Looking Back

A year ago today, Justin was injured in Iraq. We are thankful that God was with Justin that day, as well as all the days before that during his deployment. Since his return to the States, Justin has done very well and has been promoted more than once. In fact, he's now a Sergeant. Justin's knee still gives him trouble; there is still shrapnel in his leg that cannot be removed.

We are so grateful to all of you that have prayed for Justin in the last year and a half. Please continue to do so, as he still does have trouble with his knee and will most likely be deployed again sometime next year.

We are proud of and thankful for Justin, and the other soldiers who service our country. He'll tell you they're just doing their job, but we consider them heroes!

Memorial Day at the Little Rock Zoo

To celebrate Memorial Day this year, we went to the Little Rock Zoo. As soon as we got there, Shelby saw the carousel, so we had to ride that. She loved it! Even though it was a very hot day, the animals were pretty entertaining. Shelby had a ball!

Shelby's First Camping Trip

Shelby's first camping trip took place last night in our back yard! A sweet family from Downtown loaned us their outdoor fireplace and some wood. We roasted hot dogs and ate Shelby's favorite, Dorito's. Shelby was excited about getting the tent set up and wanted to help her daddy as much as possible. After dinner, we roasted marshmallows and made s'mores. But, much to our dismay, it started raining on us. We made it inside just in time! There was even a little bit of hail, as you can see from the picture in the post below. Shelby was so disappointed about having to come inside! Around 10:00, when we were sure the storm had passed, we woke Shelby up long enough to carry her outside into the tent and her sleeping bag. It turned out to be a really really fun memory!

More Pictures from Our Weekend in Texas

Alligator Park and Exotic Animal Zoo

A Visit with Friends in Texas

This past weekend we went to visit Channing's family in Texas. While there, we got to spend time with our dear friends Rusty, Ann, and Hallie Caldwell. The Caldwells are in the States on furlough from Mozambique. A couple of weeks ago, they were in Searcy and came over for dinner. What a treat to see them again! Shelby and Hallie had fun playing together and the adults enjoyed catching up.

(Visit the Caldwell's blog by clicking on their link on the right!)

Visiting Friends in Fayetteville

Yesterday Channing had an opportunity to co-teach at John Brown University with a former MFT classmate. This meant a chance for Deidre to finally meet her friend Jenny's baby, Cole. So all three of us got up early and spent the day in Northwest Arkansas. The drive was beautiful! While Channing was teaching, Deidre and Shelby had a ball with Jenny and baby Cole. Shelby loved all of Cole's books and tried to play with Cole. Deidre and Jenny had a great time catching up, as it had been several months since they'd visited with one another in person! We look forward to more visits in the future.

Remembering Mr. Rogers

Tonight I went to the memorial service for Dick Rogers, a man I have known all my life. (Really - the Rogers family moved to Memphis when I was just a few months old and started going to our church.) His daughter, Stacy, is one of my oldest and dearest friends. Mr. Rogers has had heart problems for as long as I can remember, but he never let that stop him from an active life serving God and other people. Whenever I think of Stacy's dad, different things come to mind. Growing up, I would go over to their house and we'd always play outside. Stacy and her sister Susan had a wooden swing (just a small board really) hanging from a huge tree in their backyard. Mr. Rogers would always push us - really high. I'd get so freaked out, but loved every minute of it! I remember seeing Mr. Rogers play basketball and thinking how cool it was that my friend's father played better than the younger guys on the court! A couple of times I was invited to join the whole Rogers family for dinner on Sunday nights after church. We'd all sit around the dining room table after dinner, singing songs out of old songbooks. Those memories are so dear to me, because I felt so special to be included in their time together. Most of all, I'll remember his amazing tenor singing voice. There are some songs that I'm sure I never sing without hearing his voice in my head.

I am saddened by the loss of Mr. Rogers. Returning to the congregation where I grew up will never be the same again. But, what a wonderful legacy this man left behind and what a wonderful blessing it is to have known him!

Downtown Teens

For several months now, Channing and I both have been CORE group leaders for the junior high teens at Downtown. Jeremy, the jr. high youth minister, divided the teens into small groups (called CORE groups) of about 10-12 and has two or three adults working with each group.

Jeremy's wife, Dijana, and I have the biggest group. We have about 14 girls in our group. It has been so much fun! These girls have been such a blessing. After being out of the classroom for about three years now, I've really missed being around kids this age.

Shelby has a ball with these girls. She loves going upstairs after Bible class to see the teenagers and gets soooo excited when they come over to our house.

Pictured here is some of the girls who came over tonight. We ate, hung out, laughed, and played a game. Since not all the girls were able to make it, and we wanted to take a group picture, they decided to use Shelby's dolls and Little People girls to sit in in place of our missing girls!

Mommy and Shelby

I love this picture of Shelby and me. What a blessing she is! I have so much fun with this little girl.

You don't have to be around Shelby long to figure out that she's quite the little princess. That's funny because her mommy was quite the tomboy. She sure does crack me up!

Painted Toenails

Shelby loves having her toenails painted. And she always wants us to have the same color of polish. This time it was red. She loves showing everyone!

Fun in the Sand

It took some getting used to, but now Shelby likes her sandbox! She'll even let me bury her feet in the sand, which used to produce a scream or two. She loves playing with her shovels and bucket. One of these days we'll get some more stuff to put in there for even more fun.

Backyard Picnic

Shelby loves having picnics. Tonight we had one in the backyard for supper. Daddy had a turkey sandwich, Shelby a PB&J, and Mommy a hot dog. We also had carrot sticks and potato chips. And, of course, ice cream after that!

Yancey Park

Last Day at Carpenter's Kids

Today was the last day for Carpenter's Kids. Parents were invited to come for the last hour or so to hear some songs the kids had learned and then enjoy a picnic lunch together. Shelby will really miss her teachers and friends at Carpenter's Kids.

"God made the big round sun..."

Rachel and Leslie were Harding students who helped in Shelby's class this semester.

What a blessing Mrs. Price has been to us! Shelby loves her so much!

Shelby eating lunch with some of her friends