Trying something new, posting a photo, maybe once a day… to keep the blog going & because writing long posts isn’t always necessary or convenient…
Kiahna standing next to the hurdles James leaps in college track…
CRAZY!!
James is running at Christian Indoor Nationals this weekend…
Kiahna’s behaviors have been on the down hill, up hill, roller coaster this week again…
Pam
It’s busy around here… I know, you are shocked… I have to put the 1,000 things that are running through my mind & on my “to-do” list now that school is back in session, on hold to pause & write…
I am so blessed that people still read, follow & comment here… thanks. Thanks for loving our family, for sticking through this with us, for supporting us with your prayers & kind words. Its really amazing.
James just left for his sophomore year at Bethel. He was only home for the past week & the majority of his stuff was still at school. Since he takes his own car, there was no need for me to go to help move in. That’s kinda sad. I would have enjoyed going along & being a part of moving them in again this year… but I have enough to do here at home I guess. (haha)
I took him shopping last week for a few clothes for the new school year. He’s a character let me tell ya. Fun to be around & so embarrassing sometimes! He bought these glasses at Pac-sun…
… I was so dying laughing… he walks into a department store & the clerk is trying to talk to him about what he’s looking for… I had to walk away… it was just too funny… I asked him to walk on the other side of the mall & to please STOP calling me MOM!! Of course you know what that did… oh my!! Later he forgot to put them on after he had switched them out for his sun glasses while he was driving. He was trying to convinced me to buy him something, & told me that I should get it for him since he had taken off the glasses for me… HA! Yeah right, you forgot to put them back on! He just laughed, cause he knew it was true.
It’s a little hard to see him go back to school… I admit. It feels like he’s finally being a grown up & now he’s not around… but I know he’s where he needs to be & he’s very excited to be going back for another year… so all is well. It will be neat to see his Spiritual growth this school year too.
I had to text his girlfriend, Brookelyn, to give her my sympathy for the glasses & the way he dresses… didn’t want her to think I CHOOSE these for him!! (YOUR MAMA DRESSES YOU FUNNY!!) His take on “style”… he to wear what is just coming in & then when everyone else is wearing it, he doesn’t want to wear it anymore… (get a good job hunny)
ZACH: Well… Junior year has begun… football is in full swing… he’s been talking to a different girl about once a week all summer… his attitude goes from okay to boarder line most of the time… nothing to wonderful & nothing totally horrid either…
He could always use your continued prayers… safety on the football field… attitude… education… future… God bring Healing to my son… so much anger in this boy… thinks everyone is against him… so hard…
My moment is over… I will try to update on the rest of the family & myself soon…
Thanks for praying…
Pam
I love my boys dearly…
There are moments where I couldn’t be more proud of the choices they are making & moments when I just want to go hide under a rock…
Had both of those this past week…
A few weeks ago, James called me & told me that he felt like he was ready & it was time for him to be baptized. He said he wanted Grandpa to baptize him on his 20th birthday in the lake while we were on vacation.
For our family, that’s not exactly the way we normally have our baptisms. We normally have them in a church… and in our church it has the dual meaning of becoming a member of our church at the same time you are baptized.
So, there were a few “in the box” thoughts that had to be swept away by a few of us.
One thing none of us really knew was what was happening in James life that was bringing him to this place? Since he isn’t living at home this summer & contact had only been a few phone calls over the past month, it sure had my curiosity peaked as to what God was doing in James.
My dad traveled to BC to meet with James the week before vacation to find out what was happening in his life & hear his testimony.
Dad came back very excited about what God was doing in James’ heart, but didn’t share much, because he wanted James to be able to share it with us himself.
So, on Sunday night, after the littlest kids were put to bed. James shared his story of what God had been up to the past few years with our family (my 3 sisters, their husbands, grandpa & grandma, & the older kids). Some of the things were quite surprising to me… anger towards his dad & God being on the top of the surprise list. He always appeared to have much more of ahold on his feelings than he expressed he did.
How God worked out for James to be at Bethel College & what a blessing that has been… its mind blowing.
