JOY Today

Blizzard '09

2009-12-10T10:03:00.004-06:00

This is a picture from a 2004 blizzard when we lived in Beatrice - the yard stick sayd 19" then. We don't have that much this time, but I think we are enjoying this one more! 3 Snow days in a row - how cool is that?! We've layed around and watched movies, played board games, Wii games and a TON of card games! We cooked together, built LOTS of big fires and made our very first snow ice cream. Amanda is teaching Molly a new trick and I even found time to post on here!! Ameritas has been closed a day and a half so Bruce has been home with us - a total bonus and we are just LOVING it!!

Fun on the farm

2009-08-23T20:24:00.002-05:00

Uncle Jerry bought a go-cart last year. Kids were all too small last summer, but they are growing into it nicely. Now, if I could just chill out and let them enjoy it!!
This is the snuggliest cat EVER!!
Andrew's first fish! What could be more exciting???
The pond - great place to hang out for the afternoon!
Everybody caught one - and Alex even caught two! Although, he's pretty sure he just caught the same one twice, but it still counts!!

These are pictures from a recent trip to my folks' farm near Pawnee City. The kids LOVE to go there, mostly to hang out with Grandma, Pa, and Uncle Jerry, but for all this fun stuff, too!

Back to school

2009-08-21T14:42:00.002-05:00

Amanda's locker after about the first hour of planning and decorating....I'll have to get an updated picture now that it's finished!
Elementary kids gathering on the first day to sing praises and pray together. Last year I bawled my eyes out through the whole thing...this year I was singing along and snapping pictures.
Jr Sr High Chapel on the first day....Amanda is towards the back in the center.
Andrew and his best buddy Jeremy. For the first few days they get to sit together, but I'll bet Mrs. Garcia will have to split them up soon! :-)

We are off to a great start for our 2nd year of "real school". It is going SO MUCH better than last year!! The kids have been doing a great job of getting up in the morning and all head out with smiles on their faces....and they still have smiles when I pick them up in the afternoon. No tears, no hiding in the bathroom to cry (for kids OR for Mom!), no long battles in the hallway, no visits to the counselor or the nurse....it's fabulous! Alex is a just a whole new kid - he has grown up SO much. Andrew has the same teacher as he had last year and is delighted (not sure if she's say the same thing!), and Amanda is adjusting nicely to the independent world of Junior High. She says she loves all of her classes and all of her teachers. Pretty good, huh?

We are thankful to be living so close now - our schedule is a little crazy! Amanda starts class at 8:00, the boys start at 8:15 and I start at 9:45. I have a break from 11:30 to 1:00 and then finish again at 2:00. Alex gets done at 3:20, Andrew gets done at 4:05 (staying for after school Spanish) and Amanda gets done with Volleyball at 5:30. If I went back and forth for each of those, I would be making 7 trips a day.....SO, I am thankful we live SO close!!! (and so is Molly!)

Backyard Wildlife

2009-08-02T20:59:00.002-05:00

Molly and the kitty sitting on the back deck...

Momma and baby turkey....

A turkey that had flown over the fence into our backyard....and then struggled to figure out how to get back out! They really aren't all that smart!!

3 beautiful deer!!

Here are some of the critters we've managed to get pictures of in our backyard. The turkeys are regulars - we see them nearly every day. It has been fun to see the babies now, too! The deer are our favorites, but they only come around about once a week...mostly to snack off of our apple tree! We've got some really cool birds, plus I even saw a fox one day. Our dog and cat love it here the most, though - especially the cat. She is declawed, but spends HOURS outside and just loves it!!

Timber!!!

2009-08-02T20:55:00.002-05:00

I got up early on Saturday morning and went to the grocery store....no problem. Was gone just about 30 minutes and came home to find THIS across our driveway! Thankfully, it fell while I was gone and not while I was UNDER it. And, thankfully it fell after I had already left so we didn't have BOTH vehicles trapped in our driveway. And, thankfully we have a very kind neighbor who owns a chain saw and a tractor!!

Bruce's Legion Baseball team

2009-07-22T16:54:00.002-05:00

Bruce has been busy this summer coaching Legion Baseball. This is the "Teckmeyer Financial" team that is mostly Lincoln Christian students, plus a few homeschoolers. They are a SUPER bunch of guys and had a good season. It was fun to watch them improve throughout the season and so cool for me to hear from their parents about how much they appreciate Bruce's patience, encouragement, and influence. I always tell them that if he gets to " talk Bible and baseball at the same time", that's just his thing!

Eat, Spit, Be Happy

2009-06-25T07:06:00.002-05:00

Eat, Spit, Be Happy....that's what it says on the front of the sunflower seeds package....and that's what we did last night! It's a baseball summer at our house for sure - Andrew is on the LCS 2nd grade team, Alex is on the 4th grade LCS team, and Bruce is coaching the LCS Legion Team...so we're spending plenty of time at ball games! (Amanda is on the LCS Jr High Volleball team, too, but I think we'd probably get in trouble if we started spitting seeds on the gym floor!!)

So, we are going through plenty of seeds....in fact, Bruce bought a huge box of them at Sam's Club to see us through. Well, last night, we were at Andrew's game and Alex said "Mom, did you know that some people can put a whole bunch of seeds in their mouth and then just open them and spit out the shells...all without using their hands?" So...guess what Mr. Alex learned last night! By the end of the game, we were having contests to see who could spit their shell the farthest! Gotta love summer!!

This is where we lived when.....

2009-06-03T10:53:00.002-05:00

We closed on our old house and were there for one last time on Monday. Sitting in our empty living room, the kids and I played "This is where we lived when..." and each person took turns filling in the blanks. It was just short of 5 years that we lived there, but SO much happened during that time, and it was really neat to reflect back with them. Here are a few of the things we came up with :

....when we got Molly
...when Amanda fell off of the rock climbing wall
...when Amanda broke her arm
...when we started the Homeschool Band
....when we started going to "real school"
...when we met Alayna (a neighbor girl)
....when we met ALL of our new Lincoln friends!
...when we got our first hamsters (also when they died!)
...when we got our aquarium

Ouch!

2009-05-26T07:24:00.002-05:00

You're gonna love this.....

OK, last night Amanda, Andrew, and I are all up in my room about 8:00. It's the Season Premier of Jon and Kate Plus 8 (we have free cable in our new house for awhile, so we're all in awe of the shows we NEVER get to see!). Anyway, I've been watching it off and on for a couple of weeks and am have lately been reading about their marriage troubles and am anxious to see how they handle things tonight.

So, I'm in the shower and miss the first couple of minutes while Jon is talking, but I walk into the room to hear Kate admit that she "has been pretty rough on Jon". I pipe in and add my own "yeah, she's a real rip sometimes". Andrew, as usual, is in his own little world not paying attention and messing with some toy. But Amanda asks "Mom, what is a rip?" I begin to explain that she is often very harsh with him and that she is pretty controlling. Then, without a hesitation and completely out of the blue Andrew pops in with his take on the whole thing and says: "Yeah Mom, not at ALL like you!"

Ouch.

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

2009-05-15T06:01:00.002-05:00

Oh, my baby is getting SO big!! Seriously, I can barely even pick him up anymore! Mr. Andrew turns 8 years old today. Can't believe it. He is an amazing little man....for all the gray hairs he's given me, there are a hundred more laughs and smiles....and even more hugs and kisses!

If you haven't heard me admit this before, I totally wanted him to be a girl....thought it would just be neat to have a girl, then a boy, and then another girl...had it ALL planned out. :-) But, God had other plans! ( and now that Amanda has hit the "wonderful world of pre-teen-age-dom" MAN am I glad that God doesn't answer to me.)

My Andrew is all-boy in so many ways, yet is still the first one to hop up onto my lap and give me a BIG hug for no reason at all. He still loves to curl and read books with me and always wants someone to play a game with him. He's also the one who can count by 9's further than ANYONE should be able to and has his piano assignment memorized one or two days after he gets it. I can not wait to see what God has planned for this kid!!

Andrew is one-of-a-kind in SO many ways and as I tell him often, "I'm SO thankful that God chose ME to be his Mommy."

