happy halloween

happy halloween! this year abbie couldn't decide what to be. "there are so many choices!" she would say. but as soon as my mom found asher a cow costume she said, "i know! i will be the farmer!" so she is. and as a farmer should, she milks the cow. asher is so willing to let her do her thing, actually looking like he's enjoying her pretending to milk him. what will she think of next?!
Abbie made out like a bandit with two overflowing baskets of candy. We did some trick or treating with friends and then returned home to pass out candy to our friends. It was a good night and a lot of fun for the kids. Now, what can we do with all this candy we have!!??

asher in action

hello friends. i am so proud of myself, talking and laughing and rolling over. i was having a great day today and thought i would show off some of my skills. with a little help from my mom, i have accomplished the roll to the belly. i don't love being there for very long, but it feels good to be able to do more than just lay on my back. enjoy a few new video clips of my mad skills. the sound isn't working right, anyone know what to do?

prayer and a caterpillar

During our Pumpkin patch adventure we found a small fuzzy caterpillar. Abbie was delighted at her discovering and decided to bring him home. We stoped for some delicious hamburgers at the Loch Lloyd Club House but didn't want him to escape while at dinner so we placed him in an empty water bottle. When we arrived home I spilled the insect out of the bottle only to discover that he was accidentally water logged in the bottle. I explained to Abbie that he had died and she instantly began crying over the loss of her brief relationship with her new pet. I attempted to revive him but after 4 hours of no movement I declared him dead.

To my surprise, the next morning the caterpillar was alive and crawling around on the counter top. I immediately shared the good news to Abbie and she responded that she had prayed to Jesus that he would make him alive and he did. Abbie was not surprised at all because she believed her prayer would be answered. Her matter of fact faith was inspiring.

pumpkin patch

We enjoyed a chilly afternoon at Johnson's farm pumpkin patch with Papo, Gigi, Leah and cousins Wyatt and Cassidy. Abbie enjoyed feeding the goats and seeing many more smelly animals: horses, cows, pigs, piglets, bunnies, and chicks. There was a barn completely filled with hay for the kids to jump around in. We were pulled by a tractor to search for the perfect pumpkin. I already had the perfect pumpkin (Asher) so Gigi and I sat in the tractor while Papo, Sarah and Abbie looked for pumpkins-as you can see Abbie found two.

Lion King

We recently had the privilage of enjoying the broadway version of the Lion King at the Kansas City Music Hall. A friend of ours gave us three tickets in the third row. We have attended musicals before but usually we are in the cheap seats near the back. It was wonderful actually seeing the actors facial expressions. Abbie wanted to share her experience:

I went to the Lion King. I sat close to the front. The animals came downt the isle but I didn't see the elephant. The Monkey (Rafiki) was silly and rose the baby lion up. Zazu, the bird, was very funny and was trapped in bones. I like the first song (Circle of Life). The worthog the the little guy (meer cat) were silly and ate bugs. They found the baby lion (Simba) and sang a song, Akunna Matata. I was hidding in mommy's side because of the scary part with the Hyhiennas. They were trying to be in an army with their Hyenna friends. Simba came back to the rock and was fighting over the mean lion. Simba and Nala had a baby.

Economic Meltdown

Over the last five months and especially the last four weeks, we have witnessed an economic meltdown. In the wake of record oil prices and mortgage foreclosures, many bedrock financial institutions have imploded. Wall Street has adversely been affected with many record breaking single day loses. I, along with many Americans, have watched our retirement portfolios drop nearly 40%. And if we find ourselves with possible unemployement or a disability, our foul circumstance becomes even more putrid. In this volatile economic environment, while our presumptive presidential nominees are promoting their solutions of how they will repair our economy, it continues to cumble. And it appears government bailouts are too little too late to prevent our financial hemoraging.

