Feedback on your Comments

I've read all of your comments and thought this would be an easier way to address the questions and comments posted. Our pastor was Catholic before he went through Lutheran seminary (I think, I'll have to ask Chris for sure). So that may be where he is coming from with that! I do know that the synod is in the mixes of much friction and it has been discussed in our voter's meethings that there could be a split eventually! The synod has some other issues going on as well, with money and having congregations pay a fee per member to be a Missouri Synod church. Don't know if all of this is true, but it was mentioned at our church - so it must be gospel! Our pastor has also talked to the congregation and written in his newsletter that we should be comfortable with crossing ourselves and that it is not just a Catholic ritual. I know that Eric Hiller does this when going up for communion and I wish I could get to the point to be comfortable doing it as well. I think it might help to put you in the right frame of mind.



I don't know? I guess we'll take the girls up there - what does it hurt?



And by the way, Heidi, Ella loves getting the oil put on her. She also loves to imitate the Pastor as he does the cross and bows. Chris caught Pastor laughing at her one Sunday!



Have a good day!

The Big Debate!

My Sunday was just chocked full of things to write about! Here is the big debate going on with Chris and Me! Mind you, we're not debating against each other, but debating against our upbringing and our old-fashioned way of thinking!
It has always been the old Lutheran way that your children, when old enough to sit by themselves, do not up to communion with parents. Chris and I have stood by that rule for the past couple of years now. Emma and Anna sit in the pew while we go up for communion. Of course, we take Ella up with us since she is not old enough to sit and behave! Pastor now uses oil on the children's foreheads and blesses them when they come up. Many children now go up to communion with their parents (even jr. high kids who are in confirmation). Yesterday, we let the girls go up with us. I know that the struggle that Chris and I are having with this is because we didn't do this growing up and is it just stupid to not let your children go up and have the advantage of having a blessing just because we didn't when we were young?
We both think that it is stupid, but for some reason the old Lutheran comes out in us. I guess we need our family's input on this. Maybe if you all say that it is an OK thing - we'll be OK with it! Let us know what you think! Would you let your kids go up there and have the blessing? Are we bad parents if we deny them the blessing? What does it hurt?

My Worst Nightmare - I've Become Mom On Sunday Mornings!!!!

You all remember mom on Sunday mornings and if you don't here is our Sunday ritual growing up! Mom would be the last one ready, girls couldn't find their shoes, total chaos and we all arrived late to church! I'm sad to say that that was the way my house was yesterday morning! The really sad thing is that it was only Ella and myself - not 5 girls and two parents getting ready!

Chris leaves with the older two around 8:15 for Sunday School. I then get in the shower while Ella watches TV, wets her pants, or plays and makes a mess in Emma and Anna's room. We were both dressed and ready to go (even had time to put pigtails in Ella's hair) until we had to put on Ella's shoes. I knew I had not seen them since Friday morning when she tried wearing them to Brenda's for the day and Chris made her change. I search through the whole upstairs, wasting valuable minutes, and could not find them. I head downstairs where Ella is yelling "found them" only to find that she had found her Dora sandals! I scan the toy room - don't see them - so I go to the family room and I find ONE! It is now 20 after nine and my time is running short. As I put on that shoe - I scan the room again and do not see the other shoe! I move pillows and blankets - still no shoe! I had just about given up and thought Ella would have to go to church with no shoes, when I spotted the shoe on the corner of the fireplace. I hurried and put the shoe on Ella and ran upstairs with her only to discover that her coat was not at the top of the stairs!!! I chuck my heels off and run back to her room, while yelling at her to NOT take her shoes off because Mommy took hers off, got her coat, put on my shoes, put her coat on and out the door we went!!!!

I'm needing a little encouragement here! Please tell me that this was probably a one-time thing and that it will not be a recurring event each Sunday!

Ella's Dress Attire

I can't remember who bought Emma the pink, nylon tutu, but Ella has claimed it has her and wears it everyday! She wore it last Sunday to the church weiner roast at Craig and Julie's with her stocking hat (the pink and white one). She was a hit! She now wears the skirt everyday (over her pants) to Brenda's. I thought she could be Dorothy for Halloween and the two older girls could be clowns again, but when I got down the clown costumes Ella threw a fit and wanted to wear one. Good think Emma is too tall to wear the bigger one. Ella looks so funny wearing it! I guess now we'll have to come up with something else for Emma to be for Halloween.

Pictures To Go With the Stories You've Heard

I guess I just have to go to Illinois more often in order for the James Gang viewers to see some pictures to go with Karen's commentary! Here's a picture of Ella with the infamous hat on. She dove into the closet to show Jacob the hat one evening. That girl will hardly stand still long enough to get a good shot of her, so I only ended up with one picture!


Also, we have pictures of Chris and his new sprayer to go with Karen's second commentary, "Chris' New Red Sprayer". I know what you're thinking; "Man, Chris has gotten tall and dresses funny these days!" Seriously, what's gotten into him with all of the cowboy gear lately!

Chris' New Red Sprayer

For all of you bloggers who wonder what Chris actually does do when the Haycock gang isn't going out to eat - here is proof that he does spray, his own fields anyway! This is Chris behind our house spraying our beans in the new machine they purchased this year! It has a cd player and a buddy seat, not that I would know from riding with him. I haven't been invited yet!