Settling in

2009-05-05T00:19:00.003-05:00

We got most of our stuff moved into the new house this weekend and are settling in. We still have lots of boxes to get unpacked, and we even still have plenty of stuff over at the other house. We don't close on that house until June 5th, so we have a whole month to finish clearing it out, so Bruce is just taking a vanload each day when he comes home from work.

This place is wonderful - so peaceful and relaxing. We have seen the wild turkeys out back several times already, and yesterday we had 4 deer walking through our backyard. One stopped to eat blossoms off of a tree, and the rest just strolled along taking their own sweet time on their way down to the creek. The kids(and Molly!!) have really enjoyed exploring through the trees and tonight they found part of a rabbit skeleton....cool stuff for little kids!

We're really enjoying being so close to school, too. I let the kids sleep all the way to 7am today and we were home by 3:35. I used to wake them at 6:15 and we'd get home a little after 4:00. I was able to spend the afternoon at home, too.....so now my part- time job is officially more part-time! Fun changes!

SOLD!

2009-04-20T22:48:00.002-05:00

We put a for sale sign in our yard last Monday afternoon. This morning, only 7 days later, we signed papers to sell it.

Our realtor had told us that average time to sell is 25-45 days, so we were mentally prepared for several weeks of keeping it "showable". And, after taking about 3 years to sell our house when we left Beatrice, I suppose we were mentally ready for even more. But, not this time!! One tiny little week....only 2 showings and an open house and we got an offer, sent a counter-offer, and signed. We still have a 12 day inspection period, but otherwise it is a "done deal"....amazing!

We move into our new house on May 1st and are looking forward to it for SO many reasons! It is a cute old house on a beautiful 3 acres of trees and critters. But, mostly it will be nice to be SO close to school! About 2 1/2 minutes!! Today Alex was sick, and I couldn't justify the hour-long trip to bring him home (only to go BACK and get the other 2 kids), so we made him a bed in the van and he and I hung out in the parking lot for 2 1/2 hours. Plus, we're going to have an extra half-hour in the morning and an extra half-hour in the afternoon, too. And, my part-time job will now be more "Part-time". I will be able to go home when I am finished teaching which I really haven't done all year long. Bruce will have a drive, of course, but he is already planning to work from home one day a week. Exciting changes for us all!

A bright green cast

2009-04-18T07:15:00.002-05:00

Yep, a bright green cast....that's what Amanda chose for her broken arm. Her first cast....after she was JUST telling Grandma the night before that she's never had surgery and never broken a bone.

The Lincoln Christian Parent Teacher Fellowship sponsors a few roller skating nights throughout the school year and Bruce took our kids on Thursday night. ( He is SUCH a FABULOUS Dad!!!) Anyway, partway through the night she fell and tried to "catch herself" with her right hand....then she skated around the rest of the night holding on to it because it hurt. Then, about 1:00 in the morning, she woke up just screaming in pain. We got her Tyelnol and ice and she got through the night, but took her to the doctor the next morning. Sure enough, 6 weeks in a cast for her. And, of course, it is her right hand....so we'll see how much "normal stuff" she can do....school, trumpet, piano, basketball.

A.W.O.L. Blogger

2009-04-11T08:36:00.002-05:00

Wow, I have been AWOL for a LONG time, huh? Sorry. It really seems ironic to me that all the time that I was posting entries every few days, there really wasn't much going on. And, now that we have TONS going on, there is little time to post pictures or write about it. I have a ton of pictures on my phone that I could post....if only I could figure out how to get them off of there!

Most of our goings-on these days revolve around school. Alex's class continues to go on lots of field trips and have tons of fun. They went to Ag Awareness day last week and are going to the capitol building this coming week. I think they have 3 or 4 more scheduled before school gets out. Amanda is doing lots of extra chores and saving $$ big-time. She thinks she wants to buy a bass guitar, but has also talked about a laptop or now I'm hearing talk about a horse! She is in an Extended Learning program at school and has enjoyed running the "Crusader Corner" Store. They applied for a bank loan, posted collateral, ordered inventory, priced items, and run their own little store after school a couple of days a week. Mr. Andrew is a busy, busy little guy. He (and Alex, too) are taking piano lessons from a super cool 16 year old guy and they are both LOVING it! We have the electric keyboard in the living room, so often there is one boy practicing on it while the other one is practicing on the piano at the same time. It's chaos, but is literally "music to my ears" that they are practicing just for FUN!

The biggest news at our house is the contract we signed last night to sell our house. We have decided to continue at Lincoln Christian in the fall and are wanting to move closer. There will be a sign in our yard on Monday morning and we are hoping for it to sell quickly. We found a house only 3 minutes from the school that we just love....and MAYBE I can post some pictures of it soon!

The BIG day!

2009-01-14T13:18:00.002-06:00

Andrew got up early Saturday morning and came into the living room with his eyes half open and still snuggled up with his stuffed dog. He curled up with me and said, "Mom, this is THEE BIG DAY, isn't it?" He was barely awake, but he knew what day it was and he was SO excited! The 2nd graders had a basketball clinic that afternoon - and it was the biggest day in his little 7 year old life! Such simple pleasures!!

Defining JOY

2009-01-11T07:03:00.004-06:00

We have had a VERY rough week at our house. Each day of school is still a struggle for us, and after having been home together for 2 full weeks, it was incredibly difficult to go back and face the next semester - especially for me. I just enjoyed being home with the kids SO much and realized how good we had it "all those years." I have been praying for God to help me not take things for granted and he has certainly answered that one! (Another lesson in "be careful what you pray for!)

I have to admit that I didn't feel very joyful this week at all. I felt like I was on survival mode to just get through each day. I worked hard to keep my focus right and to look for truth past my emotions and hormones. I asked God to show me what He was doing and I hid under the umbrella of my amazing husband. Then, one day, for some reason, I looked up JOY in the dictionary. I found this:

JOY –noun

1.	the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation: She felt the joy of seeing her son's success.

2.	a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated: Her prose style is a pure joy.

3.	the expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety.

4.	a state of happiness or felicity.

Well, I didn't have delight, or happiness, I didn't feel satisfied, pleasured, elation, my son was NOT succeeding, I didn't feel appreciated, glad, gay, or felicity...whatever that is! But, because I looked it up on dictionary.com there were lots of ads on the page, too....including this one:

How to be happy
Watch this short video on the key To happiness and joy in knowing God
www.HappinessAndGod.com

Well, I didn't even click on it to check out their video....just seeing those words was all that I needed. Through all of my crazy hormones and emotions, I still know that God sent us to school this year, that He has a wonderful plan for us, and that He will go before us and see us through. And THAT gives me satisfaction, gaiety, elation, pleasure...and JOY. And peace. And strength for the next day.

5 addictions

2008-12-24T06:18:00.002-06:00

My dear friend Tami at The Next Step tagged me to post 5 of my addictions. I LOVED reading hers and am checking on everyone else that she tagged so I can read theirs, too, so I'm game to play along! It's been really interesting as I've tried to nail down 5 - and it was fun to ask my family to get their input, too. So, in no particular order, here goes:

1 - SNUGGLING. With my hubby, my kids, my dog, my cat, or even just my body pillow....just love that feeling of snuggling up tight!
2- My FIREPLACE....which goes nicely with #1.....snuggling BY the fireplace! This is the first house that I've ever lived in that has a fireplace and I just LOVE it! My Dad, bless his heart, supplies us with free wood and delivers it right to our garage! I have seriously been known to turn the a.c. up in the summertime so I could build a fire without frying everyone in my house!
3 - MAKING LISTS. On paper or just in my mind - they're everywhere in my house and in my office! I often make a list of the lists I need to make. A little anal, you think?
4 - FOOD. I love to eat out and I really enjoy cooking, too. Mexican, Italian, sweets, salty, healthy food, junk food, meat and potatoes, pastries and desserts, fruits and veggies...you name it, I like it! At our house we TALK about 'eating to live' instead of 'living to eat', but I'm just all talk on this one.
5- MY HAIR. Its the only part of me I've ever really liked. The gals in the office at school have asked that each time I come through their door, I would walk in slow motion and flip my hair from one side to the other - ala a shampoo commercial. I know that at some point, I ought to cut it off, but I've never nailed down an age for that....40? 50? 60?

