THE WALL

In case you were wondering what a wall cloud looks like, take a look at this beauty that blew over our house this afternoon.

 

 

 

Writer's Block

what i appear to have, since i cannot come up with anything interesting to say. so, in an attempt to break through the block, i will write about some of the everyday events we have here...
let's see,

-yesterday brody pooped on the driveway. and with the heat index reaching 113 degrees, it was good times.
-emily made her first appearance upstairs today at 1:30pm. she takes this summer vacation thing seriously.
-steve is gone yet again, and will be back on thursday night.
-micah has been telling some friends that if they can't find anyone to marry their daughter when she grows up, that he will.
-isaiah threw up at 3 am the other morning. he came all the way upstairs to tell me he was going to throw up, and walked past the tile, the wood floor, and onto the carpet before emptying his entire stomach.

well, still nothing. sorry. maybe later, after i take all the kids to the barn, in the heat, and try to keep them quiet so they don't scare the horses.
good times people. good times.

The 4th of July at the ballpark

In this town, the home team takes the field through a corn field.

 

Nothing better than blue snow cones on a hot day!

 

Emily having fun

 

This is the only picture I have of all the kids at the ball park ... waiting for the fireworks to begin!

 

Mr. Sneaky

He practices making different faces in the mirror.
Daily.
This is his sneaky face. Still a little worried about this boy...

 

feeling overwhelmed
by our ability
to be underwhelmed.

it is all so much.

poverty, HIV/AIDS, orphans.

overwhelming.

and what are we, as a nation doing?

sitting in our air conditioned homes, sipping our designer coffee, and talking about what a tragedy it all is.

and i am the worst of these.

I am only one,
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
But still I can do something.
And because I cannot do everything,
I will not refuse to do
The something
That I can do.
-- Helen Keller

The end of a season...

Shots from the dugout

 

Like Father like son.

 

The final line up.

 

Happy boys heading back to the hotel pool.

 

Headed Out

This weekend is the USSSA boys baseball state tournament in Des Moines, Iowa. We are headed out with only Isaiah and Emily. It should be a great weekend with our two oldest children... we haven't had these two kids alone in over eight years! I am looking forward to not reminding anyone to use the bathroom, or get their shoes on, or brush their teeth.

My Oompa Loompa

 

pent up.

that is how i feel lately. pent up.
there is this intense energy and focus inside boiling and brewing, and yet, to date, has no escape.
pent up.
out of sorts, quick tempered, agitated.
just pent up.
so, i apologize to all of you who have to deal with me on a regular basis.
you may want to stand back a few feet when we talk.
i am, well, pent up.

Silly faces from "The Boys"

 

 

 

 

Another day in the mid 80's. *sigh*

 

Driveway pool party

 

Happy Saturday

 

photos to fill the gap.

 

 

 

a lot.

i have a lot to say.
only no words to say it.

 

a few nights ago, the clouds were breathtaking. i couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. guilty for the ease in which we live our lives. guilty for the excess we don't even notice. wondering what i am doing to teach my kids of the world, and not just their lives. wishing i had the moxy to do something more than i am doing. at some point, as Bono so eloquently put it, charity is not enough. i can sponsor children, and give to countless organizations, but at some point, there has to come a time, when passing by on the other side of the road just doesn't cut it anymore. when turning my head, because the view is grim, is no longer acceptable. i want to teach my children to do. to act. to be. not to watch in complete apathy.

Night Swim...

Tonight the kids department at church rented out the Aquatic Center for a night swim. On most days in the summer, this would have been a refreshing treat. Tonight, not so much. It was freezing. And by freezing, i believe it was around sixty-nine degrees. No one wanted to swim.

 

This is the only picture I have of Em, she got smart and her and two of her friends went and sat in a car to talk.

 

Most of the time, this is where everyone was.

 

Isaiah and his mini me, Brigg.

 

And, I don't have any pictures of Hannah, because she was the only one who stayed in the water the whole time!

Welcome to Monday.

 

More from Bono...

It's annoying but justice and equality are mates, aren't they? Justice always wants to hang out with equality. And equality is a real pain in the ass. Seriously.

Preventing the poorest of the poor from selling their products while we sing the virtues of the free market, that's not charity: That's a justice issue. Holding children to ransom for the debts of their grandparents, that's not charity: That's a justice issue. Withholding life-saving medicines out of deference to the Office of Patents, well that's not charity. To me, that's a justice issue.

--Bono

--

This is not about charity in the end, is it? It's about justice. The good news yet to come. I just want to repeat that: This is not about charity, it's about justice. And that's too bad. Because we're good at charity. Americans, Irish people, are good at charity. We like to give, and we give a lot, even those who can't afford it.
But justice is a higher standard. Africa makes a fool of our idea of justice; it makes a farce of our idea of equality. It mocks our pieties; it doubts our concern, and it questions our commitment. Six and a half thousand Africans are still dying every day of preventable, treatable disease, for lack of drugs we can buy at any drug store. This is not about charity: This is about Justice and Equality.

-- Bono

Dear friends, do you think you'll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, "Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy spirit!" and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup -- where does that get you? Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?

James 2:14-17

morning walk to the pond

 

 

 

-

it's late.
my eyes have that tell tale stinging.
my body is exhausted.
my mind races.
sleep won't come.

Last Day of Soccer Camp

Today was Friday Fun Day! The kids were supposed to wear their team colors... Go ENGLAND!!!

 

Micah and his coach Jack.

 

After a water fight!

 

Micah had fun in the water too!

 

All in all, a great week!