i love CAMP! (cheer camp part 2)

Ok, this was the BEST day at camp!! We always have one day at camp to wear whatever colors we want- just to break up the one million red white and black tshirts in our closets! So as I was looking around for some fun, different shirts I ended up looking at some blogs I read....and found THE PERFECT shirts for camp!! My sweet online friend,   Wynne is adopting a sweet little boy from Ethiopia and naming him CAMP!!!! How precious! and was selling these shirts to help raise money for the adoption. I knew right away we must wear these!!

 I mean seriously, how cute are these!! My girls loved them and LOVED the story behind them!

 So we get to the morning rally and give a shirt to all 4 of our buddy counselors! They immediately put them on and wore them for the rest of the day!! Cameron (below) wanted to know all about them so we start telling him the story. And then....he has all 64 FWC Cheerleaders stand up so all 450 campers can see our shirts and then asks the girls to tell everyone what they're about!! It was the coolest thing!

 3 of our buddies wearing CAMP shirts!

 We wore them all day around the TCU campus and I cannot tell you how many people asked us about them! At some point in the day I started handing out notebook paper "business cards"! So many of the staff and other schools wanted to go to the website and order shirts too!!

It was such a blessing to get to wear these and get to talk about a sweet little boy who will soon be home with his forever family! AND after she had made these shirts they found out that they actually get to adopt TWO sweet kids! Camp now has a sister... Asher! We cannot wait to watch this story unfold and see these 2 precious children come home!! As a squad, we will be praying for them and will all celebrate the day they get to be with their mommy and daddy!

CHEER CAMP 2012!!

Just got home from an amazing week at TCU for NCA Cheer Camp! All 4 squads did wonderful, improved in so many things and bonded as teams! It was not all without a hitch but we took all the obstacles and ran right through them! And, of course, I took a million pictures to document it all!:)

 Just gonna warn you right now- there are 26 pictures in this post:)

JV was abandoned by me for a time while I had to deal with some varsity injuries- they just kept right on going and didn't miss a beat- so proud of these girls!!

 Practicing hard all day, every day. I spotted these cutie 7th graders practicing their motions on the way to dinner:)

 I am so blessed by this Varsity and JV- they are all amazing sweet girls and I just love them!

 Above: 8th grade   Below: Jr. Varsity

 Shirley's the best! We had a great time together! I'm loving my hair and bow exclusively done by miss Kelsey!- thank you very much!

 Just a few pics of some serious talent:) Ok- one is my daughter but she seriously rocked it at camp!

 Tianti and Marlee- both GREAT flyers and learned so much at camp- we're going to have some fun stunts this year!

 8th grade friends!

 This is Chandler trying out for All American! She did SO good!

 (8th)

 (Varsity)

 (JV)

 She got All American!!! SO proud of you Chandler!!

And of course there were some wonderful moments and events at camp that took my breath away to see the Lord working in powerful ways! The BEST day at camp was "I LOVE CAMP" day- seriously God is awesome and we had a lot of fun witnessing Him move and stir some hearts at camp- those pictures and stories are coming tomorrow!!! I can't WAIT to show them!!

Beck Gudeta

We've been home from Ethiopia for 3 weeks now. Or has it been 3 months? Or 3 days? Sometimes it feels like forever ago and sometimes it feels like yesterday! Anyway, I've never gotten around to posting the BEST pictures of the ENTIRE trip: Mr. Beck Gudeta Cheatham! He is seriously THE cutest! We couldn't have asked for a better day with him- sweet sweet day from the Lord! I absolutely know for certain, without a doubt that the Lord whispered into his heart that the Cheathams were HIS family. It was just breathtaking to watch him just KNOW them. He was super sweet to me and Aimee but he really couldn't care less if we were there or not (he'll be so thankful one day when he gazes at the one million pictures taken of him that day;) but when one of HIS parents or siblings threw him a ball, or twirled him around, or hugged him and kissed on him, he just lit up! That was such a blessing to witness!

 Seriously, the cutest!

