White Christmas!

Yipee! We had an amazingly great Christmas! I feel so blessed! God's word is true "Delight yourself in the Lord and He shall give you the desires of you heart. Psalms 37:4"

Cayden's Sunday School went in front the church and sang three songs, Silent Night, Dummer Boy and Jingle Bells. We have been practicing, and whenever the songs would come on the radio Cayden would get excited that they were playing his song.

Cayden was the third kid in. They really did do a good job.

My parents were able to make it out! My first time to have them all to myself for Christmas (sorry Annette). It was such a wonderful visit. Christmas eve we went ice skating (one of my favorite things).

Cayden and Joella's first time skating! They did good but both didn't last long.

But they enjoyed climbing on all the bleachers.

Joella and Papa.

Cayden, Ryan and their snowman!

A few pictures before going to Christmas eve services.

Joella and Dee dee.

The girls!

The snow was so beautiful Christmas morning I had to take some photos. I love it when it covers every branch. Don't know if we will get this much snow again, it was a good 4 inches!

J for Jesus, Happy Birthday!

Snow angles!

Joella meet Mr. Snowman.

One thing we love about this house is the location. Just through the woods is the golf course. Which has some great hills to sled on!

Poor Joella got dumped on with snow at the bottom of the hill. She wasn't to sure about sledding after that.

Hope you had a blessed Christmas!

Let it Snow!

How exciting to wake up to snow! Even more to hear the giggles and see the delight on my kids faces as the look out the window! I was hoping to let Ryan sleep in a bit while I started the traditional Sunday morning pancakes. But that didn't work once Cayden saw the snow outside. He lit up and squealed with delight. Then went over every possible activity we would be doing with the new fallen snow. Before I could get him to quite down he ran shrieking to tell Daddy "It SNOWED!"

We even managed to get in some sledding before heading to church. Then went again in the afternoon. There is a golf course that backs up to our house, it has the perfect sledding hill!

Early Christmas

We celebrated Christmas early with Nana and Popidy. I was super excited to have help getting up the decorations (we did it all in one day, even putting the empty boxes back in storage!)

We went over the story of Jesus birth as the kids help put out the nativity set.

Then under the tree we set up a train. The kids are loving playing with it and hauling the little nativity people around. (Thanks Freddie and Tony for passing on this great train!)

zoo day in November

While Ryan's parents were in town we did a trip to the zoo!

I can't tell who is more tired?

turkey day

8:00 started our Thanksgiving day out with a 5k....

(that is me coming across the finish line, right above the guy with the white hat.) This was my second race, which I am glad that I improved a little bit on my time. It was a bit chilly so everyone else stayed in the car most of the time, but I was glad they came to cheer me on.

9:15 we headed home for a huge country breakfast and to watch parade....

4ish we were blessed to have our friends and Ryan's folks to join us for dinner. It was yummy!

Hope you enjoyed your turkey day!

Many reasons for being thankful at our house! This marks a whole year of living in our home. We just love it and are enjoying making it our own. We are thankful for God's many blessings!

Carving pumpkin

Time to carve the pumpkins. Nana and Popity joined in on the fun this year.

I found a really neat story to go along with our pumpkin carving this year. So while the "kids" made a big mess I read it. I think we will keep up with this tradition. Oh and having pizza the same night because the boxes make for a great carving area.

This is a story about a farmer and a pumpkin. The Farmer lives wa-a-a-a-ay out in the country. On his farm He has a pumpkin patch. Pumpkins are really special. They start out as small oval seeds that grow into big, orange pumpkins. The farmer plants the seeds, waters, and cares for the pumpkin vines and patiently waits as they grow. Finally by October there are big, orange pumpkins in his pumpkin patch! Some are tall and lean, some are short and round, and some have bumps and lumps. But they are all pumpkins and all were planted and cared for by the Farmer. One day the Farmer chose a pumpkin for a special project. He brings it in from the field and washes it off. You have to be careful with pumpkins; they're tough on the outside, but if you drop them, they break into pieces! The Farmer takes a large knife and cuts a hole in the top of the pumpkin. Inside there is yucky, slimy pulp waiting for Him. That has to go! He cleans it all out and throws it away - never to be seen again. After that He gives the pumpkin a new face! He cuts two triangles for eyes, a square for a nose, and a big, wide smile! Then He does something really special. He puts a small white candle down inside the pumpkin and lights the wick. How that pumpkin glows! As people pass by, they see the smiling pumpkin and smile back. They know that once again the Farmer has taken a simple pumpkin and changed it into a glorious sight!

The Meaning of the Parable: Just like us, all the pumpkins were different. But there was something the same about every one of them - that yucky, slimy pulp on the inside! The yucky, slimy pulp is like the sin that's in us. Romans 3:23 says: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." That's every single one of us. God has made a way that all our sin can be forgiven and washed away. God even says He'll cast them as far as the East is from the West. Romans 5:8 says: "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." John 3:16 goes on to say: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life." After cleaning out that pumpkin, the Farmer gave the pumpkin a new face! The Bible says God can make us a new creation too. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" Then came the really special part. The light was placed inside that pumpkin and it glowed for all to see! 2 Corinthians 4:6 says: "For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." And Matthew 5:16 says: "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." So we can become like that pumpkin in the Christian object lesson - a glorious sight for others to see the love of Jesus!

A mans idea of carving a pumpkin. (I'm glad I was filming or I may and put an end to this once I saw the splatter!)

Fall Festival

Cayden's school had a party to celebrate the fall season. We of course had fun dressing up in costumes. There was a costume contest for each age group. Both kiddos got 2nd place in there age group! They also did a Chili contest, which I ended up winning. Wonder if the judges knew there was elk in there!

Lady bug

Buzz Lightyear