Report from Arkansas~

I am here in our hotel room in Jonesboro. We're getting cleaned up for church. We slept in today, so we're a little later this morning.

Last night we met with all of relatives (except for Barry), at a restaurant called 'Western Sizzlin' (definitely a Arkansas name!!). We had a great time visiting, laughing (we always do), filling our selves to the full on the yummy food. We met around 7:30pm, and ate, then went to Uncle Paul & Aunt Loretta's house. We were there till about 11pm. We talked, we laughed, we played games. It was fun.

We are planning on going to church here in Jonesboro, with all the clan. Afterwards we'll go out to eat, or to one of the houses.

We've tried to upload so pictures, but it hasn't worked for us. If we do figure it out, we'll definitely post some.

Have a good Sabbath,
Phoebe

P.S. Grandma (Kautt), Grandma (McKnight), Joel & Abby all say "Hi".

We're here in Caddo Valley!!

Right now I'm sitting in a hotel room, here in Caddo Valley, which is a few miles east of Arkadelphia. I am using Joel's new laptop, and we were able to use the Wifi feature on his computer.

We got here around 1:00am after a good drive here. We've had a good trip so far (if you call 5 hours of sleep, good!), and the LORD has protected us.

You can keep praying for the LORD to protect us while we are traveling.

Signing off,
Phoebe (for Joel, Abby & Grandma!)

We'll probably be able to post some more about our trip later on when we get to the hotel in Jonsboro. ~

Goodbye~

For all of our readers, I (Abby) will be out-of-town this weekend, and unless Caleb finds time to post, I doubt you'll being "hearing" much from us for the next 4 days. I may try and post some pictures and thoughts of our expeditions while we're away (Joel has a laptop), it depends on our hotel, if it has a WiFi connection... we'll see. I may be having way too much fun to even give blogging a second thought. ;)

Take care & happy Labor Day weekend everybody!

Blessings,
~Abby

Happy 13th Birthday Phoebe!!

Our dear Phoebe turned 13 yesterday! My, how time has flown by on swift wings. I can remember her as the cute, chubby baby with brown curly hair, and little brown eyes. Mom has a very apt nickname for her: "Phoebe-Dee" - because she reminds us of a little Chickadee bird.



We had a very busy day with several other events besides her birthday taking place. We celebrated her special day with a luncheon and dessert.

Hopefully I can post the pictures we took of the special occasions yesterday. For now though, Phoebe I love you & I'm SO glad that we are sisters and friends too! :)

Love you always,
~Abby

Mary Ellen Hall remembered~

Ralph Hall's wife of 60 years, Mary Ellen passed away on Thursday, August 28, 2008.

Congressman Hall was with her during this time and as most of you are aware, Mary Ellen had suffered a very long debilitating illness.

Tentative arrangements have been made for Friday Aug. 29 at the Methodist Church in Rockwall. I will forward the final arrangements as soon as I can confirm the times and address.

Congressman Hall has appreciated all of your prayers for both him and Mary Ellen. And I'm sure would appreciate your continued prayers on his and his family's behalf during this time of sadness and loss.

~Abby

Trip to Arkansas: Caleb's Perspective (Part 1: August 11, 2008)

Dear readers of this blog,

Several of you have inquired of us about our recent trip to Arkansas. Well, below is my perspective of how this trip went.

Oh, and Mr. Amos, thanks for being patient with me. Yes, I know. It has already been 3 weeks (!!!) since we returned from Arkansas to the day (8/28/2008).

{Happy Birthday, Phoebe! May God bless you on your special day! We love you and are amazed to see how the Lord has been molding you into a godly young lady, and is giving you a greater desire to become a Proverbs 31 Woman more and more (See Proverbs 31:10-31)! Sincerely, C. Nathan Kautt}

Enjoy!
Caleb Nathaniel


P.S. Abby suggested I post this in several posts. So, I will divide it up by the days that we were there; August 11, August 12, August 13, and August 14.
_______
(Monday, August 11, 2008)
The morning was a warm and sticky one, a little humid, and overcast. It was the morning Dad, Johanna, Jaden, Grandmother Kautt, and I were to leave for Arkansas. I had hoped that the morning would be a sunny one, but I soon remembered to thank God for the possibility of rain. We hadn't received much for nearly six weeks, and would be grateful for any we might receive.


