L is for the way you LOOK at me ...

I am mushy ... cheesy ... the kind of person who secretly loves Valentine's Day and probably hugs people too much. I love, love ... I like to let people know how much they're loved. I'm probably pretty annoying for this (and other things too) but do it any way! I rarely speak to groups, but at a women's brunch in February I rambled on about the word ... how a word that represents so many deep emotions and actions is used so flippantly. "I LOVE that song." "I LOVE that top." "I LOVE that team." "I LOVE my family." "I LOVE the Lord." I know it's just a way to say that we really like something ... I do it all the time, but to use it so much about things of least importance takes so much away from the power of those that are the most important.


I LOVE my husband! He is such an incredible guy ... not just because of these lovely flowers that he brought home for no reason ... from the moment I met him my life changed, and daily I am reminded of how much he means to me ... I have learned from him, I laugh with him, I've been frustrated with him, and go to bed and wake up thanking God for him. He is one of those people that is totally annoying because when life throws him something terrible he makes the most of it ... looking for the good and always ... ALWAYS determines to be open to what the Lord will teach him. I love him because I know that we can be anywhere at any time and when our eyes meet he knows exactly what I am thinking. l love that he doesn't get completely terrified when I drive even though I'm terrible. I love that he is silly and lets me be too. I love that he is the kind of father that is a part of his kids' daily lives and sacrifices so much for his family. I love my husband for all of that and endless more.



I LOVE my babies! I have thanked God for them ... prayed for them ... loved them with a love I cannot understand since before they were born. I love that they are each so different but so much of the same ... Hayden's favorite things are fast cars, playing his music "super loud" and "jamming" with his guitar, and talking to his sister while Ellie prefers to be cuddled, likes to talk, and is always happier when big brother is around. I love that we have the privilege of teaching them about the Lord and how even though mommy and daddy love them SO MUCH, God loves them EVEN MORE! My precious little guy and my sweet baby girl ...

Here's Me. What About You?

I ... got this from my friend Sarah's blog.

I am: blogging and looking at usatoday and weather.com to wind down after a long evening of homework
I want: to be a good mommy, a good wife, a principal (?) and several pounds lighter
I have: so many blessings that I thank God for every day!
I wish: there were no people in need ...
I hate: laundry ... specifically rolling socks
I fear: that I am running too fast and missing out ...
I hear: IRONMAN ... David is watching it
I search: for quiet places and my cell phone - I always lose it!
I wonder: what my children will grow up to be
I always: tell my David and babies how much I love them
I usually: sneeze like an old man
I am not: taller than 5'4", though I had been holding out hope for a long time
I dance: each and every day with Hayden to his favorite songs
I sing: loudly and often ... and with a little guy asking me to stop so he can hear the song :-)
I never: have been able to keep plants alive!
I rarely: spend time with girlfriends ... I'm getting better, though!
I cry: the most when I am tired or worn out ... or when I watch a sappy movie ...
I am not always: patient
I lose: my mind in Wal-Mart
I’m confused: about the chaos of the world/how people can be so divided and hateful but calling for peace
I need: sandy beaches
I should: get up earlier
I dream: about spending the rest of my life with my handsome husband and sweet kiddos

whew ...

What do S'Mores ... Floating Floors ... Hurricane Winds ... Pirates and Rolling Babies have in common? They were all a part of our very eventful weekend!

Friday:
We had fun with friends at the Kid's Connection S'More's party. We kept warm by the fire and roasted marshmallows ... Hayden ran around with Josiah, Aley, and Wilson ... Ellie and Lars snuggled with mommies, and we all went home smelling of smoke with thoughts of s'mores dancing in our heads. A delicious idea from our dear Christine ... try strawberry marshmallows ... it's like having chocolate covered strawberries over the campfire! Yum!

The Fire-Man

Hayden Proudly showing his S'More

Saturday: Saturday we were back at the church, only this time at the office for a work day. The flood in May that ruined the basement carpeting/office space right before we came was ready to be made new again, with beautiful wood flooring and furniture!

Basement Before (South Wall)

Basement After (Northwest Wall)

Sunday:
I have never been through a hurricane, but the winds in Rapid City today must be close. Our neighbors metal-frame canoe was in the pasture behind our houses with the cows this morning, and our rocking chairs were clinging to life hanging over our front porch.

