Goodbye sweet, sweet Mittens

Mittens Klenke came into our lives July of 2007. He was just a sweet little 5 week old kitten. He was so tolerant of the kids and their crazy way to play with him. He allowed them to dress him up and put him in the baby stroller. He was a great cuddler and companion.

As he grew he learned to be a great mouse and bird catcher. he kept our home mouse free all the days he was here. he was a sweet little guy who loved to sleep all day and chase mice outside all night.

In November of 2009 Mitty went out for the night as he usually does, only he didn't return in the morning. We thought maybe he was on a long hunt but deep down Aaron and I knew something was wrong. Our whole Sunday school class prayed for Mitty's safe return. He never came home.

Madison was probably the most devistated. She printed off a picture of hime and put it on the wall next to her bed. On the bottom of the picture she wrote: "Mittens was my best friend, and then he ran away".

We really do think something terrible happened to Mitty. He was a small little guy.

Rest in peace dear sweet Mitty.

Happy 4th Of July

We are celebrating the 4th of July with food, family and fireworks! Madison and Cade are really excited to see the fireworks tonight. Cade has been asking me how much longer......since July 1st! He and I are both glad the 4th is finally here. Hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July!

Things that make me smile....BIG!

Cade eating a blue cupcake



My cutie pies getting ready for Camp Willomocky


Cade on PJ day

Aaron enjoying some quiet time with Mittens!



Hey, that's MY chair!

Silly boy!

ABC's Of Kathy

I have read several blogs with this little tidbit and thought i would try it too. I am not even sure if anyone reads this blog anymore, as it is really important mostly to me....so here I go. Please copy this idea and put it in your blog if you think it is fun/interesting.

A- Angels, I had a dream that the angel of the Lord appeared to me the other night. He told me not to worry about a human hurting my children but to watch out for animals. Frightening, I know.

B- Babies, everytime I see a baby I think I want another one.

C- Coffee, my new favorite drink and my favorite moment of the day when i am drinking coffee and reading the paper in the morning.

D- Deanna, my mother's name. I worry about her.

E- End of Days, I truly wonder if I am going to be alive when Jesus comes back.

F- Friends, I feel truly blesses to have so many very dear friends.

G- Grandpa-T, this is what my kids call my dad. They love him so much and so do I.

H- Happiness, I have learned that we each make our own happiness. Each day we must decide to be happy in spite of circumstances.

I- Ice cream, this is Madison's favorite food!

J- Jesus, he is in my thoughts everyday and I can literally feel him with me in times of need. I did nothing to deserve his mercy.

K- I really messed up here....I went to buy Maddy a bottle cap necklace for her birthday with her initial on it and i bought one with a K on it. Shouldn't I have gotten an M? Is it really all about me?? I truly did not think I was a self centered person but maybe subconsiously I am.

L- Love Dare, Aaron and I are doing the Love Dare right now and it is really improving our marriage.

M-Money, for the first time in a long time I feel like we have a fantastic financial future. Participating in Dave Ramsey's FPU has completely inpired me to continue to Live Like no one else now so later we can Live Like No One Else. We may seem strange with some of the things we do but it will all pay off in the end!

N-Nothing, this is what I have to do tomorrow and I am thrilled!

O- Ocotpus, this is a new game Cade and I made up in the pool. He is so much fun to play with!

P- Popsicles, a fun summer treat for the kids.

Q-Quiet--ahhhhh, need I say more?

R- Ressurection, what an absolute miracle.

S- Swimming, we do it every day!

T- Tadpoles, aren't they amazing that they change so dramatically to actually become a frog? I absolutley HATE frogs by the way, but I will give credit where credit is due.

U- Unicorn, this is what all the little girls were painting when maddy and I went to pick up our pottery from the pottery painting store.

V-Vicks Vapor Rub, gotta love that smell! I am a little weird.

W- Watermelon, my dad's favorite summertime food.

X- X-ray, hope my kids won't need any this summer!

Y- Yummy, a great adjecitve to describe a dinner at Los Cucos!

Z-Zoo, we are not going there this summer, it is just toooo hot already!

If you have enjoyed the ABC's of Kathy please leave a cooment or post your own and let me know where to find them!

Summertime!

We are all on summer break officially now. Cade has been off since Memorial Day, Maddy since last Thursday and I have been off since Friday. Aaron....well that is a whole different story....

I think this is my favorite summer break thus far, the kids are so independent and they play so beautifully together. I have spent my first few days od summer vacation cleaning and organizing closets and bedrooms. It is amazing how much stuff the kids have acquired over the past year. It is extremely theraputic to clean out and organize our living space. We follow the motto of Less Is More.

Aside from cleaning and organizing we have been swimming in our backyard pool everyday and cooking together. Mommy school starts today too. I need to bring Cade up to speed on a few concepts. Madison is going to be my teacher in training. She has decided she wants to be a teacher when she grows up so she might as well start now!

Our future plans for the summer include Splashway water park on Friday and SeaWorld after 2 weeks of VBS.

