Thanksgiving

For the last several years, we have spent Thanksgiving in North Carolina with Scott's mom and Forest. This year, Forest's oldest daughter Jennifer and her husband Michael were able to join us.

Lefty tried to stow away in the suitcase:
Ford slept for about an hour on the way there and back. That's such an unusual treat!The weather was nice on Thanksgiving Day. So, we went for a walk and then putted around on the practice green. Scott won the putting contest!

Ford woke up from his nap and for some reason had really crazy hair:

Scott's mom cooked for us the whole weekend. She made wonderful meals including a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings:

Grana, Papa Forest and Ford:

On Saturday, Papa Forest and Grana took us to the cutest place in their little town. It's called Kid Senses and it's an interactive museum for children. Ford LOVED it!
A REAL firetruck:


The cafe where Scott and Ford prepared me a meal:


Inside a bubble!

Fun with magnets:

Fun in the treehouse:




Shopping at the cutest little pretend grocery store:


Thanks to Grana and Papa Forest for a great weekend. We always have a fun time at Grana's house!

Luke 2:1-14

This morning on the way to school, Ford said, "What is Christmas about, Mommy? Presents?" I said, "Well, you get presents. But that's not what Christmas is about. Christmas is about Jesus. Christmas is about the day Jesus was born."

When I was in the fourth grade, I was the narrator for our Christmas program. Below is the text that I read for our program. So, as we begin this advent season, I hope we all are able to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

1And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
2(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
3And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
5To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
6And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
8And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Amen!

Then and Now

Can you believe my baby boy is THIS big? I sure can't!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have inadvertently taken the month of November off. So, I just wanted to let everyone know we are all alive and well. We'll be heading to North Carolina for the Thanksgiving holiday. And, our trip is sure to bring lots of Kodak moments for me to post. Here are a few pictures of Ford from this month, just in case you miss seeing his sweet, little face! I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday with people you love! If you are reading this, I am thankful for YOU!

Max is Coming Home!

Our dear friends, Abby and Louie, adopted siblings from Guatemala. Catalina is now five and Gus is two and a half and they came home with Abby and Louie in February, 2007. In August last year, Abby and Louie received news that Cati and Gus had a new baby brother that would also be placed for adoption, Max. Abby and Louie were asked if they would be interested in adopting Max. Without a moment's hesitation, they said, "YES!"

It has been a long and hard road to get to this point, but MAX IS COMING HOME! Abby and Louie will be traveling to Guatemala to pick him up and bring him home on November 15th.

Of course, Cati and Gus are blessings straight from heaven. But, there are many details that I won't get into that make Max's adoption even more of a miracle. If I have ever seen our Mighty God's hands at work, it is in the fact that Max is coming home.

Abby and Louie, we can't wait for you to bring Max home and can't wait to meet him!

One, Two, THREE!

As some of you may know, my friend, Jennifer, is expecting triplets. That's not a typo. She and her husband are having two girls and a boy who should arrive sometime in the first quarter of 2009. Her first baby shower was on Wednesday and it was such a nice shower. She got so many wonderful gifts and three of almost everything. It is always such a blessing to get the essential things before the baby comes, or babies, in this case. Jennifer is 22 weeks and she looks great!

Pawpaw and Rona

Sunday, after the Titans win against the Packers, we headed to Pawpaw and Rona's house. They were kind enough to make dinner for us and invited us down to play and eat. Pawpaw's house is always fun because he has lots of toys! Thanks for having us, Pawpaw and Rona! We had a fun time!

Halloween

We had a very fun Halloween this year. We were able to celebrate for two days, trick-or-treating on Friday and Trunk or Treat at church on Saturday. Aunt Leigh Ann came over on Friday and we went to the Truss' house to have chili and go trick-or-treating down their sidewalked street. Trunk or Treat at church is always fun and it wasn't freezing up on the hill this year!

Some folks have wondered about Ford's UPS costume. Since Scott started his computer business, we have had computers delivered to our house a few times a week. From the time Ford was old enough to know what was going on, we go to the door and see Merv and his truck when he brings computers by. Ford loves Merv and cries if he doesn't get to say "hi" to him. I also know Ford well enough to know that he probably wouldn't wear something with a mask, fur, or anything else that might be too hot, too itchy or that just didn't feel right to him. The UPS outfit was the perfect solution because it's just a shirt, pants and cap! He LOVED it! If you ask him what he was for Halloween he says, "MERV!"