Go Tigers!

We just found out the the baseball team from our alma mater - Ouachita Baptist University - made it to the Division II World Series for the first time in the school's history! Not only did they make it into the tournament, but they progressed through to the final championship game which was played this afternoon. They did lose, but wow! To have, in their first tournament appearance, made it all the way to the national championship game is definitely something to be proud of! Go Tigers!

Life

There's nothing necessarily newsworthy to report in the Hibbard household - just life. Things are flowing a little differently now that we know we are moving. We are beginning that tedious task of packing and are supposed to be talking to a real estate agent soon. So, those things will definitely be a disruptive force to normalcy. But, in the meantime, there is still just plain ole ordinary Hibbard life. I like that.

Here are just some snapshots from the past few days.

The girls were listening to our morning Bible reading and just looked so cute...

Angie was sitting on the couch with Olivia's lap desk in her lap. I think she was drawing. Steven decided that he didn't like that plan, so he came over and flopped down on the lap desk! Silly boy!
The girls were napping and Steven decided to take advantage of the fact that they left their princess slippers out! He thought it was great!
Angie had paused as she was prancing through the house, and Steven ran up and just gave her the hugest hug! It was precious! The funny part was when he wouldn't let go! :-)

The other day Steven was singing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" so sweetly! It's the first time I'd really heard him sing it. So, I tried pulling the camera out, but we all know how that works with a stubborn toddler! The video was cute anyway, even if he didn't actually sing the song!

Change

Our date to go in view of a call has been changed to June 22. The by-laws require that it be announced to the congregation at least two Sundays before the vote, so our Sunday will be moved back a bit. We will probably be moving the 6th-7th of July. Thanks for continuing to pray for this transition time!

Moving Quickly

Well, I didn't think there would be an update this quickly, but we just got a call from Monticello. We are going in view of a call June 8th! The prayer requests still stand, especially in needing wisdom about timing. Thanks for praying!

Possibilities

Well, it's looking more likely that we will be making a move to Monticello, AR. Calvary Baptist Church there in Monticello has been considering Doug as a pastoral candidate for quite some time now. They have been slow in making a decision, and for a time we were rather uncertain about our future there. We made one last trip back to Monticello this past Sunday, and the search committee now seems to be in agreement that they wish to move forward with us. We went in to the weekend thinking that this trip would close the doors, but we were very prayerful. We came out of the weekend feeling a strong peace about keeping the door open and continuing with this church. There are still a few things to be ironed out - and we do still have other resumes active right now. So, please continue to pray that we'll know without a doubt if this is the Lord's desire for us and for that church.

Here are specific ways to pray:

• Our house to sell if we are to move! That will definitely be a new experience for us!
• That we will know without a doubt if this is NOT the move for us. (Also that we will know if I need to be packing anyway!)
• Timing to work out perfectly.
• All finances to be covered between now and then and during the move.
• A place to live in Monticello or wherever else we go that will allow us to keep our cat Smokey!
• Packing - wow! We have just entered summer activity at Mother's Day Out, which is a big deal, and Doug's hot summer months at UPS which really drain him physically and aggravate his asthma. We need energy and ability to pack well and wisdom to downsize more as needed.
• The kids in any transition, especially Angela and Steven who do not handle such things well.
• School! We've struggled with completing this year, not for lack of desire but because so many obligations have cropped up over the past few weeks. Pray that we'll be able to be consistent in finishing the last four weeks.
• A perfect replacement for me in my position at MDO. This is not just a job, it is a ministry, and it is critical that the personalities of the office staff work well together.

Thanks for your continued prayers, and we will continue to keep you updated as things progress.

PS

If you want more information on the organization Liv is sending her hair to, check out www.locksoflove.org.

Locks of Love

Olivia woke up this morning on a mission. She decided that for her 7th birthday she wanted to get a hair cut so she could donate her hair to Locks of Love! We've talked about it for a while now, and she's always said that at some point she was going to do it. But, she's always loved her long hair, and we definitely didn't want to put any pressure on her. She had told us she wanted to do it for her 9th birthday, and we figured that would be fine. Well, this morning she just made up her mind that it was time! We talked about it all day, even tried to postpone it until later this week. She was okay with that, but she said at one point that she really wanted it to be on her birthday. So, after talking through all of the consequences of short hair (no braids or ponytails for a while, etc), she convinced us that she really wanted to go through with this.

