Team Marien: October 2008

Friends and Bloggers....I know, I know it has been sooooo long. We took a quick trip to Tucson to see family and hang out for a few days. There are so many people to see and "hang" out with it becomes more of race against the clock to see who we can fit in to see. We had a great time and I have been insanely busy since we got back. I have been coordinating a fundraiser for Drew and Laney's theater group Audience of One. We are raising money for scholarships and royalties for our next musical. So this is no small task and is taking all my extra time away, hence no blogging. We are planning 2, yes 2, Murder Mystery Dinners. "Till Death Do Us Part" is the name of the Mystery and it is a Mobster's daughters wedding!! SO FUN...But lots of work. We are looking at 80 people on two nights...so think with me...decorations, invites, registrations, confirmations, character sheets, caterers, drinks, cake, tax donations, going around and getting donations from local companies, and that is just the beginning of the long long list. So needless to say my blog has gone wayward but for good reasons. Our first dinner is this Sat so on Monday/Tues I will catch everyone up on Team Marien fun so check back! Love you all and pray for lots of guests and a great party! XOXOXO

Life takes us by storm...We have been so busy but having so much fun!

The Kids: What are they up to?

Jared~Football, loving school, football, friends, football, great teacher, homework and did I mention FOOTBALL!! He is amazing and having a great year. There will be more football up tomorrow so come back and check and you will see how much fun Jared is having with amazing pictures of their awesome team...and if you think this is 11 year old pop warner football you are so wrong!! This is super competitive club football! Definitely worth checking back for...with lots of details

Drew~Finally started his Theater Group! He is beyond thrilled! "Audience of One" is the name of our program and our tag line is "Acting as One for an Audience of One" LOVE IT!! It is so amazing and we are so blessed to be a part of this theater group...Drew auditioned for our Winter Show, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever"...Who remembers this book...This book is actually part of our family Christmas traditions and we read it every year. If you have not read this book it is a MUST read...I have loved it forever and my kids love it to...Here is just a little bit to give you an idea...

The Herman's were the worst kids in the whole history of the world! They lied, they stole, they smoked cigars, even the GIRLS! And they took the name of the Lord in vain. They even set fire to Fred Shoemaker's broken down old tool house. But, everything changed when they decided they wanted to be a part of OUR churches Christmas Pageant!

Great story...so Drew got the part of Charlie Bradley who is the brother of the girl who is telling the story (the narrator more or less)....He is super excited and we cannot wait for the show! The other parts of Drew's life are doing well...He is enjoying school (answer to prayer) and loves his teacher (another answer to prayer...God is Good!) He is also getting ready for 4 birthday parties in the next week and a half...yes that is not good news for mommy's wallet...but good for Drew's social life...So all in all things are looking good in Drew's life!

Delaney~A true kindergarten girl from head to toe and growing up so fast...BUT she still wants mommy to walk her up to school (misty eyes)...She still wants her mommy close...I figure I have another couple years:) Delaney also wanted to be a part of Audience of One! They have opened classes called "Pee Wee's" YES HOW CUTE IS THAT!! They are doing there own little production called "An Original Christmas" where they are looking for the King...How will he come...One scene has him coming as Elvis (FUNNY) Picture with me a 6 year old dressed as Elvis saying, "I'm the King" Delaney had to audition too and she got right up and sang her heart out to Jingle Bells...It was such a sweet sound (when she redid it for us later because parents aren't allow in of course) Delaney was cast as an ANGEL! How perfect is that! On other notes Little is doing great and talks about her best friend in school Megan all the time and don't forget Kami, Sidney, and others I can't name but Megan is #1 in her book and according to Megan's Mom all she ever hears about is Delaney so I think the friendship is mutual! I am loving my morning with Little just doing our thing at home and having lunch together and a date out each week...I remind myself to cherish this time with her because before I know it she will be a first grader(Misty eyes again)...

Paul~I am pretty sure I have a husband...I see a flicker of him every now and then...Once upon a dream I catch a glimpse of him or maybe his computer as I sleep....no but really that man is crazy busy! I haven't mentioned it on the blog yet but here we go Paul is headed to Weapons School...What is that and what does that mean??? You would think at 35 he would be done with school but alas for us service members it is an ongoing education. For us it means Daddy heading to Nellis AFB for 6 months and not being home, nobody ever likes that but we are so proud of what our Daddy does...for him it is a true honor and testament to who he is in his career...They only chose one guard officer in Intel a year and Paul was selected on his second application...It is a big deal and we are super proud of him!! This is a very intense program so he will be working around 16 hours a day 6 days a week...So, needless to say he is busy getting prepared along with all the monthly drills he plans etc...

ME~Well as you all know I am a stay at home mama and as everyone knows all we do is sit at home and eat bon bons and watch Oprah...I am sorry if I ruin your perception but that is SOOOO not me...Life has been crazy with being my kiddos taxi and being their mom and Paul's wife when I see him:)...on top of that I am helping with the Girl's Ministry at our church. I am in charge of the Purity retreats that are coming up and I booked all the retreats with a hotel and did all the negotiating for our food, etc and I am helping my amazing friend Johanna (Girls Ministry Director) with the curriculum and all the little hiccups that come with it. What is a purity retreat...well it really is what is sounds we are taking XP girls (5th and 6th graders) and teaching what modesty is and what the bible says about it and how it really affects those "boys"...and we are also taking middle and high school girls and talking to them about sex...yes sex I spelled it right...about how amazing it can be and how God made us this way and has a plan for each of us...The amazing thing I love about this is that it is not lecturing it is FUN FUN FUN and games and teaching not preaching!! It will be great but keeping me busy and to top it off I am helping with Drew's Audience of One, which I love!! I am working on fund raising for scholarships, royalty fees and future staff....Did I mention I LOVE IT and I love being able to work with my friend Christine and "having" to go to lunch and work the details :):) We are planning a murder mystery dinner party and I cannot wait...Talk about serious FUN!! It is going to be a Mobster's daughters wedding reception and the cheesier the better:):) I am the crazy mother of the groom and wedding planner...picture me and a headset!! AWESOME!! I just feel so blessed that I am with my amazing family and can do these two wonderful ministries on the side....so needless to say I start drooling the minute I lay my head down on the pillow at 9:00 (seriously getting old).

We went to back to school night at the kids school to talk about what each one is doing in class and give us an "insiders" look to their day. I took some pictures of the kids artwork (Jared and Drew). Laney didn't have artwork up they had a video with pictures but couldn't get that on the blog so here are a couple of cute pictures of her.

Drew's "ISH" Picture

Jared's Self Portrait

Thought I would add a few pictures of our last day of summer! We went to Mr. Bigg's which is a super fun place...as you can see:)

A little lazer tag...MY FAVORITE!! They also have a room full of squishy balls and air shooters and to top it off it is three stories high...

They have an area Laney loved called "Little Big Town" and it a miniature town and as you can see they dress up was a hit! After that the boys rode the Octopus Ride...Did Mama ride? No throwing up is one of my least favorite activities....