After quickly making my bed, I hastened to get dressed and cleaned up for the morning. Once this task was completed, I sat down for a few minutes of quiet time reading God's Word, before I began what was to be a very busy day.


We had planned for Grandmother Kautt to come with us, and as planned Grandfather and Grandmother Kautt (We like to call them Grandpa and Grandma) arrived soon after each of us had finished our breakfast. Of course Grandma had some luggage to be packed into our Chrysler. Surprisingly, our trunk was only a little over half full, which is unusual for us! But why am I surprised with only 5 people going for a 3 day trip? (I am used to trips that consist of 8 people, for usually 3-5 days if not longer.)


After we had visited for several minutes, we said goodbye to Grandpa, Mom, Joel, Abby, and Phoebe. I must admit, it was hard to go without them. Normally, we would all be travelling together, but with Mom's current health problems, it would not be possible. So I had to remind myself that, LORD willing, we would all be able to make such a trip together, in the near future.


As all of our Homeschooling friends and those of you who have come from large families know, we had to make several "pit-stops," for food, fuel, or otherwise. I won't go into the details on where we stopped, how long we were there, or what time we were there, etc.! :)


Once we arrived in Weiner, Arkansas (For all of you geography buffs, Wiener is located in northeast Arkansas, about 30 minutes South of Jonesboro.), we went to our great-grandmother's house. Boy were we ever ready to get out of the car! We had been in the car for nearly nine hours, and we were all getting a little stiff, to say the least. Jaden was especially ready to get out of the car and run around. You did a great job, Jaden, of not whining or complaining on the trip! Thanks, Grandma, for helping make the trip enjoyable with all of your funny stories, and games to pass the time! See, we don't need a TV screen in our car! Just come up with simple little games to pass the time! One of our favorite "travel games" is the "alphabet game." In this game, each person tries to find all the letters in the alphabet on road signs, advertising signs, and store signs, and whoever finds all of the letters first wins. Another one we like to play is one which involves counting a certain item. Together we will try to count how many yellow cars we can find in a minute, or, if we are in the country, how many cows or horses. Or if we are in Arkansas, how many soybean fields or rice fields. At one point, we almost started counting mosquitoes, too! With all the water that rice fields and soy bean fields require, there are lots of mosquitoes to go along with them! We joked with our Arkansas relatives that they grow three things in Arkansas; Soybeans, rice, and mosquitoes! But, apart from the mosquitoes, we had a good trip.

Another thing to count: One of Many, many grain silos used to store Soybeans, and Rice, and maybe...?

Back to Monday evening, though. When we arrived at Grandma "Night-night"'s house, we found out that she had lost her keys to her car and house. Uh oh, we thought. We had planned to go to Uncle Paul's house in Jonesboro at 7:00 pm, so we had to leave Weiner at 6:30 or so. Well, as sometimes happens with treasure hunts, we were delayed a little with the "great Key Search." Sadly, we didn't find them Monday night, or even the rest of the week. But, thank God, Grandma "Night-night" has some kind friends who loaned us a pad-lock set for her front door. Still, she wasn't able to drive her car. So we all loaded up in our Chrysler and headed up to Jonesboro. Thankfully the Chrysler has an air conditioner that works well, otherwise we would have all been very, very warm, to say the least! About this time we began counting ...... what did we count? Road signs? No. Red pickup trucks? No. You guessed it! We started counting (and slapping I might add!)....mosquitoes! Those Texas-sized mosquitoes that must have migrated northeast! We had an interesting drive the first few minutes from great-grandmother's to Jonesboro! Once we were out on the highway and travelling about 55 miles per hour, Dad rolled down the windows and ...schuuuuuwww...out went all the mosquitoes, right? Hardly (Alright. So maybe a few flew out). The wind only made the mosquitoes stick to the headliner in the car! Not to mention all the dear ladies in the car whose hair was now a mess. Sorry ladies, we'll try n0t to do that again.

Sunset at Grandma McKnight's House

Upon arriving at Uncle Paul's house, we received a warm welcome from our relatives whom we had not seen in over three years. We enjoyed a good dinner, and, most of all, enjoyed visiting with each other (For us younger folks, it took a little warming up, right Jaden?). We even watched a little of the Beijing Olympics, although we weren't really listening to what the commentator was saying because, after all, we were the commentators! Right, Barry?