OK...I made it! Thanks, Tami...it was good for me to get to thinking a little bit while I'm on vacation and my brain is otherwise in neutral. :-)

I'm baaaack!

2008-12-16T06:39:00.002-06:00

OK, after a friendly reminder from my friend Beth that it's been a month since my last post, here's a quickie! The kids don't have school today - they're still in bed and I can't WAIT to tell them!! There is a broken water pipe in the elementary so they get the day off....I still have to go teach Jr High and Sr High, but I'm excited for them.

Lots and lots of stuff going on, but there are only so many hours in the day and I'm really having to prioritize....and blogging is not too high on my list these days. I'm wondering if I'm going to get to Christmas cards ( or Christmas shopping! ) and I don't remember the last time I got to the Y to work out. Really, though, lots of "newsworthy" stuff going on...and maybe I'll get caught up over break. Some of the highlights, though, were Amanda singing with the Lincoln Symphony at the Lied Center (which will be broadcast on NPR on the 21st) and Molly having an epileptic seizure....who has EVER heard of an epileptic dog!?!? Scared us SO badly!!!

Facebook!

2008-11-14T20:21:00.001-06:00

OK...here's the new fun thing - facebook! I only wish I had been on it all those days I was "stuck" at home with no adult conversation! :-)

Busy, busy, shockingly busy

2008-11-06T05:18:00.002-06:00

Can you sing it like Madame Blueberry? "You've no idea what I've got to do....." (I LOVE Veggie Tales!)

It has just been crazy busy around here...ever since school started, it seems. And, I guess maybe it's really not that hectic of a schedule, just that we're STILL adjusting and it's exhausting. There has been lots and lots going on, though....first school pictures, field trips, first report cards, concerts, halloween, a camping trip....and I even have taken pictures of some of those things...just don't ever find the time to sit down here and write it all down.

The highlight for me lately has been getting report cards. As a homeschool Mom, don't we always kind of, in the back of our mind, wonder if we're TOTALLY screwing our kids up....well, at least I did. So, to get report cards in black and white, filled out by someone other than me, saying that they actually have learned something over the past several years, was a great relief. And, they all did pretty well....mostly just a few behavior things we need to focus on and I'll let you guess which kid that is! :-)

School really does seem to be going better. No more tears or tantrums, no more being locked in a bathroom stall. I find the kids laughing and being silly with their friends, and they're signing up to do "extra stuff" that they don't really have to do. We still talk about going back to homeschooling and are weighing the pros and cons of each....and there are many. I am hopeful that God will show us very clearly what our next year will bring - just as clearly as He did this with this year.

Ready for Christmas?

2008-10-27T06:46:00.003-05:00

It's Monday morning and I'm getting around to head back to school....and guess what I'm working on all week!! Yep, Christmas music. It's not even Halloween yet, let alone Thanksgiving, but we're playing O Holy Night and Sleigh Ride today. The only people who start on Christmas earlier than retailers are Music Teachers! :-)

The coolest new thing!

2008-10-22T19:14:00.002-05:00

We just thought of something that will be THE COOLEST new thing for us at school this year - a SNOW DAY!! When you are homeschooling, those don't really ever happen.....you hear other kids talk about them and you see them on TV shows, but it's not quite the same. I'll bet you'll be able to her the whoopin' and hollerin' from our house the first time we see the name of our school scrolling across the bottom of the TV screen!

A quick update...

2008-10-13T06:15:00.002-05:00

Wow, it's been a long time since I've been on here, huh? Again, there is SO much going on to write about, and my camera is FULL of pictures, but I just don't have the time to sit down and put it all together. Actually, maybe I do have the time...what I am lacking is energy. :-)

School is going better - for all of us. We are nearing the end of the first quarter and still hanging in there. I was just reading James in the Message Bible and it says ...."don't try to get out of anything prematurely...let it do it's work in you so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.." I can see that we are ALL learning valuable lessons through all of these trials, and if it had been up to us, we certainly WOULD have pulled out prematurely. God knows so much better than we do!

We have a nice short week and are SO looking forward to a little vacation. We get out early on Wednesday and are going straight to pick up some friends and then heading to the Children's Museum until they kick us out at closing time! We're gonna stay up late, sleep in, snuggle up by the fireplace, spend time with old friends...and if the weather would cooperate, we'd go camping.
And, maybe I'll find time to get those pictures off of the camera so you can see them!

Dirty and Happy!

2008-10-04T07:57:00.002-05:00

Look at our dirty, stinky dog!! We took her with us last week to Mom and Dad's house in Pawnee and she LOVED it out there!! She had acres and acres to run and run, and when she got hot and tired, she went straight to the mud to cool down! And, it hadn't been raining, so it wasn't just ordinary mud....it was sewer mud - and it was S-T-I-N-K-Y!! Bruce hosed her down and got her all cleaned up...and then a few hours later, she did it again!!! She came home a tired and happy, happy dog!

Gonna need a bigger boat!

2008-10-04T07:48:00.002-05:00

Mr. Alex is growing up all too quickly and is into "scary movies" lately. He and Bruce watch them together whenever they get some time to themsevles, and lately it's been JAWS. Last night, there was a midnight showing of it at the Grand Theatre downtown - and they went!! They've been talking about it for weeks, but we didn't know if Alex could make it that late. When we got home from school, he curled up to take a good nap so he'd have a fighting chance (and of course I volunteered to snuggle up and nap with him!) and he made it! They were both up when the rest of us went to be at 10:00 and I heard them come home at about 2:30am!!

Go Cart

2008-09-29T06:42:00.002-05:00

Uncle Jerry bought the kids a go cart to have at Grandma and Pa Stallbaumer's house. It's going to be GREAT fun, but for now they're just a little bit too small for it. They can't quite reach the pedals enough to control it well and it goes fast enough that it's pretty scary. It's very safe (which I am THANKFUL for!) because it's really wide and very low to the ground. There are miles and miles for them to ride out there, so once they grow just a couple of inches and get the hang of it, they're going to have a blast. Bruce rode it and had a great time, although he is just about too big for it. Thanks, Uncle Jerry!!

Another first

2008-09-24T05:40:00.003-05:00

We had another first at our house yesterday. Since this is our first year at "real school", we're having lots of them, but this one was a big one....Parent Teacher conferences. Bruce and I used to have them every evening at the dinner table, but this wasn't quite the same.

After having been my kids teacher all of these years, handing over the reigns to ANYONE else is a big deal to me. But, once again, God has a plan. Mr. Riley is Amanda's teacher and he is a wonderful, Godly man. He prayed with us and shared with us about their year so far. Miss Peterson is Alex's teacher and she is a lovely, patient, Grandma-like lady who is perfect for him this year. She also prayed with us about how we can all work together to best serve Mr. Alex. And Andrew has Mrs. Garcia. She is a delightful, energetic gal who is excited to have Andrew in her class - and he LOVES her too!

We are still struggling through the transition - mostly me these days, admittedly - but are taking one day at a time and looking for God's leading through it all.

Faith and Hope

2008-09-17T08:19:00.001-05:00

Borrowed this one this morning....isn't it great?!?! Thanks, Brenda!

A picture's worth 1,000 words

2008-09-17T08:12:00.002-05:00

If a picture really is

worth 1,ooo words, then this would should tell you how things are going for school! Andrew LOVES it!! Amanda would still rather be home, but is doing much better. And Mr. Alex is really struggling these days. Really misses Mommy and believes that school was invented as some form of torture for kids. The entire staff at school has been fabulous to help him and we're learning some really valuable life lessons through it all. God is absolutely at work and we are trying hard to "consider it pure joy".

These shirts are their chapel shirts and they all wear them on Wednesday for chapel services. They are "Calling all Characters" to become People of Purpose - lots of great lessons for all of us!

Go big red!

