First Day Of School

How long does the excitement for a brand new school year last? How long will my kids pop out of bed and be eager to face the day? How long will Abby wish she had homework? How long 'till they start complaining about bedtime? When will it no longer be fun to lay out clothes the night before?

I don't know the answers to these questions, but I am enjoying it while I can!

We're Complete

The most exciting thing that happened this summer was that Ellie Grace decided to invite Jesus into her heart. We were thrilled. All of our kids have now come to a point where they understand (to the best of their capabilities) that Jesus died on the cross for their sins so that they can live forever in Heaven.

This past Sunday Ellie Grace was baptized. She was very excited. Daniel's parents even came in town to be a part of it. Our good friend and Minister of Music baptized her.

The baptistry at our church is up high above the choir loft area so that everyone can see. Behind the actual baptistry is a little landing where the family can come and stand with her without getting all wet. As we walked out to witness her baptism, Abby was so excited to be up so high in front of all those people that she gave her best royal wave to everyone. Of course, everyone was chuckling. Grandma tells us that she had a big grin to match the wave. Leave it to us to provide amusement during a baptism!!

We are so proud of Ellie Grace and were so blessed to have been a part of this day!!!

Meet The Teacher

Tonight was Meet the Teacher at the girls' school. I have to say, I think God was smiling on the Herrold family when He made teacher assignments. I am so pleased with all of them. They are all darling, sweet women who hopefully are good teachers too!!!

This year was so much different than last year. Last year we had been here only 1 week. We felt like aliens in this place. We walked into that school not knowing a soul, all of us a little nervous. Tonight we were veterans! We had friends. We knew our way around the school. We felt comfortable. It was a much better place to be!!!

Here are pictures with the girls and their teachers. They are excited for school to start! Wonder when the enthusiasm will wane???

Houstiversary!

This past week we celebrated our one year anniversary in the Houston area. I won't lie, it was quite an adjustment. But, as Big D and I were talking last night, we feel like we are really starting to get in the groove here.

Hitting the one year mark means no more "firsts"!! No first day at new school. No first doctors appt. No first holiday out of town. No first hurricane! We've experienced it all and we are prepared.

As the girls got their teacher letters in the mail I was reflecting on last year when we received the teacher assignments. It didn't mean a thing. We didn't know ANY teachers. We didn't even have a single friend to call and see if they were in our class. I love that my kids have friends now to call. I never thought I could love Commonwealth as much as I loved Darnaby, but I do!

So, in honor of our Houstiversary, I wanted to make a top ten list of things we love about Sugar Land. These are in no particular order!

1. The beauty- Sugar Land is absolutely beautiful. The zoning helps the aesthetics so much, but the green lush landscaping is wonderful to drive through on your way home.

2. The weather- Yes, it is VERY hot right now. But, I love it from October thru April. I love that you can eat lunch outside in December. It's great.

3. Fort Bend Fit- My running group. It took me a year to discover it, but I am so glad I have!

4. Our friends- I'm so blessed with the friendships I have made. Daniel and I have commented that our friendships are deeper here because we don't have family. When you have a car wreck and your hubby almost dies, you depend on friends!!! Love 'em!

5. Our country club- It's in our neighborhood. It's for the whole family. It's a gym, tennis and social club all rolled into one and we have helped keep them in business for the last year!

6. Our church- Again, I never thought I could find a replacement church, but we absolutely love Sugar Creek Baptist Church. Do you know we never even visited another church? We walked into Sugar Creek on our first Sunday here and they made us feel so welcome we never went anywhere else. This year, I am teaching Sunday School to fifth grade girls and Daniel is involved in missions!

7. Walking to school- We live super close to the school and Big D and I walk the girls each morning. It's great family time!!

8. Access to a big city- Sugar Land is small, but Houston is a hop skip and a jump. It's a 20 minute drive to get into the heart of Houston and I love that it as at our fingertips. Big cities can offer so much more! (shopping, restaurants, museums, etc.)

9. Time in car- When we set out to move everyone warned me how much time I would spend in traffic. I can't lie to you...I am hardly in my car. In fact, I was in my car more in Tulsa than I am now. It's great!! I am out here in Sugar Land in a little bubble and everything is in arm's reach.

10. Daniel's office- In two weeks Daniel's office will pack up and move to Sugar Land. Right now he has a 25 minute commute and soon it will be about 10 minutes. We can't wait. it will improve our quality of life so much!

Don't get me wrong, I miss Tulsa and I miss family, but life here is pretty good!

Camp Wrap-Up

I can't believe I haven't blogged about camp. Where have the days gone? The girls had a fabulous time at camp. I think Abby might have even had more fun than her big sister! She said she missed me at night in her bed when it was quiet (aaawww). Hannah came running to us when she saw us. Abby just waved! We took Ellie Grace with us. We wanted her to check it out to see if she had any interest in going next summer. The verdict: she's in! Believe it or not we are already enrolled in Kanakuk K-Kountry for next summer and our term is almost completely full. That should tell you what an awesome camp it is! I feel blessed to be able to be able to send our kids.

