Family visit & pumpkin carving

We had a really fun weekend! My brother, Kevin just returned home from a 5 month military training for his new job and we all went to his house on Saturday for a family visit. We had such a fun time! I love having my brothers' and my kids all together!

C Girl working hard in Sunday School!

We went and picked up a few pumpkins after church!

Our annual pumpkin carving/painting tradition!

B Boy drew his own template for his pumpkin!

C Girl worked very intently painting her pumpkin!

Monday, we cleaned in the house and freshened up our back patio.

Yesterday, I had Bible study, we opened bank accounts for the kids, met Tim for lunch, went to the park with April & Ryan and then took some family photos in the evening. It was a busy day!

Today has been very low key. I have some errands to run later and the kids have AWANA tonight.

We only have a few more days of October break and I think we are going to have some fun!

Family and a finished season

It has been a rainy week! It rained on Sunday. We went to church and then Tim had to go in to work to prepare for a teacher training that he had Monday. B Boy was rained out of baseball games on Monday and Tuesday nights. Jessica and Parker arrived on Tuesday evening to stay with us for a week! We are thrilled to have them here!

This morning, we visited a park and got CFA for lunch!

They got to come along to pick up the kids from school!

B Boy finally got to have his tournament games tonight!

Parker was obsessed with all of it!

oh, the cuteness!!!!

C Girl worked on her bubble gum blowing technique!

B Boy had a great hit in the first game! (video below)

His team won the first game, but lost the second.

It was sad to see the season end.

Last huddle of the season.

My testimony and Last week.... {#30daysofThanksgiving}

My friend Kelly asked me a few months ago if I would share my testimony on her blog.  She had started a series called "Testimony Tuesday."  I immediately knew that I should say yes.  God has been pressing me for a year to write out my story and I didn't know why.  

In the weeks surrounding the time that my testimony was to appear on her blog, I received confirmation after confirmation of my decision.  

I'm so glad when I know for sure that God wants me to do something!

If you would like to read it, just head on over here to her blog.

I'm so very thankful for all of the emails, comments, Facebook posts and words of encouragement in person that I received.  I never want it to be about me.  

I am just so very thankful that my story may have touched people or given them encouragement.

Kelly shared her testimony yesterday during our women's ministry Bible study time.  

It was so good.  I have fallen in love with testimony.  I love to learn more about people and I LOVE to see how God works in and throughout our lives!  

He is so, so GOOD!

God has been so good to me in my life.  There have been so many hard times, but He has always worked good of even the bad times.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Last week.... I helped in the classrooms like I normally do, listened to a great testimony at church during Bible study time, we had a makeup gymnastics class and regular gymnastics class, AWANA, Tim and I got to have adult conversation while they were in church, I had a baby shower Thursday night for my friend Elizabeth who is having a baby girl next month, and shopped on Friday and had dinner at Flying Fish. 

I started feeling run down on Thursday evening.  On Friday, I seemed better until dinnertime. By the time we got home, I was SO ready for bed.  I woke up Saturday morning knowing that I had a cold :(

We also had company on their way!

I took meds and rested as much as I could.  I somehow powered through and visited, took Jessica to my favorite consignment store and then took some family photos for Keith, Jessica and Parker.

We had a fantastic visit with them!

And, I can officially say that- I love my new camera!!!

Today, I am thankful for cameras.  Nothing thrills my heart more than to know that I can preserve images of our lives to always look back on.