Campfire Fun!

Back during football season, we hosted a 5th Quarter for the youth at our home. We had planned on having a bonfire to make s'mores and keep warm, but it rained and we moved the party inside. The boys had worked really hard collecting wood for the fire and were pretty disappointed when it didn't work out, so a month later we finally lit a fire to the woodpile they had made and enjoyed those s'mores while we were at it! It was so much fun...now I'm trying to talk Corey into putting in a permanent fire pit!

Thanksgiving with Corey's Family

Okay...I have to apologize for the lack of pictures...because I have been so far behind on my blogging, I have also not done very well taking pictures. I only have pics from my family Thanksgiving because Waverly emailed them to me... I did snap these while we were bowling with Nanny and JR, but didn't get any with Gene and Sue...I will try to do better! We did have a wonderful time with our family. We were especially thankful this year to have our soon to be brother-in-law, David celebrating with us! And his birthday was Thanksgiving day this year, so we were able to celebrate that as well! Happy Birthday, David!

Foropoulos Family Thanksgiving

First off on the Thanksgiving travel was my parents' home. The boys couldn't wait to see their cousins...priority number one on their list was wrestling (with the boys of course...they thought the girls should not be involved or they might get hurt). We had a wonderful time wrestling, playing Foosball, cards, listening to Grumps telling Granddaddy Williams stories, watching the traditional Christmas movie, and of course eating mom and dad's yummy turkey and dressing dinner!

One of the neat traditions we began when Bennett was just a baby was that we put their hand prints on a tablecloth, ask what they are thankful for and write it on their hand print...I love hearing their sweet answers each year! Each child has their own color, so we can see how their hand has grown each year. This year Caleb was thankful for "God, Jesus, and my whole family", and Bennett said that he was thankful for "My doggie and my Ge (their name for my mom)". Each year I am reminded how blessed we are as we take turns sharing all that God has blessed us with and brought us through. I love the verse, "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever." I am so grateful for my family, my church, my wonderful friends, and this year amidst the struggling economy I am especially grateful for our home and two paid off vehicles. God has blessed us beyond what we could ask or imagine, and for that we praise and thank Him!

During Thanksgiving we also got to celebrate my precious niece, Heidi's 4th Birthday...Happy Birthday, sweet girl! Also notice the "silly face" family picture at the bottom...Wave and Dave claim they didn't know we were doing a silly picture...hmm, everyone else heard, including all seven children...not sure I believe you Wave, but it is a good picture of you ;)

Thanksgiving at Story Hour

Bennett and his friends had a great time celebrating Thanksgiving together at story hour...complete with pilgrims, Indians and a small "feast."

Last Soccer Game of the Season

Caleb had a great season of soccer. He really enjoyed playing this year and was very good at it! He had several games where he scored multiple times....and if you know how competitive he is, this only fueled his love for the game ;) We are very proud of how hard he played this year and the great attitude he had along the way. After the game, the team headed to Dairy Delight for lunch, ice cream and trophies. Great season guys!!!

This Year's Decorations...Next Year's Pumpkin Patch

When it was time to get rid of the pumpkins the boys had painted and gotten at their schools, they were pretty sad, so in an attempt to cheer them up I told them that we'd go scatter the seeds in the back and hopefully have some pumpkins grow next year. We'll see how this goes, but it worked for some of our friends last year! Here they are one last time with the pumpkins and a few pics of them busting them open...it was no easy task!

Thanksgiving Lunch

Caleb's school had a Thanksgiving feast, and all the children wore cute little Thanksgiving hats...He was so excited when he walked toward the lunchroom and I was waiting to eat with him. We had such a fun time!

All I Want for Christmas is...a Pressure Washer!!!

Okay, not really, but these things are incredible!!! We borrowed Steve's pressure washer to clean off the pontoons on the boat before storing it for the winter, and while we had it I decided to wash our concrete wall. OH MY GOODNESS! It is addictive...I couldn't believe how dirty the wall had been. I mean, I knew it was dirty, but had no idea how bad it was until I saw what it was supposed to look like.During the many hours I spent cleaning the wall, I reflected upon how our lives are kind of like that wall. They get all dirtied up with sin...just "little" ones, we think...and then before long, we don't even realize how filthy we've become. We must go to the Word for a fresh cleansing, to see who we should be and evaluate what we've really become. So, what's the best way to keep ourselves clean? Daily spending time in prayer and Bible study. Is it difficult to stay committed? Yes. But it's a lot easier than letting the filth build up and needing major pressure washing!

Michele and David's Maplewood Shower

Corey and I love our church family. There are many reasons why, but two of them are: they love us and our family, and they are a very kind, generous church. This was very evident once again as they helped to celebrate Michele and David's upcoming wedding. Everything was so nice, the decorations were so pretty, the cake yummy, and they received many lovely gifts! Thank you church family for loving us and our family so much...you're such a blessing!

Time to Pull the Boat Out :(

November was the time for pulling the boat out of the water. The boys' buddy Hunter went with us for this fun adventure. It was kind of sad to take it out...we had such a wonderful time on it this summer with family and friends. We are grateful to God for the blessing of the special times and memories we've had on it...it was such a wonderful way for us to enjoy much needed family time during this busy summer of construction. God is faithful in providing for our needs in many ways, and for that we are so thankful!

Much Need Update on the Building Process

When we got home from vacation, the team from Grace Baptist Church in Tullahoma, TN was mid way through their week volunteering at our church. This wonderful team focused on laying the vinyl composite tile in the classrooms on the left side of the building (the children's rooms have splashes of color tiles), and they painted the exterior of the building! Thank you so much for all your hard work!

I'm also including pictures of the process during November. There has been quite a bit of site work done, grass is now planted, pavement is down, the drop ceiling is in, glass is going in the front windows, and the drywall is almost completed!