What I Know but Can't Tell Yet

Well, I guess it's time for this post.  I wrote both of these "entries" (and the title of the post) over a month ago, but knew I wouldn't be posting them until later, if at all. They basically capture some of our emotions before we had told everyone that we are not going to be at Landmark after this year, and now I guess the time is right to share them.  This is a pretty lengthy post, but I ask that you not start reading it if you can't read it all, or I think you miss the whole picture.  The first entry is what I sat down and wrote just a couple of days before the football banquet, and the other is right before Kenny was going in to tell the principal/headmaster at Landmark that he was resigning.  If you're not part of the Landmark family or just don't know us very well, some of this might sound silly.  I know it's not like we're going to a third world country, but it's still a huge step for our family...and there are a lot of us that are affected by this, both in our family and beyond.  I just can't put into words how difficult this process has been the past couple of years, and specifically the past several months, seeking after what the Lord was tugging at our hearts to do.  I apologize for some of my rambling, but I just wrote the way I do...just journaling my thoughts as they come in the moment.  The first entry I wrote was January 18th and the second was January 25th.

January 18, 2012
Even as I sit and write this I'm not sure if this will ever be published or not.  Regardless, I think I need to record where my heart is right now...today, because our whole world is about to turn upside down.  We have known for some time that the Lord was up to something (isn't He always, really?)  But, you know what I mean...He was stirring, moving, preparing us for...something.  Kenny and I both have journaled alot of it along the way, and I actually look forward to taking the time soon and reading back through some of that now that we at least know the next big step in this journey. 

About 2-3 years ago we started really sensing the Lord nudging us to keep our eyes open, our hearts open, and be ready...ready for what??  That part we had no idea about.  Kenny has always had a gift for speaking and sharing the Lord's heart, and there have been times throughout the years we've joked, along with others about him being a pastor someday, but we've really always thought of him as a pastor in alot of ways anyway...just a pastor to young men.  Football has been the tool he has used to help mold the hearts of young men, but he's always been a pastor, in a sense, with a great urgency specifically for training up boys and men for the kingdom. Well, when this stirring began a few years back, some of the intial feelings were very mixed, but seemed like the Lord starting to prepare Kenny's heart for pastoring or missions of some sort.  Around that time, we were staying at a friend's lakehouse having a family weekend, and Kenny and I even laid around one night and talked to the 4 boys a long time about the fact that we knew the Lord might be calling Daddy to pastor at some point, and we knew how crazy this sounded.  Now, keep in mind, all our fellas have EVER known is Daddy as a football coach...period!  This was a very comfortable, casual discussion, but, nevertheless, it was met with some skepticism by our boys.  We were honest with as much as we knew at the time and that we were absolutely certain the Lord had us at Landmark and Daddy coaching at that time for a purpose (and on purpose)...and that might never change. We just wanted to hear their thoughts and pray together.  There was nothing more to it than that at the time.  Over the past few years we have had other discussions here and there with the kids about what all the Lord might have for the Dallas family, but it's always just been very up in the air. Plus we even thought maybe this meant in conjunction with what he was already doing at Landmark as head football coach, not instead.  Every now and then when we tell our kids we need to all meet in the den to tell them something, one of the boys will say, jokingly, "Uh-oh, dad's about to tell us he's going to be a pastor or something!"  However, none of seriously knew if anything would ever come of it.