The girl that James is dating, Brookelyn (Brooke), was there too. She is a gem of a girl. It was really nice to have her there for the first part of the week & get to know her better. If she is the one that James marries one day, I will be very pleased with that!
Then on Tuesday, his 20th birthday, James was baptized in the lake by his grandpa with all of us watching on the sides… it was an incredibly emotional, special, amazing experience for me as a mom…
James went back to BC for the rest of the summer, he is working at another camp this week & I am excited to see what God does next!!
(oh, & he decided not to get another tattoo! THANKS TO BROOKE!!)
And… he shaved his brother’s head into a mohawk the next day…
This one looked cute with it…
This one, not so much…
uhg…
I admit, I was incredibly mad when he did it to Zach.
It was right before the baptism & I could so see satan’s attempt to steal away my joy… ugh… so mad…
I still think he looks really dumb with it, but he’s 17 & one day he will grow up, have children (and probably no hair at all!) and I will bring out these photos & we will all have a really good laugh!!
Uhg.
Pam
“’Do you not know that in a race all the runners run,
but only one gets the prize.?’”
Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Everyone who competes in the games
goes into strict training.
They do it to get a crown that will last forever.
Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly;
I do not fight like a man beating the air.
No, I beat my body
and make it my slave
so that after I have preached to others,
I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Finals week at BC…
Two more track meets…
Home in 2 weeks & then back three after that to work in admissions…
Proud of my son & the race he is running… in life & on the track.
Pam
This weekend James came home. He came to watch his brother in the high school musical. He brought his new girlfriend. I have met her twice in the past, but didn’t spend very much time with her.
They were around all weekend, but I am left feeling like I didn’t get enough time…
His friend Alex also came home with his girlfriend. The guys are roommates & the girls are roommates… funny!
So, they were back and forth between our two houses. There more than here. Friday night when they came, Jadon & I went over there for awhile and spent some time. Saturday James & Brooke were here for while during the day.
Then we all went for dinner at Alex’s family’s home. Then to the musical. Then they came to church today. They were here this afternoon for awhile before they left at about 4:30.
We discovered that her mom went to school at Nor*well… she grew up in Craig*ville. (all just a county over from us)… her mom was good friends in hs with my neighbor, Julie! Her grandpa went to our church when he was growing up. Her great-great aunt still goes to our church (BN) How weird!
They go away to college and meet people that make the world seem so small!!
Brookelyn is a very sweet, quiet, nice girl… I have no issues with her at all… except I didn’t get enough time with them this weekend!!
It was wonderful to have my oldest home this weekend… Jadon loved being with them and began asking as soon as they left when we would get to see them again.
I am peaceful about where James is in his life… I just miss him.
Pam
I seem to have lost the time I used to take to write here on the blog…I miss it, not sure where to find it again, but I’d like to…
Jadon just put in “Let me hold you longer” on CD (by Karen Kingsbury), now I am crying… remembering why I started writing in this blog… needing to keep it up… the memories go by so fast.
James is in Florida, with 7 other friends from college. He came home on Friday to pick up a large van we rented for them to take… I admit I have concerns… praying a lot this week that they aren’t enticed by the temptations they are going to have all around them & the freedom of being on their own with no accountability.
BC has “life-style covenants” that the students have to sign… wrong choices could mean the loss of scholarships & that would be really bad. He definitely couldn’t continue there without his scholarships.
He has a girl he is really liking there. We have met her 2 times briefly. It’s so strange to have him involved with someone we don’t know at all. She appears to be a great girl… they are just so young yet… always concerns.
BC has been experiencing some amazing revival things… Not seeing that James has really “caught” the fire yet… praying he will… praying, praying, praying…
He got a summer job with the college, he will be working with summer camps for Missionary church’s around the country. He will receive a tuition reduction & some cash. We will miss him being home, but it will be a great experience for him I think. He’ll be home in May for the month & then another week in the summer, which we hope will be the one we will spend at the lake in July.
He’s doing very well, I have many things to be excited & proud of him about… I just see the enemy prowling around trying to “steal, kill & destroy”… and I pray…
Zach finished his season of basketball last night. It was successful… he does such a good job. Plays with a lot of passion & drive. I am told over and over by other parents how much they enjoy watching him play.