Here are some snapshots of us picking them up from camp.

Reunited with Dad after 2 weeks!

Hannah and her cabin mates.

Abby and her cabin. Abby made a friend named Kate. I think she's the girl in the blue shorts. I said, "Kate, you are very cute!" and she said, "I hear that all the time!" (She did not say it snobbily, just honestly...very cute!)

Hannah and her counselors. Hannah received the "faith on fire" award. Could a Mom be any more proud of an award?? This girl has a good head on her shoulders and a great walk with the Lord. She spent her own money on a devotional book that she will complete daily. She mails in a form with her parent's signature each month saying she completed that month and she will get a little prize. I hope she can keep it up!

Abby and her counselors. Abby received the "gentle in spirit" award. This is so perfectly fitting for Abby. She has such a sweet spirit and is very tenderhearted towards her friends.

What a great week, but glad to have my family back together again!!!

Do You See What I See?

Big D and I took the neglected labs on a walk tonight after dinner and look what we saw:c

Can you see it? Look closely. It's a whole family of deer. Our neighborhood has not been in existence too long. Before that it was just woods. We are invading their homes, but they are taking it in stride. They are so tame. Here we were with these big labs and they didn't even run from us. Just beautiful! Thank you God for letting us get a glimpse of your creation tonight!

Hi Ho! Hi Ho!

It's off to camp they go! Today was the drop-off at Kanakuk. It was the first year for either of my girls to go to Kanakuk. Hannah has been to New Life Ranch twice, but this was Abby's first year to "sleep away camp". They were so excited.

I know riding the bus is supposed to be the thing to do, but Big D wouldn't have any part of it. His main concern: How would Abby make her bed up all by herself? So, my Mom and I drove to camp today and helped get them settled.

What a camp! I am so thankful that we are able to provide them with this experience. It looks so fun. We both thought it looked just like The Parent Trap - I hope they don't find their twin sisters!!!

When we got there they immediately swooped them away and put them on stage and announced their presence. It was precious! "This is Hannah. Hannah, we have been waiting for you all summer. The counselors have been fighting over you, but you are going to this cabin!" Cheers everywhere.

"This is Abby. Abby we have been waiting on you all summer. On a scale of 1 to 2500 how excited are you?"

"Um, what's the scale again?" She was too cute!

We took them to their cabins and helped get them unpacked and got their beds made.

After a quick tour of the camp it was time to say goodbye. I am so thankful they have each other!!! I know they will have a wonderful time!

Swim Party

My sweet friend Trina invited some of our Darnaby friends over today with their Moms so we could see everyone. I appreciate it so much. Even with being here 2 weeks it is so hard to work in visits with family and friends. Time just flies by!

It was amazing how much some of the kids have grown this last year. They all looked so big and so grown up. They all had fun swimming with each other and we Moms had a great time catching up on each other's lives!

Thanks Trina for a great day!

Daniel's Family

Last night Daniel's parents had me and the girls over for dinner, as well as David and Amy and their three boys. What a treat!

It was sorta weird to be over there without Daniel. I know it's morbid, but it did cross my mind that this could have been my new normal had Daniel not survived the fire ant fiasco! Thankfully, he will be with me in a few days. But, in the meantime, it was fun to torture him by e-mailing him this picture of the ribs they cooked while he ate his frozen t.v. dinner:

It is always such a pleasure to watch the girls get together with the boys. They all match up in age perfectly and they truly love each other. I hope they always stay close. I'm not looking forward to the day when it's not cool to play with your "boy" cousin simply because he is a boy!

Grandma and Papa let the girls spend the night and I know they had a fantastic night playing air hockey, board games and even red rover! Thanks for a great night Don and Mary!

Back To School

Remember that movie with Rodney Dangerfield? I sorta got to do that today. I went with my sister, Kristie, to Norman to help put the finishing touches on her sweet Kelsey's move in to the sorority house.

Kesley is a doll!! Isn't she? Her room is cute. Their house is beautiful and she has grown up! What happened to my little niece that I used to rock?

It was like a trip down memory lane. We ate at The Mont, a favorite hot spot in Norman. We stopped for drinks at Classic Fifties. I asked Kristie if she wanted to have a "Determining the Relationship Talk" since that happens alot there!

If I could just go back to college for 24 hours. I promise I would appreciate it so much more! I wouldn't take my afternoon nap for granted. I would cherish the $100 trip to Wal-Mart with my Mom where she paid! I would stay up late, eat Taco Bell and not gain a pound! But, then, when it came time to share the bathroom with 20 other girls I would be ready to have my life back!