A Life of Gratitude

Halloween has been so much more fun the past few years, since we moved into our neighborhood! Each year on Halloween we get together with other neighbors, have chili for dinner, and go trick-or-treating. This year a hayride was added to the evening. The kids rode on the hayride to surrounding neighborhoods for more trick-or-treating and then to the trunk-or-treat down the street.  We had such a great time! Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion! We're off to see the Wizard! The hayride! Today I am grateful for the families we get to call neighbors. It is so much fun to watch our children make such fun memories with their friends in the neighborhood! I remember praying for these friends when we were searching for a home to buy. I asked God to place us in a neighborhood with other families for our children to grow up with. He answered that prayer in such a wonderful way! Today I am thankful for that answered prayer!

Ok, I have to start by saying...don't judge me! Hahaha!  Also, the only reason I'm sharing this embarrassing story is because its too hysterical not too.  Plus, we all take ourselves too seriously anyway.  The plan for Halloween this year is for our family to dress as the characters from the Wizard of Oz. I was going to be the Good Witch. We ordered the costume a while back but I hadn't tried it on yet. For some reason this morning I decided I should try it on. I'm so glad I did. Even though we ordered the one that is supposed to fit according to my usual dress size, this dress DID NOT FIT. I'm really not sure how I got it on but somehow I did. Then, I couldn't get it off. I know you probably think I'm exaggerating but seriously, it was stuck to my skin. I tried and tried to get it off. It wasn't budging.  So what do you do when you can get out of your "Glinda the Good Witch" dress? You go to your best friend's house! Ther

Six years ago today, God blessed our family with the most loving little fella! Evan has been a lovebug since the moment he was born. He is so full of life and not afraid of anything! I always thank God for placing Evan in our family because he is such an encourager. Evan is always cheering on his siblings, reminding me that I'm beautiful, helping and serving, and praying for us. He is such a precious boy! I cannot believe he is 6 years old today!  1 day old, precious boy! 11 months old or so....he dug this chocolate icing out of the trashcan! Evan always has the best fashion sense! Haha As soon as he could walk, Evan started bringing me flowers When he was little he called them, "lady-flowers" Evan has always been sensitive to the Spirit. He openly talks about God and to God. He is bold in His faith and that makes my heart so happy.  Evan loves Frogs!!!  The most loving little guy I've ever met! Today I am grateful for Evan

Yesterday we took the boys to Elijah Mountain Gem Mine. Its always fun for them to find treasures hidden in the dirt. I'm always amazed by the thought that these precious gemstones will be building materials in Heaven! As we dug through the bucket of dirt and found many beautiful gems, Dylan came across a very large rock, or so he thought. He was actually pretty disappointed by it because he thought it was so dull and ugly. Little did he know that this "rock" was really a geode.  "What's a geode?" you ask. I love rocksandminerals4u.com's definition which says, " Geodes  are like the Tootsie Roll Pop of the geology world because underneath the hard exterior lies a surprise center!"  The man who helped us with all of our gemstones was excited about the geode we found. He put it in his handy geode cracker and cut that badboy in half! And guess what, we were  shocked to see millions of little crystals inside!!! He told us that

Today was all about enjoying God's creation. We spent the morning driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway checking out all the fall colors.  There is just something about the mountains....they speak of God's awesomeness! It's impossible for me to look at the mountains and not be in awe of our amazing God! This afternoon we went to Max Patch. Its sort of in the middle of nowhere, 7 miles up a mountain on a gravel road, then a hike up a very steep path. Once you reach the top, you have a 360 degree view of pure beauty. I've heard that it's amazing up there but its something you really need to see for yourself....no picture does it justice! This picture was taken at the highest peak of the Blue Ridge Parkway Steep climb.... this picture makes it look way easier than it was My sweeties sitting on Max Patch=) Do I really have 4 children? WOW!  You can see mountains for miles. So pretty.  My love and me It was a really long walk for t

That sign just says it all.....take a deep breath, you're at the cabin now. This amazing place has become a bit of an oasis for our family. When our house rents for the Furniture Market, we often come here for a family vacation. The cabin is wonderful, the view is breath taking, and company is my favorite! Now that we're done cleaning and packing, and we've made it to the cabin, I feel like I can finally take a deep breath. Isn't it gorgeous? We ate dinner this evening at a nearby Mexican Restaurant The boys had so much fun playing in the waterfall/wadding pool They laughed and laughed! Allison and I enjoyed swinging together on the porch Look at that view! So pretty! Snack Time All snuggled together watching a family movie! Gorgeous Sunset to end the day. Today I am grateful for a week away together in such a beautiful place. I love being in the mountains in the fall. I need these moments to enjo

Today was a hard day. We had to say goodbye to our dog, Max. I'm not sure why, but he bit our 3 year old son. It was terrible. Our sweet boy was bleeding so much. He has three gashes on his face, one on his eye lid.  Just a few centimeters higher and he would have gotten Tyson's eye.  It could have been so much worse.   Tyson was terrified and the rest of us were shocked. I'm not even sure what happened. It just all occurred so fast.  Even though it was such a hard choice, we had to take Max to the pound. We all miss him so much already. The boys have loved Max and Max has loved them. He followed me around everywhere I went. He has been a part of our family for 3 years but we just can't let him hurt our babies. Please pray for us as we adjust to a life without our buddy, Max.  Today as I held Tyson down trying to get the bleeding to stop while he screamed and cried, all I could do was say, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus." As scary as the situation was, HIS