Soccer Time!

Caleb had his first soccer practice last week...it's going to be a great year! Corey is coaching his team again with the help of our friend George, Caleb's buddy Hunter's dad. Here are some pics from the practice...

Corey's Triathlon in Memphis

On August 15, Corey and Fred competed in the Sharpshooter Triathlon in Memphis. So Friday after Caleb and Clayton were finished with school, we loaded up our families and headed to Memphis where we spent the night with Fred's family. The boys got to swim in the Shackelford's pool while Mr. Fred cooked a delicious home style southern dinner...yum! Early Saturday morning the guys got up and headed toward the race, and then Jennifer and I loaded the boys up at 6:45 to head that way. We missed the swim, but got there in time to see the guys coming in from the bike and starting the run. I'm so proud of Corey and the hard work he has been doing to train for these events (the next one they are doing is coming up Sept. 15) Corey finished 5th in his age division with a total time of 1 hour 16 minutes on the 400m open water swim, 11 mile bike, and 2 mile trail run. The boys were so excited and proud, and when they saw him, they were cheering...he stopped to give them a high five in the transition from the bike to the run :) Afterward, he and one of the other guys he'd met gave the boys the swim caps they had to wear during the swim...love the picture below!They begin triathlon for children at age seven...the distances are much shorter and progress with their age. The boys are so excited, Caleb especially, about when they'll be old enough to do races with Corey...Jennifer and I saw the quote below at the race, and thought it was so true, whether for hunting or racing, I'm just glad that Corey spends time with our boys and pray that God will bless that effort with a close relationship as they grow older.And what better way to celebrate a fitness acheivement like a triathlon than with a fried chicken dinner! Hehe! Fred had seen Uncle Lou's fried chicken on a Food Network show as the "best food I've ever eaten with my fingers", so we decided to check it out! Here is a picture of the whole crew with Uncle Lou...he's the one in the blue shirt ;) It was very good...definitely glad we made the stop, however if you look closely at the picture, you can tell that all the little guys were very tired at this point!
On our way back home the boys took a nap, and we made a last minute decision stop in Jackson to see my family...Waverly and David had flown to Colorado for a little vacation, so the cousins were staying with my parents...we thought this would be a fun suprise for all the little people! They were so happy when they saw each other! Mom made a picnic dinner for everone and we met them at the park. It was a perfect ending to an awesome weekend!

Family Fun!

We've been able to enjoy the boat with all of our family this summer except for my sister Waverly and her family...well we were finally able to all get together for a fun day on the lake, and it was so wonderful! The boys loved having their cousins, Ge, Grumps, Zachary and Natiley all with them...what a great day! One of the highlights was when mom tried out the kneeboard and was awesome at it! Afterward, we went by the property to let them all see the progress at the church and then we headed back to the house for a yummy steak dinner and a fun sleepover with cousins...thanks Grumps for the Grandaddy Williams bedtime story, they are our favorite! Wave, Dave and the kids were able to go to church with us for the first time to meet our sweet church family...thanks for letting me show you guys off to all the Sunday School classes, Dave! We love all you guys so much! Thanks for an amazing day and fun memories we'll have forever!

Fun Lunch!

I am doing home and office spas now (I'll have to do a separate blog on this!), so Bennett and I went to meet my cousin JulieAnn (who got me started) and her two little girls for lunch and some official spa business! Bennett had a big time hanging out with his buddy, Jayden! Thanks guys for a fun afternoon!

Prayer Breakfast

This year as school began our church had the blessing of being able to host the prayer breakfast for our schools again. The event went very well last year, so we were able to add an evening prayer dessert hosted by our friends at Springhill as well! It was open to anyone, and was held at the association office. It is such a neat way to start the school year, praying for each teacher and administrator in our schools by name.

The other incredible blessing about this event is how amazing our church family is...anything we ask, they gratefully do. We had homecoming at our church Sunday morning (and a potluck lunch), set up for the prayer event Sunday afternoon, and then everyone cooked breakfast Monday morning...we have such a precious church...no one complained, they just lovingly helped! Thank you so much to each of you who baked, decorated and prayed...I love you all so much! Here is a picture of the sweet friends who helped host the breakfast that Monday morning and some pics of the pretty table...thanks so much to Becky and DeDe for helping with the pretty decorations!

Hey Aunt Beverly and Uncle Ferrell!

Recently Aunt Beverly and Uncle Ferrell came to visit...we had lots of fun! Thanks for being such a good sport Uncle Ferrell! And thanks to Ed Prater, Head Tater at one of our favorite places to eat in Paris, Prater's Taters! It's always yummy and always fun!

Bennett's Night with Dad (and me)

On the night Michele took Caleb on a "date" to pick out school clothes, Bennett and Corey had planned a guys night out, and I had plans elsewhere. Well, my plans were canceled, so I tagged along on Corey and B's night and got to snap a few pics. Corey loves to golf, and therefore so do the boys. I love that they admire their dad and want to be like him...if he does it, they want to, if he wears it, they want to...you get the picture.

It was special for Bennett to have guy time with his dad without Caleb being there because usually it's all three of them. B chose to eat dinner and then go golfing at the driving range. Here are the sweet pictures I snapped as I tried to not interrupt their male bonding :)

Lemons...Lemonade!

I know this is from a while back, but I loved the pictures and hated not to post them... The week before school started, the boys and I had waited until the afternoon to go to the pool so that Corey and Michele could join us. We didn't know that they were closing early that day, so the three of us arrived just in time to see everyone walking out! Needless to say, the boys were very upset (and I felt terrible for talking them into waiting). Fortunately, some quick thinking led us to pull out the slip-n-slid and the sprinkler at home...they were very excited about this fix! Here are a couple pictures of the fun!Even Corey decided to join in on the fun (in his khakis...he had just gotten home...at least he took off the Polo :) !

Construction Continues...

Since our Constructors for Christ have left, the work on the building has continued with sub-contractors and church members. Over the past few weeks, the work has not gone as quickly (it's hard to replace 60-100 workers a week :), but there are definitely some visible changes! The baptistery arrived during week five and has now been put into place and you can see the progression below...the wall that is in front of it is now framed, and you can walk the steps from behind the concrete walls up each level to the baptistery (sans a couple steps).

Also, the siding on the education side is mostly done! Corey and several of our deacons and church members have been diligently working when they can work in a few hours to complete this part of the job. The front and drive through side are completed, and we are just waiting on some concrete to be poured behind the building before working on the back.We now have two volunteer teams lined up for the fall to work on painting and flooring! Definitely a praise! Continue to keep us in your prayers as we continue working toward our relocation and ultimately serving Christ as He leads!

Happy Birthday, Clayton!

Recently the boys got to celebrate their buddy, Clayton's, birthday! We loaded up and headed to Jackson for a fun day of Chuck E. Cheese, Chick-fil-a and swimming! Thanks for a fun time and for being a great friend, Clayton!