The Perfect Day

Sometimes things just go your way and today was our day. We started the day getting up when we woke up NOT when the alarm clock woke us up. I then made yummy breakfast tacos and had the best cup of coffee. After breakfast and getting ready we went to Griffin Elementary to register the kids for football and Cheerleading. That was so fun to see both kids get so excited about starting a new activity. Aaron applied to coach Cade's team and that made it really special for Cade. Madison then asked if I was going to coach her cheer squad...uh no. Registering the kids for these activities normally would be no big deal but since we are living off one income (and it is not the bigger one) everything is tough. But by the grace of God and some very generous relatives we were able to do this for the kids.
After a qucik Kroger run and a good lunch we went swimming in our new pool. The water was fabulous and both kids had a great time going under and really swimming! This is a huge accomplishment for them. Aaron was saying that we really needed some rain because our grass is very straw like..and then wouldn't ya know an hour later it started raining. So we rushed inside and dried off and now the kids are having a "movie party" while I make dinner. I am making chicken enchiladas and of course that calls for a margarita!
So yes we have been having our challenges lately but today was the perfect day. God is great.

Going private

I am thinking about going private with my blog. If you would like to be included on my blog list please send me your e-mail address and I will include you. Thanks so much!

Our Country Home

We bought a house on a golf course and since then the course has closed and been sold to a farmer with cows. Our golf course view has now turned into a country farm view. We often hear mooing in the day and night. Madison has of course named one and has claimed it for her own. Are the Klenke's going country? Never a dull moment around here!

All About Baseball!

Cade is palying his second season of Tee-ball right now and he is having lots of fun. His skills have improved noticeably since last spring. I think he is quite good but I know I am a little biased. He had a really good game the other night and he was awarded the "Game Ball". this is a very big deal to Cade. He was also asked to be on the summer All Star team. I have learned that the top few players of each team in his division are chosen to participate in the All Star league/division. So basically we wiil continue at the ball fields throughout may for practices and then he plays on the "big kid" field in June for the All Star team. This team will prepare him for the next age group that he will be with in the Fall. I am learning all this as I go. I think I am going to be a co-team mom too. I will be team mom with another mother. This is Cade with his coach after he recieved the game ball!

Cade playing pitcher, isn't he a cutie!

Catch up time

So today school is cancelled because of the non stop pounding rain that began yesterday and lasted until the early hours this morning. So I am going to update my blog with all our recent activities.
Sportsfest at Katy Pony Baseball Fields

Here the kids are visiting the petting zoo. This was by far the highlight of the kids' day. They are such animal lovers, especially Madison.

Here Cade is showing off his spray painted hair. Surprisingly this washes out easliy!

Here the boys are lining up for their team picture. This is the cutest lil group of baseball players ever!

Birthday party at Time Square Entertainment!

We attended a birthday party for Cade's sweet little friend Blake. The party was at Time Square Entertainment. It looks really small on the outside but it was perfect for a birthday party! The kids and Aaron had tons of fun!

Cade's pre-school easter Party

Aaron was able to attend Cade's pre-school Easter party this year as he is a temporary stay at home dad. I was a little sad that i couldn't go but I see how much it meant to both of them that "Daddy" was there and it makes it all better. Cade and his classmates made these darling little bunny headbands and walked to the pastors' house to go on an egg hunt. He then returned to school and planted a flower to take home. Theses activites were of course intertwined with discussion of how Jesus died for us and rose again and then ascended into heaven. I am so proud that Cade fully understands how much Jesus loves us and the sacrifice that was made so we can be free.

This picture will be posted at Cade's high school graduation!!!!

Baseball!

Spring break!

We have tried really hard to keep busy with the kids during this break. Yes, Aaron is still looking for a job so we had to do it all on a super tight budget. Thankfully the weather has been pretty so we have been outside a bunch. The kids have been in bathing suits at least half of our days off. We also visited the Science Museum on Tuesday because Tuesdays are free from 2-8.

We also went up to my classroom one day for a couple of hours. I got some cleaning and organizing done and the kids got to play with all my stuff. They love doing this!

We are still praying about Aaron's job situation and trusting that the Lord has great plans for us. There are a couple of things on the horizion, but we will talk about that only when it is relevant.

Enjoy these couple of pics of our adventures!

Gotta love houston weather in March!

Happy St. Patrick's day!

This poor cat puts up with so much abuse! Here is sporting a gold chain thanks to Cade and a baby blanket thanks to Madison!

Fun at the museum! Or Maddy fussing at Cade about something.....

Do I look like this lady from the newspaper?

This is me with my old hair cut.
This is a lady who I keep seeing in the newspaper.




This is my new haircut in a scary too close picture. Why do I think I look like this lady?

Happy Valentine's Day

Here are two of my 3 favortie valentines!

A Test of Faith

Well for those of you who don't yet know, Aaron was laid off in January. This was not a huge surprise but still devastating. He has been unemployed for 5 weeks now. Our faith, that we proclaim to be so strong, is really being tested. Every week is like a roller coaster ride. Some days we are happy, joyful even, then comes the big downturn. I am having conversations with God on a daily basis and I am listening very hard for what he might be telling me.
For some unexplainable reason I have a positive outlook on the future. We may have to make some changes in our life but they may be good changes.

Texas Winter

The weather here has been so perfect for oudoor activities and we have been taking full advantage of it. Since the kids got new bikes from Santa, (good bikes) we have been visiting the Texas State Parks for little day trips.

This is the kids on Christmas morning.

Madison at Stephen F. Austin State Park

The kids in front of a gorgeous tree at Brazos bend. Aaron planning our alligator infested route.

Taking a break.