Sunday - May 31, 2009

Kasey and I enjoyed a "date-night" last night while the boys had a blast at Grandma and Grandpa's. Kasey bought tickets to the Keith Urban concert in Huntsville. We met some friends of ours there and had a blast. The concert was amazing.

Hunter and Chase did not even miss us. I went to pick them up this morning before church and of course they were not ready to leave.

We have had a great morning - went to Bible classes and worship services with our Church family at Holland's Gin. We are studying about "The Exodus" period of Bible history. Today we finished up the lesson about the Tabernacle. As we have been studying about Moses and the Israelites on their journey toward the Promised Land of Canaan, I can't help but wonder why the Israelites had such little faith in God. They witnessed the amazing miraculous power of God when He helped them escape from Egypt. He provided food and water for them in the wilderness. They even heard His own voice at Mount Sinai. How could they have done such a horrible thing when they begged Aaron to build them something to worship while Moses was on the mountain? I know they did not realize when Moses was coming down from that mountain or if he would ever come down. But, how could they turn their backs on God after all of the things He had done for them? Even after this, when Moses begged God to forgive them, He did.

Today, we are not priveleged to hear God's voice, see manna "rain" from heaven or strike a rock and see water gush forth. Thankfully, though, we do have the Bible to tell us of the wonderful and exciting history of our spiritual ancestors. We can still see the amazing power of God just by looking around at the blessings He has given us. When we begin to complain over the things we wish we had or the things we wish we could do, we need to be thankful for what He has already given us. We don't need to complain about the things we don't have. We don't need to be like the Israelites. I struggle with this at times and I have to remind myself to be more thankful for what God has blessed me with. He has blessed me with a very loving family and great friends.

He has also blessed me with the ability to share in the teaching of the little ones at church. I love being in class with those little ones and seeing their eyes light up when they hear the stories of the Bible being taught to them. They seem so eager to learn. I only wish I were more like them. I study, but I know I don't seek knowledge as eagerly as they do. I want to be more like them. They think I am the one doing the teaching, but in reality I am learning a lot from them.

Feeling very blessed and thankful today and hope you feel the same!
Love you all,
Kimberly

Go see the movie - UP! It is great!

We took the boys to see the new Disney Movie - Up! It was great. Hunter and Chase laughed all the way through the movie. Even if you don't have children, I highly recommend you see this movie. It is so cute!

Boys will be boys!

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The photos in this slideshow are of the boys and their cousins just having fun together. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Fun on the "slip-n-slide" - May 2009

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Aunt Kelly came to our house yesterday to watch the boys so I could go to do some yard work at Dad and Chris' house. She brought a slip-n-slide with her to keep them entertained. They had a blast. Hunter and Brock both took a good long nap after their fun in the sun! Thanks, Aunt Kelly! My boys thinks she's the greatest!

Fiddler Crabs Chase Adopted from Science Class

These are the creepy little fiddler crabs that Chase adopted from Science class to keep them from being "disposed of" over the summer break. They look like giant spiders to me and I am terrified of spiders! We already have had to change out their sand and water. Trying to get them in and out of that little box with a net was a sight. They did not want to let go of the net and Chase and I both were afraid to touch them. Ugh! I dread the next time their little home needs a good cleaning!

Cartoon written by Chase for Corbin Roth's Comic Blog - May 27, 2009

Corbin Roth started a comic blog that he and his friends can contribute to for fun. This is the one Chase submitted this week to Corbin's Comic Blog. The name of it is Froggle & Boggle. Click on the picture and you can read it better. We scanned his drawings and then inserted them into a PowerPoint slide. Then we added lines and text. The text is still kind of small. But, if you click on it, you may can see it larger. It turned out cute!

New Picture of Josie - taken by Chase on May 27, 2009

The Sleeping Men on Memorial Day - 2009

I could not resist snapping this picture when Uncle Mark, Kasey and Grandpa all decided to rest their eyes at the same time. We enjoyed a great meal at Kelly and Mark's house for Memorial Day. I guess after they had their bellies full, they decided to take a little nap. Ha! Ha!

Grandma Chris with Hunter and Brock - Memorial Day 2009

School is out for the summer!

School is officially out for the summer! Yeah! Hunter and Chase are having fun spending all day together. But, there are moments when I have had to separate them already. These boys begin having their brotherly spats after a little while together. But, I maintain the job of peacemaker and we do the best we can. The creepy little fiddler crabs that Chase adopted from Science class are still living so far. We will see how long that lasts. I will have to post a picture of them soon. We are looking forward to Cub Scout Day Camp next week. I have spent most of the morning trying to compile a carpooling list for everyone. I really hope I have not messed any of that up. We have fourteen children to organize rides for. I just hope they all get to Day Camp safely and the lovely ladies that have so graciously volunteered to drive don't lose their minds on the way. They may need to invest in some ear plugs for next week. Ha! I'll keep you all posted!

