First day of 6th grade!!

Ok, I need you to pretend with me.  Pretend that V started 6th grade just yesterday and forget that it was last friday.  Ok, you with me now?  Oh good, thanks!!  I have been so excited to do this post but I have been so busy the past 5 days, that I haven't found time to do it!
So, that brings me to now.  V just started 6th grade "yesterday" and she started a new school, again.  Last year she started a new school because we had just moved down South and this year is because we think it's a better school academically.  It was really hard for me to move her because God had given her such an amazing year in 5th grade with friends, teachers, etc., but I trust that we made the right decision and that He will provide for her again.  And in fact, He has already!  She made 2 new friends the week before she even started at the 6th grade meet and greet pool party!  We drove home from MN last monday (we left there at 1 am and got home around 5:30 pm),  ate dinner, unpacked a bit, took showers and left for the pool party at 8 pm.  We were exhausted!!  But God blessed her with 2 good friends that night and I even met a new friend too!  God is GOOD!!!

Every year we take a first day of school picture in front of our house and always try and take one when she gets to school.  I thought it would be fun to post them here so you could see how much she had changed over the past 7 years!

Kindergarten

Her first day of school breakfast.

She is sooo stinkin cute!!!  :)

I think someone is a little sad!!

She is so grown up!

It was sooo hard to leave her and I cried a lot!

Chad surprised me and took the morning off of

work and took me out to breakfast because he knew

I would be a mess!  What an awesome husband!!!

 First grade

Ok, don't know what happened to 1st grade

first day of school pics!  I couldn't find them

but this was taken during the first couple of

months of first grade.  We went out to ice cream

with friends from school.

Second grade

Second grade! 

Poor Chad, he wasn't too happy about

taking a picture in his robe but what can

I say, we have to take our first day of school

pics and he wasn't ready!  :)

I LOVE this girl!!!

Third grade

She now gets a locker!!

I CAN'T believe she is in 3rd grade already!!

Fourth grade

Ok, messed up again somehow.  Can't find the

4th grade first day of school pics!  What's going on?!?

Anyway, this was us at the MN state fair just days before

she started 4th grade. 

And this is the first year she starts school as a big sister!!

Fifth grade



Here she is starting 5th grade at a new school

for the first time!  We had just been here for

two months and she is already starting!

She is so brave!  She was barely nervous

and thankfully God did provide a couple of

really good friends who were in her SS class

as well as her 5th grade class!

Sixth grade

Oh my, she looks sooo grown up!!!

I don't think I will ever find a more proud momma

than myself!!!!  I am SO blessed.  :)

My precious dearest V,

I am sooo proud of you and I love you with all of my heart.

Your love for God, your family and others is amazingly strong and

you find ways to show it every day.  Thank you for being you!!!

Love,

your mom





Splash of Joy

Yesterday we got home from our 2 week vacation and what a fun time it was!  My sister, mom and I had a great time together and made many new memories we can tuck away to get us through until we see each other in a month for my brother Kyle's wedding!  I can't believe  my "little" brother is getting married!!  But I am so glad for him- his fiance Jill is so sweet and we are very happy to welcome her to our family!
There's something new and refreshing in your thoughts as you are on vacation. I think you forget about all the stresses of "normal life" you had back at home.  Then you get home, wake up the next morning and BAM, it hits you full force as you swing your legs over the side of the bed and think of all that you have to do. And then as you walk through the house and look at all the unpacked bags you are immediately stressed to the max!!  At least that's what happened to me!  My to do list in my "vacation mind" consisted of setting up my craft/hobby room, sewing, taking the girls to the zoo, finish getting a few things for V as she starts school this friday.  You know, all the fun stuff!  My to do list in "normal life"  mind consists of changing diapers, cleaning the house, unpacking all the suitcases, going grocery shopping because you've been gone for 2 weeks and there's nothing to eat, piles of laundry, your nightly walks with the dog, etc.  You know, all the "not real fun stuff".  Necessary stuff. 
So, as the pressures of life settled heavily on my shoulders this morning, in the midst of letting the dog out and finding something for H to eat, I decided I NEEDED to start the day out right then and there with The Lord.  I needed His strength to start the day and then get through it!!
So I kneeled down next to H and just prayed. Then she laid down under me and said "hi" in her precious tiny voice.  What joy filled  my heart as I was filled with God's promise- "nothing is impossible with God." - Luke 1:37.  A thought quickly went through my head- my hearts desire for another child and after 6 years, God made that possible.  How could I think God wouldn't fill my day with His joy?  So I finished praying, got my Bible and a devotional and spent some time with my God.  I knew He would fill my heart with exactly what I needed. 
I have Barbara Johnson's devotion 'Daily Splashes of Joy' and opened it up to August 9.  The verse for today was Colossians 4:2  "Continue praying, keeping alert and always thanking God"  Barbara talked about a speaking engagement she had and how she was stressed all the way up to the podium and as she talked.  But at the end someone said to her "Barb, you seem so relaxed and happy, as though you have no stress in your life at all!"  I thought to myself, "how did she do that?"  Then I reread the verses and realized I need to do exactly what the Word said - "continue praying, keeping alert and always thanking God thoughout my day!"
Then I turned to January 1, thinking new year = new week/new day of no vacation and this is what she said:
"There's something so satisfying about beginning a new month.  I just love r-r-ripping that old page off my calendar and starting over on a fresh, new month with all those clean, unblemished squares- unspoiled days just waiting to be enjoyed." The next paragraph is what I really grabbed ahold of and said "a-ha!"  She says "But the most important thing I do is resolve (again) to heed the apostle Paul's advice: 'Forgetting all the pain and failures of the past, I strain toward what is ahead- heaven!- and put the future in God's hands'."  Wow.  Thank you Barbara and thank You God!! 
I came home and all the stresses of 'before vacation life' came rushing back.  This reminded me to let it go!  Look forward to what is ahead!  Go in God's strength and hope.  He will carry me through AND give me joy for the journey!

