Amber driving?

Okay, This is always a scary sight for a parent. Their first born driving a car! Amber got her learners permit and has been wanting to drive. I'm not really ready for that. She has driven home from the highschool, and home from church. That's it. She's doing good but still not quite comfortable with the whole thing. Just needs lots of practice and me not freeking out. She's needs work on the slow down to turn a corner thing. But I'm proud of her for wanting to try.




Not much is happening right now. Just getting back into the routine of school, wondering when we'll have summer vacation. Also wondering and praying that February will be kind. It usually isn't so lets pray hard.

Sam's 8th birthday

Last Tuesday evening we had Sam's Birthday party. It was celebrated a few days late because of Bret and Amber being gone. He got lots of presents and this one he especially liked. It was a Lightning McQueen piggy bank that Amber got for him from Disney World. He also got some new jeans. As you can see he needed some new ones. Makes me mad when they get holes in perfectly good jeans! You'd think they could make them better.

Sam had his 8th birthday on the 24th! We were all excited to eat this huge yummy cake!!!

I also thought I'd asked the bakery for a quarter sheet cake. Instead I got a half sheet cake. Lots of cake for only 6 of us. Anyone want some? Sam had trouble blowing out all the candles on one blow. Bret re-lit the candles 3 times and made him try again until he did it. Man tough standards! For presents he got a Wii game, some Poki mon cards, some church pants, and a hot wheels crash track. He was excited. The next day, Wednesday, he was able to take some of his favorite cookies to school and share them with his class. M&M cookies. Now we're all looking forward to all the birthdays that are coming up. Bret's is in March, mine is in April, Amber's is in May, Keaton's is in June, and Finally Ben in September, which he says isn't fair that he has to be last. Yeah and I tell him that I planned it that way just to irritate him. Life is so un-fair!!!

Home safe

We'll we had a bit of excitement yesterday, and I'm glad it all ended well. I started out the day sleeping in because the kids didn't have school. This was a planned out-of-school day for a teacher work day or something like that. But it was a good thing because we woke up to a white out. Very high winds and snow! Again! So another day of being stuck at home not able to go anywhere. Which normally I wouldn't mind, but it's getting a little old. Bret and Amber and the rest of the High school marching band were going to fly home from Orlando that night, and supposed to be in around 10pm. As the day progresses and I've cleaned the house, because I didn't know what else to do, I noticed the storm wasn't getting any better, and was hoping they would beable to get into Omaha. I get a text from Bret saying they are in St. Louis and would be able to fly into Omaha. I was relieved. I wasn't sure how bad Omaha was. So I'm in my room watching a little TV and Bret calls me and says, "We can get into Omaha, but the buses might not be able to pick us up to bring us home." How bad are the roads and do you think you can make to Omaha to pick us up in my Truck?" I was like "Bret we're having a blizzard! If the buses can't make it, what makes you think I can!" So then he says "Go get the truck out and drive around a bit to see how bad it is then call me back." What?! So as I'm finding my shoes and coat and getting in the truck, I'm thinking "this is so stupid!" I back out of the garage, and I can't see a thing, I go to the end of our road which wasn't to bad because the wind was blowing the snow strait across the road, still can't see much though. I get to the highway and turn onto that, thinking I'll just drive the mile into town and turn around then come right back. Well as soon as I went about 20 yards I new I had done a dumb thing. I couldn't see at all. I was about to go into the ditch when it cleared a little and I saw what I was doing and was able to get back on the road. But with no place to safely turn around I had to go all the way into town to turn around. It was the longest mile I have ever driven. I was just praying I would make it back home. I made it to my turn around spot and was very grateful, but then I thought, "I have to go back through that to get home!" I was really mad at Bret at this point for making me do this, and even more upset with myself for agreeing to do it! Going back was even worse because the snow was blowing right at me, and I was driving on the side of the road where all the drifts were. I put the truck in 4 wheel drive and prayed! I was never so happy to see my little Juniper Rd sign light up in the night as my head lights hit it. I made the turn off the highway, onto my road into my driveway and in my garage thankful I had made it back, shaking and not happy! I called Bret right then and there and said no flippen way was I driving to Omaha in this. I don't care how bad he wants to be home or how bad I wanted him home. He said he was sorry and didn't want me to try it if it was bad out. He said they'd get a hotel in Omaha or something. So I was thinking I wouldn't see him until tomorrow. I was bummed, and not happy with the stupid weather. Some welcome home from Florida huh! A few hours later around 9pm Bret texts me and says they've just touched down in Omaha. Then about 9:40 he texts me and says they're coming, and to pray! I was a nervous wreck and was texting people I know that wouldn't mind me texting them so late, asking for their prayers as well, and I get the boys together for a special family prayer for the bus drivers and the roads. The boys were still up because I had received a text from Amber saying they'd cancelled school again for the next day. She was really excited because that meant she could sleep in. Anyway, I realized that now I'm going to have to go back out in this to pick them up at the high school! Ugh! I text Bret back asking if there was anyone going our way that would be able to give them a lift because I didn't want to do that again! He said "Yes" So I settled back in my PJ's and waited, and waited. Around 11pm I get a text from Bret, he says "Are you sure you can't make it in? Go slow." I guess they didn't have anyone to ride home with so I had to get back in the truck! Thankfully it wasn't as bad as before so I made it with no problems. Just a couple of bad spots. So we all made it home safe, and we're all together again and Amber wants to go back to the warmth of Florida. She was hoping the snow would have melted while she was away. Huh, wishful thinking, it's still only January.

My little Sam turned 8 today. He got a new suit and he was so excited to wear it to church. I didn't get Ben a suit until he was 12. He hates wearing it. So I thought I'd start younger and maybe he'll like it more. He's so cute!

Since Bret and Amber are gone until tomorrow we're going to have his birthday party tomorrow night. When I asked him how church was today he said "It was the best time at church ever!" They sang to him in Primary, and he got a cool present from his teacher. She also brought homemade chocolate chip cookies! So It was a good day for him.

We're going to have his baptism on Feb 6th. He's really excited about that and can't wait! I'll post Pictures of the birthday and baptism as soon as I can!