Week Rundown! (09/15/13 - 09/21/13)

Sunday was Malachi's birthday! He is now 6...! I got up and wished him a happy birthday before heading to church and driving the van before services. That afternoon, he played with his legos and toys. Mysia attended a birthday party for a school friend, it was down the street and she had a fun time. Lydia attended a baby shower at church, and then participated in choir practice before evening services. We stayed afterwards for the Birthday and Anniversary fellowship. Adria, Lycia, and Jordan stopped by the house to wish Malachi a happy birthday. He was excited about his gifts and we enjoyed their visit.

Monday was a cool weather day! It rained enough that Malachi and I enjoyed the breeze flowing through the car while we sat patiently during Mysia's piano lessons. That evening, we met some family at McDonald's in celebration of Malachi's birthday. We ate supper there, and enjoyed the cupcakes Lydia had made for the occasion. Malachi got gifts from Gampa (Gary), Granny & Grandad, and Uncle Sam. Once home, it was time for showers and bed.

Tuesday evening was spent with the kids homework and doing some chores before getting an early start on showers. Malachi taught Lydia and I how to play "trash" with a deck of cards. We played the game until it was the kids' bedtime.

Mysia had her BRIDGES class on Wednesday, and came home telling us about how much she learned. We ate supper and then headed to church. I taught a lesson on being a steward of God's, using the parable of the talents. After services, we headed to Braum's to finally meet our brand new niece, Haivyn. Oh yeah, her parents (Titus and Jordin) were there too! We ate ice cream and visited. 

Thursday evening was spent doing house work and kids' room pick-up. Both had homework to do as well before bed.

Lydia took the Friday of from work so she and Mysia could get their nails done in preparation for Lycia's wedding on Saturday. Afterwards, Mysia and Malachi went to Silver Dollar City with Granny & Granddad and Aunt Abigail. They had a blast, riding rides and even saw a show! Lydia had lunch with me and after work we attended the wedding rehearsal dinner. Lydia went to the bridal shower with the ladies and I went home and played some games on the Nintendo Wii until the kids came home. They took showers and we watched some tv together before bedtime.

Saturday morning was a rush. We got up and had breakfast before Lydia and Mysia headed out to get with the girls for the wedding preparation. Malachi and I waited around at home, then got ready and met up before the wedding. Mysia and Malachi handed out wedding programs (designed by me) and Lydia was the guestbook attendant. We had front row seats and watched Lycia marry Jordan Bell. At one point during the ceremony, Malachi started rubbing his eyes and started coughing slightly. I leaned down and asked him what he was doing. He said he was trying make himself cry. I then asked why. He replied, "well, we're supposed to cry at weddings." That's Malachi! Mysia was taking pictures and enjoying the ceremony. After the bride and groom kissed and thanked everyone for coming, we did family photos with the wedding party. We enjoyed cake and punch at the reception, bade farewell to Jordan and Lycia, and then helped clean up before heading home. I fired up the grill and we had hamburgers for supper while watching some tv. We were all exhausted, and went to bed!!!

~Matt

Week Rundown! (09/08/13 - 09/14/13)

I got up on Sunday morning and went to church to drive one of the vans. The weather was a bit hot and sticky. The afternoon was spent getting things done around the house and paperwork (like bills).

Monday was back to the weekly schedule. The weather was hot, so Malachi and I got to sweat in the heat while sitting in the car during Mysia's piano lessons. That evening, the kids worked on homework.

Tuesday was an exciting day. My place of employment, KWFC, was awarded "Radio Station of the Year" by the National Quartet Convention Music Awards 2013. This is a great honor! Voted by the industry leaders, this makes us the #1 Southern Gospel Radio Station in the nation... WOW! That evening, to celebrate, we went out for supper at one of my favorite places, Hu Hot. After eating as much as we could, we went home and the kids worked on homework, took showers, and got ready for bed.

Wednesday evening was nice. I taught the lesson for children's services at church. Using my puppet "Ace", I shared the story of Moses and the bronze serpent in the wilderness and tying it with Christ on the cross, how we are to also look to Him in faith. Of course, Ace came alive and grabbed the kids' attention with the help of Malachi's toy snake. Sometimes I wish I had more time to get Ace to connect with the children, I enjoy how using the puppet and personality to get their attention.

After work on Friday, we had a PTA meeting at school. The kids played on the school playground afterwards, then we came home and got ready for bed.

Saturday was the BIG day! We got up early, ate breakfast, and hit the road. We spent 3 hours in the van until we made it to Kansas City... To visit Lego Land for Malachi's birthday! There was so much to do. We were a little tour on how they blocks were made, and then the fun began. We rode a shooting ride that let us help Lego characters fight off the bad guys, and then another ride that took us in the air. We built cars and vehicles, racing them against others. It was also Star Wars days, so we got to meet many of the characters as they walked around. After eating our lunch, we went to see a 15 minute movie in "4-D". In addition us wearing the 3-D glasses, the movie sprayed us with water, blew air into our faces, and dropped soap bubbles from the ceiling while we watched. We also received posters and the kids got buttons. By 3pm, we were tired and ready to head home. The kids rested and watched a movie before we did a stop at Walmart for a few items. Once home, we put things away and went to bed. Malachi declared that it was another "best day of my life!"

Week Rundown! (09/01/13 - 09/07/13)

The church vans didn't run in Sunday since it was the holiday weekend nod many of the can drivers were out of town. Lydia and I has spent our last night in Eureka Springs and traveling back that morning. It rained most of the way. We spent the afternoon at my parents' house before heading to evening services. I took part in the drama performance... It went well. We visited more with my parents and my grandma before heading home and going to bed.

