No Foolin...

it really is gone!! I decided on April 1st, April Fool's Day, that it was time to take away Caleb's beloved PACI! You know the saying "This is harder for me than it will be for you." Well, it was hard. Caleb loved his Paci.. it really gave him comfort, calmed him down... However, as his parent I know the big picture and that he truly does not need his pacifier. This is the time that he needs to be learning new words and learning how to gain comfort without his pacifier.

You know I have heard people say... he won't go to Kindergarten with it so let him just have it. Interesting enough, I had a Kindergartener who did have a pacifier. So I knew for certain, that it was just time for him to let it go.

Caleb has done quite well going to sleep without it and after a few nights, he has slept great through the night. However, it has been when he wakes up that he continues to look for it..even 2 weeks later. This breaks my heart. He does not want to get out of bed because he knows that it was in his bed that his Paci always stayed. If you get him out of the bed, he goes back to the bed crying and trying to crawl in the bed to look for his Paci. I keep hoping and praying that he will forget about it.. find something else for comfort.

This experience has helped me remember once more how God loves us and knows the "big picture" as the song says.. He gives and takes away. Just as I know that Caleb does not need his paci.. it still breaks my heart to see him long for it.. as I am certain that God hates to see his children sad and yearning as well. It is truly only God who can be our comforter... our true comforter.

Why do we call it ‘Good’ Friday?
Calling the day of the Crucifixion ‘Good’ Friday is a designation that is peculiar to the English language. In German, for example, it is called Karfreitag. The Kar part is an obsolete word, the ancestor of the English word care in the sense of cares and woes, and it meant mourning. So in German, it is Mourning Friday. And that is what the disciples did on that day—they mourned. They thought all was lost.
I’ve read that the word good used to have a secondary meaning of holy, but I can’t trace that back in my etymological dictionary. There are a number of cases in set phrases where the words God and good got switched around because of their similarity. One case was the phrase God be with you, which today is just good-bye. So perhaps Good Friday was originally God’s Friday. But I think we call it Good Friday because, in pious retrospect, all that tragedy brought about the greatest good there could be.
I can see virtue in either terminology. If we call it Mourning Friday, as in German, we are facing reality head on, taking up the cross if you will, fully conscious that the Christian walk is seldom a walk in the park. But if we call it Good Friday, as in English, we are confessing the Christian hope that no tragedy—not even death—can overwhelm God’s providence, love, and grace. Either way seems fine to me!


I got the above information from this website.. http://www.kencollins.com/question-11.htm

March Madness...

But not basketball.. you will soon see why the blog was silent in March. Here is March Madness in pictures...

Cara was Principal of the Day at the beginning of March. We have the best principal I have ever known at Dove. She is very special to Cara.. She is not only her principal, but a friend of our family. Cara had a blast going to the Administration building and sorting mail and eating Chick Fil A. She even had her picture in the newspaper with the Superintendent of schools.

That afternoon, we went to the park at the Baseball fields in Grapevine. They have built a new playground area and Caleb and Cara had fun climbing together.

Then it was on to Open House... Cara composed her own music and placed it on a CD... we have not heard it yet..

Here she is showing her Dad all of her work on her desk in her Homeroom class.

Here was some of her work..

Then, the next day after Open House we headed to the Hill Country. I went to Johnson City with my Mom when I was about Cara's age.. and it was fun to go back..

Caleb riding contently in the car with his paci!

On this phone, many phone calls were made to world leaders and leaders of our own country such as MLK... this was the phone in LBJ's office at the White House of Texas. I took a lot more pictures, but decided this one would suffice for the blog.

Caleb's first Dairy Queen visit...



Enchanted Rock!

Caleb fell asleep on the climb up...

Mom and Cara...

Caleb woke up and was ready to go when we got to the top of the rock..

Caleb's favorite part of the trip was pushing the button for the elevator!

Cara by the pool!



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The Sand Castle contest did not go so well.. everytime Cara and Wade would build something.. Caleb would knock it down.

At the end of March, Cara's art was exhibited in the GCISD art show. I thought her pumpkins were outstanding!



At the end of March, Wade left work one day to find his truck was no where to be found.. it had been stolen. It was found the next day in Carizzo Springs, Texas. The backseat was gone and the steering column gone and they took off the dashboard and replaced it with a tan one..

They enjoyed Bud Light, Coca Cola and Chicle gum while listening to their music.

It took over five days to get the vehicle back home. Needless to say, the truck went to truck heaven.. but this made for an interesting and sometimes maddening end of the month of March.

Here's hoping April is full of good surprises!

What an unexpected surprise!

Last Tuesday evening, I got the opportunity to go and hear Beth Moore in person at Life Today studios in Euless, Texas. This was not my first time to go, but I had missed out on tickets the previous times. The tickets are free, but one must respond immediately upon receiving the email because they go fast. It was totally a GOD thing that I got the tickets to begin with.

Tuesday nights are busy in the Kelley household. Cara has choir until 4 p.m. and then she has piano from 5:15 till 5:45 p.m. and then Volleyball practice from 6 to 7 p.m. in which Wade is the assistant coach. So needless to say, it was no easy feat to even get to the taping besides the fact that I needed to find someone to watch Caleb.. but I did it.

I had told the girls going with me that there was really not a bad seat in the entire place. It is a very intimate setting. However, I did not want to be seated behind her because then you are on camera then entire time of the taping.. well wouldn't you guessed it.. we were right behind her. My group of eight girls were right smack dab behind her. The studio is freezing and I came prepared as I had my winter sweater. One of the girls in the front row requested that we hand her a Bible because here she was sitting in the front row and she didn't want to look unspiritual.

I am in the middle of doing the study of Esther which was written by Beth Moore. However, to see Beth in person is quite an experience. She is so genuine and so adorable and so full of the Holy Spirit.

She did four 25 minute tapings for a series that will air in June. After the first two tapings, we had a break where the crew came out to fix make up etc. Well, I am not shy at all as any of you who know me.. so I just jumped right up out of my seat and said, "Beth, I just heard you speak this morning." She was excited to hear that I was doing the Esther study and asked what week I was on and I told her 5. I then thanked her for her study and that the timing was so incredible with everything going on in our country. It has truly taught me that God is in control no matter who is our President or what is happening to our economy. God can work through any leader.

Being face to face with Beth was an unexpected surprise... her eyes are so hazel... I sure wish I could just sit while she drank coffee .. I would drink Dr. Pepper and chat.. however, I feel like I do that everyday when I pick up my book and study alongside Beth. She truly challenges me in how I think and how I see characters in the Bible. She is a true inspiration that is being used mightily as a servant of God.

I sure wish I could have taken her picture.. but I didn't feel quite right about it... In the past, they have had a photo time, but they did not offer it at this taping. So tune in the middle week of June and you will see my smiling face on camera and that is definitely an unexpected surprise!

Blessings!