Merry Christmas!

This year, with Christmas falling on a Saturday, our travels had to be fast and furious! We still had a wonderful time celebrating with family even though it was a little quicker than usual. We are so blessed to be able to celebrate together as the Lord has continued to bless our growing family!

Thank you, God for the precious gift of your Son, Jesus...He is our hope, our salvation, and our life!Caleb wrapped this present for me all by himself! He was so proud, and I thought it was very creative! I love it!

Candlelight Service

One of our other favorite ways to celebrate Jesus at Christmas time is through worshiping the Lord! We have a candlelight service each year where we focus on scripture celebrating the light He brings into the world and how we should reflect that to the world around us. We also sing praises to Him and celebrate the coming of our Savior! It is always such a sweet, worshipful time!

Christmas Ornament Tradition

We began a new Christmas tradition last year...we take the boys to Jack Jones' Studio J Pottery to make ornaments. They have such a fun time, and I love having wonderful keepsakes that they have made to grace our Christmas tree for years to come!

Over the River and Through the Woods....To Grandmother's House We Go! AND an Early Present

Corey's grandma moved to Paducah several months ago, and we haven't been able to see her yet. So we decided to load up and head there for a visit. We had also found out that there was ice skating there, so we met up with some friends for ice skating and dinner afterward. It was such a fun night!
When we got home, guess what was waiting for us in the mail?! Our USCIS approval (US government approval required for adoption!!!) Thank you, Lord for a wonderful, early Christmas present!

Youth Christmas Skit

Oh my goodness...this was so cute! Our youth performed a drama about gifts, what's inside, and how the greatest gift of all was Jesus. They did such a great job, and I must say I was proud/amazed/amused that our guys were man enough to wear bows!And Caleb thought they were so cool....he had to try on the costume!

Cain Family Open House

As many of you know, each year our family hosts an open house for our church. It is a tradition we have grown to love...everyone gets in on the preparation. What a blessing to be able to celebrate the gift of Jesus with our church family who we love so much!

Sunday School Class Christmas Party and Christmas Musicals

Wow...God is so good! This is a pic of the adults who were at a joint Christmas party of the young and middle adults Sunday school classes...three years ago, neither of these classes existed! I'm so grateful for all these precious friends the Lord has blessed us with! We had so much fun fellowshipping and had a great time during our ornament exchange. Thanks so much to the Cooks for opening up their home for this group of 50 or more!

Also, this same weekend I had the blessing of playing in the Christmas musical at FBC Martin where my uncle is music minister. It was overwhelming to think how the Lord has blessed me with opportunities to play my French horn in these types of musicals for over 17 years now! He has been so good to provide me not only with the satisfaction of being able to use the talent He has given me for His glory, but also the extra income it provides at Christmas time. He is so good about knowing our needs and our hearts longings and filling them in a way that only He can do!

Christmas with Family at Patti's!

One of the things I love about Christmas is the time we get to spend with family! This year, we got to celebrate with Corey's extended family at Patti's...it was so yummy, and the time together was wonderful! I am so grateful for the blessing of family! We love you all!

Mrs. Kay's Retirement Reception

Our precious church secretary of 43 years is retiring. She has truly been a blessing to Maplewood and to many others through her faithfulness and spiritual guidance. We are so blessed to have had such a wonderful lady with such a sweet servant spirit as our secretary all these years! Mrs. Kay, we are praying for you as you begin this next stage in your life journey.

Corey's Marathon

Well, this was the big day that Corey has been training for so very hard and with such dedication...the St. Jude Marathon! 26.2 miles...what goes into preparing for that? Well, running through an Achilles injury, squeezing in runs on lots of days when you'd rather just rest, and around 250 miles of training runs that took over 40 hours. Yes, it's a lot...and I'm so proud of him! He ran the marathon in 5 hours and 3 minutes and was able to raise $565 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Thank you to all who supported him...way to go, Corey!

Fred and Corey before the race...
Around mile 3...
Halfway there...Mile 13
And then we took a break with yummy peppermint hot chocolate!
Waiting inside Auto Zone Park for the guys to finish...
Entering the stadium...
At the finish line!