As The World Turns......

Hello everyone, sorry it has been a while since I have posted, life took off a bit here. I pray everyone had a wonderfully blessed Thanksgiving.

I am amazed at the phases of life. We can hardly wait until we are done with school and meet the "right one", and then...get married. Not long after that the children come along...one..two..three..FOUR! We invest all we have in them, nurturing, loving, instucting and sometimes it is a battle but all along we feel we "have arrived". We are a family. Then one day you wake up and your children are off to college and suddenly they begin this life journey and they find the "right one" and the circle of life begins again only this time I watch from outside the circle.

For those who have not met Nicole's "right one" I would like to introduce you to him and post a picture so you have a face to the stories that will be imerging. This is Aaron Roberts. They met of course in college and have been affecting each others grades ever since! My dear precious Nicole, the one who hates the phone, used 4,000 minutes talking to this boy.....in one month! Can you believe that. What can one person possible have to say for 4,000 minutes? I guess I shouldn't make fun of them Leonard and I are still like that. But I am not paying for 4,000 minutes so they have been instructed to communicate in person. After all they are on the same campus.

Aaron has a tremendous story about his walk with the Lord that I hope one day to share with you all. I will not do it now because I do not have his permission and for some people that journey is a private one but I will say this.....Aaron is a fabulous example of the power of the Gospel to work in people's lives and we are truly blessed that he has come into our lives. I believe that these two together will accomplish great things for the kingdom of God. I guess as a mother he is an answer to prayers. I know you moms out there know what I am talking about. And he makes her laugh and play and that is what she needs. There is a rumor that ring shopping has begun so you all have been warned. I will let you all know as soon as I hear an official word.

And so there you go.... my wonderful daughter begin her journey in life ....as the world turns. praise God!

Just Sharing

Here is a sight you will see often at our house. Caitlin loves to be on the computer and she does two things:


1. Shop- Build-a-bear, petco, disney store etc.
2. You-Tube- she watches all the Yugioh videos

Caitlin is fortunate as she has her own laptop the school provides for her to do all her school work on. She has her own facebook account if you would like to communicate with her there. She is quite the funny girl. The other day we were studying for her Social Studies test and here is a brief synopsis of how that goes:

Mom: "Explain Baroque...."
Caitlin: "It's when you don't have any money HA!"


Well i thought I would just spend a few minutes sharing......well nothing I guess.


Here is a photo of me and Ashley and as you can see if you look directly behind us, this was during the World Series. Now I have never really been a baseball fan, it is not that I dislike baseball I just never really thought about it. Ever since Colin started playing and Leonard started coaching I grew fond of it. (At least in the little league genre). Went to a few Cardinal games and now with Nicole dating a baseball player I found myself watching the events leading up to the World Series. I even found myself rushing home to watch the game. So it is official I am a baseball fan. Now it is yet to be determined who my team will be so I am open to suggestions.

Here is a quote i found this morning and I have been thinking about it all day and I want to share it with you:

Let no one ever come to you with-out leaving better and happier.

Be the living expression of God's kindness:

kindness in your face

kindness in your eyes

kindness in your smile

---- mother Teresa

The New Do!

All right everybody, I am back to blonde and this time I cut it off. I have admired this particular cut for awhile but just haven't had the nerve to give it a try. I love Laura's so much I just decided to jump out there and do it. I really like it. So if you don't well tough I guess Lol!

I have always stuck with blonde because it covers the gray so much better but about a year ago I decided to go dark. It was darker than I have ever had before and I kinda liked it. However the upkeep on a color that is not even remotely close to your natural color is horrendous and i have finally given up that battle.

My hair naturally at this point in my life is completely gray of which I am not ready to deal with so, being an avoider, I color my hair and pretend that "gray" does not exist in my vocabulary.

I find this style easy to manage and very versatile. So there you go. Nicole tells me she is done with the dark as well and will be returning to blonde. I will post photo's of her when she gets hers done.

The Final Three

Ashley is a senior this year. I can hardly believe it. She hasn't grown much in height but makes up for it in spunk!

This is her boyfriend Cory who is also a senior. These two are a kick to hang out with. Cory keeps Ashley in line and thats what she needs. They of course are working hard to find a way to end up at the same college in the fall.