Uncle Paul and Aunt Loretta in their kitchen

Visiting before dinner

Like all good things, our visit with Uncle Paul and his family had to come to an end. So we said our goodbyes, loaded up in the car, and headed back to Weiner to drop off Grandma, Grandma "Night-night" and a friend of hers who had tagged along with us. But, before we went to Wiener, we stopped at our motel to make sure that we still had a room reserved ('Tis good to double check, right?). And we did. After this was finished, we headed down to Weiner, dropped off our dear ladies mentioned above, and drove back to Jonesboro to our motel room with it's comfortable beds. To make a longer story shorter, we rested quite well that night.

More to come, Lord willing!

-Caleb Nathan Kautt

C4L - Rally for the Republic!!

Tuesday’s Rally for the Republic schedule:

11:30 - Doors open

12:30 - Intro: Tucker Carlson

12:40 - National Anthem: Matt Colvin

12:50 - Invocation: Barb Davis White

12:55 - Howard Phillips

1:10 - Doug Wead

1:30 - Tom Woods

1:50 - Grover Norquist

2:10 - Lew Rockwell

2:30 - Bill

:50 - Special Guest

3:10 - Bruce Fein

3:35 - Gov. Jesse Ventura

4:05 - John Tate, Campaign for Liberty Presentation

4:25 - Gov. Gary Johnson

5:00 - Aimee Allen

6:00 - Break

7:00 - Intro: Barry Goldwater

7:05 - Ron Paul

8:05 - Sara Evans

9:30 - End of Program

9:30 - Jimmie Vaughan After Party

If you want to see what events are planned for Monday, head on over to the C4L's site.

Chalk art

The Chief End of Man~

Shorter Catechism (Westminster)

Q: What is the chief end of man?

A: To glorify God – 1 Cor. 10:31 - "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the glory of God."

Col. 3:17 - "And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

1 Peter 4:11 - "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles (utterances) of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion forever and ever. Amen."

Zechariah 14:21 - "Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be [engraved] HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD OF HOSTS."

2 Cor. 4:1-7 - "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels…"

2 Tim. 2:20-21 - "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wool, and of earth; some to honor, and some to dishonor: if a man therefor purge (cleanse) himself from these (see verses 16, 19), he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified (set apart) and meet (fit, useful) for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work."

Rev. 4:11 - "Thou are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power for Thou has created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created."

Psalms 73:25-26 - "Whom have I in heaven by Thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside Thee. My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the strength (rock) of my heart and my portion forever."

Psalms 16:5-6 - "The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup; thou maintainest (upholds) my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage (inheritance)."

Goof~

Beautiful art work done by Mother

Here is a beautiful piece of art work that Mom has worked on for about 3 days. She had a photo she was drawing from, but still, it is a fantastic drawing! It is her first major fine art piece in colored pencil.

Enjoy Mom's beautiful talent!

For America's Patriot: Ron Paul - Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday Dr. Paul! Thank you for being the champion of Liberty, Peace, Freedom & the Constitution! Our family has learned SO much these past several months since we first became acquainted with you and your campaign. It was amazing to watch you over the course of your months on the road, spreading the good news about Freedom, Prosperity & Peace!

Many happy returns on this your special day and may the Lord bless you with many, many more years of healthy, happy living!

1:1 "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,nor stands in the way of sinners,nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season,and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers." Psalm 1:1-3

God bless you Ron & Carol always! You two are in our thoughts and prayers!

With admiration, with love,

David, Julia, Joel, Abby, Caleb, Phoebe, Johanna & Jaden Kautt - Texas, USA

Arkansas trip #1

It was a hard goodbye to Joel, Mom, Abby, and Phoebe, when Dad, Dad’s Mom, Caleb, Jaden and I left to Arkansas. It was the first trip I had gone on without Mom, Abby and Phoebe. :-(

We left at 10:53 A.M. Monday August 11, 2008. I counted out-of-state license plates (this was in Texas: New York – Virginia. Arkansas: North Carolina - Mexico ). To say the least, it was fun. I saw vehicles from: New York, California, Tennessee, Minnesota, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Arizona, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Illinois, Florida, Missouri, Virginia, North Carolina, Louisiana, Ohio, Indiana, Ontario Canada, Nebraska, Texas (not ours’! :D), Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Dakota, New Mexico, Mexico. 27 out-of-state license plates on vehicles!!!