O.K., I have pictures of this, but of course, my computer at school will not upload them and I cannot ask our tech man because I'm sure I'll get told that this is not what this computer is to be used for. So, I guess it will just have to be commentary for the James Gang!

Ella's Hat

On Sunday, as Chris was getting Ella ready for church (those days are over starting this week as Chris takes over Sunday School Superintendant on Sunday) I could hear him arguing with her over her shoes. I had set out white sandals for her to wear and she wanted to wear her brown leather sandals. I told Chris not to worry about it and let her wear the brown sandals. You can see how I've trained Chris, he knows that if it is set out, it is what they need to wear, no other options! Anyway, as we go to leave for church Ella goes to the coat closet and pulls out the red fleece hat with leopard print and puts it on and heads out the door. We get out of the van and Chris tried to convince Ella that she does not need her hat - but - she is determined! So, I walk into church with her and her hat. As I sit down in front of Diana Emme, I can hear her laughing. I turned around and said to her "You know how it is - the fight in me is gone!" She nodded and laughed some more! Needless to say, Ella caught everyone's attention as they walked into church. Chris thinks because I gave up the fight that there shouldn't be any more James babies, but I just said that I've learned to pick and chose my battles wisely!

God's blessings to you!

Karen

We''re back!

Since I am back and school and have fast internet, I will try to post more often and even try to get some pictures uploaded! For now, I'll take Mom's advice and just post commentary.

I'm Taking Over the Blog...For Today

Scott, Jacob and I ventured with the James' to watch Emma and Anna play ball! It was a beautiful night and the girls were as enthused as ever to go play baseball. For those of you who don't know about Emma and Anna's enthusiasm for baseball, it's non-existant. In fact, Anna was much more entertained with smiling at the camera before the game than warming up.
Anyway, for those who have been waiting for Chicken Little pictures, here they are.

COUSINS!

Here are a few pixs of the James' getting together for Mother's Day! Most of you will be amazed at how much Heidi's kids have grown! Phillip will be in 6th grade and Kaylee will be in 3rd grade! Little Joshua turned 1 at the beginning of June!

Sorry!

OK, OK, OK, after many phone calls and hints - I get the point. I know I haven't been good about blogging, but with swim lessons, baseball, and doctor appointments - I seriously have not had the time! The girls finished swim lessons last week. Anna still refuses to put her head under water, but Emma has learned to swim under water. Maybe next year for Anna! I do have pictures of them going down the slide if Wal-Mart's one hour developing ever gets fixed! We've been waiting for the pictures since Monday! This week we had doctor's appointments. We started the week with only Anna getting her physical and Ella getting her x-rays for her surgery (tonsils coming out July 30). On Wednesday, we added two more appointments. The first one was to get shots for Anna and Ella. While Dr. Fisher was going over Anna's shot record, he found that we had no shots for her for 15 months. After doing some more research at home, I discovered that not only did Anna miss her 15 month shots, but so did Ella! Yes, folks, I am the worst mother in the world! I couldn't believe that we had missed that! I have to give Dr. Fisher a little bit of the blame, because I really don't think he reminded me to do it and I always do what he tells me to do so I don't think he told me to do it. I guess we're both to blame and I'm just glad that he caught it. Now, back to Wednesday, Emma woke up that morning and had broken out with more psoriasis. She had it all around her neck, her chest, her arms and her legs. So, before leaving to get the shots taken care of; I had to get her an appointment with Dr. Seehafer (not an easy task!). They wanted her to come in on Monday and I said no way it had to be sooner because she could be covered head to toe by then. So Emma and I headed to Bloomington after we got back from Pekin! What a day. It was a blessing when Chris called and said it was raining in Manito and their ballgame was cancelled! Now that I've given you all of my excuses for not blogging, I'll try to actually get some pictures on here. These are older pixs because I'm still waiting for my others.

Funny Ella!

Ella has developed quite the personality. She can always do something that will make Chris and I laugh so hard and then turn around and do something she knows she shouldn't, and make us so mad. Here is Ella at her finest. Can't wait for high school graduation to pull out the picture of her on the trike! If you didn't know, we are trying very hard to work on potty training and I'm hoping now that school is out, we can be more consistent and finally "git r done"! I think the Lord might be telling me there should be no more James babies because I just don't have the patience with training Ella that I had with Emma and Anna!

Take me out to the ballgame!

Defying the Rankin tradition of "not being involved", Chris and I decided that it would be a good idea to let the girls try t-ball this summer. We both felt that if they never had a chance to try it, and they wanted to do it in school, they would never get a chance to play because they had no experience! I think, though, that we may have gotten in over our heads! The girls are past the age for t-ball and are in the coach-pitch league. Our poor team! Good thing we have patient coaches (Anne & Craig Woodley and Jason & Erica Hunter) because they are really having to teach our girls how to play baseball. Emma has already taken a hit for the team. Last night, she stopped the ball with her glove and the ball bounced off her glove and hit her in the eye. Very dramatic for my little drama queen! With a little force from her mother, she went back out to the field to play again! The funniest thing about the baseball games is watching the girls and the rest of the team for that matter, run with their batting helmets on. You have to see it to appreciate it! If you have seen Disney's recent animation film of "Chicken Little", that's our Anna trying to run with her helmet. I don't think she can even see where she is going. We have now started calling her Chicken Little! More pictures to come of the games, here are some of practicing at home.