Last week when we went to watch James run in an indoor track meet, apparently Zach was supposed to be home working in the concession stands for an AAU tournament to raise money for the basketball team’s trip. Zach had asked a friend to cover his time for him he said, but had failed to tell the coach what was going on.
This resulted in the coach “disciplining” Zach by benching him for a game.
I am the first to admit that Zach has “attitude”. He comes across as a cocky, confident, on-top-of-the-world, kid. Reality is the exact opposite… it isn’t always easy for coaches & teachers to view him that way.
My own personal opinion is that Zach was not treated the same way that the coach would have treated other kids on the team in the same position… I keep my opinion to myself… especially around Zach. He already knows & says the same thing. I encourage respect for coaches & hope Zach learns life lessons that will take him far… the world we live in is far from fair, people have favorites & people are misunderstood.
Zach has a new girlfriend. She goes to the school just south of us. She saw him at a ball game and added him to fb & they started talking. He is “infatuated” to say the least!
Rachel is a very nice girl, she’s into photography, so her & I have a lot in common! 
More praying… lots more praying…
Lot’s of reminders of what it was like to be their age and madly in love… which spurs lots of fears in my heart for my son… which I am trying to turn into praying…
Zach & I struggle to get along many days… he’s a lot different to raise that James was… He’s a lot like I was at that age… which scares the living day-lights out of me… must pray. must pray. must pray.
In the next 2 weeks Zach will turn his focus heavily on the musical at school. He has a large lead for a sophomore. Tons of speaking passages that are long… he’s getting them, but wow! I am excited to see that performance in the middle of March!
Leah’s ready for high school. Middle school is so “immature” ya know! Things are going okay with her. I feel like I lose touch with her so easily… Lose her to that stupid Ipod… I hate those things.
Planning to spend some time with just her today. Looking forward to reconnecting.
She’s doing great in school, works hard at it… much harder than the boys have worked… urhg…
Well, I am going to end this update for now… need to go get ready for church… I hope to continue real soon with what’s up with the other 3!!
Thanks for reading!
Pam
I think we figured out the reason Kiahna’s behavior has gotten so much worse since starting kindergarten.
I think it’s the medication she was on for ADHD.
I took her to the doctor on Monday, the appointment we have been waiting on for the further testing & evaluations of her behaviors.
She threw a horrific tantrum.
The lady who was meeting with us was extremely understanding & empathetic. She suggested that we stop the appointment and I come back another day when I can talk without Kiahna with me.
She also wondered if the medication could be causing some of this.
I couldn’t believe it.
Why didn’t I consider that before?
She started this new medication (the same one Jadon takes) towards the end of the summer, it never even crossed my mind that the medication could be making this worse!!!!
I made another appointment with the doctor who prescribes the meds, visited her yesterday, didn’t give K the old meds. Got a new ADHD med to try… and we haven’t had a “violent” tantrum (we have had small ones) since then.
The new med is going to take 2-3 weeks to build in her body, could cause the same thing to happen, & meanwhile she is at school virtually un-medicated, hopefully getting along okay.
I am praying her teacher will have the patience for her.
Jadon has picked up on some of Kiahna’s tantrum habits and has tried pulling some of his own.
These kids keep me on my toes. Or knees. Or both.
James is coming home tonight!
He is bringing a car load of kids back with him. One is a girl he started dating a couple weeks ago.
That should be interesting.
She’s from the big city… what will she think of our home in the middle of know where on a gravel road?
Could be very interesting.
Kinda scary for me.
Our football team is playing Saturday, rather than Friday this week. All the teams in our conference are playing at a college campus about an hour from here.
Makes sense. Play the team from the school 6 miles away, an hour away. Logic there somewhere.
It’s about the fun of playing in a big stadium with turf and all I suppose.
We used to play at the Hoosier Dome, can’t afford Luc*as Oil, so we will settle for BSU.
Planning to tail-gate with my family before the 7:00 Game.
Zach’s been getting quite a bit of playing time…
He’s playing defense, mostly.