Of course we recorded the process...

Before shot - last picture with long hair!

Here it goes!

The braid!

In these pictures it looks like her hair could still be shoulder length, but the back was much shorter than the front. So...

This is how it ended up! She wanted bangs again, too - something she hasn't had since she was two or three!
Doug and I were almost tearful - we are very proud of her. It's strange, though, to see her with short hair. Her long hair has been a part of her for so long! She's excited about growing it out so she can donate again...and again...and again.

If you haven't seen the post I put up earlier tonight with her birthday pictures, be sure to check that out! It's her last set of long-haired pictures for now. Her curl kind of fell out as we moved through the gardens because of the weight of the humidity, but they turned out so well, I think!

Birthday Girl

Here are my favorites of the garden pictures. I tried to just pick a few! She's really growing up.

We had a birthday party Sunday night with Grandma, PopPop, Aunt Stephannie, and cousin Morgan. Here's the birthday girl with her cake of choice - Birthday Bear!

Morning in the Garden

This morning we went to the Biedenharn Gardens in Monroe with Grandma where we hoped to get some sweet birthday pictures. It was beautiful, and the girls delighted in posing for the camera. All three of them loved running through the gardens to their hearts' delight. Despite the humidity, we had a wonderful time and got some precious pictures. Steven was so excited that he wasn't still enough for too many pictures, but toward the end - after seeing his sissies pose for quite a few pictures - he began to stop and pose.

There are so many pictures I wanted to share - and I only picked about half of them! :-) These are the ones of all three kids - I will post Olivia's pictures later. I didn't want to bog anyone down in one post! Hope you enjoy these!

The Result!

We took out the rag curlers to expose a head full of curls! It is so curly that it contracted her waist-length hair to the point where it hangs right around her shoulders! She's pretty proud of her curls.

Here it is actually "fixed" for the day. We'll be getting birthday pictures this afternoon, so they'll be posted soon!

Curls to Come...

Olivia wanted curls for her birthday pictures this year. Typically we just do a braid to give her hair some body, but that makes more frizz than curls. A conversation with some friends led to the idea of rag curlers and we figured it was worth a try! So, here's our first attempt at rag curlers. Hopefully it will work well enough to be pretty in her birthday pictures...which will be coming soon! Now we're off to finish getting ready to head to Monroe, where she gets to celebrate her birthday with Grandma and PopPop!

Prayer

I know not all of you are Steven Curtis Chapman fans, but his music and ministry have impacted Doug and I in many ways over our nine and a half years of marriage, so I want to share this prayer request. For those of you who don't know...last night (Wed, May 21), his youngest daughter Maria died of injuries after a tragic accident in their driveway. She was five years old. You can find out more at www.stevencurtischapman.com - I'm just going to mention the prayer request and you can read the details if you're so inclined.

Please also keep praying for my aunt - I mentioned her in a previous blog post in the unexpected death of her youngest son. I know all of us who are parents cannot even imagine the thought of losing one of our precious gifts from God.

Thanks for praying.

Oh how I miss shade trees!

Okay, so maybe I should have taken his shoes off first...

Steven had just gotten up from his nap and was still in snuggle mode. So, I thought maybe being a "helper" would be helpful to him! It worked. I was able to fix lunches with no fussing, and he thought it was great to perch up high on the counter. He made sure to scoot all the way back so he wouldn't fall. Such a smart little boy.
We've had a pretty good morning. It started off very whiney - Steven first woke up around 5:15 and never really went back to sleep. It was very obvious he should have gone back to sleep, though! The girls weren't all that happy with life either. So, we tried to refocus. I walked around the outside of the house to find the best shaded area for school. Fortunately, it was on the side of the house with a little gravelled area so Steven could still ride his "bike." I think back so often to the countless trees on the compound in Jordan where I grew up - and the fact that it was against the law to cut down a tree without government permission! I miss all those trees. Someday this yard will be nice and shady, too, once our trees really take on some height!

Anyway, it was a gorgeous morning and we had a great time outside having a prayer time, reading about the Israelites at Mt. Sinai, learning more about Roman life, learning about microbes and their effect on food, and reading Detectives in Togas. We wrapped it all up about the time the shade started diminishing and the heat started really settling in. I am so thankful for a late spring that seems to be staving off the heat of a southern summer for just a little while longer!