We ate lunch (Wendy’s food), in the car.

Later we arrived at Great-grandma McKnight’s house in Wiener, Arkansas. Picked up Great-grandma, her friend, and Grandma Kautt (Dad’s Mom) and went to Grandma Kautt’s brother, Paul McKnight’s house. We had dinner there. Here is all who were there: Great-grandma, one of Great-grandma’s friends, Grandma, Uncle Paul and Aunt Loretta, Cousin Peyton and cousin Terri Lynn Tyner, Gracie (18), Audrey (16?) and Chloe (8) Tyner, Cousin Barry and cousin Paula Riggs, Zachary (12?) and Madison (6) Riggs, Dad, Caleb, Jaden and I. Afterward, we took Great-grandma, Great-grandma’s friend and Grandma to Great-grandma’s house. Then, Dad, Caleb, Jaden and I went to the hotel at which we were to stay. We were all covered in mosquito bites, and Caleb made up a joke: “Three things the farmers in Arkansas grow are: Soybeans, Rice, and MOSQUITOES!”

I was almost frozen in the bed, ‘cause Caleb turned the AC WAY too low. There were only two thin blankets to lay under!!! I woke up several times, during the night, thinking: “Where’s Phoebe?” Phoebe and I sleep together at home.

The next morning, we had a breakfast (at the hotel) of: puffed millet (for cereal), soy milk, oranges, apples, grapes, and oats. Yummy!!! Phoebe called Dad and Dad told me, after Phoebe was done talking to Dad, that “Hymns for Kith and Kin” had arrived at our house. :-)

We then went to Great-grandma’s house and helped her clean up her house. Caleb cleaned the counters and cabinets with Grandma and I did the dishes, after eating a meal of: noodles, wild duck, corn, and I don’t remember what else.

After cleaning a bit more, we left with Great-grandma, Grandma, and Great-grandma’s friend to a restaurant called “ Western Sizzlin’ ”. Uncle Bobby Joe (Great-grandma’s brother) and Aunt Macine McKnight were there, and Uncle Paul and Aunt Loretta McKnight, Barry and Paula Riggs, Zachary and Madison Riggs, Peyton and Terri Lynn Tyner, Gracie, Audrey, and Chloe Tyner, Great-grandma, Great-grandma’s friend, Grandma, Dad, Caleb, Jaden and I. After eating, all of us (except Uncle Bobby Joe and Aunt Macine), went to Payton and Terri Lynn Tyner’s house. I held/carried Madison around a bunch. She’s my buddy! :-) After that, we took Great-grandma, Great-grandma’s friend, and Grandma to Great-grandma’s house. Then, we went to the hotel and slept.

On the 13, we ate the same breakfast and Phoebe called. I talked to her for about 10 or 15 minutes. She said that the night before, Joel, Abby, and herself had apple crisp, ice cream, and fruit salad! :-) Also, she and Abby watched “Gods and Generals”.
For lunch we all went to ‘Ryan’s Steak House’. Some of Grandma’s high school friends were there. So, basically, it was Grandma’s high school reunion! At this restaurant, on one of the doors, there was a sign that said: “Stop! Alarm will go off if you open this door.” Then in Spanish, for ‘stop’ it said: “!Alto!” So, I learned a Spanish word that day. I was thinking, later on, that if we passed some Mexicans, and we were talking about singing Alto, they might think we were saying, “Stop”, in Spanish! ;-) Then we went to see our Great-great Aunt Dorthy (Great-grandma and Uncle Bobby Joe’s sister). We stated for about an hour, talking, looking at pictures, and Caleb, Jaden and I walked through the gardens. She lives in a assisted living type place, but it’s still beautiful.

