"Family is not an important thing; it's everything " Michael J. Fox

On December 1 , 2009 a friend of mine sent me this lovely prayer she had said for me. I printed that prayer -and saved it in my Family Planner. I found it today and really needed to hear it.



"Dear Lord,

My friend, Andrea is not seeing your devine plan today. We know that it is there and we trust that it will be revealed when you deem it necessary, but we struggle with the inability to help Kaci. The only consistency in her battle with this terrible disease it the inconsistency of it all. And it makes Andrea weary. Lord, I ask that you reach down and ease my friend's burdens. Send her some comfort and peace like you speak of in John 17. You are the great Physician. Lord, and can heal without speaking a single word. Kaci is strong and definitely leans on your for comfort. Bless and continue to keep her close. I pray that the Borchgardt family finds means of testing that is not so trying on the spirit and body. Heal her if it is your will but strengthen her herin a supernatural way so that she will proclaim the miracles of you. Lord, I ask these things, not because I am worthy of your Blessing, but because you Son Jesus dwells within me. Thank you for calling us your own.

In Jesus name I pray, Amen."

3rd grade on the third day!

Kaci is finally feeling better and here she is on her first day of 3rd grade- which was really the third day of 3rd grade! She is just so grown up these days! Where did the time go?

This was her on the first day of school-laying in my bed with a 102 degree fever! So glad she is feeling better~

There is a 1st time for everything! Today is the 1st day of 1st grade!

Well- it is finally here, (not that we have been waiting for it)- the FIRST day of school! PaPa came over this morning so he could stay with Kaci while Clint and I took Bailey to school on his first day of first grade! Kaci started running a fever last night- and was not able to go to school this morning. YUCK!
When I woke Bailey up this morning the first thing he said was, " Is it school today?" He was so excited! A little Handy Manny, some cold apple juice and a peanut butter cracker and he was ready to go!

But first we had to have a kiss!

For the first day of school drop off was pretty easy. We even found a spot to park in the parking lot. Great start to the day!

Dear Bailey,

I am so proud of you! You are such a smart boy and you re really going to love first grade. I know that you will learn so much and be a good friend to all of your classmates. You make me proud everyday to be you Mommy! I love you with all of my heart- Mommy

"Get your popcorn ready, because I am going to put on a show!"

So proud of Bailey! He and Clint were at it again today.....selling popcorn! He sold over $140 today from 6-8. Way to Go- I am so proud of you. (and the sign you and Kaci made)

Happy Birthday, Dear Jaxon!

Today our very good buddy, Jaxon, turned 2~ Happy Birthday to you!

Kaci and Bailey had a blast helping Jaxon celebrate!

Look Mom! No hands!

Bailey spent his time at the party preparing for when he grows up and appears on Wipe Out!

Kaci and Alicyn had fun too.....and look how stinking cute they are!~

Having fun making bottle cap necklaces!

Happy Birthday to You Bottle Cap Necklace

School Pride Blue Bottle Cap

School Pride Pink Bottle Cap

Shocking!

SpongeBob says it best....SHOCKING! I can not believe that summer is OVER! Where did the time go?

Tonight was meet the teacher. Hard to believe we will have a first grader and a third grader! OMG!

Bailey picked out a SpongeBob backpack this year. He also wanted to look handsome for his new teacher and wanted to wear his new polo to meet her! So cute!

Kaci got her backpack when we were in Dallas at Sam Moon. It is super cute and covered in all of her favorite candy!

Here is Bailey smiling with his new teacher. He is really excited for school to be back in session.

We didn't get a picture of Kaci's teacher, but we did get a picture of her and her new class pets; Theodore and Dave. They are really cute hamsters- and if she can talk Dad into it, she can bring one or both of them home on the weekend :) School starts Tuesday. Looking forward to a great year!

Happy Anniversary! 12 years!

We celebrated our anniversary one day early this year alone. Uncle Chad came from Dallas to watch Kaci and Bailey while we enjoyed a nice dinner at ZTejas and then a movie at the theatre. It was great. On Sunday- August 15th- our actual anniversary - we enjoyed a family date at the Melting Pot Family Day Special! Here we are toasting to another 12! Kaci did a great job with this picture!