Since Monday was Labour Day, we slept in. It was also our 10-year wedding anniversary! Breakfast was a little late, but Lydia made biscuits and gravy with eggs. We brought out the fancy utensils and plates, and made it a special meal. The kids played nicely for most of the day. We did some unpacking from the weekend, some housework, and the kids took naps. We had Rib Crib for supper and watched the "Sound Of Music" before sending the kids to bed. Lydia and I worked on the finances and budget.

After classes on Tuesday, Lydia went grocery shopping. I picked up the kids once I left work and we all met at home. Mysia practiced her piano and Malachi picked up his room while groceries were put away and dinner cooked. Malachi had  brought home his first homework assignment. It was tracing circles. Once shown, he said, "oh... This will be easy." Mysia's homework was reading portion of her library book. Lydia worked on her homework for the entire evening. Before going to bed, Malachi picked out a book and actually read a book to me (with help on a few of the bigger words). He did very well. Mysia spent some time writing in one of her notebooks. She's determined to finish a "book" that she's been wanting to write.
 
School went well for the kids on Wednesday. It was "fun night" for our children services at church that evening. The kids even got to enjoy a bit of the outdoors.

On Thursday evening, I attended the men's Bible study at church. Lydia and the kids worked on homework, and then they played before bed. Lydia had a few projects that she worked on for most of the night.

Friday went by fast. I got a new prescription of eye-contacts, and can see a bit clearer. Malachi came home with a "caught being good" paper. He was thrilled. After supper, I met Sam at church and recorded piano and vocals for three songs. I'm going to eventually choose one to submit to Cathedral Family Reunion contest by the end of the next week. Lydia and the kids spent the evening together playing the Nintendo Wii before bed.

On Saturday morning, Malachi and I woke up, ate a quick breakfast, and headed out to the Men's Beast Feast hosted by our church. There was shooting, archery, a hiking trail, and more. I took part in the trap shoot competition, my first. I didn't place, but it was fun! We had a great lunch by Rib Crib, and enjoyed the devotion. Malachi got to shoot at the BB Gun range with his friends, and we went on a hike in the hot afternoon weather before heading home. Lydia and Mysia spent the day going shopping and visiting some stores at the mall. They had lunch and Mysia got a haircut. They arrived home tired as well. We ate leftovers for supper and watched a few episodes of "Saved By The Bell" during the evening.

~Matt

Week Rundown! (08/25/13 - 08/31/13)

We were still on our weekend vacation trip in Branson on Sunday. It was hard to say goodbye to a weekend of fun. It was nice to get a way from home. However, since we were busy for most of it, there wasn't much time for rest! We did get things unpacked and clothes washed once we returned home. The kids were exhausted. That evening, we attended Lycia and Jordan's wedding shower. Mysia got to help hand them the gifts. Afterwards, we returned home and went to bed.

Monday was back to school for the kids. Lydia and I went to work. I got off in time to pick both up from school, and we then headed out for Mysia's piano lessons. It was hot sitting in the car, but with the windows down and being able to play on the Nook, Malachi didn't care. Lydia had Zumba classes at home, so the kids and I ate supper, Mysia did her homework, and Malachi worked on picking up his room. They watched some television episodes until Lydia arrived at home. They then took their showers and went to bed. I worked on some of my projects and read up on some online articles.

Lydia had classes on Tuesday after dropping the kids off at school. I picked up the kids from school and dropped them off at Granny's house. After work I picked them back up and headed home. We all had a quick supper, and I left for church drama practice. The kids had showers and Lydia worked on some things around the house. Once I returned home, the kids went to bed and Lydia folded laundry before we went to bed.

I left for work on Wednesday, Lydia took the kids to school and then went into work. I picked both of them up from boys and girls club. They were very excited about the day! At BRIDGES, Mysia learned what a prefix, root (also called a base), and a suffix of a word is. She was thrilled because she understood what the teacher was talking about. We attended evening services at church, and once we returned home the kids read a few books before going to bed.

Thursday evening was a bit rushed for me. We ate supper and then Lydia worked on homework while the kids enjoyed the evening. I attended the men's Bible study at church. When I arrived back home, the kids were already in bed. I worked on a few graphic design projects, and Lydia continued with her homework.

Friday was exciting. After work, Lydia picked up the kids and headed home to start supper. I picked Sam up from work, and once we arrived home, I packed up our luggage for the weekend. We ate supper and Sam took the kids to the park to feed the ducks. They were to spend the weekend with him and Abigail. Lydia and I got into the KWFC vehicle and headed to Eureka Springs, Arkansas for a weekend together. The kids slept at Granny's and Lydia made it to our hotel safely.

On Saturday, the kids attended taekwondo and then spent lunch at McDonalds with their uncle Sam. Back at Granny's, they swam for several hours. They also got to go shopping and play the Wii before showers and bed. Lydia and I enjoyed our morning resting and then we grabbed breakfast before headed to the Great Passion Play. I did a live broadcast on KWFC from 11-1, interviewing several from the play. They were trying to break an attendance record that evening, and we were helping give a push on-air. Although it was hot, the experience was great. Lydia and I had lunch downtown, checked out a few shops, and visited the spots of our marriage 10 years ago. We returned to the Great Passion Play grounds and took the Holy Land Tour, browsed the Bible Museum, enjoyed a great meal, and then watched the evening performance of the play.

~Matt