Lub....

No Lub is not an abbreviation for the Hub city, it is Snuggle Bug's way to say love.

Most mommies have to start the "I love you" banter. You, know... you pick them up, give your little someone a big hug, whisper "I love you" and hope that you can catch the last few snippets of their response before they leap from you arms and rush back to what ever they were doing.

NOT so with Snuggle Bug. She initiates saying "I lub you" more than I remember the other girls doing. When I pick her up (at her request) she throws her arms around my neck and says, "I lub you mommy." If that doesn't melt your heart, I don't know what will!!

The down side to this cute lovableness, is when she is in trouble.....

Last night, on our way home from Petersburg, Kent had baned all talking in the car. This is something that he does often when it is past the girls normal bedtime. Somehow the silence calms their excitement, and sometimes (depending on the length of the drive) it puts them to sleep.

This was not the case on the way home last night......

I am sitting and enjoying a bottle of water (and the silence) when all of a sudden there is a sharp whistle from the back seat. Thinking it was an accident, I continue to enjoy my bottle of water. Again, another sharp whistle from the back seat. So I turn to silence the noise maker.

As soon as I turn around, Snuggle Bug very quickly informs me that she is thirsty. I cracked up! This may be one of those "you had to be there" stories, but even now it makes me laugh.

Knowing that she was baned from talking, and yet knowing that she HAD to have some of my water, she made the only other sound she could. A whistle!

Whistling is a talent that most 3 yr olds, that I know at least, can't do. AND one that she worked VERY hard at until she had mastered it. (and we were all super glad when she did, cause before she could whistle she would run around shreeching at the top of her lungs thinking she was whistling, yes we were extremely glad when she made the switch!)

There was nothing else I could do, except laugh and pass my water bottle back. Kent didn't think it was as funny, something about obedience....... you can see now how it is hard when Snuggle Bug is in trouble!!

PTL Story #1

OK I want to be faithful to share all the cool things that happens as we continue on this journey.

One of the biggest praises that we have so far is that our airfare will be significantly cheaper than we thought!!!! We were budgeting around $12,000 to get us all to Uganda. Yes, $12,000. You would be surprised at what it costs to fly a family of six half way around the world. HOWEVER, in talking with our travel agent, who has helped us purchase our tickets the last few times we have visited, she heard that we were MOVING there and WHY we were moving there, and she connected us to an agent that specializes in missionary airfare. (i think that could qualify as a run-on sentence)

Our new estimated budget for airfare is closer to $4500. Yes I said $4,500...... total! Plus we get and extra bag for each person as well. So we can take 18 bags instead of just 12. Only, I don't think that we have enough stuff to fit in to 18 suitcases.

So yea GOD!!!! He is not only increasing what has been given, but he is decreasing what is needed as well!! Continue LORD!!

ONE TIME SUPPORT-o-METER

So to help keep every one up on the progress of our one time needs I put up my brother put this cool thermometer on our blog! (Thanks Dave!!) Our one time expenses are what we need before we can actually leave for UGANDA!

Please be praying with us while we wait for God to open the storehouse! Keep checking back to read some of the cool testimonies that I know we will have to share as the progress continues!

People have asked for the address so here it is:

If you want to help..... Mail a check to:

AMI

505 N. 20th st.

Waco, TX 76706

Just add a note with our names, but don't put our names on the check.

THE Pumpkin Pictures!!

Here are the much anticipated pumpkin pictures!! ENJOY! They will probably be the last you will see of my girls for a while!

Embarrassed

I am really embarrassed!

I worked really hard on our latest news letter... picked out the perfect pictures, adjusted them to just the right size, sent the test letter, didn't check it, proceeded to send out 159 letters only to discover that the pictures were HORRIBLY WARPED in the sending process.

I'm not sure how it all works, but somehow our beautiful family picture taken in the Sunflower field was streched WAY to thin. So here for you viewing pleasure is the picture in it's correct form:

Randomness.

We are on the tail end of a whirl-wind traveling extravaganza! We have been in Lubbock, Waco, Gulf Shores - AL, Canun - Mexico, back to Lubbock were we currently are residing. On Sunday, however, we will return to the big city of Waco, for a few weeks of R&R or at least less traveling!

Once I get the back to Waco and have access to my memory card reader, I will post pictures of all our adventures! My most recent and exciting photo session was of the girls in the pumpkin patch. It was a bitter sweet moment for me. Hubby and I sold pumpkins for NINE years. I have more pictures of my kids in orange than any thing else. So after not selling pumpkins for the past two years, I was really excited to add to my photo collection. I was especially excited about snapping a few pics of Snuggle Bug, since she was only two months old the last time we had the chance to capture pumpkin memories. That was the sweet part.

The bitter part .... well it was a harsh reminder that we are about to embark on an adventure that will keep us away from friends, loved ones and all things as we know it for at least three years. Don't get me wrong I am ready, and excited to experience all that God has for us in Uganda. but there is always that tiny part of you that knows you are going to miss home.

All this traveling and moving around, as hard as it has been, has been beneficial in some ways.
1. We have gotten rid of TONS of stuff!
2. It has increased my desire to settle down, even if it is in Africa.
3. It has helped decrease my attachment to friends, and increase my attachment to Jesus!

Matthew 10:36-38 (New International Version)
37"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.