Later, on our way to Uncle Paul’s (so we could follow him to Barry and Paula Riggs’ house), we were right next to a black mini-van (on the high way). I happened to look over, and there was a man, in plain clothing (overalls), beard, hat. I wondered if he was Mennonite. Sure enough, when I looked over at the woman next to him, she had on a head-covering, like the Mennonite women wear, and plain clothing. When they passed us, I could see quite a few children in the back. It was a quick glance, but it was a rare one! :-) They passed us and an eight-teen wheeler, and soon were out of sight, but I won’t forget that sight!

We passed a antique mall and Great-grandma said: “There’s an antique mall! I’m an antique, too!” She always is trying to make us laugh……that’s why she’s lived so long, she’s 93!
Barry and Paula Riggs live out in the country. We all had fun there. Caleb and I went paddle boating, which I love to go paddle boating! :-) We also jumped on the trampoline, played in the basement (ping-pong, air hockey). Madison was not there, because she went with here Dad’s brother’s family to the lake. :-(

Found out Gracie Tyner likes the name “Phoebe Lynn”. :-)

On the 14, we were finally going home. I kept seeing cars from Missouri :-) and Tennessee :-) (Smiles for both states is because: I have a pen pal who lives in Missouri, Rebecca Serven, and another pen pal and friend who lives in Tennessee, Camille Wolaver).


I hope you enjoy reading this ‘journal’ of our trip to Arkansas!

Blessings,

Johanna ‘Jo’

Carol Paul update

Continue to lift Carol Paul in your prayers. As of the 14th, she was in the CCU, in serious but stable condition. Apparently, she has had quite a struggle for her life.

Of course, keep her husband, Ron and all of her children and grandchildren in your thoughts and prayers.

~Abby

Update: Carol Paul is doing well! She had her breathing tube removed, and it looks like she will soon be moved from the CCU into a rehab center. Thank you Lord for your healing power!

The squirrel~

We were enjoying lunch, celebrating Joel's birthday when we looked out the window to see this little squirrel enjoying his own lunch... a pear which had been picked from our neighbor's tree being eaten in such a "comfortable position." :)

It was really funny to watch him all sprawled out, hanging on with his hind legs whilst he munched contentedly on a fruity snack. We all got a good laugh watching his antics!

Air Conditioning Adventures~

Caleb & Dad accomplished the task in a little over 2 hours. Everything is up and running like normal.

Inside of the cavity beneath our A/C furnace.

Caleb & Abby confer about what tools will needed to repair the leak.

Here's the story: On Saturday August 2, I was walking through the hall towards Mom's room. I was barefoot, and I noticed a "wet spot" on the carpet near the intake vent of our A/C. "Oh great!" I thought, "we have plumbing problems, again!" Two and a half years ago, we had major plumbing problems, the front yard was completely torn up, a whole new line of pipe had to be laid down, two new clean-outs, and lots of frustrated Kautts trying to figure the "easiest" way to fix the mess left behind by the plumbing company!

Now you see my exasperation! I called Phoebe into the hallway to "take a look" at something mysterious. We opened the door (see above photo, where Caleb's legs are sticking out) and removed the smaller vent and sure enough... there was standing water right before our eyes! Err!! "Didn't we pay LOTS of $$ to get this problem fixed?!" I asked a bewildered Phoebe as we sat staring at the light reflecting on the standing water. "Oh boy, we'd better not tell Dad tonight, because it's Saturday and he has to finish studying for his sermon." Well, long story short, Dad did find out and on Monday night August 4, he and Caleb embarked on a task neither were very familiar with.

They made a couple of "late night" trips over to Lowe's and purchased the necessary tools and pipes they required. The "bad" thing about this whole scenario was that the A/C was broken during some of the hottest weather we've had all summer! Thankfully, Dad & Caleb were able to accomplish this task and the A/C is working just fine! Praise the Lord! Thanks Dad & Caleb, we all appreciate it SO much!

Pray for Carol Paul

Please keep Ron Paul's wife Carol as she is hospitalized in serious but stable condition.

Thank you for your prayers! Keep her husband and children their families in your prayers.

May the Lord guide & direct the surgeons as they perform surgery on Carol, may their hands be skillful and may the Lord's will be done with regards to a full recovery. Amen.

Update - Carol's surgery last night was successful and the doctors are considering removing her breathing tube soon. Continue to keep your prayers lifting to the Father of all healing, for her complete recovery!

