Saturday Morning Bliss

A Saturday morning with no where to go, no errands that have to be done, oh my!  We all were able to sleep in a little, come downstairs and relax in PJs and even watch a Christmas movie on Hallmark! It's been glorious!

Veteran's Day

Wednesday, the 11th.  Also Veteran's Day today.  August of 1987 began my life in Air Force.

No where in my young mind did I ever think I'd still be serving in the USAF.  I'm in a different uniform now, but continue on as an Air Force civilian.

My military career was good to me and my family.  I got to see alot of places in the world.  Some good, some not so good.  Some were for good reasons, others not so much.  I made some good friends along the way, many I still am in contact with today.

I was lucky and didn't serve in actual combat in any of my deployments.  Others in my year grouping aren't so lucky.  I give thanks to them and pray for the families of those who didn't return. I give thanks to those who came before me (thanks Dad!) and pray for those who will follow.

Break Time

Don't know what to say, been awhile.  Family life, work, stress, laziness, priorities...all had play in the time off from the blog.  I'll see if I can get back in gear...

Almost Friday

Nicholas went to CHKD yesterday for his Ortho referral.  They took the splint off and looked at his arm (it was swollen some still), took some more X-Rays, and decided to cast him for 2 weeks.  After the 2 weeks, they'll look at him again and go from there.  Initial estimate is 6-8 weeks.  Not looking good for his football season, but we'll wait and take one appointment at a time.  Definitely don't want to rush him, but he'll be heartbroken if his season is done.  We haven't really talked about that being a possibility, he's just thinking on the chance of being back to some practice at 4 weeks the Dr. mentioned.  Time will tell.

The kids started back to school on Tuesday.  Nicholas's 1st day wasn't so good....in his sling and having to write with his left hand is not his favorite!  Emma had a volleyball game Tuesday (w) and tonight (L) already.  She's on the Varsity team this year.  I guess the school they played tonight was a 1A school, but they played them really tough.

Loki is slowly getting accustomed to her new house.  She's starting to recognize her name and gets excited when everyone gets home.  If we can get her to sleep thru the night and not pee on the floor we'll be good!

1st Game Excitement

Today was the 1st game of the season for Nick's football team. It was quite the exciting day.  He was playing starting Linebacker and the defense took the ball away from the offense on their very 1st play.  The next time the defense went out on the field they stopped the opponent on the 1st 3 downs and then on 4th down Nicholas shot thru the gap and made the 4th down tackle behind the line of scrimmage! Hurray, clap, way to go.

Then he doesn't pop back up; then the coaches get around him, and then calls for 911 come.  Talk about parent stress kicking in to high gear!  Out to the field Angie & I run to be with him.  One of our players Dad is a Dr, and he's already out on the field taking care of Nick.  Probable dislocated right elbow and broken upper arm (just above elbow) is the initial suspension.  He tells us worse case it could require surgery and a couple pins if it is broken just above the elbow (how it looks at the moment). The elbow look pretty bad. Nicholas is doing so good, such a brave little man!

The ambulance makes it to the field and off he goes (with Angie in with, and me following) to the local hospital ER. After some waiting, lots of ice packs, X-Rays, and Dr review it's determined it looks like just a dislocation.  They get him ready in a room to pull the arm back in to place.  To do so, they are going to give him some medicine to put him out for just a couple minutes. The little guy doesn't go under!  Finally, they decide to just do it and the Dr. pulls it back into place.  Some crying initially but then better as the elbow is back in place!  More X-Rays to confirm it's back and to check again for any breaks.  The elbow is good and no breaks!

Some paperwork completed and he's discharged!  He's hungry so off we go to Cook Out for a shake and a burger!

Home now, feeling good but some pain as the drugs wear off from the hospital.  He's still doing great considering!

The elbow picture doesn't do it justice on how it looked at the field when it initially happened.

Thank you to all the friends for the prayers. We are so thankful it was just a dislocation and not a break requiring surgery.

Braces

Yesterday Katelyn and Nicholas got their initial portion of braces put on.  They'll get the rest on Monday.  Soup for supper last night due to sore mouths.  :(

Emma gets Invisalign in September

Highest Honors!

Drum roll please.........

