'07-'08 School year comes to an end!

I spent several hours sitting at the computer on Saturday morning. Bud had been after me to upload the numerous photos I had stored on our camera. It was a tedious, time-consuming project since I made the extra effort to properly name each photo (using the system my Prince Charming had created) and to touch up the photos to eliminate red eye, shadows, etc. It was fun to relive the many events that occurred over the course of this school year.

This is the last week of school for Burrito and Kat. The ending to many firsts. Burrito is finishing his freshman year of high school. Finals and all. Kat is finishing her first year of junior high. No finals this year. They have planned a party together at our house on Friday evening with approximately thirty of their closest friends and I'm sure this will provide for many more photo opportunities.

Here's the year in review - one full year condensed to five minutes.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Remember

Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.

Traditional observance of Memorial day has diminished over the years. Many Americans nowadays have forgotten the meaning and traditions of Memorial Day. At many cemeteries, the graves of the fallen are increasingly ignored, neglected. Most people no longer remember the proper flag etiquette for the day. While there are towns and cities that still hold Memorial Day parades, many have not held a parade in decades. Some people think the day is for honoring any and all dead, and not just those fallen in service to our country.

To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the "National Moment of Remembrance" resolution was passed on Dec 2000 which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans "To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps."

(Information from http://www.usmemorialday.org/)

MARIA SUE CHAPMAN, DAUGHTER OF STEVEN CURTIS CHAPMAN, DIES IN ACCIDENT AT FAMILY HOME

From his official website:

NASHVILLE, TN...5/21/08... At approximately 5pm on the afternoon of Wednesday May 21st, Maria Sue Chapman, 5 years old and the youngest daughter to Steven and Mary Beth Chapman was struck in the driveway of the Chapman home in Franklin, TN. Maria was rushed to Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital in Nashville, transported by LifeFlight, but died of her injuries there. Maria is one of the close knit family’s six children and one of their three adopted daughters.

(Note: One of the Chapman's sons was the driver of the vehicle that struck Maria Sue. Please, please keep this young man in your prayers!)

More than five years ago, Chapman and his wife MaryBeth founded The Shaohannah’s Hope Ministry after bringing their first adopted daughter, Shaohannah, home from China. The ministry’s goal is to help families reduce the financial barrier of adoption, and has provided grants to over 1700 families wishing to adopt orphans from around the world. Chapman is a five-time GRAMMY ® winner and 54-time Dove Award winning artist who has sold over 10 million albums and garnered 44 No. 1 singles.

The Chapman family is so grateful for the incredible outpouring of love and support at this difficult time.

If you’d like to meet Maria and express your condolences click here
By mail, send to PO Box 150156 Nashville, TN 37215.
In lieu of flowers, the Chapmans request any gifts be directed to Shaohannah’s Hope.

Mama Bear

A quick search on the internet revealed several sites that describe the qualities of mama bears. They all had a common theme.

• Mother bears will not leave their cubs. They are fiercely protective. She will hide her cubs nearby (to keep them safe) while she hunts or fishes. She will put them in a place where they are still nearby, but where other animals are not likely to notice the cubs. If a mother bear feels that her cubs are in danger, she will fight to the death to protect them.
• Mother bears are fiercely protective and extremely devoted, attentive, sensitive and affectionate with their young cubs.
• The mother will fiercely protect her cubs from any perceived danger.
• Mother bears are fiercely protective of their young.
• You especially don't want to get between a mother bear and a cub. A mother bear with cubs will be fiercely protective.

Fiercely protective. Sound familiar? Are you a mama bear? I am.

My kiddos can vouch for this. They say they can see the transformation begin in my eyes. Then it moves to my jaws. The clinching begins. The timbre of my voice drops and sharpens as the volume slightly rises. Sometimes more than slightly. Push me beyond this stage and you’re likely to see the claws, snarling teeth and flying fur appear.

It doesn’t have to be a life or death situation to bring about these protective instincts. And, it doesn’t matter the age of your child. I’m certain that my parents still feel the mama bear tendencies arise when they believe my sister or I have been wronged.

Wronged. Aggrieved. Mistreated. Persecuted. Maltreated. Victimized. Offended. Ill-treated. Injured. Harmed. (I have a great thesaurus. Let me know if you need more words.)

The dilemma in these situations, I’ve discovered, is finding the discernment to know when to unleash the mama bear. Or, when to take a deep, cleansing breath, step aside and let my cubs fight their own battle. Especially as my kiddos are getting older.

How am I doing with this dilemma? Well, it’s a day-to-day process. Some days I get it right. Some days I don’t. My prayer, though, is that my kiddos will know that whether I jump into the fray in their behalf or step aside and allow the battle and its outcome to be theirs, Mama Bear is there. Praying for guidance and protection from the One who loves them even more than I ever could.

And then I return to our family verse:

"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. " (Jeremiah 29:11-13 NLT)

IT

We took the boat out on the lake this past Saturday for the first time this season. Bud and Kat were on the water early to do some fishing. Burrito and I got to sleep in ‘til a little later. (An early Mother’s Day gift!) We packed a picnic lunch and met them around 11 AM at the dock where we exchanged fishing gear for the picnic lunch and tube.