2008-09-07T08:17:00.002-05:00

We live just off of 14th street and just north of Memorial Stadium, so on Saturday game days, the traffic is CRAZY! (Last week it was EXTRA crazy with returning students PLUS the State Fair PLUS a home game, but that's not the point of my story!) Anyway, when the game is over, traffic going north on 14th street is backed up for probably an hour as people try to get out of town and onto the interestate. Last year, Amanda started going up to the corner of 14th and waving our Husker flag as people drove by after the games. It turned out to be great fun and is now a bit of a tradition here, and yesterday all 3 kids took turns doing it. People will honk and whoop and holler and one guy even threw a $1 bill to Andrew yesterday! Very fun!

Bragging on my hubby!

2008-09-02T19:39:00.002-05:00

NEWS RELEASE FROM AMERITAS: Sales Culture Associate of the Month! The Sales Culture Builders Team is pleased to announce September’s Group Sales Culture Associate of the Month . . . Bruce Bond!

Bruce, a senior actuarial analyst, has been with Ameritas since October 1999. He was selected by the Group Sales Culture Recognition Committee based on his exceptional contributions to his customers, team, department, and to the Group Division and company.

Here are a few things associates had to say about Bruce.

“Bruce is a true team member when it comes to resolving problems that arise.”

“He always has both the customer and the company in mind.”

“Bruce has always shown true professionalism in all the dealings I’ve had with him.”

“Bruce has a vision that reaches beyond his department and significantly impacts all of Group.”

“He is consulted on the majority of spreadsheets that are used for rating outside of SalesXpress.”

“His openness to share and spread his knowledge continues to propel all who are around him, and the Ameritas Group Division, to be disruptive.”

“There has NEVER been a time when I requested assistance from Bruce that I was rejected, and generally he volunteers even before I can ask for his help.”

“Bruce has an advanced understanding of our rating systems, Excel, programming and many other key elements of our company processes.”

“Bruce’s problem-solving skills, his knowledge of Ameritas methods and his selflessness make him a unique asset to his department and the company.”

As September’s award recipient, Bruce will receive an award certificate, a $50 gift card and front-door parking for the month of September! Congratulations and thank you, Bruce! The things you do each day help to create and enhance our Group Sales Culture.

Pep Band Premier!

2008-08-31T12:56:00.002-05:00

This isn't the greatest picture, but I think its fun. And if we end up at LCS for years and years, it will be special to look back on. We had our first home football game on Friday, which means Pep Band! There were a few glitches that we'll work out, but the kids were GREAT!! They are talented musicians, really neat kids, and many are quick to pitch in and help moving and setting up equipment without even being asked which makes my job MUCH easier!

Update...

2008-08-27T13:38:00.002-05:00

Just a quick update from our house....actually, from my office! The kids are in school all day long, but I only teach in the mornings. So, in the afternoons, I usually hang out in my office getting all of the work done that should have been done this summer. Once I get caught up, I hope to use the time a little more productively, but for now I'm still playing catch-up.

The kids are coming around slowly but surely. Andrew is great - and has been since day #1. He now insists that I drop him off at the front door so he can go in by himself like all of the other kids. Then, I go around the curve and park, then the rest of us get out and walk in together. Funny guy! Alex is doing alright, but would still rather be home. We're making sure we get plenty of snuggle time in the mornings and the evenings, and I go down to see them all at noon recess each day. Amanda is still not sold at all. She is realizing how good she had it with homeschooling and she wants to go back. One bright note, though, (no pun intended!) is that she is getting to play the cello which she has fallen in love with!

We're all really looking forward to a long weekend and a short week! The band has their first Pep Rally and Football game this Friday - that will be fun!

Thanks for your prayers - keep 'em comin' please! The transition is still very difficult, but we can see God working.

TGIF

2008-08-22T18:18:00.002-05:00

The kids had never heard of "TGIF" before - and have certainly never appreciated it! When we were snuggling this morning before getting ready for school, we taught them what it stood for and it sure has lots of meaning to us today! We've survived the week and it actually has turned out well....the kids all had a great day today and are settling in nicely. We stopped at a big McDonalds playland after school to celebrate. It was fun for me to see the three of them playing together again!

We are going to do absolutely NOTHING all week-end and I am looking forward to that for sure!!

Better

2008-08-20T20:20:00.002-05:00

I am happy to report that things were better today for all of us. We are all growing and learning a lot through these changes. The faculty and staff have been very faithful to pray for us - they are a great group of people who love the Lord and love teaching, too.

D-Day

2008-08-19T17:45:00.002-05:00

Today was D-Day for us .... the first day of school. We survived, but it was a little rough at times. I told someone that it was very much like sending your kid off to Kindergarten...only I am doing all three of them at once - and I have had an extra 10 years to get attached to having them around!

First thing in the morning, we gathered together in the entryway of the elementary school with all of the kids, staff, and parents and prayed together and sang together - and I cried and cried. I found one kid crying at lunch time and the guidance counselor said that another one was crying and asking for me in the afternoon. At one point in the afternoon, I found myself locked in a bathroom stall crying myself!! :-) For those of you who are homeschooling now, let me encourage you to CHERISH the time you have with your kids....no matter HOW crazy they are driving you and how much you have to battle with them to get their work done!! Anyway, for the most part, everything was good, although a couple of the kids had some rough spots to work through. And, by the time picked them up, Andrew said "Mom - that was SO AWESOME!! Could we come back again tomorrow?". Leave it to Andrew to lighten the mood for all of us!

Please continue to pray for our adjustment. We still completely feel that God has placed us there for a purpose, and that helps us to get through the tough times.

Ta-da!

2008-08-16T19:58:00.003-05:00

Here he is with the new glasses! He is doing VERY well with them so far...takes them off every night, puts them on every morning...and has only ALMOST lost them once so far. He has 2 pair -these rounder ones, then he has a more square pair that are just like Daddy's! Thanks, Dr. Williams!!

Irony

2008-08-16T19:54:00.003-05:00

OK, I think it is pretty ironic that now when there is SO MUCH going on around here and I have lots to write about....I also have ZERO time to write about it. :-) I have been at school every day this week - 5th grade band camp, plus faculty meetings and trying to get things somewhat ready for the first day of school on Monday. The kids and Bruce have been great - Bruce took off Wednesday to stay with the kids, the boys have tagged along and been very patient, Amanda has made a few extra meals. Good team work! :-) I start on Monday with the Jr/Sr High kids, and then the Elementary kids will start on Tuesday. We're all stocked up on convenience foods to pack lunches (although no more Spaghetti O's....they weren't really a big hit after all) and thanks to Grandma, we're all set in some fun new clothes to wear, too!

Spaghetti O's and Coke Zero

2008-08-12T06:10:00.003-05:00

I knew things were going to be changing around here, but already there are things happening that I didn't see coming. Yesterday, there were two of them. First, I ALWAYS have can of pop sometime in the morning....Coke Zero - either Vanilla or Cherry. But, we started band camp at LCS and yesterday and I was out of my routine. At about 2:00, I realized that I had NOT had any pop all day so far....and you know what, I was OK! Might just be the start of a new GOOD habit. Then, yesterday afternoon I was grocery shopping to get organized for packing lunches and guess what I found in my cart.....a can of Spaghetti O's! When I got them home, Andrew had to ask me what they were - I have NEVER bought Spaghetti O's. I'm not a total health food nut, but I do work hard to try to keep us eating fairly healthy, but I really don't think any of my kids have EVER had them. Wonder what other changes we'll find today. :-)

Did you love Facing the Giants?

2008-08-06T05:26:00.002-05:00

I just found out about a new movie coming out in September. It's by the makers of Facing the Giants, so if you loved it like we did, then you'll be excited about this!! It is a message about divorce-proofing your marriage and looks to be another good one! It says they also made another movie called Flywheel....have any of you seen it?

Glasses!

2008-08-01T21:07:00.002-05:00

All 3 kids had eye appointments yesterday and Mr. Andrew came home with a prescription for glasses!! We have known for a full year that this was coming, so it wasn't a surprise at all. Just in time for school!

Back to school.....BIG TIME!!