Results from last year...our kids are awesome!

Camps

The kids have had several camps this year.  Katelyn started it out with a gymnastics camp at NC State.  They stayed in the dorms, I think most of them enjoyed that aspect...a sort of "pre-college" experience!

From there, Katelyn went to another camp over by Virginia Tech.  This was a day camp, so she went each day but then stayed in a hotel room with Angie each night. One of Katelyn's teammates stayed with them too.

After that it was time for our church (Next Level) to take the students to camp.  They (the girls - Nick isn't old enough yet) went to Anderson University in SC for Crossroads Camp.  Sounds like they had an amazing time!  Emma got to take her guitar (you can see her playing in the picture above). They slept in and stayed in their room the day after they got home...I think they were worn out!

From there, it was time for Nicholas's football camp at York High School.  The 1st day was too hot, so they had to cancel until the 2nd day, but after that he enjoyed each day.  They finished the last day of camp with a big relay race going around & thru obstacles.  

Summer Vacation, Part 2

 As the summer continued, we were able to go to Florida for 4th of July.  It's one of our favorite things to do as a family. We had a great time with Karen & Archie, and were able to spend some time with Angie's cousin Mallory and her husband Chase.

Driver in Training

I can't hardly type this...but Emma now has her driver's permit.  She got it right before we went on vacation to Florida.  A long ways to go, but hard to believe our first born will be driving on her own before we know it!

Summer Vacation - Part 1

We've had a busy summer, including some vacation time and long drives across country! In late May and early June we were able to drive out to Illinois for a few days to see family.  We made a habit of stopping at rest areas for lunch and breaks.  Some nice rest areas in some states.  We saw some nice flowers, a cool fire place, a couple playgrounds and some nice visitor centers.

We had a great time with all our parents even though the time was short with each visit.  We enjoyed the company, the food (tenderloins....yumm), and the conversation! We are blessed to have so many that love us and we thank you for allowing the KenneyKrewe to invade your houses for a couple days!

Linebacker Practice

and he makes the tackle!

10 Ways to Love - 10th Way

Promise Without Forgetting

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12)

There you have it, 10 ways to make a difference in your relationships. We all probably have some areas we're pretty good at, but others well...let's say we need some work. I know I have areas that could use some help!

10 Ways to Love - 9th Way

Answer Without Arguing

Better a dry crust eaten in peace than a house filled with feasting—and conflict. (Proverbs 17:1)

Holding your tongue, not having to get the last word in, not worrying about being "right", answering in love not in anger

10 Ways To Love - 8th Way

Listen Without Interrupting

Answering before listening is both stupid and rude. (Proverbs 18:13, The Message)

I admit, sometimes my mouth runs before my ears hear and my brain listens.  It usually doesn't go well.

3rd Grade

Nicholas had a great teacher for 3rd grade.  She took pictures all year long, and sent out a weekly newsletter with the events for the week and some pictures from the prior week.

Here's some of the ham himself...

10 Ways to Love - 7th Way

Give Without Sparing

All day long he craves and craves, but the righteous gives and does not hold back (Proverbs 21:26)

10 Ways to Love - 6th Way

Trust Without Wavering

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Corinthians 13:7)

I think The Message version (vs 3-7) helps expand this...

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don’t love, I’ve gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.

Love never gives up.
Love cares more for others than for self.
Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.
Love doesn’t strut,
Doesn’t have a swelled head,
Doesn’t force itself on others,
Isn’t always “me first,”
Doesn’t fly off the handle,
Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,
Doesn’t revel when others grovel,
Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,
Puts up with anything,
Trusts God always,
Always looks for the best,
Never looks back,
But keeps going to the end.

End of School

The school year is officially over for the kids!  Last week was it.  They had half days on Wed-Fri, Emma & KT had finals on Wed & Thu, Nick had a field day on Thur and character awards on Fri. He was honored with conscious and determination. Emma went to a class party on Friday night and to the movies on Saturday and Katelyn went to a class pool party on Fri.

Nick has started a little conditioning on his own for football.  He's gone outside in his pads and done a little running and some drills. We'll continue to work on it before the end of July so the 1st week of practice isn't quite so bad!

Katelyn's class put on a drama production (The Fairy Tale Network) a week ago.  It was really good & funny!

