Hillsong - At the Cross - With Subtitles/Lyrics

Family fun at the zoo.....

It's much easier to work with photos on Facebook than it is Blogger. Click here to see how the Chapels spent Labor Day....

Facebook Your Photos - Chehah Park Zoo: "http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=33278&id=1118210816&l=5d9412ffce"

Your Love Never Fails -Chris Quilala / Jesus Culture

A Day in the Life - Be Still and Know

For Sherrie.....

Mercy Seat

Fast forward ten years. Here is "Mercy Seat" by Vickie Yohe. I did this dance at the beautiful aquarium here in Albany, for a friend's wedding in 2006. I had a little bit of choreography for the chorus, but most of movement in this dance is off the cuff. What makes this dance a favorite is that it's just so dang funny to me. Bo is videoing, and for some reason he shot from a direction where the wedding photographer is positioned between us. About two minutes into the dance he sees Bo recording and realizes he's in the shot, so he attempts to flatten himself against the wall. Even with his tenacious efforts to fade into the shrubbery, he's still fully in view and that's really hilarious to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvlvMN-rjsw

Mercy Seat

Noah my budding photographer

I must detour down the dance down memory lane to share these pictures I found on my cell phone. Noah must have figured out the camera function while we were in the Virginia hotel visiting Bo last month. I think the kid just might have a future in photography!

Mother's Day Dance

Here's another fav. A Mother's Day dance, also from 1996. I'm still friends with everyone in this dance, and to see how the children have grown over the thirteen years since we danced is amazing. Some of the "babies" are now engaged, married, or have babies of their own. Sweet memories. And of course, dancing with my boy Joshua (for the first time, we've danced together three times) was precious for me.

A Mother's Love

Peaceful Weekend and Dances From The Vault

Joshua and Charity went to Atlanta for Memorial Day weekend, and graciously offered to bring Caleb and Noah along as chaperones. Charity is leaving for a long-term missions trip and training with YWAM (Youth With A Mission) in a few weeks and wanted to do some shopping at the Mall of Georgia for trip stuff. (Probably new suitcases ;) maybe they've come out with some trendy trunk-size ones with cute polka dots ;). Anyhoo, they've all been with Bo's parents and I've enjoyed a peaceful weekend with Isaac. It's been a nice break. Not so much physically, because I still have to keep up with Mr. Man, but emotionally; I don't have to be in a conversation every five minutes. It's been great to unwind and do some stuff that's just for me, like......

Eating cheetos and making brownies

Painting trim and door frames

Washing paint out of my hair

Hogging the TV, watching Weakest Link and Army Wives

Going without a bra

Ordering take-out and not feeling guilty that it's just for me

Shopping for new bathroom fixtures, goodbye forty-year-old sinks

Sitting outside on the porch watching the rain

Sitting inside and listening to quiet, but only when Isaac naps

Recording more old dances and family videos onto DVDs


So, that last one. Unearthing old worship dances, from waayyyyy back in the day. I am loving reliving those memories and seeing the progression of my dance ministry from 1987 to 2007 (twenty years in ministry, where's my gold star? oh yeah, Jesus is holding it for me.....I think it will go in my crown...). If you can endure the outdated hairstyles, costumes, music, and movement, I'm happy to invite you to a dance down memory lane with me. I'll be posting videos of some of my favorite dances. Some of you who follow me here are in these dances so let's reminisce together!

I'll start with this one.... "All Hail the Power". It's the old hymn with pretty music. This was the first corporate worship dance I taught that implemented any significant technique. Worship dance was still reletively new to the church in the 90s. It seemed "safe" to stand in one place, use more sign language than actual dance technique, and keep the movement simple. And I did two or three dances this way but was anxious to move! I also wanted to experiment with props, so we used scarves that I made from material found in the church's costume closet, and gold trim that I hot-glued to the edges. (I eventually bought so much fabric for costumes and props that the church opened a charge account with Hancock Fabrics. My church administrator would cringe when he saw me come into his office with a yellow receipt.) When I approaced my Pastor about doing a dance that pushed the envelope of what was normal at the time, he said "great! do it during the communion!". What? Can't you see I'm scared to death? Yikes! All part of pioneering a new work, sometimes you have to just take a deep breath and jump! So, we danced during the communion. I am thankful that Pastor always trusted me. It was his job to protect the pulpit and the platform and he always believed in me and what I felt God was saying to our church about dance. He even had me dance once during an altar call. I was ministering worship up front, and he was ministering salvation among the congregation. That was awesome.