Now to proceed to our afternoon chores...

Zoo Fun & Lots of Pics!

Memorial Day Weekend marks the return of the butterfly exhibit to the Memphis Zoo. But, for members, the early "sneak peek" was this weekend! Fortunately, today was to be a beautiful day for an outing. So, we all loaded up bright and early this morning and arrived at the zoo shortly after the gates opened.

Angie and Steven watching the butterflies.

Olivia enjoying a pause in her tour.
A butterfly landed on Angie's dress while she sat on the rock. She was determined to be still enough for another one to visit her - she wanted a picture! Unfortunately, there was no repeat performance, so we'll just hold the picture in our memories.
Steven was quite fascinated with the "bu'erflies!"

Beary silly girls!

We always love to watch the polar bears - we can't make a trip without going to tell them hello! This trip, though, they were especially playful and greatly enjoyed the children standing by the windows. They would take a deep breath and dive to the bottom of their pool to come and play.

Angie visiting with a polar bear.

This polar bear loved showing off for Olivia!

We had learned about the African Jackass penguin, so named because of its braying. In all of our visits to the zoo, though, we'd never heard their sound. Today we did, and they were definitely appropriately named! Here's a brief sample...


Typically when we go to the zoo, the sea lions are either in the middle of a show or off doing something else. Today, though, they were available and very interactive. Olivia discovered that trainers aren't the only ones the sea lions do tricks for! This sea lion performed tricks over and over, I think in hopes of a treat!

Changing Things Around

We had a different day today (if you read my blog post from today you'll find out why!). I knew I needed to help the girls sort through the general stuff that had migrated to their room - toys their brother had brought in, old papers, and just little tidbits of this and that. Somehow their floor and under their bed just stays cluttered, and I don't even know where it all comes from!

Anyway, so when I got in there I had a thought - why don't we just rearrange?! And that we did! (I get the bug every few months - I've got to rearrange something. It's been a few months since we rearranged the living room and playroom, so it was time!) We piled all of the "junk" into a laundry basket, threw away some trash and then started moving. We also finally got all of their winter clothes into tubs, making their drawers and closet easier to get into. We still have a few things to do - find a new place for wall hangings, sort through the laundry basket, and rethink the storage of their hair stuff. They were all stored in the headboards their Grandma had made for their cribs (later turned into wall-hangings), but that has been too accessible to their brother! Steven seems to enjoy strewing their pony tail holders, headbands, barrettes, and hair ribbons throughout the house! So, I'll be working on that at some point. When it's all done, I'll take pictures so the girls can show off their "new" room!

The laundry needs to be folded, the kitchen's not quite clean, and the floors need to be swept and mopped. But, that's okay - we had fun! We did something different and enjoyed it. (Oh, and we cleaned out the van, too! YAY!) It was the kind of day we needed.

Later this afternoon we went to see the girls' new friend Katie and her little brother Zack show off what they've learned in gymnastics - just a simple little showing of their skills. The girls loved it and have been trying their own gymnastics moves since we got home!

One More Thing

Okay, yes, I'm going to shamelessly self-promote here! In an effort to try to contribute to our family's needs right now, I have reactivated my Mary Kay website and am trying to find a way to do some online business. I will do facials and classes upon request, but I am primarily trying to do webshows, online orders, and re-orders from current customers. This will enable me to continue homeschooling and not sacrifice the evenings and weekends that currently seem to stay busy enough as it is!

Primarily, I share this to pray. Pray that if this is something the Lord is leading me to do, that He will bless with customers and income flow. Secondly, though, if any of you are in need of a Mary Kay consultant or know of anyone who is, please consider me!! Just click on the link in this blog to go straight to my website. From there orders can be placed, or emails can be sent directly to me with any questions or comments. I am offering incentives (free shipping and/or free gifts) for orders of $40 or more and for referrals that result in a webshow or purchase.

Thanks for tolerating this little plug and for any help you can bring me!

Visits and Snapshots

We had our monthly visit with the Shawas yesterday. Here are some shots...

Angie & Emily

Charlene & Emily - aren't they sweet?
Here are some snapshots from this morning.

Everyone finishing up quiet times...Steven kept going and finding another book

so he could keep up with us!

