really be something.Having him so young left me wondering what he would be like. I am so proud of him. Sometimes I am prideful and give myself a pat on the back for pushing so hard to shape him into the man he is. God ultimately gets the credit. He cared for him, gave him wisdom, and opened doors for him to pursue Him. I prayed so hard that God would have big plans for him. I know He will. This all reminds me everything I do, every time I'm tired, and every time I keep going, it is worth it.

How about you? What keeps you going?