We had sort of a relaxing day on Saturday just doing some stuff around the house.  Yesterday was spent at church and then Angie, KT and I went out for a little shopping.  KT & I ordered some new glasses and KT got some much needed summer clothes.  I cooked a flank steak on the grill for dinner and we ate outside on the porch.  We sat and talked and Emma even played her guitar for a little bit. It was a great family day!

10 Ways to Love - 5th Way

Share Without Pretending

Rather, let our lives lovingly [a]express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ...  (Ephesians 4:15)

10 Ways to Love - 4th Way

Enjoy without Complaint

Do everything without ·complaining [grumbling] or arguing (Philippians 2:14)

Reminds me of love is patient.

10 Ways to Love - 3rd Way

Pray Without Ceasing

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding (Colossians 1:9)

10 Ways to love - 2nd Way

Forgive without Punishing

Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive (Colossians 3:13)

There's a hard one huh? Do you struggle with forgiveness?

10 Ways To Love - 1st Way

I saw an article on this and I thought it was pretty good, so here we go with the 1st Way:

Speak without Accusing

...let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger (James 1:19)

Having Fun?

Pressures of work, stress of busy schedules, worry of relationships, regret of past mistakes, and the list can go on if you try.  But should you?  We know the answer is no, but sometimes we find ourselves going down that hole.  Some of us have a natural "glass half full" attitude and don't struggle as much.  I think part of this is having fun.  When you are having fun, do you worry, do you think about past issues, or do you stress out about having too much fun?

A miserable heart means a miserable life; a cheerful heart fills the day with song. (Proverbs 15:15)

Couldn't we all use a little more fun in our lives?

Another Week

Another week closer to the official summer vacation for the kids.  Only 2 more weeks!  A few items from this week

- Angie & I had our last night of our church group (we were doing a study on Francis Chan's book - "Crazy Love").  We had a fun night where we had food, played some corn hole, and just enjoyed some talk/laughter together
- The church student group is giving the kids an opportunity to earn camp this summer for free or at a discount based on a "point" system for different items (bringing friends, bible, shoes (we're doing a shoe drive this month), etc)  Emma wants to win because she really wants to go to camp this year
- Nicholas's class made "Baby Burgers" as a class effort to raise money for their charity of choice (we don't find out which one till later).  Baby burgers are a dessert made with NillaWafers, part of an Oreo, frosting, and coconut flakes.  They're pretty tasty!

- Angie & I went to a retirement for a close friend on Friday.  24 years in the Coast Guard









- Nick & I went camping Friday night (just the two of us). We had a great time getting the tent up, having a campfire, cooking supper, and of course eating smores! We cooked breakfast in the morning and went on a walk thru the trails in the morning.  He wore me out!

Weekend

A busy weekend for the Kenney Krewe.  Saturday morning Katelyn had a gymnastics show at Newport News Park.  In the afternoon Angie & I went with some good friends to Yorktown for a Blues, Brew and BBQ event.  Enjoyed some good brew, good music, and food.  It was nice just sitting listening to some music and talking with friends.  Saturday night Emma went to a Freshman class party at one of her classmates house, and Angie & I went to some friends and watched the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight.  It was a late night...the main event didn't start till around midnight and we didn't get home till 1:30am or so!

Today we went to church (volunteered, then went to service), ran some errands to get some craft stuff for the kids school projects, mowed the yard and played some corn hole with Nicholas.

A full weekend and we get to begin a new week tomorrow morning!

Misc Mischief

A busy past couple months with the volleyball season ending with a 2-day tournament, the competition season ending with State's for gymnastics, and only 3 weeks of school remaining for the kids!

Nicholas & I were going to do a camping/fishing trip a couple weekends ago, but we were rained out. So I turned the family room into a makeshift tent and we played cards, cooked some steaks, and watched a movie instead.

He's also at the stage where helping to mow is fun, so I let him do the backyard one day.  He liked it but said he was tired afterwards!