Well, over the past year and a half all of this has just increased more and more...all of this, meaning, the Lord speaking to us, preparing us for something.  Kenny and I have had regular discussions, deep prayertimes, even alot of meetings with people the Lord showed us to talk with numerous times, but none of this has been anything our kids have been involved in.  It was confusing enough to us, and we certainly didn't want to overload them with all we were trying to work through and figure out. We told the Lord a few years back we were wide open to anything He had for us as long as it was His will, but that is, quite honestly, a scary thing to pray...especially when you are in a situation like we are.  Kenny has been a head football coach for 16 years.  11 of those years have been here at Landmark, and to say Landmark has become family to us would be an enormous understatement.  It's all we know.  It's all our children know.  And, I might add, we have loved every minute of it.  There has been no desire to leave Landmark during any of this process, even once we knew the Lord was telling us to.  Why would the Lord have us invest in young men all these years,and Kenny and others work so hard to build this program and now that our own sons are getting old enough to start (in the next couple of years) playing for their Daddy and being under him and all of these coaches day after day have us shift gears?  It just didn't add up.  The Lord led us through a series of events that have brought us to the point we are right now, and to write them all would take an entire book!  (maybe someday?) There were several options that fell in our lap a year or so ago and each one we took very seriously, because we knew the Lord was "up to something".  A couple of them were pretty out there, but because of the place the Lord had brought us, nothing was a shocker at that time.  We were wide open, but scared to death. After intensely seeking after the Lord, we now know that we will be heading this summer to the Franklin, TN area to help with starting a Christian school there (it's already started and established...but only 2 years old...doesn't even have a highschool yet, and no football at all at this point) I'm sure I will write more about our work there in a future post, but it is Grace Christian Academy at Grace Chapel in Leipers Fork, TN, and there will be a number of ways Kenny will be helping lead there (helping lead in the spiritual direction of the school, helping develop what athletics will look like there as all of that is getting started, and serving as a Minister to Families) Kenny has always had the desire to get his seminary degree, and that is something he has worked on and will complete this May, even though we didn't really know when he started on it exactly why he was getting it. Through the past few years the Lord has increased our desire and longing to minister to families.  NOT because we have it all figured out, by any means.  We're on the same journey, just like everyone else, but in the body of Christ we're supposed to build each other up, help one another along, BE the body to one another, right?  God really began fine tuning our focus...I guess you could say, expanding it.  Where it has been specific to boys/young men so far (and still is) it now is expanded to the family.  If we really want to live, as we often say, beginning with the end in mind, then what really matters?  Only 3 things, as my husband says:  The Father, the family, and the field (others).  God began showing us He wanted us to begin gearing our work more specifically toward this goal.  As I said, the process it took to get us to this point, though, was absolutely grueling at times.  The Lord did some serious chipping away at us and what we thought we knew was His best for us and our family.

What I'm wanting to write for now is this...We are in a very, very strange place right now.  We are just a matter of days from telling everyone we know and love, including our own children, that we are leaving Landmark and moving to Franklin.  As I type these words very few people know anything about this.  Kenny and I have so many mixed emotions, but we are absolutely certain that this is what the Lord has been preparing us for.  He knew telling us to leave here would not be a quick or easy deal.  He knows (and cares for) our hearts.  We walked through this past football season, pretty certain from day one that it would be our last here, but not knowing exactly what was ahead.  I actually think that was such a precious gift from God...to allow us to know that so we could savor every single second even that much more. Every single step of it was more meaningful and emotional than I can ever begin to put into words, because we knew in our hearts what those around us did not. 

In 2 days we have the football banquet with these Landmark guys.  If you've never been a part of Landmark football, and specifically,  a Landmark football banquet, then I'm not sure I can express how meaningful they are.  This year will be even moreso, because of this group of young men and all that they accomplished together.  I am looking forward to, but also sick at my stomach a little about this banquet.  I have so much emotion welling up inside of me, even as I type this, it's hard to express.  Kenny does not want to make any announcements before the banquet, because this night needs to be about these guys, this team, not him and it being his last banquet here.  However, it's going to be difficult for him and me to get through that night without falling apart.  Kenny said something to me about that the other day...that he hopes he doesn't just absolutely fall apart up there and no one even knows why.  Then in the next week or two ahead, it will be about time.  Ready or not.  The Lord has made clear what the opportunity is, and the Dallas family will go. Our hearts are aching at the thought of sitting our precious boys down, looking them in the eyes, and telling them we're leaving...they love it here...their friends, their school, the team...everything they know.  In some ways, it makes it even harder, because they, too, had so much fun this season going all the way to the dome.  Why now?  Then, Kenny has the difficult task of telling his coaches and his team.  This is completely out of the blue to them all...and these are meaningful, deep relationships. I know how much he is dreading having to do this.  Ofcourse, from there my heart starts thinking through all the others here who are going to be saddened or affected.  My boys' closest friends, our closest friends... I hate the thought of all of that.  And, truthfully, this may sound bad, but I wish we could tell everyone and then just go ahead and go the next week!  Not because I'm so eager to get out of here, but because my heart wants to spare my children the months of still being here, where they love so much, day after day, but knowing they are leaving at the end of the school year.  I think our boys (I don't mean to leave out Elly and Zech, but they are much younger) will "get" what we're doing when we tell them.  I believe they'll trust us, and even be excited about what the Lord has next for us, but that doesn't mean they won't have a hard time on this end of things.  What I do pray is that the Lord will help them understand that if this is His will for us, then it's also His will for them.  He hasn't left them out of any of this. If He's called us there, He's also calling them there.  Also, my prayer is that they (and we) can see that, as difficult as it may be, we aren't just "leaving" here, but we are also, "going" somewhere.  I like the idea of going alot more than leaving.  It carries with it hope, adventure, and anticipation, rather than just sadness and fear.  If I mapped out the process we took to get to the point where we are now, the details would absolutely blow you away.  We have taken this decision more seriously than I can explain, and the Lord has been gracious to us to guide us step by step patiently reassuring us with every step along the way. I know God is in control. I have no doubts whatsoever.  We have no doubts whatsoever that this is what the Lord has for the Dallas family next, but in this moment with all of my emotions, I feel sick at my stomach thinking through telling everyone in the weeks ahead.  It's just hard.  It's right....but really hard.

