Russell Family Blessings

...And what a wonderful day it's been to be in the House of the Lord! As I indicated in my last post, we have had revival services at Ino this week. God definitely showed up! There have been late nights and tired bodies, but every minute of sleep lost and sacrificed time has been worth it. Jamey Ragle did an outstanding job of putting this conference together. Several of our area sister churches, as well as our association, provided financial assistance and other means of support. It took a lot of planning (this crusade has been several years in the making) to make this happen. We want God to have all of the glory! Each night, Jamey Ragle spoke, a different person led worship and yet another spoke, too. Jamey is a gifted evangelist who communicates the gospel so well. He incorporates humor into the Word to deliver a truly unforgettable and life changing message of hope. Many lives were changed because of his willingness to share the Gospel this week. Monday night we heard from Rev.

Well, we are officially winding down from Spring Break 2008. Not that it was a packed week. We enjoyed a nice relaxing week at home. No daycare or school for us! Oki did go to daycare on Monday for about three hours so that the boys and I could clean a little. Anyone who knows Oki will understand that you can get very little done when she's around. Yep, she's all girl and very high maintenance. Wayne has remarked often that he feels sorry for whoever marries her because he'll have a hard time. :) It's hard not to be spoiled when you are the youngest of three and the only girl... Overall, I think we had a great week. I had fun sewing, cooking and being at home with the children. Although, to look at my house right now, you would never know that I was home all week!!! Just ask Wayne... Eli had spend the night company for the first time this week. His friend, Cutter came to spend the night. The boys had a great time playing video games and playing outside. Eli and Cutter w

After a title like that I'm sure you're thinking that we must have gone somewhere spectacular or spent a pretty big chunk of change...guess again! These days a great weekend consists of children who are well and time spent together. Friday night, Wayne and I went out on a date to Olive Garden in Dothan. Thank you to Kayla for babysitting (not for free!!) We enjoyed a nice meal beginning with the wonderful salad. Wayne had some kind of pasta alfredo dish with medallions of steak and I continued on my Weight Watcher's eating plan with a low fat choice of Shrimp Primavera. I was not disappointed with my entree even though it was labeled low fat; however, I did sample Wayne's dish and it was very tasty. Because we didn't have a long wait to eat, we were through in record time. We then journeyed to Sam's Club to look around. I know to you single people and some of you childless married people, this night sounds like a very boring evening. Not to us! With three childr

Eli's team played ball again tonight. He played much better than he has been. He's so excited because he made the last out of the game. Eli played second base, center field and catcher in tonight's game. The last play was made at home plate with Eli tagging the runner... Oh! Was my heart was pounding!!! I can only imagine how he must have felt! The other night Oki went to play with Ms. Yana while I went to my dance class. She was very lucky because her friend, Heidi, came over to play! Heidi is also Ms. Yana's grandaughter. They had lots of fun. I'm including some pictures of them playing the keyboard.

We've had another busy week, but I guess there won't be any more "not busy" weeks for us until Wayne and I no longer have children at home. I don't want to think about those days for a long time. It's almost unbelievable that Eli is nine. It seems just like yesterday that we were (not so patiently) waiting for him to get here! Now, here we are with three children heading fast and furiously toward middle age. Speaking of middle age...I remember when I began teaching nine years ago, I was the youngest person on staff. I looked at those ladies that had older children and had been teaching 10 or so years as kind of "together" and "set"... Well, I'm still waiting for me to get "together" and be "set". I am no longer the youngest person on staff, but neither am I the oldest. When I gain the title of the latter, it'll be time for me to go! Enough of my wanderings...On to the good stuff... Eli played his first games of l