Prayers needed!!

My friend Ron Stowe needs your prayers! Ron & I were Youth Ministers in SoCal but he has Acute Respitory Distress Syndrome resulting from the Swine Flu and is on life support in Scott & White Hospital in Temple, Texas. Pray for his wife Lauren, and kids Ali (21), Aaron (16), Victoria (15) & Nathan (11). Will you pray with me? Ben

I really meant to post this picture with the others. Dr. Brown has his Mighty Men completely under control! (Really, they are playing the knot game.)

Our Mighty Men are off to Uganda!

We'll miss you, but can't wait to hear about your adventures! We love you!





I know Dad will be an asset to the team. He can do just about anything!














Praying for little ones while their daddy's away....




but he's prepared those Mighty Men for anything, so they'll be just fine!

Spring break fun...the mudslide

The water was too cold to swim, but the kids got creative and found a good use for the dirt pile. A few clothes from the "lost and found", a few buckets of water... Aren't they darling?

Picnic in the park

Today around lunch time, Lena came to me and said, "Let's have a picnic", so we made a picnic lunch of PB&J sandwiches and baby carrots (Lena requested the carrots) and grabbed a sprite and dr. pepper, and headed to the park. We ate our food, and then Lena went off to play at the playground. After a short play time, it was really hot, so Lena sat in the shade in the rocks with another little girl. The little girl kept throwing rocks, and Lena tried it too (to which I reminded her that we don't throw rocks). The little girl kept throwing rocks over and over, and I was really proud of Lena because she didn't follow and did not throw rocks. They were having a conversation with each other, but I only heard what Lena said. Here is what some of the things I heard Lena say:

"Hey, don't throw rocks."
"Hey, you hit me." (She didn't do anything back to the little girl)
"Mommy, she keeps throwing rocks."
"Why do you throw rocks?"

I was really proud of Lena for taking a stand on what's right and showing the little girl how to behave.

Lena and Lady

I just thought this was a cute picture. Lena doesn't always cooperate for pictures for me, but you put a puppy in her arms, and she is more than happy to have her picture taken. This was at the lake after Hutton's graduation.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNIE!!

This is our newest 12 year old. Annie is amazing. She climbs trees, and encourages her friends, and plays volleyball, and loves on little kids, and cooks and cleans and organizes and speaks Portuguese (a little anyway) and swims with alligators and gives great hugs. Best of all, she loves Jesus. You will never meet a sweeter 12 year old young lady than this. She blesses everyone who knows her and we couldn't be prouder to have her as our granddaughter. Happy Birthday, Annie. We love you more than you can imagine, grandma and grandpa