Fall Cleaning Adventures~

Grandma & Phoebe discuss what stuff to throw out. We spent several Thursdays (Joel's day off) down at Grandpa & Grandma's helping them get things cleaned up & organized. The garage was our main point of "battle" and we worked hard to get things in order.

Caleb & Jaden fixed Grandma's tri-bic-ole. Now it is up and running! Grandpa took it for a spin after Caleb had finished. Works just fine now!

Last Thursday Joel, Jaden, Johanna & I went once again to Dallas to see if we could "finish up" our cleaning up work in the garage.

It was hot, around 106 degrees and we were all sweating by mid-afternoon. Grandma suggested we take a break, and head up to Sonic's for a slushy (icy-fruit drink). We had fun sitting under the canopy talking and laughing. The drinks were SO cold and SO sweet, that we had to drink them s-l-o-w-l-y. :)

I am very happy to report, that thanks to Grandma, Jason (our cousin), Joel, Jo, Phoebe, Caleb & Abby the garage is looking simply very nice! I was actually looking out the back windows and could see from the floor all the way to the ceiling! For years that garage has been so packed, that you could barely walk through at times.

Grandpa & Grandma, we were so happy to serve you in this way and we had fun in the process! We love you both!

~Abby for the rest of the Krew :)

There off!

Yesterday morning, we bade half of our household goodbye for a short 4 day vacation to visit relatives in north Arkansas. Dad, Dad's mother Faye, Caleb, Johanna & Jaden packed up and headed for a wonderful time of visiting with relatives whom we hadn't seen in 3 years. They arrived safe and sound yesterday evening, and had a great time at Dad's Uncle Paul's after their arrival.

The main reason for this trip, was to visit with our Great-grandma, Una Mae who is 93, and not in the best of health. She has declined lately, and so Dad thought that a short trip up would be a good thing. We all agreed with him! :)

Hopefully, those of us who staid here will accompany Grandpa & Grandma as they go up for Labor Day weekend later this month. We are looking forward to the beauty of that region of the country.

Praise the Lord for their safe travel and for the time they are enjoying getting to visit with relatives they've not seen in a while! I am so excited that Dad especially is taking a short break before church duties kick-in to full gear this fall.

I hope to post some more this week, but if not, please excuse the absence, I am ever so busy with a multitude of household related tasks.

On another note, we got close to 2 inches of rain yesterday afternoon & evening! It was such a blessing from Providence, because everything here has been baking in 100+ degree weather for the last 2 and a half weeks. Phoebe & I danced in the rain for a little bit; it felt so refreshing!

Blessings to all of our readers!

~Abby

Quotable Quotes!

Here are some funny senarios that Mom recorded, that involve Jaden (Mom is the one writing):

August 2, 2008

Jaden told me he made his bed & I commended him. "When I fill my chart (chore chart), guess how much money Caleb will give me?" "A quarter?" "No. Four quarters, in paper form." :) "With a one on it, right?" I asked. He grinned.

"So what else is on your chart besides making you bed?" I questioned. "Mmmm. Taking out the trash. (He helps Caleb) There's a spot on there for washing my armpits." (It's a cartoon picture.) He smiled wryly. "But I don't need to do that. Here, sniff." And he held up his arm & opened the sleeve.

I declined

He went on, "Of course, if you don't smell anything, it might not be that it doesn't stink, but that you...ummm...your smell buds don't work." :)

August 6, 2008

I had some dishes I needed to haven taken from my bedroom to the kitchen. I called Jaden, from the next room, to come get them. He appeared. But I wasn't about to ask him to do the job; his whole backside was wet, & his legs were spattered with muddy water. He had been playing with his "hot wheels" track & cars on the driveway, in a puddle.

I told him I'd get someone else to carry off the dishes.

He said, "If I was clean, I'd do it!" The he cheerfully added, "and I wouldn't charge you a penny!" (I said, "That's especially nice, since I'm your Mother!")

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Jaden is so funny sometimes, and yet, he can be so serious. He is also very smart, sometimes too smart! Jaden, I love you, we love you buddy!

Phoebe

Random pictures

Here are some random pictures from the past several months:

Ja & Jo

Mother

Joel's delicious Birthday desert! (Soy Ice cream, homemade tarts, & berries for topping!)

Truly awesome "sky-works"! Psalm 19:1 "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork."

