The Mattson Kids have participated in Students Standing Strong for 4 years now. In our school district there is a "Big Send-Off" for 5th graders going into middle school. In the middle school there is a weekly, on campus, student led Bible study using a 3 year Fruit of the Spirit curriculum. At our high school level there are 3-4 large chapter meetings on campus, led by the students, with free dinner, music and a speaker. Additionally there is high school Bible study (James), missional work serving the homeless of Fort Worth, monthly Bible teaching, social events and more! It has been a fantastic thing for all of the Mattson kids to plug into. The mission statement is pulled directly from the organizations website www.studentsstandingstrong.com . The youtube video (10 minutes) is the end of the year recap for the high school club. Can you spot Brynne, Lacey and Jacob? If you are interested in learning more about Students Standing Strong for your district I would love to talk to you about it or direct you to the headquarters.

Students Standing Strong is a non-profit, inter-denominational organization designed to encourage and motivate students to stand strong in their Christian faith. Students Standing Strong exists in order to remind students that they are not alone: there are countless other like-minded Christian students who desire to live for Jesus Christ and who are committed to holding one another accountable to the standards God has laid out in His Word.

Where might you find Lacey this summer?
At the pool! Or the other pool!!!
Although her high school season wrapped up a
week ago her club season hasn't.
So when she is not working out with her friends and coach
at the pool she will be working with her friends at the other pool.
We love the fact that Brynne and Lacey have each taken
the job bull by the horns (after all they hail from Texas!)
and what they are doing reflects their strengths
and passions uniquely.

We had a real treat at Recipe Club today. A Geneva friend from the 80's was passing through our area on a book tour. She was kind enough to include a stop for lunch with our little ol' group. Our lunch included many wonderful selections from her latest book and they were met with rave reviews.

Pick up your own copy and let me make some recommendations -

Chicken, Grape, Walnut & Blue Cheese Salad with Low-fat Creamy Herb & Parm Dressing
OR
Seared Scallop (shrimp was awesome too!), Black Bean, Orange and Avocado Salad with Sweet and Sour Orange Dressing
OR
Mango Fruit Salad
OR

Lemon Coconut Bars
(Don't miss these - just stop at one!)

I had one of the best days ever.
Mother's Day 2008.
Being a mom is something I wanted to do terribly...along
with getting married, of course.
Neither role has let me down. Easy...not always,
but I count it as joy
that I will be a mom and a wife until the end of my days. Our kids
had special surprises for me that were notably creative,
showcased talent and tremendously generous.
The weather was cool and picture perfect.
I had yummy food galore and that alone can make a day grand.

This is our third Mother's Day without Gregg's mom. We miss her and would love for her to see who her grandkids are are today- so unique and yet so precious to us.
My mom just arrived in NJ this afternoon to help
Josh and Miranda for the next couple of weeks.
In 2008 she has logged countless hours assisting
as needed for her own children and their families.
Tomorrow Julia Elizabeth Lobs will be welcomed home by her two
brothers and here in Colleyville we are long distance crazy about her already.

If you are a mom reading this I hope you feel as appreciated and loved as I did today.
To my own mom...love you and appreciate you!

Maybe it is that some kids at school take guitar lessons...
Maybe it is American Idol...
Maybe it is sheer boredom thanks to the bum foot...
Maybe it is true desire to learn how to really play an instrument...
Whatever it is Jacob got a new guitar today and CANNOT WAIT
for Tuesday...his foot will be x-rayed and hopefully the cast
will come off...AND he will have his first guitar lesson.
In the meantime it is so much more fun to rehearse
the preamble to the constitution as you strum along with your memory work!
Carlos Santana consider yourself warned!

Although they don't walk on crutches nor do they
do cartwheels our dogs, Presley and Payton, do a
fine job entertaining themselves. Today
Presley caught (if you have ever seen one in person
you would know it is not that impressive of a
feat) a possum. Thankfully there was ultimately a happy
ending and Mr./Mrs. Possum made his/her escape.

It has been a perfect spring night in Texas!

Although truth be told it might have been
a bit chilly. It was nice to have had a relaxing day,
casual dinner, and great family entertainment in the yard.
Contest one was between Lacey and Jacob to
see who could keep their feet off the ground the longest
while supporting themselves on crutches.
Contest number two was between the girls to see who
could do the perfect cartwheel.
Life is good!

It's SPRING in Texas! That means lots of fruits and veggies from
the farmer's market. It also means adding wonderful herb
variety from your herb garden. This is
my (pathetic, laughable) garden.
So my culinary ability is somewhat stunted by my temporarily
sparse garden, but let's just say we have wonderful mozzarella
tomato salad and maybe in a few months we can deplete the
entire garden and make pesto! Bon Appetit!