Wow, what a week-end!! Bible study Thurs morning was awesome. I can't believe how relevant the Old Testament is!! What a history we have of God's faithfulness. What makes it so wonderful is the way they all really messed up, made a lot of really bad choices, but God still gives them grace. It is comforting because I know how much I have messed up in my life. Still am making a few messes here and there, but I have learned a lot in the last 10-12 years about what God wants from me. When I compare myself to other Christians, I am a miserable failure. However, when I compare myself to my former self, I am definitely wearing the blood of the lamb. I am not where God wants me to be yet, but I am very much improved. Really that is all we can hope for, to keep improving with age and wisdom.

Thursday night I had a show and my sister was at it. It was good to see her, our paths don't cross as much as I would like. She did heckle me all night though, I am doomed to be the little sister of three my whole life!! It will be a lot more fun when I am 65 and they are all really old!!

Friday we were able to get finished with school and go to Paducah Athletic Club for our PE. It was wonderful since we had not been in about 3 weeks because the girls kept fighting and losing the privilege of going. I get to sit in the hot tub and relax for a little while while they play in the pool. Win-win! Kayla's friend Meghan spent the night with us after PAC and she was so much fun. We all enjoyed having her. She, like Kayla, is very intelligent and imaginative. They were able to play all sorts of fun pretend games. They had a harder time focusing on Monopoly Jr though...When you can travel the world and be anything you want, it is hard to be a car traveling around a board!! I continue to be amazed at just how different my children are. I really do enjoy each little personality and I need to do better making sure they know that.

Saturday we went to Mathis Orchard in Mayfield and that was great fun. They have the best apples!! They were out of my favorites, Jonathan, so I had to settle for Romes! Then we hit a great yard sale on the way home and then it was off to Memaw and Pepaws because I had Girl Scout training. I swear it was the prettiest day in the whole world and I had to sit in a meeting!! I hate that side of Girl Scouts. As my co-leader said, it isn't as though they have so many volunteers that they have to weed them out somehow!! We don't leave any smarter either. Usually we just all discuss the girls and our meetings. They tell you a lot of stuff you figured out the first couple of meetings about chatty, giggly girls and how to maintain order while letting them learn how to conduct a meeting.

Saturday night was the barn party!! Audie had a great night planned for our homeschool group. It was awesome. Our family had such fun night!! She has lots of space and animals, which is what we love most so it was great. I have learned that homeschoolers are not very god chili makers!! I tried twice and had really bad chili both times. I ate a lg cup of potato salad and a hot dog instead. Erik ate all my leftovers. One of the things I love about him!! He will always eat the food I don't want. I was brought up to be a plate cleaner and it is really hard for me to waste food. It is ok though if he cleans the plate!! I do not, however require my children to be plate cleaners!! We do talk about small portions and not wasting food though.

Finally, Sunday was a great church service!! It was a very good sermon on being Godly parents. I love it when Terrell really preaches!! Sometimes he just discusses and I have discovered I do much better to be preached at!! After church, we came home for lunch and then headed to Southern Illinois to Bandy's pumpkin patch. It was so worth the drive!! We got to go in the Little Egypt maze, eat pumpkin fudge and go on a hayride. We also let Lilly go through the play barn which was a couple of smaller kid size mazes and a corn bath. That is a great big trouph(sp?) of loose corn. As we were burying her in it, we found a beautiful diamond wedding ring. It looked very expensive!! We took it to the office and turned it in. I am just worried that whoever lost it won't know where they lost it!! The moral to the story, don't play in the corn bath when your rings are loose!!! OR, gain a little weight so all your rings are snug and you don't lose them!!!!

School is going so much better. We just had to find the balance between independent and Mom instructed study. I think we are getting a better system down. My mom wanted to pay the girls for all their A's. I just laughed. Of course they have all A's. We don't move on until they really get it, really know whatever material we are covering so of course it means they have all A's. We declined the "A money".