So, here is "All Hail The Power" from 1996. It's a favorite because this dance helped steer a new ministry toward more freedom in expression and movement.

All Hail the Power of Jesus Name

Ricardo Sanchez | The Power Of The Cross

New Teeth

Isaac has been fussy. Cranky during the day, waking up at night. Feverish too. Oh, and lots of dirty diapers. I know it's a wives tale, but when I discovered two shiny new molars surfacing on his sweet gums today, I realized "ah-hah!".

So, if I'm absent, it's because I am tending to my little guy. As exhausting as he can be, I'm just so crazy about him.

Noah's Kindergarten Graduation

A little pomp

A little circumstance

and

One Handsome Boy!

Video for dad.....

My sweet babies

My kids were so great to me yesterday. Joshua woke up early to help take care of Isaac while I rested. When Noah woke up the first words out of his mouth were "Happy Mother's Day!", and he continued to give me kisses all through the day. We all piled onto my bed and Isaac toddled in with my Mother's Day card, signed sweetly by everyone. Next was a pretty pink wrapped square box with a lovely cross necklace. I love it!

Wait....I'll take and post a picture of it...

Okay, just took it....

Here you go...

Isn't it sweet?

Some dark chocolate from Caleb, and then they all went into the kitchen to make me DELICIOUS CINNAMON BLUEBERRY PANCAKES FROM SCRATCH!!!! Man, they were awesome!

Then my babies went to work on my big gift.....a nicely manicured lawn! Joshua cut the grass, Noah picked up the toys, Caleb trimmed the hedges and weed-????--eated? weed-ate???? How the heck do you say that word in past tense??? Caleb ate the weeds. Anyway, then they climbed up on the roof and blew off all the pine straw, so now when I approach the driveway I don't think "oh, that's so bad, the pine straw is going to trap moisture from the rain and it's going to damage the roof and there are going to be more leaks and I can't even get the roofer here to fix the leaks I already have....stress...money....". Now I just go "ahhhhhh". I'm so pleased with the beautiful yards that I'm willing to not flip out over the boo-boo that happened to Petra as Joshua dropped the ladder from the roof. Yes, Petra is wounded. Think she needs stitches but she'll have to tough it out until Joshua coughs up some dough.

I am proud of my children. I feel blessed to be their mother. God has entrusted me with four awesome assignments. I hope my beautiful sons always know how much their mom/mommy loves them. I look forward to many Mother's Days of love.

Happy Mother's Day.....

....to the one who gave this orphan love.

Te Amo!!!

Virginia, Part Two

Ok, where was I....oh yeah....the park. We went back Sunday and took a stroll. Here's some pics....




Sunday evening was hard because we had to say goodbye. More tears from everyone but Noah, who pleasantly commanded a "group hug!", and Isaac, who was sleeping. It broke Bo's heart to leave each of his children, but he said he couldn't have stood any more pain if Isaac had been awake, reaching for daddy, when it was time to go back to the VA.

Joshua and I decided to drive through the night back to Atlanta. I wasn't crazy about it, but I thought it might make the trip easier on the babies, you know, thinking that they might, you know, SLEEP! I think they got a few hours in, until Noah woke up crying because he suddenly had to pee immediately, as in pull over on the road and let the child go in the grass, and then again when Isaac whined for an hour before I realized he had a huge poopie diaper that required a 3am changing in the car at a truck stop off the interstate. Oh, the joys of traveling.

But, when I see this image of my beautiful peaceful slumbering angel....

....I think it wasn't so bad after all.

Virginia

Last Tuesday I found out Bo was going to be discharged from the VA this Thursday, so the boys and I quickly planned a trip to see him last weekend. Joshua was able to get out of work Friday and Saturday; I think bribery was involved. He has a great job but there aren't many employees so time off has to be strategically planned. BOY AM I GLAD HE WAS ABLE TO COME. He did ALL the driving, found a WalMart and bought groceries, and watched the little ones for Bo and I to have some time alone. Joshua you rock!

We drove to Atlanta Thursday night and spent the night with Bo's parents. We borrowed Bo's mom's car (more seating) and Bo's dad's TomTom (didn't even need a map!)...BUT we had to endure Redneck slang..."you otta turn right"....."get on that there high-speed road"....."well look at that, you done got where you're going!". Seriously, it was awesome, it showed how fast we were going and how far away we were from our destination. Thanks, Harold and Marilyn! Gammie even packed us a lunch for the road.

Here's pics from a rest stop in North Carolina....