The GREAT NEWS is that the sun is still shining in the midst of the chaos and 39-degree temps.

You know that you're supposed to be somewhere when your 5-year old is in tears on the way to the car after church because he thinks he'll fly away, but he gets into the car and says "Mommy, this place is super cool!" God is so good to remind us through our little guy that through every storm (even wind storm) and sunny day He is with us and is taking care of us. You know you love a place when despite it literally knocking you over, you're excited to call it home! David actually went golfing in the windy mess with his pal Dale ... it's a Sunday afternoon tradition, and apparently no wind can come in between a man and his golf game! :-)


Also ... there's tumbleweed here - lots of it ... it's not just in Kansas ... another fun treat for us.

Hayden went to the movies today with his buddy Kayla. They watched the Veggie Tales PIRATE movie at a theater downtown that has older movies for very cheap. It's great for them because they're both quite independent and seem to suit one another well. He has been talking about it for weeks and when I went to pick him up from their house, I had fun talking to her mommy and the kiddos had a hoot running all over playing - no screaming, no arguing, nothing but squeals of fun and the noise of the "bbq grill" where Hayden was making everyone bacon. Yummy! Haha!

In other exciting news ... our little girl has now been dubbed "rolley-polley!" She's going back and forth and clinging to teething toys like her mommy to coffee! :-) She'll be 18 weeks tomorrow and what a fast four and a half months it's been!

mmmm ...

Ellie LOVES to sit up and talk to her big brother!

That's about it. Whew! We need a nap!

Congratulations!

Our dear friends Jody and Steph just had their third little one ... a baby girl named Lily! We weren't there for most of the pregnancy, but have been praying earnestly.

We love you guys and will continue praying for health and rest for your family and cannot wait to see her!

Love,
David, Katy, Hayden, and Ellie

numbers

hayden was born on august 26, 2003.
082603

ellie was born on june 23, 2008.
062308

we realized that their bday's share the same "numbers."

another random, useless bit of info. we think it's kind of cool.

remedy drive

remedy drive came to fountain springs community church this saturday night for a concert after our COLLIDE service, and they led worship at all three services. they are best known right now for their song "daylight" but have so many incredible songs and a very exciting future for sure!

A very gifted friend, Jamie created this for the event ... wow!


find them on youtube ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTK0la4jyXg

so, in an unrelated story ... christine might have bought a mullet wig that todd might use for announcements from time to time, and hayden may have put it on to see what all the fuss was about. nashville, here we come!

Spearfish Canyon

This beautiful place is just a short drive from our house ... we took advantage of the GORGEOUS weather yesterday morning for a visit!

Wow.

We could not be more thankful for the beauty that surrounds us ... every time we look out onto our backyard we see this gorgeous hill and are reminded of how perfect our God is!

I always "assumed" that being in ministry would not be very easy in terms of location ... that truly serving involved being absolutely without comfort ... what an enormous blessing it is for Him to put us in a place with such incredible people and unmatched beauty!

hello ... i'm random ... what's your name?

one of my graduate classes this semester was only a month long ... and it was great because it was all about everything ... from technology to interpersonal communication. it's funny because since i'm taking classes online, there is no face-to-face interaction, so we must rely on initial "sharing" and online discussions throughout the class to get to know each other.

this semester there were a lot of "ice-breaker" type activities that made me reminisce to my college days in leadership studies, when we would have all types of pow-wows full of them. the "share things about you that no one else will know" seems quite popular.

i'm not always so good at this ... although i'm a talker, i'm not much of a writer or "thoughtful" with words. in manhattan, a very dear friend of mine, sarah, was and still is such an inspiration to me - her writing is always very genuine, seemingly effortless, and always touching. here in rapid city, i have been blessed to befriend another incredible writer, natalie ... her words are like the words to your favorite song - each line is oozing with meaning and depth ... so, i am happy to be insipired by them and leave the simple things like this to me!

i thought it'd be fun, and random to share some of my recent answers to the ice-breakers ...

SOME THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT ME ...

10. I asked for a cash register every year for Christmas. I don't know why, but I was a girl obsessed!

9. I always have chapped lips ... but I'm also obsessed with chapstick - do you think it could be the chapstick making my lips chapped? Maybe some crazy scheme by the chapstick makers to keep me coming back?

8. I had a pet cow ... his name was Mr. Cow ... I'm sure he eventually tasted great on someone's sandwich, but for me he was a great pet!