Here are Kaci and Daddy waiting for the pots to warm up!

Bailey and I were ready for some cheese!

Once the pot was nice and bubbly, Kaci pushed her headband down and decided to become a fortune teller and tell us our future..... Hopefully CHOCOLATE is in our future!

Bailey wanted me to take this picture and post it. He dropped one of his bananas before it made it to the chocolate pot. He thought it was so funny when he found it on the bottom of his shoe. GROSS!

After Clint and I made a toast....so did Bailey...

....and Kaci!

It was a great lunch date! I can't wait until next year when we go back for #13~

Mission Accomplished!

1,000 folders- stuffed and ready!

Thank you to all of our recruits!

We will be dropping these off and picking up 1,000 more later this week!

"Hanging out with the bats!"

Tonight we meet up with Papa and picked up Grayson, to go and enjoy the bats under the McNeil and I-35 bridge with the Girl Scouts! As soon as we got out of the car in the Napa Auto Parts parking lot- it smelled like a zoo! I had no idea that you could smell the bat poop in the parking lot! YUCK!

Some of the Junior troops had prepared activities and fact boards for the girls to learn more about bats. Here they are making their own bats with their handprints. They also made "guano" treats (or bat poop treats) for the girls to eat. Rice crispies covered in chocolate- YUMM!


Silly girls being silly girls! Killing time until the sun goes down!

....and a silly boy joining the silly girls!

As it started to get darker- we decided to move closer!

And finally- what we had been waiting for since 7:00- at about 8:30.....3.8 million bats flew out from under the bridge! AWESOME!

Love you more!

Here we go again! We stopped by the JDRF Austin Offices today and picked up 1,000 School Walk Folders to stuff and get ready for the start of the school year! Nothing makes Kaci happier!

As soon as we got home we went straight to work. Hoping to beat our total of envelopes stuffed from last year - 1,700!

Dog Days Of Summer!

Gave Chelsea a bath today! Hard to stay cool in these "Dog Days Of Summer!"

This is my favorite boy in the whole wide world!

I am not ready for the summer to end.

Trails End Popcorn Sales!

So proud of Bailey! He is working hard to sell popcorn and collect donations for his boyscout troop! He worked two booths this weekend with Clint. It was hot - but he was determined to work his two 2 hours shifts! He sold $289 in popcorn and collected $63.70 in donations! Way to Go! I am so proud of you!

Camping: nature's way of promoting the motel industry. ~Dave Barry,

Kaci and I went out in the backyard to swing after dinner the other night - and somehow in our conversation we started talking about how fun it would be to have a camp out in our backyard.....

So, the very next morning we headed to the store to get all the things we would need to make our special day and night complete; hotdogs, buns, chilli, beans, queso, chips and or course marshmallows, graham crackers and hershey's bars for s'mores! YUMMY!

Clint got the tent out and showed Kaci, Bailey and I how to put it up. Surprisingly, it was not that hard! Since their are 2 rooms to the tent (and Clint had to sleep indoors since it was a work night) we decided to invite Amber over so I had someone to sleep with on my side. Kaci and Bailey took the little side and we got the big!

I filled up over 100 water balloons and the day was set!

Daddy enjoyed the hotdog dinner with us.

Amber showed up just in time for s'mores! - Clint put the fire pit together, but it is a little hard to find wood in August! ha The barbque grill worked just fine!

Bailey wasn't sure that he was going to like them....but he soon changed his mind.

We gathered out gear...light up glasses included...and headed into the tents.

We even skyped with Uncle Chad and Brad before lights out~ But shortly after lights out- Kaci found a spider on our side of the tent. Then-shortly after, another spider on her and Bailey's side. So- right about 11:45 we were all tucked safely into our own beds snug and warm inside the house! Amber was safe in her bed at home about 11:55! It was so much fun while it lasted. Maybe we will try it again sometime....after the exterminator has paid our house a visit! ha