     The present is what slips by us while we're pondering the past and worrying about the future.

Felvis Fever

I wanted to go to see fake Elvis in concert while I was here in Mn and my dream came true last night!!  Sara and Andy (my sister and her husband) and I went and I had a great time!!  Now that I reflect on the night, I'm thinking I was a little "too excited" for a fake Elvis concert!  Due to the fact that a lady standing next to me leaned over and said "you do know this isn't the real Elvis?!?"  Oh my lady, I am not stupid!  Just excited!!  :)

Oh my, there he is!!!  :)

My precious sister willing to do these

"crazy" things with me!  She was the one

who went to the Oprah show with me but I must

admit- I was a little "too excited" for her there also!

My chaperones sister and her hubby

Sara: "but I want to dance like crazy Sheri"

Andy: "no, please don't.  I am so embarrassed!"

Sara: "well then, what should we do with her?"

Andy: "let's just walk away slowly and maybe she won't notice we are gone!"

I was so excited- he was walking up towards me!!

I'm sure he was thinking "I must go and see Sheri Pope.  She

is probably the most excited one here!"

He is right in front of me!!!

He must've forgot who he was going to see because

he passed right by me!  I should've reached out and grabbed

his hand like I did Oprah.  Ha!

My favorite shot!!  :)  haha!

Oh yeah, he is singing to me.  :-)

Hope you enjoyed a little Felvis fever with me!!

Think I will be heading back to Graceland in the next couple of months after I head home!

Our vacation to MN

Ahhhh, nothing like summer vacation in Minnesota! And what a fun time we are having reconnecting with family and friends!
The first day we were here we spent the day at my sister's house.  H has been asking for her cousin Evie ever since she left our house over a month ago so they were so excited to see each other!

My sister has the most beautiful flowers and H

took some time to admire them!

And I took some time to photograph them!

That night we went to mom and dad's for

dinner and Joyce and V had fun together.

The next day V got to see her best friend from Mn!

Later that week we went swimming at our soon to be

sister-in-law's house and H had so much fun!

Joyce even enjoyed swimming!

Chad, Jill and Kyle goofing around!

V tried to help daddy float but

he just can't seem to get it down!

It was so funny watching them. 

V took H down the water slide!

After they went down, H went under the water and

she LOVED it.  Too cute.  :)

My 2 precious beautiful girls!!

She wanted to swim by herself

so Jill's mom gave her some water wings.

She went crazy with those things on!

She jumped into Chad's arms and.....

went swimming all by herself all around the pool!!

She also went down the waterslide by HERSELF!!!

Crazy crazy girl!!  We will have to put her

on the swim team with V!  :)

Later in the week Mom and Sara surprised me with my birthday bag

filled with goodies!  That's my fav present from

my mom every year- a new bag/purse filled with

my favorite things.

One of my FAVORITE things is

white cake with white buttercream frosting.

YUMMMMMY.

That was gone in a couple of hours.  :)

Oh my precious V. 

She is at camp this week and I miss her so much

but I know she is having so much fun.

Can't wait to see her this saturday!!  :)

That was a sneak peek into our first week in Mn. What fun we had seeing family and friends we haven't seen in a long time and making new memories.  Thank You Lord for these blessings!!