2008-08-01T20:08:00.002-05:00

Back to school has BIG meaning at our house these days! After 12 years of being out of the classroom, and 11 years of homeschooling, the kids and I are ALL going to school! I accepted a teaching position at Lincoln Christian School and the kids will be joining me there starting in 2 short weeks. We are excited, nervous, thankful, scared, overwhelmed, and a myriad of other emotions...but are feeling a great sense of peace that this is just what God has planned for us. I wasn't looking for a job, and we weren't really looking to send our kids to school, but all of the pieces (and there were many!) have just perfectly fallen into place to make this work.

It will surely be a major adjustment for us in many ways, and we'd appreciate your prayers during this transition. We can't wear our jammies all morning long, we'll have to pack our lunches and won't be here to have lunch with Bruce each day, our dog Molly is going to have to get used to being home alone a lot more, and I'm going to have to write up lesson plans and turn in report cards. I'll have Pep Band at the football and basketball games and the kids will have homework to do. All that, and I have NO idea when I'm going to do the laundry or clean the house...I better get on the FlyLady website and get to work on my control journal!

We LOVE George

2008-07-29T17:19:00.003-05:00

We love Curious George at our house - Most days, you can find all 5 of us snuggled up in front of the TV laughing at what George has gotten himself into this time! PBS runs it 3 times a day, first at 8am, so we can start our day with George, then again at noon so we can have lunch with George, and finally at 5:30, so we can end our day and begin our evening with George. (apparently we're not the only ones who love George if they're running it that often!) If you've had a stressful day and just need a laugh, I highly recommend a half hour of monkey fun! There is NOTHING like it! :-)

In the toughest times

2008-07-25T21:01:00.005-05:00

I have a friend whose little boy has battled health problems all his life, is now in Minnesota at the hospital, and has just undergone his second brain surgery in a few days. Their faith in a powerful and loving God has gotten them through this in a way that is just amazing to me. They remind me of my friends in Loup City whose son lost a long battle with leukemia Watching their faith through the toughest of circumstances had a huge impact on my decision to give my life to Jesus 7 years ago. Life is way too hard and makes no sense otherwise. In Patty's update below, she asks us to tell of God's goodness...and right now I think she does it WAY better than just about anybody could.

Dear All,
Adam is out of surgery. The surgeon said everything went as planned. After he wakes up enough to breath on his own he will go to the intensive care unit overnite. The next few days will be rough recovering from the 6.5 hour procedure in addition to the surgery earlier in the week. He will probably be in the hospital for about a week depending on how he recovers.
Praise God that he has made it through the surgery safely. Pray for freedom from complications, minimal pain and quick recovery of motor function which is sometimes lost temporarily.
He is a tough little guy who continually amazes us. I read about angels today. The Bible tells us that they are strong, tough creatures capable of amazing feats. Adam speaks of his angels sometimes. I know those powerful creatures, which God created to do his will, were there with him today protecting him when his daddy and I couldn't. It is an awesome priveledge to witness the power of God as we have this week. Our lives are forever changed.
Tell someone about how God has worked in your life. There are so many people hoping someone cares about them. Tell them about a God who if faithful and whose love is endless, boundless, limitless, has no depth nor height.

Workin' Girl

2008-07-22T11:12:00.002-05:00

Amanda has turned into a bit of a workin' girl lately and is pretty excited about it....and making some $$ doesn't hurt either! She spent most all of Saturday working for the Dad of a friend, and then yesterday she had her first real babysitting job. She had a great time doing both and is excited to have the money to buy the new Eragon book that comes out in September. :-)

Family, Friends, and FUN!

2008-07-19T06:59:00.002-05:00

The kids and I took off for a few days and had a great time! We went to Pawnee to stay with my folks. The first picture is Amanda and Alex at the barn...playing with the kitties! Farm life seems pretty cool to my "big city kids" and they just love it out there. Uncle Jerry gave both of the boys a ride on his dirt bike and then let them even try it out themselves. And, they all got to ride on Pa's lawnmower. Amanda mowed the area where they always play croquet, Andrew got to cruise around on it, and Alex got to help Pa move this big branch that had fallen in the front yard. One day, we went into town to have lunch with Grandma, say hello to the people at her office, and to tour Pawnee.

On our way home, we stopped in Beatrice. We visited lots of friends and drove by the houses that we used to live in. That second picture is the big playground at the Y in Beatrice. Alex showed us the exact spot where he fell and broke his arm so many years ago....and he remembered a little more of the story. All this time, we'd always heard that he was just walkinig along and fell and broke it. He admits now that he was actually climbing over that fence and fell. Interesting! :-)

Good times never seemed so good!

2008-07-15T18:59:00.002-05:00

Our "Summer with the Saltdogs" continues and we LOVE it! Sweet Caroline is the theme song this year and we are singing it around our house all the time..."Good times never seemed so good - So Good! So Good! So Good!" (I suppose you do have to hear it to appreciate it!)

This is the last game we were at - we came home with 4 balls, some autographs, and some fun stories!

Amanda Bond, DVM???

2008-07-10T15:11:00.002-05:00

If you ask Amanda what she wants to be when she grows up, she will tell you that she thinks she'd like to be a veterinarians assistant. She wants to do all the "good stuff" with the animals, but doesn't ever want to have to put one to sleep, so she thinks that if she's just the "assistant", she won't have to do that part. I don't know if she's right or not, but I do know that she spent a good, long time playing vet at the Children's Museum. She took care of lots of sick and wounded critters and helped lots of them get adopted into good homes....and was just beaming the whole time!

Children's Museum Fun

2008-07-10T15:02:00.003-05:00

Alex has been watching too many X Games and playing video games where guys do "cool" stunts!
My sabre-tooth tiger boy....doesn't really look TOO scary, does he?
Andrew spent most of his day at the ATM making withdrawls of large amounts of cash. Think that's something I should be worried about?
My "big girl" had a blast making creations out of tinker toys.

We spent 6 hours at the Children's Museum yesterday - and has SO much fun! We hadn't been there in quite awhile, and honestly, I thought the kids had maybe almost outgrown it. But, apparently I was WRONG! We played and played, then took a break for lunch at Noodles, then played some more....until they kicked us out and locked the doors!

Like Father, Like Son

2008-07-07T18:36:00.002-05:00

I have NOTHING to say about these pictures.....will just let them speak for themselves!!

Self Portrait

2008-07-07T18:34:00.000-05:00

Guess who got ahold of the camera and decided to do a self portrait?

Come play with us!

2008-07-06T14:04:00.002-05:00

The excitement level is HIGH at our house today! We moved this beauty from Bruce's folks' house in Kearney to our house...no small feat. Thanks SO much to Crazy Uncle Keith for helping take it apart and getting it loaded up, to Mr. Incredible Geoff Eckert for hauling the slate down our stairs, and to Dan Thompson for helping get the slate on and leveled. We could NOT have done it without all of you! Come over and play anytime! Here's the table at it's old home in Kearney - thank you SO MUCH to Grandma and Grandpa Bond for passing it along - we will take good care of it and use it LOTS and LOTS! We were talking about buying a cover for it and decided that it will probably never need a cover because there will ALWAYS be someone playing it! :-)
Here's Bruce and Geoff moving a piece of slate through our recroom and down the stairs. We think that each piece weighs around 350#.
Got all of the pieces moved into the basement and now we're getting the legs attached.
Bruce melted beeswax into the space between each of the three slates. The kids thought that Daddy's blowtorch was the coolest thing ever! We used it at night to light sparklers, too!
Got the slate finished, all leveled out, felt stapled back on and just wrapping up the finishing touches!

Pioneer Park outing

2008-07-06T13:45:00.003-05:00

The kids and I went to Pionners Park last week and had a GREAT time! We left wondering why we haven't been going there ALL the time. Fun, educational, and free - what could be better! Alex thought this turtle shell was cool, and we really had fun watching the live turtle trying to climb up a rock to escape! Poor little guy would struggle to the top, just get to the edge of freedom, and topple back down and land upside down...pretty cool watching him flip himself back over, too!
Lots of birds, critters, feathers, skins, shells, and cool stuff to check out.
Ouuuuuuch!!!
We got to touch a couple of different snakes - the kids all thought that was pretty cool...especially Alex.
The birds were swimming, and the bullfrogs were croaking. We went on an adventure to find where the croaking was coming from and one jumped and "scared the bejeebers" out of Amanda. We're still laughing about it!