7. My ideal job would be working in a museum ... I'm that boring and that obsessed with history!

6. The first time I rode on a plane was for my honeymoon ... and we got moved to 1st class ... that's not happened again, though!

5. I have always wanted to be artistic in some way ... singing, painting, writing ... my niche' may be organizing, though ...

4. I was baptized twice in the same week ... once in the lake at church camp, and that following Sunday at church - I wanted my parents to be a part of the decision ... the lake was much more warmer!

3. I don't like feet ... mine look weird, yours look weird ... flip-flops are fine, but don't put them anywhere near me! :-)

2. I would be great at any of the "song lyrics" shows ... I grew up listening to all kinds of music and mixed with my ocd, i remember lyrics like a maniac.

1. As a driver, I have never hit a person on a bicycle, but I have been hit by a person on a bicycle while driving in a car - my friend Becky and I were stopped at a stop sign and a guy on a bicycle hit my car ... then started yelling ... then got back on his bike and continued going. It wasn't good for my little Corolla, and nearly gave me a heart attack! Becky was especially scared because he hit us on her side, and I rolled down her window to ask if he was ok - it was the strangest thing that has ever happened to me!

Amazing

Two little pairs of eyes ... both beautiful ... both full of life ... how thankful we are for them, and how excited we are about who they are and who they will be ...



Our little soccer guy had his party yesterday but no game - too much raining and snow!



I tried to copy a picture that we had of Hayden; Ellie wouldn't stop chewing on her little hand! Ha!

Love...

I have no words...just watch:

Mommy, I Don't Feel So Good ...

We have been anything but healthy this week ... there have been some very eventful days at the Kinnan home ... though we've been passing it back and forth we think we might be on the upswing (hopefully!).

CONGRATULATIONS GUYS!

Some of our very dear friends (including Lance, the worship leader at our previous church, Real Life) have been very busy lately, and Lance was the featured artist at this website ...

http://www.embassymusic.com/em_artists.htm

Keep your radios on and stay tuned ... there are some very exciting things in store for these very talented guys!

For the Grandmas and the Grandpas ...

Hayden's shirt of choice is none at all these days ... Ellie, however, prefers to be bundled up all the time.

We borrowed a friend's Bobcat in a sad attempt to work on our sad yard ourselves ... didn't work out so well, but we had a blast! Hayden didn't get to drive it, but would have sat in it all day if we would have let him!

Ellie officially has some favorite things ... aside from eating and pooping, she likes big brother, laughing (more like a giggle), talking, and sitting up, here with the help of daddy.

Joe Dirt

Move over bottled water ... there's a new natural resource that's being sold for way too much ... today we actually had to pay someone to come fill our yard with more dirt and then move it around until it was flat, and as "pretty" as dirt can be. We'll hold off on the rest until the checkbook cools off ...

This made me think about ridiculous things that I could get paid for ...

1. Removing the filling from Oreos so that people don't have to mess with undoing the cookies themselves.

2. Gum chewer ... helping the jaws of people everywhere (that was just for you, Laughlin)

I'm officially out of ideas ... it's been a long day, so I cheated and looked up the craziest jobs ever!

Pet Food Taster Not only do these people eat dog food all the time, some actually enjoy it! It's kind of like wine connoisseurs enjoying a new wine, except its stuff your dog or cat eats. To each their own...

Gross stunt producer If you've ever seen a show where people have to do disgusting things for money (like wade through rat-infested sewers or eat living bugs), rest assured it's because someone's job is to come up with such twisted concepts. A surprising amount of research is necessary to make sure that your ideas are not only gross, but also safe.

Bad Breath Smeller How else would you figure out if your company's chewing gum is getting the job done? This also implies there are people whose job it is to chew gum and breathe in people's faces.

Ufologist As the name implies, ufologists are all about the study of UFO's. History, recent reports, government conspiracies, it's all included, so if the unknown is your passion this might not be a bad start.

Cryptozoologist These are the people you see on television explaining so convincingly why Big Foot or the Loch Ness monster are real. It's all about using your science skills in less conventional ways.

Pathoecologist You'd be surprised how much you can learn from...poo. Pathoecologists study feces from thousands of years ago, learning much about the lifestyles and diets of our ancestors.

I think I'll just stick to being a mommy and teacher ...