Steven went into his room this morning and asked for all of the stuffies out of his bed. He bunched them all up together and stuffed his head into them. Then he'd pop his head up and grin (although I kept missing the "grin" picture). So silly!Isn't he cute?

Sunday

Sunday was a busy but good day for us. After AM church, we headed to Wynne, AR, where we met my parents and youngest two siblings for lunch. We got a nice back table (quick seating because we were a big group! they were saving a table for a big group) and had a wonderful visit. I had left my camera in the van, so all of the pictures are on Mom's camera. When she sends them to me I'll post them - there are some great shots of the girls torturing their Uncle Tim! :-)

We got back into town just in time to drop the girls off at church to get ready for their end-of-the-year choir performance. It was quite precious! The preschool group was especially entertaining in a number of ways. They really did a great job! The girls have absolutely loved choir, and they'll miss it during the summer.

Finally...a tooth!

Steven woke up around 10:30 last night with a low grade fever. After checking on him, giving him some Tylenol, snuggling with him, laying him back down, and checking on him a time or two more, he managed to get himself back to sleep and slept until 8:00. I figured it was a tooth pushing its way through that woke him up, but the MDO policy is that they have to be fever-free for 24 hours. So, I called in to work and we were blessed with an unexpected day at home. I can't say that I minded! I always hate to have to call in, but it has been nice to be home.

Steven woke up this morning fever-free but very cranky. Sure enough, one tooth has broken through his gums - yay! One down, one to go! No matter how he feels, being outside is a pick-me-up for him. It doesn't matter how cranky he's been - if we lead him outside, he cheers up immediately! I must say, though, that the day is really to beautiful for any of us to be cooped up inside! So, we gathered up our school books and headed to the back yard. It's still pretty soggy from our last set of storms, but Steven was able to play on the patio and in the grass close to the house while the rest of us did schoolwork.

The girls sat in their chairs playing with Silly Putty while they listened to our read-aloud for today, and Steven played with balls and rode on his little "bike." He was happy as could be the whole time. Such an outdoors child!

We all had to come in for lunch and to get out of the sun a bit (no shade yet in our yard!), but we'll probably be right back out there this afternoon, especially if it staves off whining and crying! :)

Blessed Mommy

Angie's class had a Mother's Day Tea yesterday. It's a small class - only nine students - and it was such a sweet time. Teacher Mrs. Linda went to so much effort to make it a sweet, precious celebration. Angie made a tulip for me (in her hand), the petals made from her hand print.

Flashcards and Listening Ears

It's amazing how asking our children simple questions can solve major issues! For several weeks now Olivia and I have been battling each other in math. She has been taking forever to complete her lessons, and nothing I said or did seemed to help. So, I had been praying. It's funny how God brings the answers in so many ways - a Scripture; a little comment from a friend; a paragraph in a book I'd already been reading; a comment from the child herself; a realization of what I would want if the roles were reversed. I remember so many times as a child just wanting my perspective to be understood! Not that my parents didn't care about what I thought or how I felt - I know they did! But, sometimes, it's hard for people with different personalities to grasp where someone else is coming from. I know that's how Olivia must feel some days.

So, yesterday before we even started math, I stopped and talked to her about it. I pointed out that math - a subject she used to love - had been a challenge lately for us both, and she wasn't working through it quickly no matter how many rewards were offered. I asked her what would make it easier for her, and I made my own commitment to have an open mind and a willingness to try her suggestions, no matter how strange they sounded. She said, "I think if you give me the flashcards that go with my math problems and I look at the flashcards and answer the problem and then write it in my book, I'll be able to do it quicker." To be honest, it sounded very ludicrous to me, especially considering that she has always hated flashcards! How is that any different?! How would that make it easier?! But, I said okay. It took me a good 10-15 mintues to sort through all of our flashcards and pull out the right ones, but I did it. And guess what? Instead of approaching lunchtime with only two or three problems completed and spending two hours after rest time finishing the rest of math and her writing, she had her entire math lesson and her writing lesson done before lunch!

I don't know if it was the flashcards or the fact that it was her idea, but either way it worked. Just pray with me that I'll have an open mind when teaching these precious children - not that I'll let them dictate how and what they're willing to learn, but that I will be ever mindful that sometimes they're not like me, and sometimes something a little different might be the key to keep school enjoyable - to keep it from being a fight and struggle! Pray that I'll have listening ears!

Livie reading her reader aloud to Angie today.