Reunited - and it feels so good!

2008-07-01T07:39:00.003-05:00

Yep, we're all reunited at home again....and MAN does it feel good! We (OK, well I) sure missed Amanda while she was gone to camp this year. And, I don't think I even really worried about her like I usually do, I just plain missed having her around. And, for the first time in 3 years of going, she really missed us too. But, she is home now, safe and sound and a little more grown-up. She took a long, hot shower, got all of the ticks off of her, has gotten 2 good nights of sleep and we're about back to normal....whatever that is!

Camp friends

2008-06-25T21:09:00.002-05:00

Amanda is at camp - STILL. We are missing her around here...more and more each day. By the time she gets home on Sunday, she will have been gone for 10 days. Thankfully, though, some GENIUS person put together a website that posts pictures each night, so that all of us worried Moms can see how our little campers are doing. This one is a special one because it includes Amanda's best friend Elisa (with the pink bandana) and a dear friend from Beatrice, Lili, on Amanda's right. The other 2 are girls in their cabin - new friends, I'm sure.

I just see Alex

2008-06-24T14:43:00.002-05:00

Alex has been wanting a mohawk for the longest time and he finally won me over (with some extra convincing from Daddy!) and here he is. We all had some good talks before hand about what we think when we see people with mohawks - or big tattoos or piercings. It has been a really good lesson, especially for me, in not judging people by how they look. Now when I see him like this, I just see Alex - my sweet, sweet boy who loves to help people who are hurting, who is witty and clever, and is my big teddy bear! I hope my kids learn half as much from me as I learn from them!

Coolest guy!

2008-06-20T08:49:00.001-05:00

Andrew thought he was the coolest guy in the world riding on Grandpa Bond's new motorcycle. He had the best time and is already asking when they can go again! Fun memories. :-)

Andrew's Goals

2008-06-19T20:18:00.002-05:00

Andrew and I are on our own for 4 days while the other kid are at camp, so we're having a LOT of quality time together. Today at lunch, I decided to get a "good discussion going" and asked him if he had any goals in his life. Without missing a beat, he announced that his first one was to "master the fine art of jump roping". While that wasn't exactly what I was looking for, I sure got a kick out of it, so I decided to press on. I asked if he had any others and he jumped right on it again...."to eat enough ice cream to get the biggest brain freeze ever!". And, without thinking too much more, he added "and to buy my first car by the time I am 22!" I don't know where ANY of that stuff came from, but it sure made for a memorable lunch!!

Off to camp!

2008-06-19T20:05:00.003-05:00

Dropped Amanda and Alex off at camp today - they were SO excited! Amanda is a co-counselor for this first session and is psyched to have some authority! Alex was reluctant to go at first, but he got more and more excited as the time grew closer. By the time I left this morning, he was grinning from ear to ear and had already made a few new friends.

More free time fun!

2008-06-17T13:27:00.002-05:00

Once again, we are SO enjoying our free time here!! Spent the morning at Roper Park playing frisbee golf. We were pretty bad at first, but we kind of got the hang of it and did better along the way. We only made it 12 holes (or whatever they're called!) before we all got too hot and tired, but it was fun! I don't know how many there are altogether, but we saw one that was #27......maybe SOMEDAY we'll make it that far! :-)

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T16:38:00.002-05:00

Happy Father's Day to all of the great Dads in our lives! Pa Bond - thank you for raising Bruce to be the great man that he is; Pa Stallbaumer - thank you for being a wonderful Grandpa.

Thanks, Bruce, for being just an amazing Dad. Our kids SO won the "Daddy Lottery!"

New swingset

2008-06-14T15:35:00.001-05:00

We got a new swingset today....well, new to us anyway. Bought it off of craigslist (which you HAVE to check out if you haven't already!) and the guy delivered it this morning. Bruce and the kids had it set up in no time and we've been out there all day! Come over and play with us!!

Highlands Pool

2008-06-14T10:14:00.003-05:00

We have a neighborhood pool right across the street from our house, but we like this one MUCH better and it's fairly close to our house. It has

zero depth entry and lots more fun things to do. Now if the water would just warm up some more!!

Summer Fun!

2008-06-14T10:10:00.003-05:00

Spent one of our lazy summer days this week at Champions - went bowling and played all afternoon. The kids LOVE the adventure maze, and sadly, it won't be long before they're all too big for it.

Growing!

2008-06-06T08:53:00.002-05:00

OK, I know you can't see this picture very clearly, but it's at the top of the stairs where we measure how tall the kids are getting. And lately, it seems that those little marks are getting higher and higher - very quickly! Seriously, they have ALL grown a few inches in the past few months. Amanda is quickly catching up to me (only a couple of inches to go) and the boys are just eating and growing and eating and growing. I may have to get a part-time job just to feed them!!

Supper's on Alex!!

2008-06-06T08:49:00.002-05:00

OK - here's the coolest thing to happen to Alex lately! He and Bruce were at a Saltdogs game the other night and one of the workers asked Alex if he'd like to play a game between innings. (it's a very family friendly atmosphere and they do goofy games between innings to keep people entertained)

First he gave his standard "I don't know" answer that we all get these days, but with the promise of winning free food, and a little prodding from Daddy, he agreed. So, between the top and bottom of the 1st inning, they gave him a pizza box at the top of the stadium (it's really not all that big) and gave him 30 seconds to run down the steps, around the concourse, down another set of steps and over to just the right place to deliver his pizza....all the while people are watching him up on the big screen. Well, he made it with 7 seconds to spare and won us this "Family Feast" from Pizza Hut!! So, tonight, supper was on Alex! SO cool!!

Perspective

2008-06-06T08:44:00.002-05:00

Our family had the privilege of meeting these two ladies in Omaha the other day at a Homeschool event. The lady in yellow is Rachel, and the other is Wilma. Wilma grew up in Nazi Germany and shared with us many stories from her life including going to bed each night with her clothes folded up right next to her. Their family slept that way for many years, so that when the planes started flying over in the middle of the night and the bombs started dropping, they could grab their clothes and run for safety. Rachel is Jewish and spent 6 years of her life in various camps including Auschwitz. She still has her number etched into her arm - 15,452. She also shared horrific stories of her life growing up including the day that she watched her little brother being taken away to the gas chamber.

These ladies brought History books to life for us, but maybe more importantly, they gave us a fresh perspective on life. They are SO thankful to just be alive - and to be free.

The difference....

2008-06-04T20:26:00.002-05:00

Here's another one that I stole today (and this time it wasn't even from a friend...just a blog that I ran across). Very convicting.

