Back to School

On August 8 Jake and the girls went back to school Aubree is in 2nd grade with Mrs. Reed, Ginny is in 4th grade with Mrs. Gibbs the girls go to Richland Elementary, and Dad teaches at Germantown middle 7th and 8th grade science. Aubree said her first day and teacher was okay and Ginny said she loves everything about 4th grade is awesome so far. Jake our son/brother is still at home with mom and Christopher. Christopher sleeps till like 11:30 or so while Jake is up at 8. Jake and Christopher have little bikes that they chase each other in they just love it. Later on the first day we went for ice cream it was yummy. Well that is how the first day went for the Farrell family went. ---Ginny
Ginny

Mommy and the Boys MISS Daddy and the Girls

Life is back in full swing for the Farrell family. School has begin and each member survived the first week. The girls seem to both enjoy their teachers. The boys and I took the girls to school the first day because that is just what mommies do. Will pitched a fit when we had to leave them there, however, I bribed him with Chic-fil-A, thinking he would go home, take a nap, and forget. However, to my dismay, I was incorrect. the first thing he asked to do when he got up was go to Chic-fil-A, so I kept my word and we went. Saturday, we spent the day doing yard work and went to a baseball game that evening...it was great....complimentary unlimited food (not just any food but Rendezvous nachos, BBQ sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, water melon, ice cream, chips, and drink), it was customer appreciation night for a few companies and we received an invite, a ball game (our team won), and fireworks at the end. It was terrific family fun and the weather was nice.

Yea, we have internet back at our home. We have not had internet for the past week, so I am a little lost. I have realized that I rely on it more than I should. A quick catch up...the girls are back from Odessa and had a wonderful time with Grammy and their cousins (they were both very excited to show off their new dances), Jake flew to Houston to spend a weekend with Chris, and I am thinking about possibly going back to school (why not if FedEx will pay a portion of it). However, the school decision is based on a few factors and is just a thought right now, not a plan. The kids start back to school in about a week, so I want to squeeze in as much time with them as I can. It seems like this summer has flown by.

As the summer goes....

Being married to a school teacher has a few perks....one of which being summer. Summer should be a time of relaxing but it has been busy, busy, busy for our family. We just got back from Texas to see Jake's family. It was a nice trip. Jake, the girls, and Will left Monday, June 27th, and Christopher and I flew out Friday, July 1st. I was unable to get off work for the week but needed to go help Jake drive home with the boys because we left the girls to spend a little time with Grammy and Papa. We left at 5:00 a.m on Tuesday and I had to leave for work by 8 p. m, plenty of time, right? Wrong, we had a blowout on the way home and ended up purchasing 4 new tires. As Jake was changing the tire, I got the baby out to change his diaper. I sat on the floorboard and when I got up, my bum was soaking wet. We had it looked at when we got home and the air conditioning was leaking into the car instead of under the car. The one part that was not still under warranty was the part messed up. So, our trip home costs an additional $1200 than planned for. Other than that, we are great. I decided sometimes when it rains it pours but thank goodness for umbrellas and rain boots. Not only, did we have malfunctions with our car, our home air conditioning unit quit cooling. Seth and Sydney are here right now and it makes me a bit sad that my girls will miss them but at least I get to see them briefly.

Happy Fathers Day!

I am blessed by many wonderful men in my life, two of which are my dad and the father of my children. My father always did what he could to provide for our family, even when it meant that he was unable to be at some of our functions. He has been an example of prayer, home teaching, service, and scripture study in my life. There have been times, where I may have felt less affection from him but I know and knew he loved me. I feel that I have a pretty good relationship with my dad and am proud to call him "my dad".
The second man, the greatest blessing in my life, is my husband. He is an excellent father and husband. He works our for our family to provide for us and lead our family in righteousness. Jake is very patient with both me and our children. As a child, when I thought of marriage and family, I never envisioned marrying a man that is such a good father. Jake exceeds all expectations (society and personal) of being a good father. I can take the examples of both those men and learn a little about parenting myself. I am confident that many of Jake's attributes as a father came from his parents and the example of his father.
Thirdly, I am blessed with a wonderful Papaw.....I had the best grandparents ever....my kids are blessed with good ones too but mine rocked. He never forgets us kids and visited often growing up and makes it a point when we are in Jackson to come see us. His actions show that he cares for us.
Fourth, I have awesome brothers and the same amount of great brother in laws. Both of my brothers teach me a little something....and both have very distinct, different personalities. They each hold a special place in my heart for different reasons. Both my brother in laws are still relatively new to the family but I am enjoying getting to know them and their attributes better.
Fifth, I am blessed with two precious boys of my own. It is my hope that they take the best attributes from each of the above mentioned and their other uncles and develop those attributes into their lives as they grow. I hope when Will and Christopher are older, they are as gospel oriented as their Papa, as smart and fun, as their uncles, as family oriented as my Papaw, and as gentle, patient, non-judgmental, and as well balanced as their father. I hope Christopher and Will are learning now as young as they are to show love through their actions and not just word. My boys have several tremendous examples to look up to.
Lastly, I am blessed with the knowledge that I have a loving Father in Heaven and brother, Jesus Christ. They have my best interest in mind and silently cheer me on everyday. I am blessed to have a relationship with them and a sure knowledge that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live for me today. It is through obeying the principles and covenants of the gospel that I know that I can be eternally with my family and have ever-lasting happiness.

Happy 1st Birthday Christopher

Today was a special day in our home. We celebrated our last first birthday...yes, that is correct, our baby turned one. Christopher is a source of joy in our home. He is not mobile yet and we are 100% okay with that. He has discovered table food and has a distaste for his baby food. He loves cocoa puffs cereal, cheetos, goldfish, and crackers. He smiles much more often these days and laughs. Yesterday, his daddy and brother were playing cars and Christopher had a car, he started making car noises too. It was way cute. Christopher enjoys swimming pools but is not a fan of baths and he loves to be outside. We are blessed that Heavenly Father blessed our home with him.

I LOVE Holidays

It does not make a difference what holiday it is...I love holidays. I enjoy dressing my family for the festivities and the family gatherings that usually occur. This past weekend we went to my parents for a small family gathering because some of dad's family was in from out of town. We had planned to go and only stay a couple hours but stayed for almost five hours. Jake even enjoyed it. I loved reminiscing with our cousins about growing up and sharing different memories. I enjoyed watching my kids play with distant cousins and some they had never before me...it was wonderful. This past weekend was exactly how I remember patriotic holidays (Memorial Day, 4th of July, and Labor Day) growing up. It was great. The only thing that would have made it better was if all my siblings could have been there.
Earlier before the cook out, we met Papaw at the cemetery to put patriotic torches on a few of the graves. Aubree has been asking to put flowers on them, so she enjoyed it. However, she was very concerned that my Mamaw (Virginia Pauline Litton (Jones)) did not have any, so we went to a nearby store and purchased some flowers and a balloon and went back to the cemetery and put them on the grave. Overall, the day or even the entire holiday weekend has been a good one.