Government intervention may ease our fears, but I am reminded of an important truth; Our hope in difficult and uncertain times caused by economic hardships, prolonged illnesses or broken relationships, is in God’s promises and power to provide. Political rhetoric or the size of our bank account may provide temporary comfort, but a lasting peace from an eternal hope comes from Christ alone. But we have to believe and this is where I find myself. At the very moment my senses are being assaulted by dire circumstances but the Lord's words of Life are instructing me to trust and believe in spite of my feelings and convincing me of something different.

baby in red

when you have a snazzy red outfit you should be on a snazzy red couch. and here he is... looking so cute and so happy. he's been called 'bubba chunk' lately, and at 17.5 pounds, has earned the name. we are in love with our son and have so much fun as a family of four.

working on thankfulness

we have a new chart starting at our house. it is the thankfulness chart, for abbie. we are working on her attitude and for some reason the chart really works. so this morning when she and dad went to get doughnuts (on tuesday? why not!) she came home and told me she had a good attitude about the ones she selected and was not greedy for more, then asked me to put her happy face on the chart. i did and she was pleased. as we were all enjoying our breakfast james told me sometimes i was smelly when i stayed in my pjs all day (yesterday) and abbie immediately said, "i think dad needs his own chart. that was not very nice." we all laughed and i thought seriously about making daddy his own chart... she is a smart girl. we are so thankful to be able to have mornings together, eating doughnuts, learning life lessons and laughing together. we have so much to be thankful for.

I had several follow-up appointments along with a PET and MRI scan this week. While driving to the cancer center on a sunny Thursday morning, I felt a little nervous. My concern was NOT due to the crazy drivers zooming by, but because of the results from my recent scans. After playing the waiting game and patient room shuffle, the doctor entered the room. He gently placed his hand on my shoulder and asked, "Is anyone here with you today?" Immediately I thought to myself, "Oh no, he has some really bad news and I need someone here for support." Why did his question fill me with fear? First, the doctor has never placed his hand on my shoulder and second, I am almost always alone. The PET scan shows cancerous activity in my entire body and the MRI was of my head. I have not had any scans of my head and was concerned there might be some new developments in my head or worse brain. By the grace of God, the results: no new areas or major changes. We also decided to postpone chemotherapy.

We love the circus-words from dad and abbie

The circus was in town. Did you make it to The Greatest Show on Earth? It is so much fun! I never had the privilege of attending the circus when I was young. Three years ago a friend bought Me, Sarah and Abbie tickets for the opening night at Ringling Brother and Barnum and Bailey Circus. It was not my idea, I didn't have any expectations and frankly, I was going for the sake of Abbie. But one thing was certain, I loved the circus! Furthermore, my love for the circus was not simply a one night stand, but rather was the beginning of a long loving relationship. After this pleasure filled night, I knew I would attempt to go the following year, and we did. I also knew I wanted to attend the circus this year (and had plans to do so). Honestly, I feel a little embarrassed of my enjoyment for the circus. Perhaps, it is because the circus seems only for children; or maybe it's that clowns are not very sophisticated.

I don’t favor any one aspect of the circus but what makes the circus special is sum of its parts. Lets be honest, clowns alone are a little creepy; animals can be seen at a zoo; and Cirque Du Soleil has more amazing acrobats. The circus’ appeal is its many unique performances working together to create a sensory experience that makes me feel, “Wow.” And “look at that,” and “this is fun.” Mostly, I love to feel like a kid, forgetting for a moment what it means to have responsibilities, commitments, and worries. I also love to experience the circus through the eyes of my daughter. It is fun to observe Abbie as she experiences the awe and wonder of the circus. Let me allow you to experience the circus in Abbie's words:

I went to the circus with my friends, Maddie, Jack, Kate and mommy. I ate a snow cone, popcorn and pop. I saw elephants, tigers and dogs. The master slapped a stick and the tigers jumped down from the stools. The elephants marched in circles and circus ladies rode on them. Bello was a craaazzy clown. Then he rode a bicycle, just kidding. Then circus was called "Bellobration." He like a girl in the circus and gave her flowers. He did lots of fun and crazy things. I love the circus. The circus was fun. I want to go to the circus next year.