The difference -
Holy people behave in certain ways because they love God.Hypocrites behave in certain ways because they want others to think they love God.
~~~
Holy people are concerned about being pleasing to God - inside and out.Hypocrites are concerned about how they are perceived by others.
~~~
Holy people have a heart to love and serve others, regardless of their socioeconomic status.Hypocrites like to associate with “movers and shakers” and the “up-and-coming,” to enhance their own standing.
~~~
Holy people bow to the authority of Scripture and live radically obedient lives.Hypocrites will excuse disobedience to the Word of God through use of pious-sounding logic, while slavishly adhering to their own man-made rules and standards.
~~~
Holy people give themselves unreservedly to God and are patient with others who are still in the process.Hypocrites expect more from others than they are willing to give of themselves.
~~~
Holy people have a humble estimation of themselves because God is their standard.Hypocrites compare themselves to others and develop a spiritual superiority complex.
~~~
Holy people base their convictions on the standard of God’s Word.Hypocrites exalt personal preferences and human traditions to a position of equal (or greater) authority with the Word of God.
~~~
Holy people are real.Hypocrites pretend…
to do things they don’t.
to abstain from things they do.to love things they hate.
to hate things they love.
to want things they dread.
to dread things they want.
Well that ought to give us all something to think on for a while.
List taken from Seeking Him: Experiencing the Joy of Personal Revival study, pages 121, 122

The Limits of Parents

2008-06-04T08:56:00.001-05:00

I borrowed ( OK, stole! ) this from a friend's blog. It was so good that I had to share! Thanks, Brenda!

The Limits of Parents© John Mark Ministries
I gave you life, but I cannot live it for you.
I can teach you things, but I cannot make you learn.
I can give you directions, but I cannot be there to lead you.
I can allow you freedom, but I cannot account for it.
I can take you to church, but I cannot make you believe.
I can teach you right from wrong, but I cannot decide for you.
I can buy you a beautiful garment, but I cannot make you beautiful inside.
I can offer you advice, but cannot accept it for you.
I can give you love, but I cannot force it upon you.
I can teach you to share, but I cannot make you unselfish.
I can teach you to respect, but I cannot force you to show honor.
I can advise you about friends, but I cannot choose them for you.
I can advise you about sex, but I cannot keep you pure.
I can tell you the facts of life, but I cannot build your reputation.
I can tell you about drinking, but I cannot say no for you.
I can warn you about drugs, but I cannot prevent you from using them.
I can tell you about lofty goals, but I cannot achieve them for you.
I can teach you about kindness, but I cannot force you to be gracious.
I can warn you about sin, but I cannot make you moral.
I can love you as a child, but I cannot make you walk with God.
I can teach you about Jesus, but I cannot make Jesus your Lord.
I can tell you how to live, but I cannot give you eternal life.

More free time

2008-06-03T09:52:00.002-05:00

Have I mentioned how much we're enjoying all of this free time?!?! The other night we had "Make your own pizza night" - the kids' favorite. They get a ball of dough and can make it into whatever shape they choose (usually there is at least one gun shape!). Then they get to choose their own sauce and toppings. Very fun!! We're loving summer! :-)

Garage sale bargain!

2008-06-03T09:49:00.002-05:00

OK, here's my garage sale bargain - of the century!! Got this 4 person Coleman inflatable raft the other day at a garage sale for $7...including the pump and the oars!! The kids had a great time with Daddy at Oak Lake over lunch and can't wait to go again. If you want to borrow it, just let us know!

Enjoing Summer Mode

2008-05-20T13:30:00.002-05:00

We are TOTALLY on summer mode here and it feels SO good! Staying up a little later, sleeping in a little longer, and just feeling the freedom of extra time with no pressing deadlines. I've manged to get to lots of those little projects that seem to get pushed further and further down on my 'to-do' list during the school year. I've been cleaning and brightening up my laundry room - still plenty of work to do there, though. Each of the kids' rooms got a good going-over yesterday and this morning we hung the letters on their walls that I bought MONTHS ago. I started tackling my flower beds, too - they're looking better. I sat down and played Tripoley with the kids yesterday morning (Aunt Terri, we found poker chips on a garage sale!!), Amanda and Alex built an entire Legos village, and I played Bubble Blast with Andrew last night. Still need to sand, stain, and get the baseboards back on from when we re-did our floors, and as soon as we can get the garage cleaned out, we're having a BIG garage sale!

Kansas City Trip

2008-05-19T17:51:00.002-05:00

Here are just a few of our pictures from our Kansas City Trip.....one from the beginning at Kauffman Stadium where we went to our first Major League Baseball game (although Bruce had been when he was a kid), the middle of our trip when we were having supper on the deck of our cabin at Worlds of Fun Village, and finally at the end of our trip when we were exhausted! (although obviously I got them on here backwards!) Had just a fabulous time!!

Husker Open House

2008-05-19T17:45:00.003-05:00

Ameritas sponsored their annual Husker Open House for employees and families last week and it is always so cool! We get to tour the new facilities and play football on the field. They feed us a free supper and have lots of fun entertainment and stuff for the kids. These pictures are actually from last year, but I love the last one so much!! This is Bruce doing the death crawl with a boy on his back.....you have to see Facing the Giants to get it!

Summer with the Saltdogs!

2008-05-19T17:39:00.002-05:00

It's officially summer at our house, because the Saltdogs season has begun! We got free skybox tickets to opening night and had a blast! It was a Friday, so there were fireworks afterwards - amazing fireworks that just went on and on! Very cool! We went back to the Sunday afternoon game and got the kids signed up for the Kids Club - thanks, Grandma and Pa Stallbaumer!

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

2008-05-15T10:14:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday to our dear, sweet Mr. Andrew. 7 years old today - can't believe it!! We love you SO much!!

Kansas City here we come!

2008-05-10T19:57:00.002-05:00

We're off to Kansas City for our annual Worlds of Fun trip! We're going to a Royals game tomorrow and will get to spend time with Keith, Bobbi, and Blake - Bruce's cousin and his family. We're staying in a cottage at Worlds of Fun Village which has become a new part of the tradition - very fun!!

We measured Andrew and he is officially tall enough to ride on the "big people's" bumper cars this year - so the whole family can do that together. He's also short enough to still get us all into Snoopy's Playhouse! Good deal!!

Will post lots of pictures when we get back!

Back to normal!

2008-05-10T19:49:00.002-05:00

Miss Molly has been sick this week and had us pretty concerned - enough for us to take her to the vet TWICE. Still don't know exactly what the deal was, but she is better now and we're thankful for that! She is in charge of the house while we're gone this week, and we sure didn't want to leave her home alone if she was sick! If you're in our neighborhood, stop in and visit her....she'd love somebody to throw her ball for awhile!

Track Meet

2008-05-04T16:44:00.003-05:00

We always know school is about done for the year when it's time for the Track Meet! The homeschool group is Wahoo does a great job of putting on this event for us each year and we are thankful for them! The weather is always SO unpredictable and we always come home with sunburns, but it's always tons of fun - and a great learning experience. We ALL learn lots of life lessons from watching Alex run the long distance races....he always finishes FAR behind everyone else, but has the BIGGEST smile on his face. His attitude, perseverance, and determination are a wonderful example to all of us!

Sneaky, sneaky!!

2008-05-04T16:39:00.002-05:00

We made and delivered May Baskets and had SO much fun being as sneaky as we could! This is Andrew trying to get up to Degerness' front porch without being seen through their HUGE front window! The funniest one was at Thomsons house was when we had to speed away down the street because Joseph came out the side door....our van door was still open and Andrew was barely inside when we took off!!

AWANA Friends

2008-05-04T16:28:00.002-05:00

We are thankful for our AWANA group!! Because we have been "church shopping" the ENTIRE time we have lived in Lincoln, AWANA has been a really nice outlet for our kids! Andrew is finishing his Hiker Book next week and Alex is on the last page of T And T Book One and will finish it. Miss Amanda is officially done with the T and T program and we're not sure what next year will hold for her.

14-13 Dolphins Win!!

2008-05-01T15:52:00.002-05:00

Alex's football team, the Dolphins, won their first game of the season this week 14-13. They went ahead of the Titans because Mr. Alex made his FIRST EVER reception - IN THE ENDZONE - to complete a 2-point conversion!!! SO exciting!!! Go Dolphins!

Video From The Homeschool Band Concert!

2008-04-26T18:56:00.005-05:00

Alex plays his recorder solo, "The Trolley Song".

The Beginning Band performs "Regal March".

Advanced Band performing "Imperial Overture".

Final performances