Joel's birthday cont'd

Clowning around - Mom & Caleb with his French hat made of paper gift wrap!

Hmm.... Constitutional Law book - Joel is considering pursuing a law degree!

Joel & his gifts

Happy birthday man!

The best picture of all, of the dessert, didn't load up. Oh well, it was delicious! Neapolitan ice cream & short cake with berries & other toppings. :)

Learning to Work Together

Here is an article that I was assigned to write in my English class a few years ago:

Written: 11/3/05

Learning to Work Together
By
Phoebe Kautt (age 10)

Once upon a time, there lived a bat in a beautifully colored tree beside a river, which was called, by all that lived in the city, Li. The bat was a wise little bat. There also, in that same tree, lived a nightingale. The nightingale was prideful, because she had a beautiful voice. The nightingale had such a beautiful voice that the Emperor and all his royal court would come every night to listen to the beautiful voice. While she would be singing, the bat, without being seen by the Emperor and his court, would gulp up the mosquitoes. One night the nightingale asked, "Are not you ashamed of yourself, swooping about, consuming mosquitoes, not even singing just one note? What kind of life do you live?" The bat did not answer, for he caught sight of a mosquito flying about. He swiftly swooped and caught the mosquito and gobbled it down. Then he replied, "It is a very, very important life I live." Once he answered he was off again catching another mosquito, and into the thickening dusk. "You call that an important life!" Screeched the nightingale. "Just look at my life. I sing for the Emperor and all his royal court." She preened her feathers proudly and then exclaimed again, "What is catching mosquitoes to that?" The bat flew by once again chasing another mosquito, but as he flew past intoned, "If it were not for me the Emperor and all his court would never come to the river bank." "What nonsense!" Cried the nightingale, "He does not come here because of you, but he comes to give heed to my singing."

The bat did not reply, but smiled to himself. Then the very next night, a very warm and sticky night filled with mosquitoes, the bat did not go out chasing mosquitoes, but instead sat in the beautifully colored tree listening to the nightingale sing. It was so beautiful, so magnificent, gorgeous, it made the bat sad. But right at the most gorgeous part the swarms of mosquitoes were biting the Emperor and his royal court, so they started getting restless and shifting from one foot to another. The Emperor finally fled for the palace because of those biting insects. They were tripping over their royal robes as they slapped mosquitoes and jogged away. Only the bat stayed to hear the nightingale’s magnificent performance.

The nightingale sprawled quietly in the beautiful tree; just then she recognized the importance of the bat’s job. From then on they both worked together in harmony. The Emperor and his royal court came back, because the bat and the nightingale both worked together in harmony. The bat and the nightingale both have important jobs that they need to stick with. So the moral of the story is simply that the two cannot work without each other.

27 years~

Dad & Mom celebrate their 27th Wedding Anniversary today!!!!

Here they are in wedding attire cutting the lovely bride's cake. They were wed on Saturday, August 1, 1981 in Richardson, Texas. They have since served at 3 different churches. Two in Texas and one in Oklahoma.

This picture was taken by Mom's Dad, Ron shortly after they were married. Don't they look smashing!?

Dad & Mom (expecting Phoebe) after Dad received his Master's degree in Dallas.

Through the years of married life, they have added to their family. Joel is the eldest of their offspring, he just celebrated his 22nd birthday. Abby followed a couple of years later, I'm now 18. Caleb was born two years later and he's now 16.


Dad & Mom with Joel, Abby, Caleb & Phoebe. This was before the time of Johanna & Jaden.

Here we all are in our front yard getting a family picture taken. Jaden is about 2 years old in this one. You can tell that the 4 younger ones have done allot of growing. Caleb is as tall as Dad, Phoebe & Jo are both taller than me now. And, Jaden is not a baby anymore.

This is from a series of pictures we had taken on Thanksgiving day 2006 in downtown McKinney.

The years have been long, and sometimes hard. But, I am so thankful that God has proved faithful through them all. Dad & Mom, you are a testimony to your 6 children of what a God honoring marriage is! Thank you for standing together through thick and thin, through illness and health, for better or worse, for rich or for poor! You are such a great example of faithfulness to each other that is rare now days in a world of divorce.

I love you both dearly!

Love,

Abby