Ashley is currently working on a play (as in acting in it, not writing it. we can't even get her to read a book let alone write one!) We are very excited. Ashley has done plays before and she is very good at it. Of course this current one requires her to work on her "blood curdling scream" so hopefully the neighbors won't be calling the police any time soon!.

Caitlin is doing well and her heart is strong, which we are thankful for. the Lord as blessed her with strength and determination. For those who do not know Caitlin was born with a heart defect known as hypo-plastic left heart. Which in essence is "half-a-heart". She has had several surgeries but is doing magnificently Praise God!

Here she is with her best friend Drew. Drew is a service/companion dog that Caitlin was matched with 2 years ago. They are quite the duo. I am not sure which one is more stubborn!

Drew came to us by way of Canine Assistants in Georgia. A wonderful man took on the project of raising the funds so that Caitlin could receive this precious gift. She had been on a waiting list for over a year and when Doug stepped in he had raised the funds in less than three months.

Caitlin is 14 years old now and Drew really helps her with her confidence, people often approach her to ask about the dog. She had several children at school say "Wow, I wish I was you!". Talk about a shot in the arm for a child who has been ignored, because of her disability, all her life. I hope many of you will have an opportunity to meet Drew and see these two together.

Now for the "boy" as he is known around here. Colin is going to be 13 years old in December. That is right he actually survived to reach the age of 13. Colin has never been a graceful boy and by no means avoided trouble. We have broken windows, burned carpets, played with steak knives, ran away, and bit the bullet, literally and that was all before his 5th birthday!

He really is a great boy. He just finished the football season and is now pursuing basketball. He ran cross country for the first time this year. (following in his sisters foot steps) Had his first real chess tournament this weekend.I know I am his mom but he is a real heart breaker!

So there you go. A quick "where we are now". I know I will have fun filling you all in on the things that have gone on with us over the years and I most certainly can not wait to share all the happenings here. With this "Brat" Pack my days are never boring.

We're still alive in Arkansas

Hello everyone. Fancy meeting you here. I have been inspired by the lovely Laura K. to enter the world of blogging. I was delighted to catch up on some of my favorite people and thought perhaps, maybe, when they are really bored they may want to catch up on the Bratcher's and so here we are.



Here is a quick run down on our current happenings. We are residing in Cabot, Arkansas and Leonard is the Youth and Family minister for the Cabot Church of Christ. The youth group consist of 64 teens ranging from 7th-12th grade. Of course this brings ALOT of drama to our lives and some very interesting situations which I will be sharing with all of you.

I am not sure what it is about Arkansas that makes a youth ministers hair fall out but Leonard has fallen to the same fate. I do have to admit though I LIKE IT!



Leonard also accomplished one of his dreams while here in Arkansas. He has restored a 1950 Ford Custom Deluxe and it turned out wonderfully.

I am actually willing to be seen in this car which is a marked improvement from the little '71 LUV truck with the peeling orange and red paint, cracked and warped dash board and seats that felt like chicken wire.

As for me well, I am back to being home which is a blessing. I did take time to go to school full time and get my Bachelor's degree and now I am working on my Master's. Whether I will finish that little endeavor is yet to be determined. The great thing about the master's work is I do not have to be in a classroom all day long every day so I am now home. Cooking, cleaning, and being there for my kids. probably the most important thing I could do with my life is to be there with my children.

As you can see from this photo I have left the blonde hair behind and went through my brunette stage. Unfortunaely to keep the mass of gray hair covered was entirly to much work and money so I am back to blonde as of 2 days ago. I also cut my hair, so I will post a new picture soon.

Nicole is now a freshman at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. She is switching her major to an education major which I believe suits her perfectly. She has an amazing boyfriend, Aaron, who plays baseball for Harding. He is from Oklahoma.

She is very happy with her life right now except for the lack of sleep, the on going cold, endless homework, infection in her leg, and working while in school but hey Aaron makes up for the misery by being "The perfect man"! They are very good together and we are proud of them both. (but they really do need to sleep more).

Well that is a quick look at three of us, I will post about Ashley, Caitlin, and Colin later today or tomorrow.