Soiree 2015

Last night was the Soiree at Summit.  As a Freshman, Emma and her class got to be a part of the initial Ring Ceremony held at the school.  This is when the Sophomore's are given their class rings, the Junior class president gives a speech honoring the Seniors and then the Senior's encouraging the lower classes on their remaining High School years.  After the ceremony, the 10th-12th grade went off to their Soiree evening (aka Prom) while the Freshman went to a class dinner.  The Freshman parents went along and had our own table at the restaurant.  A good time was had by all!

After dinner the Freshman class got to "crash" the Soiree since it was being held at the Marriott next to the restaurant we were at. The Headmaster was there and wouldn't let them peek inside the room where the dance was being held, but then his wife came out and told the class to come take a peek! It was hilarious!

Another Week, More Snow

This week started out recovering from last week's snow and snow days from school and work.  We had school/work on Mon & Tue.  Emma and KT had practices on Monday night as normal.  Tuesday just before evening rush hour it started snowing (the weatherman said no accumulation/no big deal), but it kept coming and coming!  It took me 90 minutes to get home!  It was nuts driving home...some people around here definitely are not used to any kind of white stuff in the air or on the ground!  We only had about an inch, but we all had a 2hr delay for work/school on Wednesday. Wednesday evening we had a winter storm warning, so the girls 1st youth group meeting at church was postponed till this coming week.  They were kind of bummed.  Our church just hired a youth pastor not long ago, and this was the kick off to the student program.

Starting early Thursday morning and going into Thursday early afternoon, the area got 6-9 inches of snow (we had about 6 or so at our house)!  Needless to say we were out of school and work both Thur & Fri.  The teachers were a bit more prepared this time though and sent home homework for the couple days they were out!

Emma & KT both had practice today, and Emma has a babysitting gig tonight.  Angie & I had a date and went out to dinner alone, no kids! Then we were really crazy and stopped in to Goodwill.  :)

Week in Review

Snow, cancellations, and tournament time.

- We received about 3-4 inches of snow early last week, plus some sleet/freezing rain on top.  Couple that with single digit temperatures and the kids ended up being out of school all week long! I was out of work for 2 days as well

- Katelyn's gymnastics and Emma's volleyball practices were also cancelled all week. Katelyn did end up having a 4 hour practice on Saturday

- Katelyn spent 2 nights at a friends house...had a good time and was able to go sledding

- Emma had a friend spend the night here and then met several of her volleyball friends at the movies on Friday

- Emma had a volleyball tournament in Williamsburg yesterday.  They started really slow but improved to play their best game of the day for their last match.  They were clicking together and making great plays...a good way to end the day.  Hopefully they can take the momentum into practice this week and be ready for the next tournament

Prayer Time - Part 2

Continuing my thoughts from yesterday, another area where I need to focus is understanding my timeline is not God's timeline.

What may be years for me & you is an instance for Him. We may never see what we ask for...remember He's not obligated to give us everything we ask. What we may think we want may not be what we need. Have you had moments that you look back on and think how glad you are that something didn't work out the way you wanted at that moment? Much like kids, the consequences of our actions aren't always apparent to us.

Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act.  (Psalm 37:7)

Prayer Time - part 1

I've wrote some of my thoughts on this in the past , but I think it's time I write it again (so I can read it again!).

I'm in trouble. I cry to God, desperate for an answer  (Psalm 120:1)

Do we treat God as that vending machine in the sky?( http://takenfam5.blogspot.com/2013/08/god-doesnt-want-me-happy.html ) Do we ask with the immediate thoughts of when do I get blank, when is blank fixed, when do I/her/him get better, when fill in the blank?  Do we confuse His unconditional love with unconditional blessings?  We shouldn't go to prayer and have the idea that God is obligated to give us what we ask.  It's hard for me...I think it's the control issue.  I want to fix it and I want to fix it now.  God doesn't work for me or even on my time.  I need to learn instead to surrender myself, my heart, and anything I'm holding on to to Him.

Thoughts?

Week in Review

Another week in the KenneyKrewe...thank goodness for 3-day weekends!

- Katelyn had a gymnastics meet on Saturday in VA Beach; overall she was pleased with her results

- Emma had a volleyball tournament on Saturday in Richmond; the team placed 1st in their initial pool to make it to the semi's but lost there.  

- We went to Winter Jam in Norfolk last night.  A great time with some great bands!