January 25, 2012
Ok, I'm not used to my husband feeling the way he does right now...or myself, for that matter.  It's 1:40 on Wed afternoon, Jan 25th and Kenny just called to ask me to pray for him, because he's about to go try to talk to the principal/headmaster at Landmark.  I could hear over the phone that he was choked up and trying his best to hold back tears, as he said, "This is just hard, Shan...it's just hard."  We've had many moments like that in recent weeks and months, because with everything in us we've poured over this in prayer, laying on our face before God, literally at times, begging him to make this crystal clear to us.  However, it's still overwhelming when it's time...I remember about 11 years ago standing up on a 20 ft cliff in Maui holding hands with my husband, trying to muster up the courage to jump from way up high into the icy cold mountain water below.  You know that kind of feeling...when you know what you're doing is completely right, even wonderful in a lot of ways, but actually standing on the edge of jumping off feels sickening in a way...almost too much, and part of you wants to just run the other way and say, "forget it".  That's where we are. That's where my sweet husband is right now.  Taking that leap...a literal leap of faith into what the Lord has shown us is next in the journey.  I know that the Biblical picture of the word "trust" is one man lying on his face at the feet of another.  Do we trust the Lord in all of this?  Do we know that He is our Father and sees the big picture that we cannot?  Right now we are at His feet, face down, saying, "Lord, alot of this doesn't make any sense, but we trust you."  We've been here 11 years, established a home here, friends for ourselves and our children.  Helped be a part, along with many others, in continuing to build Landmark and most importantly, its students, into all God would have them to be.  This is the only home most of our children have ever known, and even the oldest can barely remember not living in Georgia and Landmark being part of everyday life....and specifically, Landmark football.  Our kids have grown up hauling equipment on and off the field, helping clean up weight rooms and locker rooms, and doing whatever it took to be at almost every game through the years, often on the sideline or on the bus right along with their daddy.  This IS their life.  It's a great life.  Great people.  Incredible experiences.  Why not stay forever?  Kenny has worked diligently for 11 years alongside his fellow coaches to build this football program, from little rec league kids all the way up to the varsity guys.  Anyone who's been around long knows there is nowhere else like it.  The building of young men, Godly mentorship, as well as a truly, unbelievably successful record...even all the way to the state championship game this year.  Why now, Lord?  He says, it's time.  We have heard Him clearly, and we definitely DO know He knows what He's doing.  Nevertheless, some of the hardest part is upon us.  It's time to actually do what we've been shown to do.  Knowing something and doing something are two entirely different things.  It's hard sometimes to "know"...it requires something of you, and it matters, but doing is a whole different level.  "Doing" often makes us uncomfortable.  It demands that we get out of our comfort zone and make something happen.  That's where my husband is right now.  It's not about him.  It's not even about our kids or me.  It's about our Lord.  And if this is what God has for Kenny Dallas, then it's also what He has for Shannon Dallas, and each and every one of our precious children.  He's got this.  It's all in His hands.  Praying for my sweet husband right now. God, this is hard...really hard stuff.  I know with all my heart that you are in it, or I can guarantee you we would not be doing it!  But, Lord, help this whole process over the next days and weeks to be honoring to You in every step of the way.  I pray that because they know our heart, that our children will trust us, and that You will plant in them an excitement and anticipation that, even through their sadness, they can't get away from.  Prepare their little hearts, please, Lord.  As far as the team goes, Lord, including their parents, and the other coaches, I just pray that they will get it.  That because of the life they have watched Coach Dallas live out in front of them they will not doubt even for a minute that this must be the will of God and they will never doubt how much Kenny loves each of them.  I pray that even through this decision some of those very young men are spurred on to hear the call of God in their own lives, because they've seen Kenny not just talk the talk, but walk the walk.  I posted a quote on facebook last week in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King that said, "Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase."  That's exactly where we are.  Lord, help us to honor You every step of the way.


