4th of July at the River

Brian Anthony

Olivia

I LOVE this face!

Dimples!

Sparklers!

Founder's Day Parade

Blair was a camel on our Egypt Files VBS float! Micah was on the Prince/Princess Float! (Rhett had an All-Star game in New Albany that morning!)

United All Stars

Micah doing a backbend kickover!

Blair doing a backbend kickover!

Micah and Blair
These were taken at the Indiana United Performance during Founder's Day.

Yesterday JoLynn watched the girls so Rhett and I could go school supply shopping. I always take each one individually and just spend the day with them. I had already taken Blair and Micah, but not Rhett. We bought a couple of pair of shoes, a backpack, and his school supplies. Thanks to JoLynn for helping out!

Today Marcye is picking them up and taking them to the free kids movie and then to her house to play. I'm spending the morning at my parents house.

Then tonight Tony and I are going to the Chris Tomlin/Toby Mac concert in Indy. Tony bought tickets over 6 months ago and we invited Johnny & Cindy to come with us. It will be good to get out! My mom really wants the kids to spend the night with them tonight. So Marcye said she would just drop them off at my mom's later this afternoon.

Please pray for a safe trip for us as we travel to Indy. The concert is at the IN State Fair. We're going to spend the night up there and drive home tomorrow. Also continue to lift up our families in prayer!

Memories

Tony had a softball game tonight, so I was leading the devotion/prayer time alone. I decided that every once in a while we should take time to remember things about Damon, things he did, or things he always said. With my kids being little, I want them to keep those memories of him. Most of these are inside jokes. Here's a list of what we shared:

Rhett: K-A-E (pause) L-I-N (pause) What does that spell? (pause) Kaelin!
Me: (to my kids) Come here and give me a "new carpet hug"
Blair: bringing us a pack of sour patch kids when he came to visit
Micah: throwing us on the couch
Rhett: teaching me to ride my bike
Me: drawing a smiley face on his big toe and talking to Rhett (as a baby) with it
Blair: doing cheers with us
Micah: drawing a face on Blair's belly
Rhett: fish lips
Me: picking up Rhett and Micah after he and Lee had babysat, only to find Rhett wearing a bandana as a "lid"
Blair: taking me to the "recession" stand (concession stand)
Micah: sidewalk chalk on the driveway

A Poem to Damon

This is a poem Robin Cross wrote to Damon and wanted to share it with my family.

Days go by and things unfold, no one knows what tomorrow holds.
Day by day we live our lives, all the while we wonder why.
We live our days busy like any other, without ever stopping to acknowledge one another.
Work, school, ball games, home life, and such, who ever realized it’s all those things that mean so much.
So often those moments ...are taken for granted, just because it’s always what’s wanted.
We often lose sight of what matters most, in the daily rituals to which we boast.
Days like these are when it seems to sink in, when in fact it is where we should always begin.
We only get one life to so called “blaze a trail”, who ever realized it could be so frail.
So take your morning, noon, and nights, and hold on to each precious memory with all your might.
Make sure you tell the ones you love, just how much, for that could very well be your last touch.

Damon

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and kind words. Anyone who knew Damon knows that he never met a stranger. He knew more people than anyone I know. It was nothing for him to stop by to visit you, eat your leftovers, crash at your house for the night, push his opinions/views on you, etc.! But that was Damon and we loved him for that. He was the best uncle in the world. We will miss him! Please continue to remember my family, especially my mom, dad, and Lee. Also, please pray for Derek and Tonya Hebner and their families as well.

Funeral Arrangements for Damon are: Visitation Friday 2-8; Funeral Saturday at 10:00 a.m. at Grayson's Funeral home in Charlestown

John 3:17