 Then I, oh so casually, went up behind him to measure him!:) He immediately turned around and looked at me like "what in the world do you think you're about to do to me?":)

 But as soon as he turned back around I got it real quick! These things are important people:)

 Then it was time to say goodbye. We all knew it would be hard but man that was gut wrenching. I love this next picture- Heather trying to keep it together (ha!) and Derek's eyes just seem to say I can't let him go.  It was precious.

It was such an honor to be there and I'll never forget it! Hurry home Beck- we cannot wait to love on you!!!

Remembering Chelsa

Today was beautiful. Today was hard. This is a glimpse of her life, in pictures. Thank you all for all the prayers, cards, meals, encouraging words. We are blessed with great people in our life. We are so thankful.

Chelsa

What a week it has been. I still cannot believe that I haven't even posted actual pics of "little man". That will come- hopefully tomorrow:) But today I want to share about my sweet aunt Chelsa. I have several aunts, and all are special to me. But Chelsa is my only aunt who doesn't have children of her own, and therefore has treated me (and my sisters) as if we are her own children our whole lives.  In a word, SPOILED us completely:))

She is not only one of the most generous people I know, she is one of the most creatively generous people I know.  You want cold hard cash for your birthday? Ok- she'll give it to you but it will be several bills formed into a shape of something your into that year, or put in something like this...

Our "salad bowls"   Best salad I've ever had!!

Chelsa was diagnosed with ovarian cancer about a year and a half ago. She has fought this with such grace and dignity and strength. She would go for a horrible round of chemo and show up for one of our kids events the next day. We would meet for lunch almost anytime she had an appointment in Fort Worth- or really just for any occasion! There were A LOT of lunch meetings with this crew:)

 Or just be physically exhausted from chemo, and insist on going with us to our annual black Friday shopping. (seriously anyone who says that shopping on Thanksgiving is evil has NO idea the memories I will always have and cherish of sweet Chelsa on black Friday!!) She would push our carts around- and stay with them while we ran up and down the aisles so we wouldn't have to drag a big cart through:)  Those were some of the most fun and funny times! (and yes we matched so we could find each other easier:))

 But 3 weeks ago she outdid even her generous self!!:) She very cryptically texted me, my mom, and my sisters to meet on a Thursday morning at 10:15 in the food court of North East mall.   Hmmm, lunch at 10:15? I mean, I certainly don't turn down the food at any time so ok I can do that:)  We gathered around a table and she just had the biggest smile on her face! She said- "ok- here's the deal. I have envelopes for each one of you. Inside is cash. Here are the rules: You can ONLY buy things for yourself, you can't even GO in the kids sections or look at anything except for yourselves. You have to come show me any purchases made (and leave them with her so we didn't have to carry around stuff), and try to get something you may not normally buy for yourself."  SERIOUSLY?? Who does that??

I shaded the money:) didn't want to be like counterfeiting or anything:)

It seriously was one of the best days ever! Not because of the money but because it was so much fun to see her genuinely happy that we were doing something for ourselves. She wanted to make our day, make us smile, see us laugh, make a memory, show us love. Like she does every.time.we're.with.her!
I kept looking around to see if we were on camera:)! I mean, really, have you ever heard of someone doing that for someone and it not be a reality show?? SO MUCH FUN! It has taken some of us, Ashlee and Channing (not mentioning any names) more than THREE weeks to spend theirs! Mom and I were done in about 3 days! I will honestly never forget that day!
 This week has been brutally hard for me to watch our sweet Chelsa fight the fight of her life. She is one strong lady. And this insanely horrible disease that will claim her body soon, will not claim my memories of her.  We sit by her side daily, caught between wanting so bad for her pain to be over and so not ready for her to go.  With each agonizing breath, you cannot wait for her to be at the feet of Jesus! Rejoicing and praising and FREE of all of the pain of this life. And at the exact same moment- Lord I am not ready for this to be the last time I see her, the last time I hold her hand, the last time I hug and kiss her and tell her I love her. How can we say goodbye to Chelsa? How will she ever know how much she means to us? How much we love her?
  But she will know. And she will want to say to us "I am home! I am where I belong!" Until then, we will cherish every minute with her. And thank God that we got to be hers.