(I will share more in my next post about the days since these entries)

January Pics

Just wanted to post a few photo highlights of the month of January (and beginning of February). Ofcourse, I already posted pictures from the big shave night, but here are a  few more of other events and fun times over the past month.

(click on the collages to enlarge)

                  Landmark's football banquet is always a special night, specifically honoring the seniors.  Needless to say, this year's banquet was no exception after such a fantastic season.  Here are some shots from the night, including the seniors, the water boys, my own handsome fellas, and some of my guys with a few of the football guys they love so much.                    

This group of pics includes David's spelling bee at Landmark and some of his friends, basketball with Joshua and David, Zech playing with the "contraption" (what he calls it) we made, and some fun backyard football with some of the Dallas boys and one of their buddies.

These pictures are a few from Jake's wrestling and Caleb's basketball season.  They've done a great job this year!  (My camera does horrible in gym lighting so I don't have very good shots!) Also, you'll see the twins going to school for "100 year old person day" on the 100th day of school!  Played some bingo, cards, etc!  Too funny!  Also, Elly and Kenny were headed to Chickfila's Daddy Daughter Date Night again this year and my dad and I joined them for a double date of daddy/daughters! 

I thought this picture deserved to be posted all by itself.  The night of the football banquet, we got home really late, and when we went in to check on Elly this is exactly how we found her!  Sleeping with her picture of her and her daddy.  She told me the next morning she was just really missing daddy and needed to sleep with it...doesn't get any sweeter than that!  Needless to say, her daddy liked this just a little bit! (:

Man Night Celebration: Bacon Burger Dogs!!



I think one of the most fun things in our family (and probably yours, too) is how even the smallest things to the rest of the world are a REALLY big deal, because it's a "first" for that child. Well, we had a big "first" a couple of weeks ago in our house...not only a first for him, but the first of all the Dallas kids. Jake's first shave!!! For several months the upper lip has slowly been coming along, and, finally, it was time. I think it was a bigger deal to all of the other boys in the house than it even was to Jake! We decided, why not make it a monumental event! SO, we told the boys that night we were going to have a man night celebration (yes, the girls got to be included!) Kenny decided we should grill out steaks (which we never do with a family of 8 big eaters!) and the boys chimed in saying, "Oh, and we HAVE to have 'bacon burger dogs!'" Now, if you read my previous post or know my kids very well, it's no secret we watch lots of old Cosby show reruns at our house. If you aren't up on your Cosby show trivia, I'll catch you up. Theo's favorite food that Cliff mentions more than once is the "bacon burger dog" (and no one can say it quite like Cliff Huxtable!) So, even though we don't know exactly what that is, the Dallas boys came up with their own version, (hamburger with hot dog and turkey bacon all piled into one!) The perfect "man night" meal...steak and bacon burger dogs (along with a few steamed vegetables to make mom happy!) We grilled out, ate our meal, and then the crew of boys all gathered around Jake and dad in the tiniest bathroom in our house to witness the first shave of the oldest Dallas young man. They were all talking the rest of the night about how we had started a new tradition, and that with every first shave we had to have a man's night with steak and bacon burger dogs...all the way down to Zech!!! Here are some fun pictures from our hilarious night! (:

The man himself...Jake D!

Wish I had gotten a better "before" picture with better lighting, but oh, well!

Instructions from dad

Foaming it up!

I love Caleb in the background!!

This about sums it up!!