2008-04-26T08:59:00.003-05:00

We had our final performances for our Friday classes last night. What a blessing these Fridays have been to our family - so many good friends and SO much fun!! Amanda played in her first ever piano recital - and did a great job! She also played in band, sang in the choir, played in the percussion ensemble and performed with the drama group. Alex did drama as well, plus played in the recorder group. Andrew was in charge of taking pictures and helping Daddy video tape - great job!! :-)

Fun AND educational!

2008-04-26T08:55:00.002-05:00

Here are some pictures from our latest Stuhr Museum class in Grand Island. Amanda and Alex, along with Elisa were enrolled in an Overland Trails class. They loaded up these hand carts and pulled them across the prairie. They stopped along the way to build a fire and cook their lunch - beans,

pork, biscuits, and for dessert- pickles! Bruce, Andrew, and I enjoyed the time as well - played glow in the dark golf, played Guitar Hero at Best Buy and had a yummy lunch at Whiskey Creek!

Too Funny!

2008-04-24T12:02:00.001-05:00

OK, this is not a story from my house, but it certainly could be! Great for a laugh if you need one today!

A small boy is sent to bed by his father. Five minutes later.....'Da-ad....''What?''I'm thirsty. Can you bring a drink of water?'' No, You had your chance. Lights out.' Five minutes later: 'Da-aaaad.....''WHAT?''I'm THIRSTY. Can I have a drink of water??'' I told you NO! If you ask again, I'll have to smack you!!' Five minutes later......'Daaaa-aaaad.....''WHAT!''When you come in to smack me, can you bring a drink of water?'

No cavities!

2008-04-23T15:53:00.002-05:00

All 3 kids had dental appointments this morning and we had NO cavities! We have a fabulous Pediatric Dentist with movie screens in the ceiling and the whole 9-yards of fun. Amanda is getting her 12 year molars and Andrew is getting his 6 year molars. Amanda has 3 baby teeth left to lose, then she will get braces.....AGAIN! The kids are sad that they have to wait a whole 6 months to go back. Andrew wants to know if we can just go there sometimes to hang out and have fun.

Neat Repeatz

2008-04-23T15:03:00.002-05:00

OK, I am so excited about this that I want to tell everyone!! If you live in Lincoln, you have to go to Neat Repeatz - and if you live somewhere else, it's probably well worth your trip! :-) Basically, it is a GINORMOUS consignment sale that they hold twice a year...once in the spring then again the fall. You can sign up to sell, or you can just go shop - or both! Everybody who is selling brings their things in and then they are sorted neatly by girls/boys and into the various sizes. They are inspected for spots or stains, missing buttons, broken zippers, etc. And, they all set their own prices - which are almost always VERY reasonable! We got ALL of our kids' clothes (and shoes!) for summer, plus some fun games, too. And, this spring for the first time, they had an adult's sale, too. I had SO much fun buying some new things for myself - what a treat!!

So, if you like garage sales, you will LOVE Neat Repeatz! Check it out at www.neatrepeatz.com if you are interested - the fall sale will be in September, I think!! I highly recommend it!

Spring Red/White Game

2008-04-19T19:48:00.003-05:00

We spent today at the Husker Spring Game - got tickets for us and for my Mom for her birthday and had a great time! We got there PLENTY early and got really good seats, and left early enough to tour the Heisman Room and see all of the National Championship Tropies! Very Cool!!

Wrestling!

2008-04-19T19:45:00.002-05:00

Alex and Andrew got to wrestle each other this week in wrestling class! They're not usually in the same class, but Coach Penn brought them in together so they could go at each other - and they had a great time!! Bruce was even there for his lunch hour, so he got to watch, too!

A death in the family

2008-04-17T10:35:00.002-05:00

Last year for Christmas, Uncle Jerry bought hamsters for the kids. We loved on them for a good long time, then, as with most toys, the newness wore off and we began to neglect them. So, we sent them off to live with some of our friends in "foster care". They LOVED them...especially Mac who thought that his Mom should call the police when they woke up one morning to find one of the hamsters had died. The Keeslers had a nice little hamster funeral for him and buried him in their backyard. It was a good lesson for us here that death is a part of life, and we need to always be ready to meet Jesus. We're curious to see if our little hamster will be in Heaven when we get there!!

Here Fishy Fishy!

2008-04-04T09:15:00.000-05:00

We were recently given an aquarium and it is a hit at our house! We got this cool tank, the heater, the light, the pump, tons of chemicals and food, plus the fish! There are fancy guppies, snow-somethings, neons, an upside down catfish, and a bristle nose plecostomous that is apparently REALLY big and worth a lot of money. We are all enjoying having it around - especially the boys who insist on eating breakfast next to it every morning. Alex even did his school next to it the other day. Thanks to the Braunings for sharing!!

It IS who you know.

2008-03-31T10:56:00.000-05:00

There's a song that's been playing on the radio quite a bit lately, and every time I hear it, I find myself more annoyed than inspired. The point of it is to live life to the fullest....which I'm obviously all for. Jesus came that we might have life abundantly. But, the song says that "it's not who you know, it's how you lived...." and I think that is, at the very least, pretty misleading. Knowing Jesus is the ONLY way to Heaven and the key to real, true JOY here on earth. So, while I acknowledge some of the fun ideas here....I kiss my kids every day and would LOVE it if my husband would dance with me....I am still annoyed by their message.

So...I'd love to hear your thoughts! Am I being overly-analytical? Am I just plain wrong?

Point Of Grace - How You Live (Turn Up the Music)

Wake up to the sunlight with your windows open
Don't hold in your anger or leave things unspoken
Wear your red dress
Use your good dishes
Make a big mess and make lots of wishes
Have what you want but want what you have
Hmmmmm
And don't spend your life lookin' back

[Chorus:]
Turn up the music
Turn it up loud
Take a few chances
And let it all out
Cause you won't regret it
Lookin' back from where you have been
Cause it's not who you knew
And it's not what you did
It's how you lived

So go to the ball games
And go to the ballet
Go see your folks more than just on the holidays
Kiss all your children
Dance with your wife
Tell your husband you love him every night
Don't run from the truth cause you can't get away
Oh No...
Just face it and you'll be okay

[Chorus]

[Bridge:]
Ohhhhh
Wherever you are and wherever you been
Now is the time to begin

So give to the needy
And pray for the grieving
Even when you don't think that you can
Cause all that you do is bound to come back to you
So think of your fellow men
Make peace with God but make peace with yourself
Oh yes
Cause in the end there's nobody else

[Chorus]

Cause it's not who you knew and it's not what
You did
It's how you lived

SO Thankful!

2008-03-25T19:56:00.000-05:00

Miss Amanda is thankful for flowers, thankful to be vertical, thankful to be home, and thankful for many things today that she completely took for granted until now. She was rock climbing at the Y on Monday afternoon when her rope came untied and she fell 20 feet. She was unconscious for a time and was taken by ambulance to the hospital where they x-rayed and scanned and poked and tested nearly every part of her little body. Thanks to God, she was not seriously hurt at all - today she is only stiff and sore and is moving very slowly.

It is amazing how quickly these things can happen and almost scary how fast life can change. We are thankful for a God who is in control of all things, who knows our names, and hears us when we call on Him.

Celebrating Easter

2008-03-24T09:34:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful day celebrating Christ's Resurrection! Bruce's folks were here for the week-end and went to church with us, then we had lots of friends join us for lunch and an Easter Egg Hunt. Thanks to Beth and Sherri for stuffing all those eggs!! We are thankful for our "New Lincoln Friends" even though we still miss our "Old Beatrice Friends".

I remember being at Girl Scout camp and singing "Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other's gold" and although I thought it was catchy, I never really understood it....now I do. :-)

Afternoon Snooze

2008-03-24T09:32:00.000-05:00

Alex (and Molly), Grandpa Bond (and Max) enjoy a nice Saturday snooze! Life is good!!

Great Friends!

2008-03-21T21:00:00.000-05:00

Amanda and her dear friends Sarah and Elisa had a great time celebrating Amanda's birthday! We are thankful for such truly wonderful friends!!

A day at the ballpark

2008-03-21T20:56:00.000-05:00

Bruce and Alex spent the afternoon at a Husker Baseball game - in the Ameritas Skybox, no less. Huskers won on a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 9th. What a great way to spend the day!!

Andrew's Easter Story

2008-03-19T13:44:00.000-05:00

Today at lunch, we were telling Daddy all that we had learned when we played with the Resurrection Eggs this morning. When we got to Andrew's egg, the last one which was empty, he had a fun version of the story. He says that "Mary, Jesus' Mom, and two other ladies went to the tomb to take some food, but when they got there all they found was an angel who said 'There's nobody here - not even a dead guy'"

Matthew 28:6 "He is not here, He is risen, just as He said."

Happy Easter!!

Check out my Guestbook!

2008-03-17T09:10:00.001-05:00