After an eight hour drive Friday, we made it to our hotel in Richmond to find we'd been provided THREE rooms with full kitchens on the government's dime. Well, actually, the VA booked and paid for TWO rooms but the hotel mistakenly gave us THREE. A blessing from the Lord I say! The big boys had adjoining rooms and Bo and I were down the hall. We are used to all cramming into one room when we travel so this was indeed a treat! Now we are spoiled! The only problem was a long walk down the hall back and forth every time I realized something I needed was in another room.

After dropping off kids and luggage, I followed TomTom directions to the VA and found a handsome, anxiously awaiting, family-missing army man. Sweet hugs and tears, and I rushed him back to his children. Isaac recognized Bo straight away and went right to him.

We spent lots of good family time together....

Bo had therapy Saturday morning, but I picked him up afterward to spend the rest of the weekend with us on pass. Here's his hospital room....

We attempted a picnic at a local 200 year old park, but it started raining as soon as we got there. Here's us having fun in a pavilion waiting for the rain to stop....

....to be continued........

Weekend in Virginia

Tomorrow I will post more about our weekend....

Hanging Out With Dad!!!!

For Daddy

My babies

having fun

in the sun

baring buns

splish splash

taking a bath

refusing to laugh.

One Hundred Thousand

While it may be a small number that pales in comparison to other blogs, I have to celebrate that at some point between last night and this morning, my blog received 100,000 hits! Wow! It's a party here for me, that people would find my site interesting enough to visit. I'm honored and humbled. For even one person to take the time to read what I write is a blessing, but 100,000?! I'm sending you all 100,000 kisses! (I love hugs, but I love kisses more!)

So my faithful followers, I am encouraged by your visits to my online-sharing-of-life. I will continue to post, and share, and upload. I know you are out there, checking in, following, thinking of me, praying for us, and maybe laughing from time to time at the craziness that surrounds the Chapel family. I hope that something you have read, viewed, or heard here has been a blessing..... touched you, encouraged you, in some small way.

If we've never met, email me! Tell me your name, send me your picture, share a bit of your life with me. I want to know you!

Happy 100.000 to us.

Love and blessings to you all,
April

Come and listen, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me.
Psalm 66:16

No More Turtle

It appears our turtle has flown the coop. Noah was keeping him in the back yard, inside the fence. He'd crawl around and end up at the perimeters, snuggled up to the edge of the fence, or hanging out at the wood pile. Until... Noah happily suggested "hey mom, let's decorate his shell!" and ran inside for the magic markers. Hmmm.....think the turtle got wind of the impending humiliation and decided he better ramp up the escape plan. I mean really....how would he explain the graffiti to his turtle friends? He'd be out the turtle club for sure.

New (temporary) Addition

Look what we found crawling across the yard! I saw him out the window while we were eating dinner. He's gonna hang with us tonight. He's in the swimming pool now. We'll send him back to his family tomorrow. He seems nice, but peed all over Caleb.

Bupdate

I'm still here! Isaac caught a cold and I've been busy nursing a grumpy and feverish child back to health. Better today.

Bo was admitted to the Veteran's hospital in Richmond. He's been there since Monday and will stay for two weeks. I spoke with Bo's case manager and it sounds like they have a really awesome program there. They are one of four hospitals in the country that treat "poly trauma". They diagnose and recommend treatment for head injuries, from mild injuries sustained in car crashes to severe trauma resulting in comas. They get most of the blast injuries from Iraq. Bo's doctor said they've seen his kind of injury and know what to do to help him. He's been undergoing more tests (MRIs, blood tests, some kind of weird machine that checks balance problems...) and he'll start treatment that will specifically help with his symptoms. There will be physical and occupational therapy, cognitive therapy, counseling, etc. We should know more about his assessment today or tomorrow after all his doctors and therapists have met to discuss his brain. At the end of the two weeks, he'll be discharged back to Ft. Lee with a treatment plan. It will be up to the military to decide what to do with him then. Medical discharge is back on the table, but won't be determined until he completes his stay at the VA.

Bo says the hospital is nice and laid-back. It's a closed unit, and he has a private room. There's also Internet access so he's been catching up with my blog posts and shedding tears when he sees pictures of his babies.

The boys and I hope to travel to Virginia to visit him, but Joshua's work schedule is not flexible and is posing a challenge to all of us going. I don't want to make that long of a journey without another driver.

I miss Bo and want to see him, but am thankful that he is finally getting the medical care he needs. The case manager says that he's receiving treatment while he's still in the healing phase, and that's a good thing.

Fun in the park on a Sunny Saturday