I’ve been extremely busy with my photography business… I am so blessed!! I love it, and it’s great release for me!
I was driving to take the photos for the wedding Sunday, and I just started being filled with doubt… “what am I doing? I can’t do this!” But, God is doing it… I turned up my radio & prayed…and God did great!!
Go over and see the photos on my HERE on my photo-blog
Amanda…
Kadison & Lily…
John…
Alicia…
Blake…
And lots & lots of Adam & Ashley’s wedding… a peek is posted, more will be coming in the next week!
Pam
Well, I did it.
I moved my oldest son to college 2 1/2 hours away from home.
By Friday afternoon, he had everything packed up & ready to put into the trailer we borrowed to haul all three of their things to the campus.
We wanted it all packed up before the football game on Friday night.
This is what Zach did during the football game.
Even though we won big, he didn’t get any playing time… MONDAY is the first JV game!
Early Saturday morning, James & I, Alex & Andrea (Tim’s mom) headed out for campus. (Tim went a week before for cross country camp)
The Dorm:
We were met in the parking lot by a swarm of upper classmen who carried all of the boy’s items to their 2nd floor room…
These were hanging outside their room.
Tim & a pretty empty room awaited us…
We had carpet to lay so they lined all their belongings down the hall…
Wonder how long that power-aid will last them!?
Laying the carpet…
Figuring out that none of them were engineering majors, as they try to figure out how to arrange the furniture!
One of their highly intelligent mothers (ahem) came up with the idea that finally worked! (not my idea to put that desk there!!
Furniture arranged, It’s time to bring in the “stuff”
But, maybe we need a break first…
Unpacking it all…
Alex’s sisters “helping”
Done!!! Trying out their lofts…
And their desks…
The room is all done…
Time to relax before the family picnic… (all the rest of the family arrives)
Checking out James’ loft…
Tim’s mom, Andrea, relaxing…
A Bethel cheerleader?
Playing with my camera (aka, why my battery died before the end of the day) 
Walking around campus…
This is what the fountain says… The college motto…
The back of their dorm… Sand Volleyball courts…
Their room is the 2nd floor on the end close to us in this photo…
The view from their room… it's hard to see, but there is a bridge & a waterfall in those rocks… beautiful…
Family picnic time…
525 incoming freshmen & their families…
Sitting around eating…(making me a face with bbq all over his teeth!!)
Waiting for the next event…(& my battery dies)
After the picnic they called the students to go into their blocks. 12 different small group blocks that will be spending lots of time together in the coming semester.
And the families went into the auditorium, where they made us cry. Talking about our students & encouraging us in the coming days with how to encourage them.
Then we went back out and met with the other families who were in our student’s block & met the teachers that will be teaching the 2 classes the block has together.
The teacher’s gave us all (and our students before us) a marble. We were to hold the marble and the marble stood for us & our hands stood for God. They wanted us to keep it with us to remind us to pray for our student.
Then we went back out side and the students all were in their blocks standing around the reflection pond…
We stood with our students while we recited a pledge that they passed out to us. “A Declaration of our Commitments”
Then we sang a song…
Take My Life, and Let it Be
Take my life & let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love,
At the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee;
Take my voice and let me sing
Always, only for my king,
Always, only for my king.
Take my love, my God, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee,
Ever, only, all for Thee.
And, then I started to cry.
One of those cries where you feel like the dam is going to burst & things are going to get ugly felt like it was coming on… I was trying to hold it in…
The song ended, whew.
And then they said, “now parents put your hand on your student, and I am going to pray with you”
I did, James dad (yes, he showed up), and my parents all did.
They began to pray, and my peace flooded back in… I no longer felt like I was going to lose control & bawl. It was amazing. It was an amazing prayer.
When the prayer ended, they said, “you have 5 minutes to say goodbye & students you are report to the auditorium in 10 minutes”
We all hugged & I cried a little more.
We walked back to our vehicle.
The other 5 kids started arguing about who was sitting where.
Dad found James’ ipod in his vehicle & I had to call security to let me back into the building so I could slide it under the door…
Life moves forward…
Pam