More Than We Can Ask or Imagine: 18th Anniversary

(Written on January 29th)
Last night we had gotten Zech in the bed, but the other 5 kids, Kenny, and I were sitting around the coffee table playing a big family game of Uno at the end of a long Saturday of basketball games and wrestling tournament.  A little earlier we had ordered pizza from Oz, our favorite pizza place that finally just reopened around the corner (woo-hoo!) and had sat around together eating pizza and watching old episodes of the Cosby show ( I know, not what everyone sits around watching on Saturday night these days, but it's a Dallas family favorite!) So here we were laughing, competing (yes, this family does some serious competing, even playing Uno...slightly embarassing), and just hanging out, and it hit me...18 years ago that same night Kenny and I were sitting at our rehearsal dinner for our wedding!  We were getting ready for one of the biggest days of our entire life, and I can still remember how exciting and fun it was.  Ofcourse, there was some nervousness and anticipation that night as we actually rehearsed walking up and down the aisle, where we would stand, etc, but there was a whole lot of fun that night, too.  Dinner with our closest family and friends, a sweet sentimental slideshow (yes, I said "slideshow"), and, ofcourse, a good time of everyone getting up and telling stories that made us laugh and cry all at the same time!  I remember it being a perfect celebration in preparation for our big day.  So there I sat last night in my very LOUD den with my groom and 5 of our beautiful, full of life children playing cards, looking around at each of their smiling faces, and I couldn't help but sit there and soak it in for a little while.  Perfect.  I could have never imagined in all of my wildest dreams how perfect.  I brought it up as we sat there..."Honey, so years ago at our rehearsal dinner, could we have pictured what we'd be doing 18 years later on this night?!"  We both just laughed and smiled at each other, knowing how blessed we have been. 

In Ephesians, it says that God can do "more than all we can ever ask or imagine."  Truth.  I've witnessed it over and over again already in my life.  Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined, conjured up, this beautiful life the Lord has given us...we would have botched it up completely  by ourselves.  It is only by His grace and guidance in our life that we have come this far.  He has been so faithful to place Godly mentors in our path, precious friends, and others who have sharpened us and made us stronger in our marriage, in our work, and as parents.  We have made it our one desire to honor Him and seek after Him in all we do...we fail terribly at times to measure up, that's for certain, but with all our hearts we have continued to stay the course and have determined that our focus, our whole life, is His.  We made a firm decision, before we even got married, that no matter the cost, we would have "the real deal" at home...that we would be intentional in this.  I'll be honest, that sometimes in a practical sense that's uncomfortable, because it means we have to say no to being involved in certain things that really are good  things in order to preserve time for our family, or we feel awkward knowing we do some things in ways that sometimes seem odd or "uncool" to everyone around us.  We dont' LIKE that feeling, but we have taken very seriously that commitment, and we believe God will continue to honor it if we persevere.

You know, God's ways are not man's ways.  His ways are so much higher, so much greater than our own.  As I looked around at those sweet Dallas faces last night I was reminded of that once again.  He's always up to something.  We just want to always continue joining Him in whatever that is.  We are far from perfect...anyone around us long will see that for sure, but we do love the Lord with all of our hearts, love each other more and more every single day, and adore and enjoy our sweet children. By the way, I don't think what we have in our marriage and family is anything that anyone else can't have, too.  God offers such meaning and joy to each of us wherever we are in our journey, if only we will seek after Him with all of our hearts and not grow weary.  Remember...God can do "more than all you can ever ask or imagine."  Expect it.  Pursue it.  He won't disappoint you!


(If you'd like to see some pictures of our journey so far, here's my post from last year http://lifetrulylife.blogspot.com/2011/01/17-years-and-counting.html?spref=bl">Life that is truly life: 17 years and counting

Help With Perspective

I wanted to share this post with any of you other moms out there that might need a lift or word of encouragement today.  If you're like me, the "to do" list each day seems endless...sometimes overwhelming, if we're not careful. I finally have to just stop at the end of each day wherever I am on the list and crash before it picks back up tomorrow. Often times I find myself a little extra exhausted as I sigh and look around the kids' rooms or the den at toys or clothes that are piled up, wondering sometimes if it will ever all be clean at the same time!

I remember a friend of mine saying this years ago when our oldest kids were toddlers.  She said she was trying to explain to her husband one night why it was so frustrating sometimes keeping up with housework with little ones.  She said, "Honey, how would you feel if you went to work, spent a good portion of your day on a project, felt very good about all you had accomplished, and then turned around and someone had come and UNDONE every bit of work you just did?!  Well, that's how I feel all day, every day!"  I couldn't have said it any better!  Do you moms agree?!  It's just part of the territory that comes with being a mama and having little ones (umm, and older ones, too!)