ABS Awards Day - May 2009

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Chase, my nephew Dalton, and my niece Maddie all received awards today for maintaining an overall "A" average for the whole school year. Dalton also received a Bible award from his Fifth Grade Bible teacher. We are proud of them for their hard work.

Hunter in his new Thomas air mattress/sleeping bag - May 2009

Grandma found this little Thomas the Tank Engine air mattress / sleeping on sale at J. C. Penney last week and just had to buy it for Hunter. We put air in it at bedtime and he fell asleep about five minutes after zipping up the sleeping bag. He looks so sweet!

Our Little Fireman - May 2009

Hunter loves to dress up like a fireman. In this picture, he had just rescued his little "pet puppy". I had to snap his picture. It was just too cute for anyone else to miss! Ha! Ha!

Field Trip to Oakville Indian Mounds - May 14, 2009

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There are only five pictures in this slideshow because the battery in my camera died. Chase's fourth grade class took a little trip to the Oakville Indian Mounds/Museum near Moulton on May 14, 2009. They had a lot of fun. They got to ride in a canoe and see all kinds of Indian exhibits. They also got to see a live musical and dance performance by the Indians. They had a lot of fun.

New Flowers in the Yard - Spring 2009

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I love working in our yard. It is so relaxing and peaceful to me and I just love watching the flowers bloom. I would rather be on my lawn mower, or weeding the flower bed than going on a shopping spree or going to a "spa" any day of the week. I know that sounds crazy, but I guess I get my love of flowers from my "Mama Neanie." I wish I would have thought to take these photos before the encore azaleas blooms were gone. They will bloom again in the Fall, so I will have to try to take a picture of them then. My garden is not extravagant. I can't afford much. But, it is good enough for me. I am not sure how many holes I have actually dug to plant everything. It was a lot of hard work, but I love doing it. I have yet to tackle my back yard. The only thing blooming back there is my sweet little Clematis Vine. I also have three trees in the back yard, but I would love to have more back there someday. Since I don't have a huge landscaping budget, I just have to do a little at a time. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet - May 9, 2009

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ABS Pack 25 celebrated the past scouting year with the annual Blue and Gold Banquet on May 9, 2009. The Banquet was held at the Athens Bible School Cafeteria. "Scouting the Great Outdoors" was the theme of our banquet this year. We enjoyed some great food and entertainment during the evening. Eric Roth, our Cub Master, prepared a great slideshow of this past year's scouting events. Our scouts also entertained us by performing amusing skits. We had a Father/Son Cake Decorating Contest - Bill and Nicholas Ulrich had the winning cake. Their cake featured campers sleeping in sleeping bags next to a campfire. Check out the picture of this winning cake in the slideshow above. The other participants did a great job, too. Chase and Kasey made a camping themed cake with tents, a campfire, trees, and a stream with fish. Caleb Boyd from our den also made a very yummy dessert. All of those desserts were gobbled up quickly. We did not have very many left-overs. We have had a great scouting year and look forward to the summer activities and the activities that are planned for next year!

A Day at the Cemetery - April 2009

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Kelly, Shelly, and I went down to Cullman to watch "Memorials of Grace" set up Neanie and Papa's headstone. It was a beautiful day! We also laid down some sod and set some flowers out. It was like going down memory lane looking at the headstones of our other loved ones in that same cemetery. They are buried next door to the church building at Chances Cross Roads Church of Christ. We sure do have some great memories growing up down there.

Fourth Grade Field Trip - April 2009

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Chase's Fourth Grade Class spent the day at Ivy Green (birthplace of Helen Keller), Big Springs Park, and the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. They recorded a video of their whole class singing "Lean on Me". They had a great time.

Hunter's 4th Birthday - April 3, 2009

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Hunter enjoyed a small Birthday celebration with family. Even though we did not give him a huge party with all of his friends, he still had a great time. He even got two cakes. Big Brother made one and our friend Lisa Wulfekuhl made the other. He had a great birthday!

Another Day Out with Thomas the Tank Engine - March 2009

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Thomas the Tank Engine visited the Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum in Calera, AL and we just had to go see him. Kelly's family joined us in this adventure, too. This was Brock's first time to meet the famous engine. The big brothers had to tag along, too (even though they have outgrown Thomas the Tank Engine). But they enjoyed seeing their little brothers have so much fun! They got to ride on Thomas, enjoy story-telling time, play a little golf, meet Sir Topham Hat, get tattoos and balloons, enjoy some music and of course play with trains. They had a great day!

