Happy Thanksgiving!

My mom and RT came for a visit during Thanksgiving. It was a real treat to share our first turkey day back in the states with them. It was such an awesome day...very relaxing since I made most of the food a day ahead of time. I was able to enjoy the parade (YAY!) and made a scrumptious turkey. I'm so thankful for the many blessings I have and FAMILY is at the top of that list!

From white belt to yellow belt

Logan has graduated to a yellow belt in his karate class. We're very proud of him! He has shown tremendous growth in the 3 months that he's been attending. He has shown great focus and concentration in learning karate.

Fighting stance

His teacher, Mike Cassie, has been such a blessing. He is stern with the kids but it's what is needed when instructing them on how to protect themselves. They snap to attention like little soldiers at the sound of his voice. He teaches them discipline and respect for themselves and one another.

Logan and his buddy, Duke. They started the same day and made yellow belt at the same time. These guys are two peas in a pod who sometimes get into trouble because they try to make each other laugh all the time. Duke always has a smile on his face especially when the teacher requires him to look tough. It's the funniest thing!

Trunk or Treat!

Halloween night was our trunk or treat at church. What-a-crowd! It was a bit chilly out but I was happy to not sweat for once on Halloween! The boys enjoyed checking out their loot although for Ryland it was everytime that someone put it in his bucket. He thought he had to eat every piece right away! Our truck was decorate in a Navy theme. I carved 8 pumpkins! That's gotta be a record for one person, if not, than it's one for me!

A battleship in the moonlight

The Amys...hey that would be a great name for a rock band! Amy was my Navy cheerleader as she was wearing the traditional Navy colors of gold and blue. If you notice the pumpkin in the back that says Anchors Aweigh...I did not spell that wrong. I received a lot of comments about that but that's how it's spelled in the song....I swear!

I had to pry this child off of this ride. He kept trying to escape and run back to it. My guess is that he liked it....;-)

The kiddos had more fun passing out the candy than collecting their own. I had to keep a watch on Logan, his serving was a fistful and Tyler's was one piece.

Casting Crowns

Casting Crowns was one of the first Christian bands that I listened to when I became a Christian 5 years ago. I had the opportunity to see them when they were in Memphis thanks to my mother in law for buying the tickets AND my sister for watching the kids. It was an awesome concert and I received a renewing of my faith because of it. Listening to the music live was like being transported back in time to my "baby" Christian days. I'm so blessed to have had this experience. They will forever be one of my favorite bands.

A visit with family

My sister came to stay with us during the week of Logan's birthday. The cousins meshed so well together. The little ones followed each other everywhere and the big ones...well let's just say that Logan was the leader of the pack. We had the pleasure of taking them around Memphis to see the many fun spots that we have enjoyed such as the Children's Museum, the zoo and the Firehouse museum. We even had a chance to dress up in halloween costumes and attend the annual Zoo Boo. I think that they had more fun just being together and playing.

This is just a snippet of our week together. There are many more photos in the web album.

Wii party for Logan

Logan turns 7!!

We celebrated Logan's birthday with a Wii marathon. His cousins came all the way from NC and he was also joined by old and new friends to help him celebrate his special day. Who needs birthday games when a Wii is around? Not these kids! We couldn't pry them away from it for the cake!

Happy Birthday Logan!! We love you!!!

Put your shoes on!

Over the 3 years on Guam I craved a bible study like I had in NC which was Community Bible Study. I did not spend much time in the Word while on Guam because I didn't have a bible study to really force me to get into it. I know that's not an excuse by all means, but it's mine.

By Divine Intervention, I ran into a mom at a playground a few months ago and she told me about a study geared towards moms. It turned out to be just what I needed.

We meet to discuss the book "High-Stepping in Heavenly Places" with a group of great ladies and then we break to hear the author, Jean Stockdale, speak. Let me tell you, this woman is right up there with Joyce Meyers in my book. She has a gift for public speaking and can draw you into her story as if you're two moms sitting down for coffee.

In this study we are delving into the book of Ephesians and Jean adds her "mom" twist so we can better apply it to our daily lives. One thing that sticks out for me is that Jean calls us "Beloved", a word that Paul uses several times in the New Testament. Each time she speaks that one word, it is a reminder to me how much God truly loves us. In Hebrew it actually stems from two words 'ahebh' which means "to breathe" or "to long for" and 'agapao' which means "to prefer". God "longs for" us and "prefers" us. WE are His Beloved!