Well, I have a friend named Jessica, who I have just begun getting to know a little bit over the past year.  I had met her a few times before, and each time she had her sweet, smiling 4 year old little girl, Elizabeth, with her.  Here is a brief summary of their story, from Jessica's profile on her blog: 

"On March 5, 2010 we received the words that no parent should ever have to hear.  That was the day our 4 year old daughter, Elizabeth, was diagnosed with cancer.  Shortly after Elizabeth's diagnosis we found out that we were expecting our second daughter due in February 2011.  After 8 months of chemotherapy and 6 weeks of radiation therapy, Elizabeth was in remission and we rejoiced in God's faithfulness to answer our prayers.  We celebrated Elizabeth's 5th birthday and spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with family and friends, enjoying our new found freedom from medicines and hospital visits.  On December 31st, our world was changed forever.  This was the day Jesus took Elizabeth home.  This blog is the journey of our bitter sweet reality of losing a child while expecting another.  We still rejoice in God's faithfulness, and we know that in Christ there is greater joy."

I am often blessed by Jessica's blog, because she is so real, so honest about her emotions, as well as the Lord's faithfulness, as they walk this path they never would have chosen for themselves.  But Jessica recently wrote a post called "Perspective", and I wanted to share it with some of my fellow moms today.  Try reading this post and staying frustrated very long as you look around at the mess your kids are making today.  Thank you, Jessica, for your sweet, honest heart in sharing with the rest of us, so that we keep our own perspectives right and focused.  I hope you'll take the time to check it out.   ( http://www.thecookesga.blogspot.com/2012/01/perspective.html )
 You will be blessed.

Christmas Catch Up!!

Well, since we're exactly a month past Christmas Eve, why not post Christmas pictures now, right?!  I've finally about caught up on the blog, and wanted to share bunches of pictures from our fun times over Christmas break with family and friends.  As always, you can click on each collage to enlarge.

Fun times, including a visit with Santa at the mall.  Actually, Zech's first time ever sitting on Santa's lap (I know, I'm a great mom!) and all of my big kids helped mom out by getting in the picture so Elly would stay! (let's just say, one little redhead couldn't get enough of Santa and the other was about ready to run!) This group of pics also includes a few of the boys with Zach and Carson Barnett, who are former Landmark players, now Samford players...my twins in particular love these big twins to death, and Zach and Carson have been such amazing role models to them over the past several years. I can't put into words how much we appreciate their impact on our young men's lives.  (you'll see they brought our twins Samford hoodies when they came to see us, which they've barely taken off since!)

This group of pictures is Christmas at our house this year.  My brother, Chuck, and his two precious kids, Hannah and Whit, got to come down and do Christmas at our house with our family and Mammaw and Poppa (my parents).  So much fun all getting together!  Special times!

Here are some pictures from our trip to Memphis...Grandaddy and Grandmama's house...never a dull moment with all the grandkids there!!  We wouldn't have it any other way.  I think it's just wonderful!  Also we got to go visit Kenny's Nanny while we were in and Janie and the kids, too.  Sweet times!

This group includes pictures from Kenny's mom's side of the family at her house and when we did Christmas at Kenny's brother's house..once again, a wonderful slew of kiddos!!  They have so much fun together!  Also, some pictures from fun times with friends 4-wheeling and hanging out together.  What a full, wonderful, blessed week! When the Dallas's celebrate Christmas, we celebrate!!!

The Singing Dallas Boys!!

One of my greatest memories growing up was getting to be a part of kids' musicals at church.  The Lord really worked in my little heart during those times to draw me closer to Him and to start teaching me that He had given all of us gifts to be used for His kingdom.  Something stirred within my spirit even as a young child when I was around music...specifically music that honored Him and drew others to the heart of God.  I am still so thankful today for those who invested the time to make those things happen years ago.  It really made a huge impact in my life.

 In December, Caleb, Joshua and David got to participate in the children's Christmas musical at church.  The twins had solos/duets in a song, and Caleb had a solo, as well.  All of the kids did such a great job, whether it was singing, acting, dancing, etc.  It was really a great experience for them, and I've put a link below to the musical. (Thanks to our friend, Dennis, for helping me get it online!)  The entire program was just wonderful and will bless you, but the twins' song is at 5:50 (First verse is David's solo, duet together, Second verse is Joshua's solo, duet together).  Caleb's is at 20:12 ("What Child is This?")  So proud of these fellas...they are tough, strong, athletic, AND they love worshipping the Lord through music, too.  I think God smiles when He sees His children using their gifts to honor Him. Precious.

http://www.goldhatsup.com/musical.wmv

www.goldhatsup.com

 (You can pause the music on my blog first by scrolling to the bottom of the page)