Arrowhead District Pinewood Derbry - March 14, 2009

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Out of 63 cars racing at the Arrowhead District Pinewood Derby on March 14, 2009, Chase Harbin took home a trophy for "2nd Place". His average speed for the day was 215.5 MPH. Great job, Chase!

Trip to the Lost Sea - February 2009

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The Cub Scouts from ABS Pack 25 and their families participated in an overnight campout in a cave at The Lost Sea in Sweetwater, Tennesse on February 27, 2009. The Lost Sea is the largest underground lake. The Lost Sea is part of the historic cave system called Craighead Caverns. The boys got to "crawl" through various parts of the cave and tour the beautiful trails throughout the caverns. We got to see beautiful formations and interesting exhibits on our tour. After a night of "spelunking" all of us settled in our sleeping bags at the campsite within the cave. However, we did not get very much sleep for all of the snoring "bears" in the cave. But, we had a great time.

ABS Elementary Musical - February 2009

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Mrs. Sexton (music teacher at ABS) organized this year's elementary musical with the theme of "Travel Through Time". The musical began with 6th grade music students entering a time machine to travel back in time to listen to the music performed in the 1940's. But, somehow, their calculations were off and they made several wrong stops along the way. They visited different eras in time before reaching their final destination of the 40's era. Dalton's fifth grade class represented the Civil War era. Chase's fourth grade class represented the 40's era. Chase played the part of the Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy. He had a lot of fun and all of the children did a great job. Chase was a great Bugle Boy!

ABS Pinewood Derby - January 2009

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This slideshow contains pictures from the ABS Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. Fathers and Sons worked together to build a pinewood derby race car. Each scout had to come up with a design and a name for their car. The cars were timed as they came down the track during several heats. The cars with the fastest time took top honors. There was also a "Best in Show" competition. We were really proud of all of the boys that participated today for displaying such good sportsmanship. They set a good example for ABS Pack 25. Chase's car was the winner of the race. (2nd place: Austin Britnell, 3rd place: Sammy Sandlin, Best in Show: Caleb Boyd)

Miscellaneous Scout Photos 2008-2009 School Year

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To view this slideshow you will have to click on the "next" button to view each slide. This slideshow contains various pictures from Chase's Webelos year that did not fit in with the other scouting events in the other scout slideshows. Enjoy!

Christmas Season - 2008

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We hope you enjoy looking at this Christmas Season Slideshow. The boys got to ride on the Cub Scout Parade Float in the Athens Christmas Parade. You will see some pictures of the boys enjoying some time at Grandma and Grandpa's house and opening their gifts at home. Enjoy the show!

Talladega Scout Encampment - November 2008

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To view this photobook, you will have to click on the arrows on each page. This was the first overnight scout trip that Hunter was able to attend. He was so excited about getting to spend the night in the tent. The temperatures outside dropped below freezing and we thought we were going to freeze to death. But the boys did not care. They were having too much fun. Chase earned a "polar bear patch" since he camped out in such cold weather. We had a fun-filled day at the race track visiting different exhibits, throwing tomohawks, riding pedal cars, playing putt-putt-golf, and other fun stuff. The only negative thing that happened all day was standing in line for two hours for lunch. Next time we will pack a lunch. We learned our lesson the hard way. We are still learning what we need to do to prepare ourselves for these campouts. Kasey works on Saturdays so the camping stuff is left up to Mom. She will eventually get the hang of it.

Halloween - 2008

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We hope you enjoy the Halloween pictures of the boys. They sure had a lot of fun going to the houses of friends and family.

Cub Scouts Earn their Handyman Badge at McClary Tire, Co.

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To view this Photobook you will have to click on the arrows on each page. Kasey allowed the scouts from Chase's den to work on their Handyman Activity Badge requirements at McClary Tire Co. in Athens, AL on October 20, 2008. Kasey along with the help of some of the other Dads (Tim Richter, Tim Sandlin, Scott Britnell, Gary Boyd, Lance Perry and Mike McCoy) showed the boys how to check the oil in a car, check the tire pressure in a tire, replace a light bulb in the tail light of a car, change a tire, oil a bicycle chain, and adjust handle bars and seats on a bicycle. The boys had a great time at the tire store. Kasey let them finish off the meeting with a free drink from the coke machine and he let them all take a tire pressure gauge home with them.