- Winter storm rolls in tonight....could get up to 8 inches with some freezing rain/sleet on top.  If we get the worst of what's predicted the town will go crazy.

- Our washing machine died last weekend...we've been looking at used/new since.  Almost bought a new one yesterday, but now are getting a used one later today from some friends who are selling theirs. Good thing...laundry is stacking up!

- Our explorer had the check engine soon light come on...hope it's nothing serious. She's been a good vehicle over the years, but definitely showing signs of age!

For An Instant

"Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eyes for an instant?" - Henry David Thoreau

Powerful sentence...that ends with "for an instant".  What if we (I) lived our (my) lives for the instant? What if we (I) took the small window of opportunity and used it to express our (my) love, our (my) caring -uplifting words, our (my) listening ears, and our (my) shoulders to lean on?

I feel lately that I've missed opportunities to do this. It's been eating at me, so it's obviously something I need to work on.  I'm sorry to those around me that I love dearly for the instants that I've missed.

Do you take advantage of your "instants"?

Winter Jam!

 We have our tickets to see Winter Jam next weekend!  We're excited; we had a blast last year!  Skillet will be on the tour this year...Emma & I are psyched! For our Illinois friends & family - you can go see it in Peoria on Mar 29th.

Ready, Set, Go!

Ok, a few design changes to the blog to energize my blog spirit!  Let's see if I can get posts flowing a bit more regular!

Today is a day off for everyone...the kids are off from school due to Parent/Teacher conferences. Angie & I are both home today as well.  Nothing really planned except some relaxation and catching up on some things at home.

Volleyball tournaments have been ongoing the past several weeks.  The team continues to get a little better each time as they become more familiar with each other on the court. A one-day tournament in Richmond is up next.

Gymnastics meets have also been ongoing the past several weeks.  Katelyn has improved on a couple events and hopefully will continue to improve as the season moves along.  Next up is a meet in VA Beach.

Football registration has started for Nicholas.  Nothing really for him yet, but more for me as the PA officer for the league.

Angie & I started a new community group, with me facilitating once again at our house.  The group will be studying the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan. Looking forward to it!

No snow for us...we had one day where we had about an inch or so, but it was gone by the end of the day.  I'm sure Illinois wouldn't mind sending some our way...right?!

That's it for now...

Week in Review

School, work, family night, gymnastics and volleyball...the KenneyKrewe life is never dull!

- we had some freezing rain one day this past week that left the cars, trees, and some walkways covered in ice! Strange for this area.  The girls morning classes outside in the modules were moved inside so nobody would fall on the decking getting there
- we also had some snow flurries one morning...it was glorious! Now if we could only get some real snow
- Tuesday nights are the one "free" night we have together as a family. We've started having each kid take be "responsible" for the night by picking dinner (to fix at home) and selecting a game, movie, etc to play/watch.  This past Tuesday was Nick and he picked hot wings and Sorry.  While the 3 kids and I played Sorry (since only a 4 person game), Angie was reading some questions for us to answer...it was a fun night!

- Katelyn has a gymnastics meet today in Suffolk. Her meet last weekend went pretty good...did real well on floor, vault and beam.
- Emma started full practice a couple weeks ago and has been doing really well getting back into the groove.  It's going to take a bit before she's back to 100% with form, strength, etc.  We had a scare on Monday night.  The other girl who sets wasn't at practice (studying for exams), so Emma was it all night.  She was doing lots of back-sets and on one big push she grabbed her shoulder and started crying because of pain.  I took her out of the gym and luckily the pain quickly subsided.  She didn't practice the rest of the night (was only about 10 minutes left), and felt good that night and no issues the next morning.  She practiced Thursday and had no pain, just said it felt it little tired.  Whew!
- Emma has a 3-day volleyball tournament in Richmond this weekend; starts this afternoon.
- We sold Emma's old keyboard and our old computer hutch on Craiglist...had them both gone in just a few days
- I had my first Board meeting with Nicholas's football league this past weekend.  The public affairs position was open, so I volunteered.  Not sure what I was thinking! It will add to my fall schedule for sure.

New Year

2015!  The KenneyKrewe has a 15yr old, a 9yr old, and a soon to be 13yr old!  Here's some of the 9yr old

I hope to be better on posts this year.  :)