You wouldn’t know it by the pictures, but the water is still hovering around 70 degrees. That’s a “come up screaming” temperature! But, we hit a record-breaking 98-degrees on Saturday here in central Texas so, after the initial shock, the water felt really good. We spent the day alternating between pulling the kiddos on the tube and finding little coves to float around in whenever we needed a rest.

We also made a “drive by” of one of our favorite spots, The Oasis. This restaurant is perched on one of the cliffs overlooking the lake and boasts the best views. It’s hard to see in the picture, but most of the restaurant is outdoor seating on decks that line the side of the cliff.

The Oasis is called the “Sunset Capital of Texas” because it is perfectly situated facing west to capture the sun as it sets over the lake and the hill country beyond. It’s one of those places where the sun visibly “drops” into the horizon each night. A dinner guest is selected each evening to help the dinner crowd count down the descent (think of the ball dropping in Time Square on New Year’s Eve!) and then ring a giant bell when the last sliver of the orange ball disappears. This was one of the places Jim, our realtor, took us to when we were here for our house hunting trip a little more than five years ago. It’s one of those must-see places we’re compelled to take out-of-towners who visit us.

In 2005, The Oasis was struck by lightening and most of the decking was burned. As you can imagine, all that wood made great kindling for the fire! Most of the restaurant’s outdoor dining area was closed while the owners rebuilt all of the decking. The old decking had been added onto numerous times over the years – decks staggered here and there as needed to accommodate the ever-increasing number of guests. That was part of the charm. It’s since been reopened and is all shiny and new. Almost too perfect. But, it’s still the best place to watch the sunset in Texas!

The kids would swim and tube until they were exhausted. Getting back on the tube is no easy feat in the water!

“Hold it, Kat! I think I can get on!”

"Almost there…"

Nope.

We anchored in a cove at one point to let the kids float and rest. As a matter of safety, we always have one person remain in the boat, even when anchored. Bud was just about to jump into the water with the kids when I noticed something very strange beside the kids on the tube. Air bubbles. Lots of bubbles. I stopped Bud from jumping in and made him take a look. He offered several explanations including disturbed vegetation from dropping the anchor. An underwater pipe for run-off water. An underground spring. The spring theory was Bud's favored explanation. The bubbling continued. Then, the bubbles began to increase. The kiddos had now noticed the boiling water beside them and they weren’t too happy to be hanging out in the water like live bait. We quickly pulled the kids into the boat and continued to watch. My Prince Charming even suggested at one point that I get the camera ready as we might be about to get some pictures that we could sell to one of those tabloids you see in the checkout line of the grocery store.

Suddenly, the boiling bubbles began to move. (The last time I checked, springs don’t move.) Bud decided it would be the appropriate time to pull the anchor… and follow IT. While he was pulling the anchor, Kat and I saw something. What was IT? IT was big and just a few feet under the surface of the water. The bubbling water moved right. Then left. Bud cranked the motor and followed a few feet behind while IT almost made a complete circle then headed toward the rocky cliff that lined the cove. We had IT cornered now! The water really began to boil.

Camera was ready… Turned on… Lens cap removed... In focus…

And then IT surfaced!
I screamed and sank into my seat. (Because I’m always calm in situations like that!) Kat screamed. Burrito was dazed. I could see the “fight or flight” decision process taking place in Bud’s muscles.

IT casually waved and yelled “Sorry!” across the water to us. Then slipped under the surface of the water again and disappeared.

We don’t know where IT came from. There weren’t any other boats in the area. There were no dive flags floating anywhere. There were no homes at the top of the shear cliff surrounding the cove.

Later that night in the safety of our own home, it occurred to us that we could have killed IT. Props on boats can certainly maim and kill. Not to mention the twenty-pound anchor we dropped.

The excitement just never ceases around here. So, how was your Mother’s Day weekend?

P.S. – The photo of IT? I found it on Yahoo images. I didn’t take any pictures of IT. During my intense assessment of the situation (panic), I forgot to press the shutter button.

Happy Mother's Day!

Kristen over at We Are THAT Family challenged everyone to try to describe our mother in one word. Hey, I can hardly say “hello” with one word so this is truly a challenge for me. Here’s my best attempt for the three moms in my life.

This photo is of me, my mom (a.k.a. “The Queen Mum”) and my sister. It was made two summers ago when we all vacationed together at the coast. We had so much fun!

One word: Faithful. (Oh, my – it’s so tempting to tell you all the reasons which make that one word true!)

I’m going to do a word for my sister, too, because she happens to be one of the best moms I know. Again, it will be hard to resist the temptation to choose more than one word or to give a lengthy explanation.

One word: Dedicated.

This is my mom-in-law with Bud at the beach house last summer. She’s coming along with us again this year and we can hardly wait to see her! (So is my favorite sixteen-year-old Nephew, but that’s another story!)

One word: Sensitive. (And, I bet she’d agree if you could ask her!)

Happy Mother’s Day! I love you!

P.S. - Can you do it? Describe your mother in ONE word??

Some days I just can't accomplish anything.

Maybe it's his purr.
Could be that cute pink nose and long whiskers.

Might be the eyes.
This is Max.
He's mine. Or, maybe I'm his.